The ASUS ROG Strix GL502VS Review: Mainstream GTX 1070 with G-SYNC
by Brett Howse on December 9, 2016 8:00 AM EST
ASUS offers a wide assortment of gaming laptops under “Republic of Gamers”, or 'ROG', with models such as the G752 lineup, the liquid cooled models in the GX800 series, and a few models for those who need more gaming per dollar. Today we are looking at the ASUS ROG Strix GL502VS, which ASUS labels “Compact and Potent”. The Strix branding has morphed a bit over the years, and now tends to signify the more economical products from ASUS, and the GL502VS certainly fits that bill, with quite a bit of hardware packed into a reasonable budget.
There are a couple of models of the GL502, and the VS version here for review is the top end version, featuring an Intel Core i7-6700HQ, NVIDIA GTX 1070, and up to 32 GB of DDR4. There are both 3840x2160 and 1920x1080 displays available, and both feature NVIDIA G-SYNC for a smoother gaming experience. SSDs are available for the boot drive, up to 512 GB, and ASUS also includes a 1 TB 5400 or 7200 rpm HDD for bulk storage to cope with the size of today’s games.
The laptop is fairly compact for a 15.6-inch gaming laptop, with the GL502VS model being 30.1 mm (1.18 inches) thick, and 2.34 kg (5.15 lbs) in weight. But it is not the thinnest or lightest gaming laptop of this size. The lower powered GL502VM model drops the GPU down to a GTX 1060, shaves 7 mm off the height, and 140 grams off the weight.
| ASUS ROG Strix GL502VS | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-6700HQ 4C/8T 2.6-3.5 GHz 6MB Cache 45W TDP |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1070 4/8GB 2048 CUDA Cores 1442 - 1645 (Boost) MHz |
| Memory | 2 SODIMM Slots, 32 GB Max DDR4 |
| Display | 15.6" 1920x1080 IPS 60 Hz w/G-SYNC Optional 3840x2160 IPS w/G-SYNC |
| Storage | 1 TB 5400/7200rpm HDD Optional 128/256/512GB M.2 SSD, SATA or PCIe |
| I/O | 3 x USB 3.0 Ports 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C) 1 x HDMI 2.0 output Port (with HDCP) 1 x mini DisplayPort 1.3 output Ports SD Card Slot 1 x Headset Jack 1 x Realtek PCIe GbE RJ-45 LAN (10/100/1000Mbps) |
| Dimensions | 390 x 266 x 30 mm 15.35 x 10.47 x 1.18 inches |
| Weight | 2.34 kg / 5.16 lbs |
| Battery | 62 Wh, 180W AC Adapter |
| Wireless | Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC8260 2x2:2 with Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Price | $1650+ As Tested: 6700HQ, 16GB (1x16) DDR4-2400 , GTX 1070, 256GB SM951 M.2, G-SYNC FHD $1650 USD |
Although I’m not a huge fan of ASUS’s laptop naming schemes, I am a fan of them putting in the latest and greatest technology into their devices. They were very quick out of the gate to transition to SSDs, PCIe SSDs, and USB-C, and that’s the case here as well. The GL502VS features an NVMe Samsung drive, along with a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port, but they’ve also kept plenty of older I/O as well, including three USB 3.0 ports, mini Display Port, HDMI, RJ45, and a SD card reader.
Wireless is supplied by the Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 card, which has been a strong performer on all laptops this year. The 62 Wh battery is certainly on the small size for a gaming notebook, but as with most gaming notebooks, they are mostly designed to be plugged into the wall for almost all scenarios, with a battery for the odd time where you need to be a bit more mobile.
The GL502 lineup is quite a bit of performance for not a lot of money, with the GTX 1060 based GL502VM starting around $1300, and the higher performance GTX 1070 based GL502VS starting around $1600.
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wolfemane - Friday, December 9, 2016 - link
And on that same note, why a 4K screen? The 1070 can run at that display but with reduced settings to achieve 60fps. Why not a decent 1440p 75 - 120hz screen? At least the 1070 can take full advantage of that and benefit with g-sync.MrRuckus - Friday, December 9, 2016 - link
Screen tear is a problem, much more in older games, G-Sync removes it completely. You can catch streamers on twitch who's viewers complain about screen tear with 1080's in SLI. I thought G-Sync was a fad that would never catch on, until I bought a Asus G752VY with G-Sync. If you havent tried it, I would recommend you do. It can be a night and day difference with it and games as far as smoothness goes. I agree they should have gone with a higher end display. 60Hz G-Sync does seem a little lame. Mine is 75Hz G-Sync and the 980m keeps up in just about everything. Its hard to go back once you've been spoiled with G-Sync.The Asus ROG forums are also really lacking. You really only get community assistance in there from other users. Actual people working at Asus are VERY few. Maybe a handful at most, and rarely respond to issues. Even some of the MODs arent affiliated in anyway. Sometimes I wish they would come in with more of a presence. Especially for people who throw down $2500 or more on a laptop. They are getting into the ridiculous realm on price. This is my 5th ROG laptop, and I may go to another manufacturer next time around, depending on their build quality and price to performance. Once they get into the $3k category, that's like Alienware prices. Sad to see.
lefty2 - Friday, December 9, 2016 - link
40 db idle is pretty noisy. I thought Asus Strix GPUs ment to switch off the fan when idling?damianrobertjones - Friday, December 9, 2016 - link
I waited... waited a bit more. Then waited longer over here in the U.K.In the end I purchased an MSI GT62vr and do not regret it. Sure, of course, it's not worth the price at all but that's what I had to pay to get it. More fool me.
P.s. The GT62vr is so damn quiet it's unreal!
inperfectdarkness - Tuesday, January 3, 2017 - link
That was my 1st choice. But I can't find it with a 4k or even 3k screen. And I would rather commit Seppuku than intentionally buy a 1080p laptop. MSI has a LOT of features that leave ASUS in the dust.shatteredx - Friday, December 9, 2016 - link
Wow! Anyone else blown away by the performance improvement going from 980M -> 1070/1080? The 1070 is 66% faster than the 980M and the 1080 is 100% faster! Amazing. I guess those 1080 numbers are with a desktop 6700k but still.Meaker10 - Friday, December 9, 2016 - link
Can you put the machine on a set of scales and actually weigh it rather than relying on the numbers Asus feed you?That machine is NOT 2.34KG.
sundragon - Friday, December 23, 2016 - link
Yup, it's heavier and weight the power adapter... It's 1.2 lbs all by itself.AnnonymousCoward - Saturday, December 10, 2016 - link
That main picture looks like the DOOM logo :)TallestJon96 - Saturday, December 10, 2016 - link
Something like this with better build quality would be my ideal kind of laptop if I was in the market. Its a little of the expensive side for me though, so I won't be buying one anytime soon.