We’re discussing the 2025 Asus ROG Strix G16 G615 series of high-performance 16-inch gaming laptops in this review.
This is the mainstream full-size full-performance notebook offered by Asus today, a step back from the top-tier Strix Scar 16 lineup discussed in this previous article .
The two are mainly the same chassis, but with a more minimalist gray design for the Strix, fewer RGB elements, a different keyboard design, and only IPS screen options, instead of the mini LED panel offered with the Scar. That allows the Strix G16 to be slightly more affordable at similar specs, although Asus tend to segment their offer and mostly put the higher-tier configurations on the Scar, and the mid-level specs on the Strix G16 models.
Regardless, our review unit is the top-specced Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX + RTX 5080 configuration of the Strix G16, the same specs tested in the Scar 16. However, we’re addressing the other variants as well, especially the 5070Ti mid-level model that’s potentially even better value for your money in this notebook.
I’ve been using this laptop for the last 3 months or so, to get a better sense of what to expect living with it and see how it performs as the software package matures. So this is not the kind of short-term review that you would normally find online.
I’d also caution on the fact that Asus offers two Strix G16 lineups for this year, this new chassis design with the code name G615, tested here, and a variant built on the previous G16 G614 chassis , which comes at a much more affordable price and usually with AMD Dragon Range Ryzen HX processors and up to an RTX 5070Ti dGPU. Furthermore, they also offer 18-inch variants for both lineups, with the Strix G18 G815 and the Strix G18 G814 models.
Specs sheet as reviewed – Asus ROG Strix G16 G615 gaming laptop
2025 ASUS ROG Strix G16 G615LW
Display 16-inch, 16:10, non-touch, matte,
Processor Intel Arrow Lake HX,
Video Intel Graphics + Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop 16GB graphics (up to 175W with Dynamic Boost)
Memory 64 GB DDR5-5600 RAM (2x DIMMs)
Storage 2 TB SSD (WD PC SN5000S drive) – 2x M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots
Connectivity WiFi 7 (Intel BE200) 2×2 with Bluetooth 5.4, 2.5Gigabit LAN
Ports Left: power, 2.5G Lan, 2x USB-C with Thunderbolt 5, 1x USB-A 3.2 gen 2, HDMI 2.1 FRL, audio jack
Battery 90Wh, 380 W power adapter and 100W USB-C charger, USB-C charging up to 100W
Size 354 mm or 13.94” (w) x 268 mm or 10.55″ (d) x 23 – 31 mm or .9″ – 1.21” (h)
Weight 2.81 kg (6.2 lbs),
Extras clamshell 16-inch format with 135-degree screen angle,
Asus offers the 2025 Strix G16 series in a multitude of variants, with Core Ultra HX or previous-gen Core i7/i9 HX processors and various GPUs, starting with an RTX 5050 and up to an RTX 5080.
ROG Strix G16 G615LW – Ultra 9 + RTX 5080 16 GB 175W;
ROG Strix G16 G615LR – Ultra 9 + RTX 5070Ti 12 GB 140W;
ROG Strix G16 G615LP – Ultra 9 + RTX 5070 8 GB 115W;
ROG Strix G16 G615LM – Ultra 9 + RTX 5060 8 GB 115W;
ROG Strix G16 G615LH – Ultra 7 + RTX 5050Ti 8 GB 115W.
The latter 5070Ti 140W and 5080 175W variations are especially interesting for their performance in graphics loads and games. At the same time, the 5060/5050 variants can get quite affordable, but make sure to look into the details, as some of those might bundle previous-gen Core HX processors and a lower-quality FHD+ 165Hz display – not an issue, just understand what you’re getting and why a certain variant sells for less than others, as the multitude of Strix G16 configurations offered in stores can overwhelm even the more experienced amongst you.
The LW tested here is the top-specced configuration for this lineup. But most of our findings apply to the other variants as well, which we’ll refer to throughout the article.
Design, construction, ergonomics The Strix G16 and the Strix Scar 16 are built on the same chassis for their 2025 generations, with some subtle design differences between them.
Both implement a plastic main chassis and a metal lid. It’s a good quality smooth plastic, but still plastic, and not as nice feeling as the metals offered with most other devices at this level. There are, however, some positives with this approach: better scratch resistance and lower chassis temperatures with games and sustained loads, as plastics are less heat-conductive than metals.
