Benchmarks And Conclusion
Our synthetic benchmarks include PCMark 8, 3DMark Fire Strike, Unigine Valley and GFXBench. Bioshock Infinite and Metro: Last Light Redux are used to measure gaming performance.
We're pitting Asus' G752VT against the Acer Predator 15 and Lenovo Ideapad Y700-15 Touch, along with the similarly-configured Doghouse Mobius ES. These systems offer the same CPU (an Intel Core i7-6700HQ), but different GPU and memory configurations. The G752VT, Mobius ES and Y700-15 Touch have 16GB of memory, while the Predator 15 contains 32GB of memory. The Predator 15 boasts the most potent graphics subsystem, a GeForce GTX 980M, while the G752VT and Mobius ES each host a GTX 970M. The Y700-15 Touch is limited to a GeForce GTX 960M.
Synthetic Benchmark - PCMark 8
The G752VT performs exactly the way we expect it to. Naturally, the most interesting comparison is to Doghouse's pricier but similarly-configured Mobius ES. Asus' solution is slightly slower in the Home module and a little faster in the Creative and Work modules. Differences between them are negligible at best, though. Both score higher than Lenovo's Y700-15 Touch, likely due to that system's GeForce GTX 960M, and trail Acer's Predator 15, which benefits from a superior GeForce GTX 980M.
Synthetic Benchmark - 3DMark Fire Strike
The G752VT's benchmark numbers land between the lower-end Y700-15 Touch and higher-end Predator 15. Strangely, the G752VT fared worse than its competition in the Physics test, which is highly CPU-dependent. Since all of the systems in this comparison employ a Core i7-6700HQ, we shouldn't see a difference this big.
Synthetic Benchmark - GFXBench
GFXBench's battery test cycles through the same scene until the power source drops to 80 percent of its capacity. The resulting scores roughly estimate how long the battery should last if it's drained completely. The performance number is determined by the minimum frame rate across all of the cycles.
We tested Asus' G752VT using the GFXBench battery test on a fully-charged battery at maximum brightness. According to the software, you'll get about 140 minutes of play time at just under 30 frames per second, providing you start with a full charge, of course.
Synthetic Benchmark - Unigine Valley
Our G752VT and its GTX 970M perform almost the same as the Mobius ES, which we'd expect given their similarities. Also not surprisingly, the Asus lands between Acer's Predator 15 and Lenovo's Y700-15 Touch.
Gaming Benchmark - Bioshock Infinite
In Bioshock Infinite, the G752V2 achieves a high minimum frame rate and a low maximum compared to Doghouse's contender. Despite this, the averages work out to be fairly close. Just be sure, we ran the tests multiple times to ensure consistency between runs.
The G752VT does fall off during the Monument Island scene, registering more than 20 FPS lower than the Mobius ES. While Asus' G752VT is still more than adequate for this scene, such a significant difference might turn heads.
Gaming Benchmark - Metro: Last Light Redux
Continuing our trend of erratic results, the G752VT's frame rate drops as low as 0.66 FPS and reaches as high as 104.36. The average lands roughly where we'd expect at least, though it's a little slower than Doghouse's machine.
Conclusion
Asus' G752VT serves up excellent value and performance, particularly compared to the higher-priced Doghouse Mobius ES. Both gaming laptops feature the same specifications and perform similarly. Yet the Asus does this for nearly $1000 less. If you're attracted to the aesthetics and user experience, but can't afford or don't need a GeForce GTX 970, the G752VL is even cheaper.
The G752VT isn't for everyone, but then no notebook is. We're emphatic that it's hard to pass on the diverse G752 family, especially the VT implementation, given its performance and price tag. But we certainly see how this laptop can be polarizing. Its aesthetics are bold, noisy and not the least bit modest.
Weighing nearly nine pounds, it's also incredibly heavy. This isn't the type of laptop you want to tote around at work or school, unless you're paid to play first-person shooters. Rather, this is a desktop replacement or LAN party machine, through and through. In either of those applications, the Asus G752VT is an excellent value.
Alexander Quejado is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Alexander Quejado on Twitter.