Asus ROG G752VM – Keyboard and Trackpad

The Scrabble-tile keyboard has a decent layout: the macro and recording keys are paired with a number pad, and there are full-sized Return and Space keys.

The entire unit has a red backlight with adjustable strength, and Asus boasts of 30-key rollover, which is solid for a gaming laptop and should prevent issues for all but the busiest of gamers.

The typing experience is decent, too. The base is firm, and there’s good travel considering the Scrabble-tile hardware – as much as I’ve seen on notebooks that cost twice as much. There’s satisfying snap and pace to the keys, which helps for gaming.

My only complaint is that the keys are, perhaps, too light – they lack the firmness and weight that’s found on the best laptop keyboards. This isn’t a huge issue, and the Asus’ typing hardware remains some of the best I’ve seen on a mid-range gaming portable.

The trackpad is mediocre. The pad itself is fine, but the buttons push down too far and are a little too slow to respond. A USB mouse is usually better than the hardware on gaming laptops, and that’s certainly the case here – I’d always choose an external mouse,especially in a fast-paced game.

Related: Best Gaming Keyboards

Asus ROG G752VM – Battery Life

I didn’t expect revolutionary lifespan on a £1,600 gaming notebook, and the Asus certainly delivered. This machine’s 67Wh battery lasted for 3hrs 7mins in the standard benchmark, which is an undemanding browser and video test with the screen at 40% brightness.

That result is more than 30 minutes behind the more affordable Asus ROG Strix GL702VM, and it’s also less than a slew of other gaming systems that I’ve seen over the past six months.

A high-end 3D gaming test revealed that the Asus could barely last an hour away from the mains, which is precisely what I expected and no different to any other gaming machine.

Should I Buy the Asus ROG G752VM?

There’s an awful lot to like about this laptop. Asus has put together a well-balanced specification for a decent price, and that makes it more appealing and practical than many other gaming notebooks.

The GTX 1060 has ample power for 1080p gaming, the Core i7 processor is solid, and I’ve no complaints about the memory or storage. The screen is consistently good, and the keyboard is solid.

Problems are small and understandable. Few laptops at this price have decent speakers, the trackpad is middling, and battery life is poor.

At this price, many of those minor issues are forgivable, and the Asus manages to avoid many of the pitfalls that hamper some more expensive gaming laptops – thermal issues or unbalanced specifications, for example.

The Asus G752VM is an excellent option if you’re looking for a large, mid-range gaming machine.

Related: Best gaming laptops

Verdict

Asus has paired this machine’s mid-range price with solid performance in most key departments. The GTX 1060 runs games smoothly on the high-quality screen, and the rest of the components are rapid. Other machines might be lighter or faster, but this 17.3-inch brute is an excellent mainstream option.

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