The Asus ROG G703GI is the G703’s successor. This gigantic gaming laptop surprized us with its superior performance and great build quality, but it was burdened by a huge design, a steep price tag, and a short battery life. This year’s gaming laptop trend is all about slim and light. You can now get a completely functional gaming rig that is less than an inch thick and weighs less than five pounds.
That is not the case with the Asus Chimera G703GI gaming laptop. It’s a ten-pound behemoth with a 17-inch screen and twice the thickness of Razer’s new Blade or MSI’s GS65. Asus has enhanced the hardware of the ROG G703GI, making it an even more formidable gaming machine. While these improved features enable it to play the latest games better than ever before, they may accentuate the shortcomings of the previous iteration of the G703, particularly in terms of pricing and battery life.
What the ASUS ROG G703GI Gaming Laptop Has to Offer
It delivers desktop-class performance without updating the GPU or CPU; only the RAM and storage can be switched. The Chimera feels like a throwback when the only option to obtain a good gaming laptop was to put up with much weight and monstrous size. However, it is not alone.
There is still a good selection of 17-inch gaming laptops available at a range of price points. The Chimera is at the top of the heap, with a lengthy list of specifications and an equally lengthy price tag to match. However, there are still benefits to owning a 17-inch laptop. Compared to more portable gaming laptops, Chimera’s primary advantage is its Core i9 processor and 17.3-inch display; no other Max Q laptop on the market has either spec.
ASUS ROG G703GI Gaming Laptop: Specs and Design
The Asus ROG G703GI design is nearly identical to that of the ROG G70, so expect a large and bulky metal armor’ design; this is not a slimline MaxQ laptop like the Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501. The Asus ROG G703GI measures 425 x 319 x 51mm and weighs 4.7kg. It is classified as a ‘desktop replacement’ laptop, which implies it is not much more portable than a desktop PC.
It is, nevertheless, somewhat narrower and lighter than the G703. The massive 17.3-inch screen contributes to this laptop’s size and weight, but many may be prepared to pay for immersive large-screen gaming experiences. Another advantage of having a 17-inch laptop in the room is that additional functions, such as an Xbox Wireless controller receiver, maybe crammed in.
The dedicated Xbox button launches the Windows Game Bar and the Xbox software, allowing you to connect up to eight Xbox controllers wirelessly. The brushed aluminum chassis feels robust and offers the Asus ROG G703GI a premium appearance that conveys how seriously its owner takes gaming. On the rear, a ROG logo lights when the laptop is in use, and a backlit keyboard can be configured to display a variety of illumination patterns.
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Processor
Given the price and specifications of the Asus ROG G703GI, we expected exceptional performance, and the laptop exceeded our expectations in both benchmark testing and day-to-day use. This is due to the combination of the new Intel Core i9-8950HK processor with the aged but still extremely capable Nvidia GTX 1080 graphics card. The G703GI delivered some of the finest performance we’ve seen from a gaming laptop, averaging 101 frames per second in Middle Earth: Shadow of War at ‘Ultra’ settings.
The ROG G703GL scored 1,070 CB for the CPU and 148.67fps for the graphics in Cinebench. While these are good ratings, this laptop also features an “Overboost” mode that can be activated using the ROG software and safely overclocks the hardware for improved performance. It seems to work pretty well, as the laptop achieved 1,414 CB for the CPU and 149.25 frames per second for the GPU in Over boost mode, which significantly increases processing performance.
Battery
Regarding the Chimera’s battery, it’s a formality to refer to this monstrosity as a laptop. It lasts only long enough for you to locate the required two 280-watt chargers. Game laptops are not known for their long battery life – though some of the newer, thinner models are bucking the trend – and with a gaming laptop as large and powerful as the Asus ROG G703GI, it’s unsurprising that the battery life is so brief.
You may be surprised to learn how quickly the battery drains. Our battery life test consisted of repeatedly playing a 1080p video file until the battery died; the Asus ROG G703GI lasted only one hour and 53 minutes, which is less than the duration of many films. Therefore, do not anticipate this to be a laptop on which you can contentedly watch movies while unplugged.
When it comes to more intense tasks such as gaming, the battery drains even faster. The battery drained swiftly again during the PCMark 8 battery life benchmark test, which simulates moderate-to-heavy use such as video calls, web surfing, and word processing. In short, this is a laptop that requires practically continual recharging, and as previously said, it takes two power supply to charge the battery properly. The good thing is that the battery charges rapidly.
Display
If you want to play games with maximum visual fidelity and even 4K resolution when connected to a TV, the Asus ROG G703GI is worth considering. Even on the built-in 17.3-inch 1080p display, games look excellent, especially when all the visual bells and whistles are turned up to 11. The show supports a 144Hz refresh rate and G-Sync, ensuring a fluid and responsive gaming experience free of stuttering or screen tearing.
The G703GI delivered some of the finest performance we’ve seen from a gaming laptop, averaging 101 frames per second in Middle Earth: Shadow of War at ‘Ultra’ settings. Because this is a highly graphically taxing game, the laptop’s ability to maintain such high frame rates is credited to the high-end components packed inside. Additionally, it outperforms the MSI GS65 Stealth and the Asus ROG G703 from the previous generation.
Price and availability of the ASUS ROG G703GI
The Asus ROG G703GI Gaming Laptop is available in various configurations, with subtle variations depending on which nation you purchase it in. The G703GI-XS74 is available in the United States and features an Intel Core i7-8750H processor, a 17.3-inch 1080p G-Sync display, an overclocked Nvidia GTX 1080 graphics card, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, two 256GB PCIe SSDs, and a 1TB hard drive. This item is $3,499 in price.