Aesthetically, while the Scar is an all black design, the Strix G16 is a gray color, thus it doesn’t show smudges as easily and requires less maintenance to keep looking clean. The lid design is also cleaner on the G16, without the RGB logo cutout and the Anime Matrix array implemented on the Scar. Overall, I’m fine with this gray design; it’s still professional-looking, but in a simpler and more practical way. At the same time, it’s also rather bland – perhaps that’s why they did what they did with the kleyboard, trying to spice it up a little.
Here are a few images of the Strix G16 G615 series.
And here is the Strix Scar 16, f0r the comparison.
You still get the RGB lightbar around the main chassis here, if RGB is important to you. By default, it is tied to the keyboard’s illumination, but can be set up independently in the settings, or disabled if/when needed.
I already mentioned this is a full-size laptop, and I wanted to further emphasize this: it’s a mid-sized footprint for this class, and weighs 2.8 kilos (+1 extra for the charger and cables). That’s a little heavier than the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i or the MSI Vector 16, about on par with the HP Omen MAX 16, and lighter than the Alienware 16 Area 51, the Acer Predator Helios 16.
As far as ergonomics go, some aspects could have been done differently. I appreciate the sturdy chassis, the grippy rubber feet, and the firm hinges that properly keep the display in place so it never wobbles with general use. There’s also a full keyboard and spacious armrest, and no longer status LEDs under the display, as on the previous Strix G16 series.
But there’s still a red always-on light in the power button, which makes no sense to me. And the front lip is very sharply finished, which is especially an issue on this sort of full-size chassis that stands out taller from the desk. If this were my laptop longer-term, I’d probably sand off the edge somehow. The edges on the previous Strix/Scar chassis are still a little aggressive, but nowhere near as sharp as on this one.
Another aspect worth noting is the lack of a notch at the top of the screen part, making it a bit too complicated to open up the screen with a single hand. And the hinges are still limited to around 130 degrees and don’t go further back, but that’s fine for a laptop that’s mostly meant for desk use.
And then there’s the IO, lined around the left and right edges, as the rear is entirely reserved for cooling. With the redesigned thermal module no longer using side-vents the same way as the previous chassis, that means the ports could be positioned further back on these edges. Most of them are on the left side, and there’s pretty much everything you would expect from such a laptop, including full HDMI, 2.5G LAN, and 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 5 ports. There’s no lock or card reader, though, and the two USB-Cs are both on the same side, on the left.
The redesigned power plug is highly annoying, though, sticking out to the side, as opposed to the previous plug that had a 90-degree angle and allowed to route the cable to the back and hide it away. Here are some images that better showcase the newer (bottom) and older (top) plug.
Keyboard and touchpad The keyboard on this Strix G16 is the same layout as on the Scar, with full-size island keys, full-size arrows, the five customizable keys at the top left side, and an extra column of media keys are the very right.
I appreciate this sort of centered keyboard, but some would require a NumPad, and that is not offered here on these 16-inch models. Not a fan of the right column design as media keys, though, that’s useless to me, and I would have much preferred if those were pegged as Home/End PgUp/PgDn by default.
However, the design is different on the Strix, with the keys being black at the top and translucent on the sides, allowing the line to shine through. Furthermore, the QWER ASDF keys are entirely translucent. I don’t understand this overly complicated design; I just preffer the simplified all-black design of the Scar keyboard. And unlike on the Scars, where the lighting system is per-key RGB, over here there’s only 4-zone lighting, a hardly acceptable compromise at this price level.
At least the typing experience is still excellent, with firm feedback and quiet actuations. Hardly anything to complain about.
The touchpad is a large, smooth surface, and it feels to me like plastic, but it works fine with taps, swipes, gestures, etc. Physical clicks are fine as well. It’s big, though, so coming from an older laptop with a smaller touchpad might require some adaptation time, especially to reteach your fingers where the clicks are meant to happen.
It doubles as a NumberPad, and because it’s a gray color to match to laptop’s overall theme, it doesn’t smudge as easily as the black touchpad on the Scars.
One final aspect to add here is biometrics, with the camera supporting IR. Previous Strix and Scar models lacked any sort of biometrics.
Screen – good-quality IPS panel The display on the 2025 Strix G16 is matte, 16:10 aspect ratio, and available with mostly two panel options:
IPS QHD+ 2560 x 1600 px 240Hz 3ms 500-nits 100% DCI-P3;
IPS FHD+ 1920 x 1200 px 165Hz 3ms 400-nits 100% sRGB.
