So, I am a new Software Developer and my journey began with an Asus Zenbook Duo. I had it for almost a year and it just couldn't handle my workload. :( It only had an Intel® Core™ i5-1155G7 Processor 2.5 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.5 GHz, 4 cores) So next up, I got the Lenovo Legion 5 (17) - which was great but a little too big for me and my needs with 17" screen.
Specs
Processor Model - AMD Ryzen 7 5000 Series
Processor Model Number - 5800HS
Storage Type - SSD
Total Storage Capacity - 512 gigabytes
Solid State Drive Capacity - 512 gigabytes
System Memory (RAM) - 16 gigabytes
Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
Operating System - Windows 11 Home
Battery Type - Lithium-ion polymer
Backlit Keyboard - Yes
General - Product Name
ROG Zephyrus G14 14" Laptop - AMD Ryzen 7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 - 512GB SSD
Brand - ASUS
Model Number - GA401QH-211.ZG14BL
Display
Screen Size - 14 inches
Screen Resolution - 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
Touch Screen - No
My current desk setup
Back to the basics, the Zephyrus G14 gets an Ergolift hinge design which pushes up the main-chassis on rubber feet at the bottom of the screen, in order to improve airflow underneath and help cool the components. Ergolift designs have one major flaw, though, and that’s the fact that hot air is blown into the screen. It’s an issue here as well, but not as bad as on ZenBooks.
For starters, there’s a bigger gap between the exhausts and the screen than on most ZenBooks. Then, the lid design also allows some of the hot air to go out to the back, through that carving in the bottom side. Finally, the ROG engineers smartly designed the radiators and plastic fins that split the hot air coming out from the exhausts, sending some of it downwards and some of it upwards and to the sides, so not straight into the screen. I haven’t got to test this implementation in games and measure the panel-temperatures around the exhausts, so I can’t vouch for the practical worth of this solution, but it shows they were aware of the problem and did something to at least partially address it. We’ll further touch on the thermal design in the next section.
In the meantime, I’ll also mention a couple of other aspects you should be aware of. First off, this notebook gets quad-speakers, with a set on main speakers (woofers, kind of) still firing on the bottom, but also a set of tweeters firing through those grills in the palm-rest. Not sure if that’s the best placement, as I fear they might be fairly easily cover by your palms with daily use, but again, they tried to address an issue of most modern gaming notebooks, within the space constraints of a 14-inch frame.
Then, you’ll notice there’s no webcam on the Zephyrus G14, just like on the 15-inch model and many of the other recent ROG gaming laptops. I don’t mind it, but some of you might feel otherwise. I was told an external camera will not be included with the standard bundle, unlike on some of the Zephyrus S models; makes sense to help keep prices down.
There’s also a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button of the G14, a first for an ROG laptop. It’s been touted for months and I’m glad to finally see it implemented. The redesigned button also ditches that pesky always-on light implemented with other ROG notebooks, but the status LEDs are still placed beneath the screen, annoying when trying to watch a movie at night. Please send them to the side or the front somewhere.
Finally, as far as the IO goes, the Zephyrus G14 offers a fair selection of ports, with USB-A and C ports, HDMI and an audio jack. There’s no LAN, but you get a USB to LAN adapter included for the rare occasions you’ll need wired Internet. There’s also no card-reader and no Thunderbolt 3, no surprise given this is an AMD-based notebook, but the left USB-C port allows charging. More on that further down.
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