Asus ROG Strix G15 G513 Review
A gaming laptop with Nvidia graphics and a 300Hz display
Verdict
The Asus ROG Strix G15 G513 gaming laptop is fast in games and applications, and it has a decent screen, great keyboard and a keen price. That’s great – but some rivals are quicker, sleeker and slimmer.
Pros
- Great mainstream gaming power
- Superb AMD processor
- Very good keyboard
- Cheaper than rivals
Cons
- Rivals offer more GPU ability
- Underwhelming USB ports
- Thicker and heavier than competitors
Availability
- UKRRP: £1699
- USARRP: $2198
- EuropeRRP: €1998
Key Features
- High-end 1080p graphics:The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 allows you to hit a high performance for Full HD gaming.
- Versatile CPU performance:AMD’s chip offers a superb performance for both creation and gaming.
- 300Hz refresh rate:The 15.6in display has a very high refresh rate, making it a great option for competitive multiplayer gamers.
Introduction
The Asus ROG Strix G15 is the latest addition to Asus’ range of gaming laptops, which runs the gamut from affordable models to high-end beasts.
This machine slots right into the middle of the firm’s selection, and it offers a surprising amount of hardware for the price.
There’s Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 laptop graphics, for instance, and a superb AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor. Fans of competitive gaming will be sated by this laptop, too – it has a 300Hz 1080p display. But is it good enough to be one of the best gaming laptops around?
Price and avaialibility
The Asus ROG Strix G15 G513 reviewed here costs £1699 in the UK, and €1999 in Europe. This specification hasn’t yet appeared in the US, so the best option is to buy the $2199 model with the same internal hardware alongside a 1440p display with a 165Hz refresh rate. It’s also possible to get a $1999 version that retains the 300Hz display and deploys an improved AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor.
The G15’s nearest competitor is the Razer Blade 15, and if you want to buy that rig with an RTX 3070 then you’ll have to spend at least £1899 / $1999 / €2099, and those laptops all have Intel processors and displays at either 144Hz, 165Hz or 240Hz.
Design and keyboard
- A good-looking, RGB-filled exterior
- Great keyboard quality
- Solid features, although there’s plenty missing too
If you’re familiar with other Asus laptops then the Asus ROG Strix G15 G513 will come as no surprise. It’s made from dark grey plastic, and large sections of the base and lid sport an eye-catching ROG pattern.
One end of the hinge has a black section that features the ROG logo. Other versions of this machine will be available with red or grey plates. Underneath, the rubber base makes it more comfortable on your lap and keeps it secure on your desk.
Inevitably, there are plenty of RGB LEDs. The keyboard has per-key lighting, and a band of lights runs around the laptop’s base. As usual, these can be customised and synchronised with other Asus devices.
Unfortunately, the G15 is middling in some areas. It isn’t weak, but the plastic below the keyboard and at the bottom of the display does flex more than the Razer’s aluminium. The G15 weighs 2.3kg and is 23mm thick, which means the Razer is slimmer and lighter.
On the G15’s left edge you’ll find two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports that top out at 5Gbps, and the rear serves up another full-size USB port and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port that supports 10Gbps transfers, power delivery, and DisplayPort. There’s an HDMI 2.0b output, too. That’s fine for mainstream gaming, but the Razer goes further, with faster USB ports, Thunderbolt 3 support and HDMI 2.1.
Elsewhere, the G15 has Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. The 4W speakers offer ample volume alongside crisp, detailed mid-range and high-end noises. That makes them entirely serviceable for everyday gaming and media duties. There isn’t much bass, though. The G15 also misses out elsewhere: there’s no webcam, fingerprint reader, or card reader.
These omissions don’t stop the G15 from working well as a gaming laptop, though, and the keyboard and trackpad are impressive. The keyboard offers a great layout: you don’t get a number pad, but there’s an extra column of media keys and bonus buttons for altering the volume and opening the Asus Armory Crate app.
Those per-key RGB LEDs are bright, and the buttons are excellent. They’re fast and consistent, with plenty of travel. They’re also perfectly balanced: soft enough to feel comfortable while remaining snappy enough to hammer through games. I prefer these to the clinical typing gear on the Razer, and you’ll only get a better experience with opto-mechanical hardware.
The trackpad is reasonable: large and accurate, and with two shallow and fast buttons. But, as always, a USB mouse will be better.
Screen
- A superb 300Hz refresh rate make this display ideal for gaming
- Colours are accurate
- The Asus offers good contrast, but it could be better
The Asus ROG Strix G15 G513’s display is a 15.6in IPS panel with a 1080p resolution, 3ms response time and 300Hz refresh rate. It doesn’t have Nvidia G-Sync, but it’s still excellent for gaming: the refresh rate delivers butter-smooth and incredibly quick motion in games. If you’re an eSports player, that refresh rate is high enough to handle the busiest titles.
The Asus has a Delta E of 1.09 and a colour temperature figure of 6799K, ensuring accurate colours, and it displays 96.7% of the sRGB colour gamut, and so will produce virtually every shade required by games. It’s uniform, too: the backlight strength deviated by less than 10%.