We have the latter on our unit and is what I’d get as much as possible, although the lower-specced models might only ship with the FHD panel.
The 2.5K option is arguably the best IPS available at this size today, adequate for daily use and multimedia content, and excellent for gaming, with the fast response and refresh, and with GSync onboard.
At the same time, blacks and contrast aren’t as nice as on OLEDs or mini LED panels. OLEDs in particular are available in a handful of competing products this year, such as the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, HP Omen MAX 16 or the Acer Predator Helios 16. They look beautiful and punchy, but are glossy, not as bright, and come with potential flickering, especially noticeable at lower brightness in dim rooms.
So overall, I’d say this IPS panel is still a competitive jack-of-all-trades today. Asus offers the mini LED panel on the Scar 16 series, while OLEDs are only available on the thinner Zephyrus G16 series.
The 2K panel, on the other hand, isn’t as nice, with the lower resolution, dimmer brightness, and poorer color gamut. I’d gladly pay a 100-150 USD/EUR premium for the 2.5K panel if given the choice.
Hardware and performance – Ultra 9 HX, RTX 5080 175W Our test model is the top-specced configuration of the 2025 Asus ROG Strix G16 series, code name G615LW, built on an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, an Nvidia RTX 5080 16 GB dGPU, 64 GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and a 2 TB SSD.
Our review unit was sent over by Asus and is a retail unit. I’ve tested it over a few months, and the latest results are recorded on the software available as of late-August 2025 (BIOS 325, Armoury Crate 6.2.11.0, GeForce 580.97 drivers). This is a mature software package; thus, nothing significant can change with future updates at this point.
Spec-wise, this 2025 ASUS ROG Strix G16 series is built on the latest Intel and Nvidia hardware available to date.
The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is one of the top mobile processors in Intel’s Arrow Lake HX (15th-gen) platform , with 24 Cores and 24 Threads. The Core Ultra 9 285HX offered in some competing products is the same CPU, with minimal higher Turbo speeds.
This is a hybrid design with 8 High-Performance Cores (Lion Cove), 16 Efficiency Cores (Skymont) and a total of 24 Threads, since there’s no HyperThreading on the Performance cores. Regardless, sustained CPU performance is superior to the previous-gen Raptor Lake i9-14900HX and i9-13980HX processors, especially in this sort of implementation that allows for 150-175W of sustained TDP in demanding loads.
You do get a bunch of other CPU variants for this lineup, though, including a similar Arrow Lake HX Core Ultra 7 255HX on some of the mid-range versions, with 8 P Cores, 12 E Cores and 20 Threads, but especially Raptor Lake previous-gen specs between and i9-14900HX (16C, 32T) and an i5-13450HX (10C, 16T) on the lowest-tier models.
For the GPU, the 2025 Strix G16 series is available with a multitude of Nvidia Blackwell Geforce RTX 5000 chips, either 5080 16 GB (175W), 5070Ti 12GB (140W), 5070 8GB (115W), 5060 8GB (115W), or 5050 8GB (115W). The 5090 remains exclusive to the Strix Scar 16 G635 lineup. Most of these GPUs run at lower power settings, so you should expect those configurations to run cooler and even potentially quieter with sustained loads than this 5080 model tested here.
There’s still a MUX on this chassis, GSync support on the main display, as well as either regular Optimus or Advanced Optimus.
For memory and storage, the laptop comes with two accessible memory DIMMs and two M.2 2280 SSD slots – the laptops ship with gen4 drives out of the box, but the slots should support PCIe 5.0 drives, much like on the Scars (to be further confirmed). This review configuration comes with 64 GB of DDR5-5600 memory and a mid-level 2 TB SSD, slightly lower speed than the SSD tested on the Scar 16.
Accessing and upgrading the components takes seconds and is a tool-less process. You slide a small latch to the left to unlock the back panel, and then just slide the panel up and out. Inside, the SSDs are held in place with Q-latches instead of regular screws, so there’s no need for a screwdriver to get them out. And there’s unrestrained access to the RAM slots. This design doesn’t give access to the motherboard or the actual cooling module; you’ll need to further take out the back chassis for that. But the fans, battery, SSDs, and RAM slots are all within reach in mere seconds.
Specs aside, Asus offer their standard power profiles in the Armoury Crate control app: Silent, Performance, Turbo, and Manual, with various power settings and fan profiles between them, summarized in the following table.