Then there’s the $3,699 G703GI-XS98K, which has the same specs but includes an Intel Core i9-8950HK processor and a 2TB hard drive. The G703GI-XS99K is the top-of-the-line model, with the same specifications as the XS98K but 64GB of RAM and three 512GB PCIe NVMe SSDs. This version is priced at $4,999. These are extremely costly devices, comparable to the Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501 and the Razer Blade Pro. While the inclusion of a gaming backpack, headset, and mouse alleviates some of the stings, this is still an eye-watering exorbitant price tag that the Asus ROG G703GI will have to work hard to explain.
Cooling System
The G703GI Core i9 processor update enhances performance and core count, necessitating a more efficient cooling module. The ROG G703GI is equipped with two 12V fans that efficiently exhaust heat from the laptop’s left, right, and backports. The G703 GI uses dedicated copper tunnels to cool the CPU and GPU independently, maintaining a temperature range of 85 to 99°C to avoid overheating and, consequently, underclocking. This optimizes game performance and extends the life of the equipment. The upgrading to the next generation G703GI Core i9 CPU enhances performance and core count.
As a result, a more efficient cooling module is required. While the previous generation used three heat pipes, the new generation uses four for improved cooling. These heat pipes separate the heat generated by the CPU and GPU and channel it through three tunnels to the outlet’s thermal fins. The ROG G703GI thermal fins are only 0.1mm thick, half the thickness of normal fins. This allows for more fins to fit into the same space, increasing the cooling surface area by 16% and reducing air resistance by 7%, making it a critical factor in laptop cooling. Three fan modes are available; the default mode is Balanced.
When overclocking, the gamer can press the function key + F5 to activate Overboost mode, which increases the fan speed to improve heat dissipation, preventing the CPU and GPU from becoming unstable due to rising temperatures; Alternatively, when not running intensive programs, the gamer can switch to Silent Mode, which keeps the fans running quietly at low speeds.
Port Options
Additionally, the large size enables numerous connectors, including a USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port, three USB 3.1 ports, a mini DisplayPort, HDMI, SD card reader, and Ethernet port. That’s many connections for a laptop, with the Ethernet port critical for network gaming (of course, if you prefer wifi, there’s also a strong 802.11ac wifi connection).
Additionally, two power connections connect the two (big) power sources, which are frequently rather cumbersome. To charge the Asus ROG G703GI, you’ll need to plug both into it, which means dragging them around and seeking two free plug connections everywhere you use the laptop. It’s required given the computer’s power-hungry internals, but it’s inconvenient.
Gaming Experience
All of the processor-intensive applications that the Chimera can run demand a significant amount of cooling, even more so with a Core i9 running at turbo speeds of up to 4.8GHz. You can choose between three fan settings (quiet, balanced, and fan over-boost), which are ideal for managing the rush of air generated by the fans when they are working hard. While the silent mode does a good job of keeping the Chimera quiet enough to use in an office setting, it becomes quite noisy when running games or multiple monitors.
Touchpad and Keyboard
The Chimera lacks a mechanical keyboard, a regrettable omission for such a costly laptop. Rather than that, the full-size keyboard features fully lighted RGB keys with 2.5mm travel, which are nonetheless comfortable and provide the tactile feedback I enjoy while typing lengthy documents or fast pressing QWERTY keys in a League game.
Asus has the vertical height required to use this keyboard, which is another benefit of the spacious 17-inch chassis. The palm rest features a nonslip texture that makes it susceptible to oily fingerprints but agreeable to the touch when used for extended periods. The precision touchpad responds quickly enough to allow for easy navigation between internet tabs or light photo editing.
Speakers
The speakers inside the lid, directly behind the screen, are an unusual placement on the Chimera. The speakers are louder and have more bass than those on smaller laptops, like the Razer Blade 15. Because it is distortion-free at high volumes, you can use them to play games alone in a room or to amuse a small group of people with music. They aren’t as precise as headphones or external speakers, but they are among the best laptop speakers available.
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ASUS ROG G703GI PROS
- Excellent gameplay performance
- Ample display
- Components of superior quality
- 2.9GHz Intel Core i9-8950K (turbo up to 4.8GHz)
- HM370 chipset from Intel
- 64GB DDR4 2666MHz memory
- GeForce GTX1080 from NVIDIA
- 8GB GDDR5 graphics RAM
- Gsync-enabled 17.3″ FullHD 144Hz display
- 2x 512GB M.2 SSDs configured in RAID
- 2TB 5400 RPM Hybrid Hard Disk Drive (FireCuda)
- Excellent keyboard
- Outstanding performance
- Astonishing cooling system
- Develop superiority
ASUS ROG G703GI CONS
- Extremely costly
- Battery life is insufficient
- Looks that divide
- Extravagant design
- Upgradeability is limited.
Wrapping Up
However, it is prohibitively pricey, which will deter many individuals. Numerous combinations differ in price, so you may find a ROG G703GI configuration that fits your budget, but it will still be pretty expensive. The Asus ROG G703GI gaming laptop is certainly one of the most powerful we’ve reviewed. Gaming performance is excellent, especially while playing some of the latest games at their highest graphics settings, and you should not have to upgrade for a very long time. It will also readily handle virtual reality.
Additionally, it must be plugged in practically constantly, which limits its portability along with its bulk. However, suppose you require a laptop capable of running the latest games without breaking a sweat and is more portable than a desktop PC (for example, to gaming events and competitions). In such a case, the Asus ROG G703GI gaming laptop may prove to be well worth the high price.
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