That backlight has a peak strength of 312 nits, which is only good enough for indoor use, however. The black point of 0.27 nits is a tiny bit higher than I’d like, too. Those figures create a contrast ratio of 1155:1 – a good result for an IPS display, and it’s better than the Razer. It means games look colourful and punchy. However, it isn’t unusual to find IPS panels with higher contrast, and such devices will deliver a punchier image.
In addition, I’d recommend looking elsewhere if you want a display for work. This screen can’t handle the Adobe RGB or DCI-P3 colour gamuts, with other panels offering higher resolutions, too.
Performance
- The RTX 3070 is a superb gaming chip, even if others are quicker
- The AMD CPU is a fantastic productivity processor
- The Asus is cooler and quieter than the competition
The Asus ROG Strix G15 G513’s RTX 3070 has the usual 8GB of memory and 5120 stream processors, and in this machine it’s allowed to run with a peak TDP of 130W – about as high as Nvidia allows this GPU to go.
Not surprisingly, it’s a decent GPU. In Horizon Zero Dawn at 1080p Ultimate settings the GPU zipped through at 77fps, and it was two frames quicker in Borderlands 3. It’s rapid, and it means that you’ll be able to play today’s best-looking triple-A titles at a smooth average of 60fps or beyond, without compromising on graphics settings.
The Asus ran Dirt Rally at 98fps, which is another solid score. You’ll be able to play eSports games comfortably on this laptop, and you can run titles such as League of Legends, Overwatch and Fortnite at the triple-figure frame rates required to take advantage of the 300Hz panel.
I recorded these scores in Asus Armory Crate’s default Performance mode; activating Turbo mode allowed the GPU to run closer to its 130W power limit to deliver extra speed. It worked: the G15’s Horizon score increased to 79fps, its Borderlands result jumped by seven frames, and its Dirt Rally pace improved to 118fps. Those are decent results, but the Razer was consistently quicker in all of those test games.
The G15 fought back in application tests. The eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 5800H is fantastic, and Asus has deployed it alongside 16GB of dual-channel memory and a 1TB SSD.
That hardware delivered single- and multi-core Geekbench results of 1380 and 7086, with both scores comfortably ahead of the Intel Core i7-10750H used in the Razer. Not surprisingly, the Asus’ PCMark 10 result of 6406 was miles ahead, too.
| Asus ROG Strix G15 G513 | Razer Blade 15 (2021) | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel Core i7-10750H |
| PCMark 10 | 6406 | 5405 |
| Geekbench 5 (single core) | 1380 | 1147 |
| Geekbench 5 (multi core) | 7086 | 5232 |
| Graphics card | Nvidia RTX 3070 | Nvidia RTX 3070 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 9769 | 7687 |
The Asus machine is a better option for content-creation and multi-tasking than any of the Razer options thanks to that AMD processor, and it’s a great thermal performer. This laptop never became too hot: the underside remained cool enough for on-lap use, no matter the test or power mode, and the side vents didn’t pump out much hot air.
It’s also worth mentioning that the CPU didn’t experience any throttling in tough work tests – it achieved its turbo speeds.
Note, too, that most other gaming laptops are louder than the Asus. In the G15’s normal Performance mode, the fan noise was modest when gaming, and it increased only slightly in Turbo mode. It was consistently quieter in work tests.
Battery
- Average longevity in games
- The Asus is far better in work and media-viewing situations
If you want to play games using the Asus ROG Strix G15 G513’s battery then don’t expect much: it lasted for 1hr 33mins – and using the battery means reduced graphics power. You’ll be better off plugged in at the mains for a gaming session.
The Asus was better in work tests. In an everyday application benchmark with reduced screen brightness it lasted for 7hrs 32mins, and it handled video playback at half brightness for two hours longer.
This machine may not have the battery life for long gaming sessions away from a power source, but it will comfortably last half a day and beyond for everyday work tasks.
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Should you buy it?
You’re searching for a well-balanced laptop for work and play
The Asus ROG Strix G15 G513 is very versatile gaming laptop, excelling at both gaming and creative applications thanks to the AMD processor.
You want the best features and gaming performance possible
The Razer Blade 15, and various other RTX 3070 systems, boast superior gaming performances. If you’re solely interested in gaming, you’re probably best off looking elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
The Asus ROG Strix G15 has the gaming pace to tackle any 1080p situation alongside a top-class processor, a smooth 300Hz and a great keyboard – and it even has a decent battery. But if you’re willing to spend more then you can easily find RTX 3070 laptops with improved gaming speed and better features.
FAQs
As usual with Asus laptops and most big-brand machines, this laptop comes with a one-year warranty.
The G15’s function row includes options to alter the display and keyboard brightness, change the machine’s fan speeds, switch to Airplane mode, disable the trackpad, and mute the machine.
The laptop model here features a Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU, but you can buy it with an RTX 3060 instead if you fancy.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