Silent Performance Turbo Manual
CPU only, PL1/PL2 TDP
65/100W
90/120W
135/175W
140/175W
GPU only, max TGP
55-105W
160W
175W
175W
Crossload
95-130W,
190W, 35 + 155 W
230W, 55 + 175 W
255W, 80 + 175 W
Noise at head-level, tested
35 dBA
~42 dBA
~48 dBA
~52 dBA, max fans
Turbo and Manual modes are similar power settings to the 5080/5090 Scar 16 versions. Silent mode, however, is rather weird as it allows TGP of around 100W in some games and applications, but also defaults at the D-Notify level of 55W in others.
The other configurations don’t need to push as much power into the GPU, thus require lower total system power, with cooler temperatures and quieter fans.
Before we jump to the performance section, here’s how this laptop handles everyday use and multitasking on the Silent profile, unplugged from the wall.
Performance and benchmarks – Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 On to more demanding loads, we start by testing the CPU’s performance in the Cinebench R15 loop test. We keep the laptop on a stand, for consistency between reviews, even if the performance is not impacted here when keeping the laptop flat on the desk – internal temperatures run a little higher, though.
The Core Ultra 9 275HX processor stabilizes at around 135W of sustained power on Turbo mode, with scores around 5800 points, temperatures around 95 °C, and fan-noise levels of ~48 dBA.
Manual mode with the fans set to max speeds ramps up the noise to 52 dBA, with the same sort of very high temperatures, but allows the hardware to mostly run at ~170W in this sort of shorter sustained load. That means the scores end up around 6050 points, 5% higher than on Turbo.
The CPU is limited to the 100W PL1 sustained level on Performance mode, with internal temperatures in the mid-80s °C and fan levels around 42 dBA. That allows scores of around 5200 points, 85-90% of the scores on Turbo.
Performance mode on PD Power limits the CPU to only 50W, with scores around 4000 points and fan levels under 30 dBA.
Silent mode keeps the fans barely audible at sub 30 dBA as well, with the power stabilizing around 70W sustained, internal temperatures in the mid-70s °C, and scores of around 4400 points. That’s about 70% of what this device can do in Turbo mode, and overall a higher sustained setting than on the Scar laptops tested earlier in the year, which suggests Asus tweaked the Silent mode in the meantime, with the latest BIOS updates. More on that in a bit.
Finally, I also tested Performance mode unplugged from the wall, on battery power, which ran the CPU at around 50W of power with scores around 3800 points, a little lower than on PD power.
All these are illustrated in the graph below.
To put these findings in perspective, here’s how this Core Ultra 9 275HX implementation fares against other performance laptops in this test.
This matches other high-performance implementations of the Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, and even scores higher than most 16-inch models, because the system doesn’t thermally cap the CPU in an aggressive way, allowing it to run at 95+ °C and high power levels.
I’ve also included older generation i9 and i7 hardware in this list, because you can get that in the lower-specced and more affordable variants on the G16, especially in the 5050 and 5060 configurations. The 14th-gen i9s are still fast, at about 75-80% of the Arrow Lake HX hardware, while the i5s and i7s score significantly lower, so keep that in mind when deciding between the available variants.
I haven’t tested the Dragon Range Ryzen HX platform in the Strix G16 G634, but that scores a little lower than the Ultra 9 275HX, as it also runs at lower max power. hardware outmatching it.
We then went ahead and further verified our findings with the more taxing Cinebench R23 loop test and Blender – Classroom. The sustained power stabilizes a little over the PL1 limits: ~150W on Manual, ~140W Turbo, ~100W on Performance, and ~70W on Silent. I’ve also showcased the power/thermal differences of running the laptop flat on the desk or raised on a stand to improve cooling.
We also ran the 3DMark CPU test on the Turbo and Silent profiles.
Finally, we ran our combined CPU+GPU stress tests on this notebook. 3DMark stress runs the same test for 20 times in a loop and looks for performance variation and degradation over time. This unit passed it just fine, both flat on the desk and raised up on a stand, without any notable differences between the two modes. That means there’s no performance throttling with longer-duration sustained loads here. More on this in the gaming section down below.
Next, we ran the entire suite of tests and benchmarks on the Turbo profile with the GPU set on Standard mode (Advanced Optimus) and with the screen set at the native 2560 x 1600 px resolution.
