ASUS VivoBook S15 Slim 2024, Ryzen 5 5600H, 8GB, 512GB SSD + 160GB, Black

Good CPU, decent storage, but 8GB of RAM holds it back. Fine for basic work, not for gaming or heavy multitasking.

The Ryzen 5 5600H is the star here. Six cores at 3.3GHz means everyday multitasking feels snappy, and it lands right around the middle of the pack for laptop CPUs in our database. But that CPU is held back by 8GB of RAM, which sits in the bottom 14th percentile for this category. Open a few Chrome tabs, a Zoom call, and Spotify at the same time and you'll feel it. The Radeon integrated graphics are also just average, so don't expect smooth frame rates in anything newer than an indie game. Storage is a bright spot, with 672GB total putting it above average for this class.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition, the VivoBook S15 Slim isn't even playing the same game. Those machines are in a completely different performance and price tier. The more realistic comparison is something like the Lenovo Legion 5i or HP OMEN Transcend 14, which offer dedicated GPUs and more RAM for gaming and creative work. If you need a laptop for school or office work, the VivoBook holds its own. If you want to game or edit video, look elsewhere.

At CAD 999, this is a fair deal for a basic productivity laptop, but not a steal. You're getting a capable CPU and plenty of storage, but the RAM limitation will annoy you sooner than you think. If you can find a similar config with 16GB of RAM for a bit more, that's the smarter long-term buy.

The ASUS VivoBook S15 Slim is a budget-friendly 15.6-inch laptop that gets the basics right but stumbles where it counts. The Ryzen 5 5600H is a genuinely capable 6-core chip, and the 512GB SSD plus a 160GB docking station gives you decent storage for the price. But 8GB of RAM in 2024 is a tough sell, and the integrated Radeon Graphics won't do much beyond light tasks and old games. This is a machine for spreadsheets, streaming, and schoolwork, not for creators or anyone who keeps 30 browser tabs open.

If you're a gamer, video editor, or anyone who runs memory-hungry apps, this isn't your laptop. The integrated graphics and 8GB of RAM will frustrate you. Go for something with a dedicated GPU and at least 16GB of RAM instead, like the Lenovo Legion 5i or HP OMEN Transcend 14.

The ASUS VivoBook S15 Slim is a decent budget laptop for students and office workers who need a reliable machine for web browsing, documents, and video calls. The Ryzen 5 5600H and 672GB of storage are the highlights. But 8GB of RAM is a real limitation, and the integrated graphics mean this isn't a machine for gaming or creative work. If your needs are basic, it's a solid pick. If you want to do more, spend a little extra on something with 16GB of RAM.