ASUS ExpertBook ASUS ROG Strix G16 Gaming Laptop 2024, Core i9-14900HX, 32GB, 1TB SSD, Eclipse Gray

Gorgeous OLED screen and a beastly CPU, but the gaming score is a punchline. Buy it for work, not for frags.

The i9-14900HX is a 24-core monster, and paired with 32GB of DDR5, this thing chews through developer workloads and multitasking without breaking a sweat. The RTX 4060 is fine for 1080p gaming and ray tracing at moderate settings, but it's not going to max out that 240Hz display on demanding titles. What surprised us is the gaming score sitting at 25.6 out of 100. That's rough for a laptop with 'Strix' in the name. The integrated GPU mention in the specs might explain it, but if you're buying this for gaming, the numbers say you're getting a lot less than the marketing suggests.

Against the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10, the Strix G16 loses the gaming argument almost immediately. The Legion is built for exactly what this machine struggles with. The Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max is in a different league for battery life and build quality, though you'll pay for it. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 is lighter and more portable, but its smaller screen can't touch this OLED. If you want a gaming laptop, get the Legion. If you want a premium all-rounder, the MacBook is the safer bet. The Strix G16 sits awkwardly between them, great screen, confusing identity.

Pricing is all over the map. In the US you're looking at $1,743, but in Europe it ranges from EUR 2,031 to EUR 2,467 depending on the store. That's a EUR 436 spread, which is wild. If you're in France or Italy, shop around because the cheaper listing is the only one worth considering. At the low end of that range, the screen and CPU make it a decent deal for developers. At the high end, you're paying too much for a laptop that can't game as well as its name implies.

The ASUS ROG Strix G16 is a weird mix of serious gaming hardware and a spec sheet that doesn't quite know what it wants to be. You've got an i9-14900HX and an RTX 4060, which is a solid combo, but the listing also mentions ASUS ExpertBook and a Core 7 150U in the same breath. That's a red flag for confusing product info, but the actual machine we're looking at is a 16-inch gaming laptop with a gorgeous OLED panel and enough RAM to keep Chrome from crying. The one thing to know? That screen is the star here, and it's doing a lot of heavy lifting for the overall score.

If you're looking for a gaming laptop, this isn't it. Go get a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i or an MSI Raider instead. If you want something light and portable, the HP OMEN Transcend 14 or a MacBook Pro will serve you better. This machine is for people who want a big, beautiful screen and don't mind the weight.

Buy this if you're a developer or content creator who wants a big, beautiful OLED screen and serious CPU power, and you can find it at the lower end of the price range. Do not buy this as a gaming laptop. The RTX 4060 is fine, but the overall gaming score tells a story the marketing doesn't want you to hear. It's a productivity machine wearing a gamer's jacket.