Here’s what we got:
3DMark 13 – CPU profile: max – 17013, 16 – 13517, 8 – 8669, 4 – 4980, 2 – 2528, 1 – 1284;3DMark 13 – Fire Strike (DX11): 34702 (Graphics – 42703, Physics – 43874, Combined – 12764);3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX): 13833;3DMark 13 – Time Spy (DX12): 20971 (Graphics – 21898, CPU – 16914);3DMark 13 – Speed Way (DX12 Ultimate): 5428;3DMark 13 – Steel Nomad (DX12 Ultimate): 5071;3DMark 13 – DLSS: 30.09 fps DLSS Off, 120.02 fps DLSS On;
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 13128;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 34355;
Aida64 Extreme, memory test – ;PCMark 10: 9402 (Essentials – 11401, Productivity – 10571, Digital Content Creation – 18716);GeekBench 6.2.2 64-bit: Multi-core: 19649, Single-Core: 3012;CineBench R15 (best run): CPU 6040 cb, CPU Single Core 330 cb;CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 15015 cb, CPU Single Core 826 cb;CineBench R23: CPU 37868 cb (best single run), CPU 36228 cb (10 min run), CPU Single Core 2181 cb;CineBench 2024: GPU – pts, CPU 2088 pts (loop run), CPU Single Core 132 pts.
And here are some workstation benchmarks, on the same Turbo profile:
Blender 4.3.2 – BMW scene – CPU Compute: 1m 04s;Blender 4.3.2 – BMW scene – GPU Compute: 10.45s (CUDA), 5.36 (Optix);Blender 4.3.2 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 2m 42s;Blender 4.3.2 – Classroom scene – GPU Compute: 20.03s (CUDA), 11.33s (Optix).
SPECviewperf 2020 – 3DSMax 07: 211.67;SPECviewperf 2020 – Catia 06: 104.14;SPECviewperf 2020 – Creo 03: 110.77;SPECviewperf 2020 – Energy: 70.72;SPECviewperf 2020 – Maya 06: 667.29;SPECviewperf 2020 – Medical 03: 59.34;SPECviewperf 2020 – SNX 04: 27.16;SPECviewperf 2020 – SW 07: 493.30
SPECviewperf 15 – 3DSMax 08: 87.82;SPECviewperf 15 – Blender 01: 76.09;SPECviewperf 15 – Catia 07: 77.58;SPECviewperf 15 – Creo 04: 120.17;SPECviewperf 15 – Energy 04: 70.18;SPECviewperf 15 – Enscape 01: 74.70;SPECviewperf 15 – Maya 07: 215.18;SPECviewperf 15 – Medical 04: 59.35;SPECviewperf 15 – Solidworks 08: 35.35;SPECviewperf 15 – Unreal Engine 01: 88.30;
V-Ray Benchmark: 26487 – CPU, 2930 – CUDA, 3938 – RTX.
Solid results for a high-performance laptop, and overall a few percent higher than on the similar configuration tested a few months ago on the Scar 16, suggesting Asus improved drivers and software in the meantime.
The 3DMark Fires Strike Graphics score, however, is lower than it should be; weird, as all the other tests score fine. I tried running it several times, but with the same results.
The Legion Pro 7i still scores a little higher in the 3DMark GPU tests. But the Strix and the Scar score higher in most of the actual workloads tested with SpecViewPerf, while Blender runtimes are similar between them. So overall, expect about the same performance between these notebooks. The Legion runs a little quieter on its Performance profile, at around 46 dBA, while the Strix models reach 48 dBA on Turbo. Thermals, however, favor the Strix notebooks. We’ll have a more indepth comparison between the Legion Pro, the Strix G16 and the Scar 16 at some point, stay tuned for it.
I’ve also noted some inconsistencies with Armoury Crate. Sometimes, using the laptop on Silent mode causes the GPU to get stuck at low power settings, so setting it back to Performance or Turbo only delivers poor graphics performance. That’s fixable with a restart, as long as you notice that something’s not working right. Personally, if this were my long-term laptop, I’d consider replacing Armoury Crate with GHelper. I’ve been running GHelper with slight tweaks on my Scar 18 for more than a year now, without complaints or glitches.
Now, as far as the other options go, here are some ballpark numbers to expect. On the CPU side, the i9-14900HX performs at about 75% of the Ultra 9 275HX in sustained loads, while the i5-14640HX available on the lower tier models is about 50-60% the performance of the Ultra 9. Of course, the differences are much smaller with single-core performance and general use.
On the GPU side, well, the 5070Ti is generally 10-20% slower than the 5080, with the 5070 then further 10-15% slower, and so on. You should also account for the fact that vRAM drops to only 8 GB on the 5070 specs. At the bottom end, the 5050/5060 chips are around half the performance of the 5080, but still perform very well for their tier in this chassis, which is clearly oversized and overengineered for 100-115 TGP chips. But the premium chassis and cooling come with a notable price premium, even if the Strix G16s is mid-priced in the segment.
The Strix G16 G634, on the other hand, sells for a lot less, under $2000 in the US for a Ryzen 9 HX + RTX 5070Ti 115W configuration. Just don’t forget that’s the older-designed chassis with the prior-generation cooling, discussed in depth in this prior review . Still, a solid value option, powerful across the board, even if not quite as well polished and cooled as the G615 update.
Silent Mode – still plenty fast at <35 dBA noise Silent mode still performs weirdly on this laptop. With benchmarks and mixed workloads, the system limits the GPU’s TGP to only 55W, resulting in limited performance, less than half what the chip delivers on Turbo.
But with games, the GPU easily runs at 100-110W TGP on the same Silent mode, and that allows the gaming experience to deliver framerates around 75-80% of Turbo mode. That’s stil a step up from the Scars tested earlier in the yaer, which limited the GPU at 55W in everything, including games. But the software still needs to be further tweaked, as this chassis can comfortably sustain TGPs of 100W at 35 dBA fan noise, with comfortable thermals. And it should do that for every sort of task.
Anyway, here’s what we got in our tests, where the GPU generally runs at only 55W:
3DMark 13 – CPU profile: max – 15583, 16 – 12317, 8 – 8038, 4 – 4438, 2 – 2456, 1 – 1266;3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 21737 (Graphics – 24972, Physics – 31277, Combined – 8949);3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX): 6546;3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 8816 (Graphics – 8451, CPU – 11677);Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 9782;CineBench R23 (10 min loop): -CPU 23394 cb, CPU Single Core 2165 cb;Blender 4.3.2 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 3m 25s.SPECviewperf 2020 – 3DSMax: 121.19;SPECviewperf 2020 – Catia: 65.00;SPECviewperf 2020 – Maya: 394.44;SPECviewperf 2020 – SNX: 33.47;SPECviewperf 2020 – SW: 242.09.
I further discussed optimizing the performance on Silent mode on RTX 5080/5090 laptops in this separate article , both with Armoury Crate and with GHelper. I’d implement those suggestions if interested in buying this laptop.
Performance on USB-C PD Power This laptop allows 100W of PD power charging via the USB-C ports, an option to consider for traveling/commuting.
PD power only gives access to the Silent and Performance modes, but in reality, this Strix G16 mostly works at power levels similar to Silent mode while plugged in via USB-C. It also keeps fan noise at sub 35 dBA, regardless of the selected profile.
For my tests, I’m using an original 100W ROG charger, but the results might vary with third-party chargers. There’s also a newer 140W ROG charger design available these days, which can charge more devices at the same time. Worth looking into for $100, even if this laptop cannot use more than 100W of power.
Here’s what we got in our tests on Performance mode, on PD power:
3DMark 13 – CPU profile: max – 12404, 16 – 10673, 8 – 7614, 4 – 4693, 2 – 2454, 1 – 1262;3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 22546 (Graphics – 25903, Physics – 35620, Combined – 8938);3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX): 6309;3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 11970 (Graphics – 11506, CPU – 15523);Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 5644;CineBench R23 (10 min loop): CPU 25940 cb, CPU Single Core 2186 cb;Blender 4.3.2 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 3m 52s.SPECviewperf 2020 – 3DSMax: 113.67;SPECviewperf 2020 – Catia: 68.37;SPECviewperf 2020 – Maya: 416.64;SPECviewperf 2020 – SNX: 34.11;SPECviewperf 2020 – SW: 263.80.
Mostly similar results to Silent mode plugged in with the main charger.
And here are some logs for Blender, Cinebench, and some games running on PD power.
The CPU is limited at around 50W sustained on PD power, and the total system power averages around 75W combined (20W CPU, 55W GPU) in mixed use in every task, workloads and games.
There’s no power pastrough implemented on USBC here, but the system doesn’t seem to pull from the battery with regular use or with heavier CPU loads. I would set the dGPU on ECO anyway for daily use, just to make sure the Nvidia GPU is not called in randomly if not necessary.
With mixed use, the system slowly pulls juice off the battery at a rate of about 20-25W per hour, as shown in the gaming log. That means you could expect about 4 hours of gaming on PD. You could perhaps get longer, even without pulling from the battery, if you manually tweak the GPU at lower settings around 45W, either in Armoury Crate or with GHelper.
As far as gaming performance goes, we measured 80 fps with 20 fps 1% lows on Cyberpunk with Ultra settings, RT, and MFG On 2x, so about on par with Silent mode plugged in. But the experience isn’t quite as smooth, with some occasional stuttering, as shown by the 1% lows.
So all in all, I wouldn’t expect perfect performance with sustained loads on PD power, but this mode is adequate for daily use and multitasking when you don’t want/have to bring along the main charger.
Gaming performance – Ultra 9 + GeForce RTX 5080 With benchmarks out of the way, let’s see how this Asus Strix G16 handles modern games.
We tested a couple of different games on the various available profiles at QHD+ resolution, with the GPU set on Ultimate dGPU mode.
For consistency with other reviews, the laptop is placed on a stand for all tests, to ensure the best possible airflow into the cooling module. Performance here is otherwise identical with the laptop flat on the desk, though, but internal temperatures can get higher in that case.
I’ve also disabled any automatic settings and optimizations in the Nvidia app. Custom mode includes a GPU overclock of +100 MHz Core and +200 MHz Memory, and the fans set to max speeds.
Here are the results:
Asus ROG Strix G16, RTX 5080 Laptop 150-175W QHD+ Turbo, QHD+ Manual, QHD+ Performance, QHD+ Silent,
Black Myth: Wukong 63 fps (50 fps – 1% low)
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Black Myth: Wukong 87 fps (36 fps – 1% low)
89 fps (36 fps – 1% low)
82 fps (32 fps – 1% low)
66 fps (28 fps – 1% low)
Black Myth: WukongMFG On 4x 157 fps (34 fps – 1% low)
159 fps (34 fps – 1% low)
148 fps (30 fps – 1% low)
110 fps (24 fps – 1% low)
Cyberpunk 2077 85 fps (64 fps – 1% low)
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Cyberpunk 2077 27 fps (18 fps – 1% low)
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Cyberpunk 2077MFG On 2x , Ray Reconstruction On, 107 fps (45 fps – 1% low)
108 fps (44 fps – 1% low)
100 fps (42 fps – 1% low)
76 fps (32 fps – 1% low)
Cyberpunk 2077MFG On 4x , Ray Reconstruction On, 180 fps (42 fps – 1% low)
–
174 fps (40 fps – 1% low)
148 fps (32 fps – 1% low)
Far Cry 6 129 fps (84 fps – 1% low)
132 fps (88 fps – 1% low)
122 fps (82 fps – 1% low)
113 fps (76 fps – 1% low)
Horizon Forbidden West 116 fps (95 fps – 1% low)
122 fps (94 fps – 1% low)
112 fps (90 fps – 1% low)
102 fps (74 fps – 1% low)
Horizon Forbidden West 166 fps (114 fps – 1% low)
168 fps (114 fps – 1% low)
156 fps (108 fps – 1% low)
124 fps (90 fps – 1% low)
Red Dead Redemption 2 125 fps (72 fps – 1% low)
128 fps (72 fps – 1% low)
120 fps (66 fps – 1% low)
105 fps (60 fps – 1% low)
Resident Evil 4 144 fps (118 fps – 1% low)
148 fps (120 fps – 1% low)
136 fps (112 fps – 1% low)
118 fps (90 fps – 1% low)
Shadow of Tomb Raider 157 fps (112 fps – 1% low)
165 fps (115 fps – 1% low)
155 fps (113 fps – 1% low)
72 fps (48 fps – 1% low)
Cyberpunk, Horizon FW, Witcher 3, Resident Evil – recorded with MSI Afterburner fps counter in campaign mode;
Black Myth, Far Cry 6, Red Dead Redemption 2, Tomb Raider – recorded with the included Benchmark utilities;
Red Dead Redemption 2 Optimized profile based on these settings .
These games run smoothly at 2.5K resolution with Ultra settings on all profiles, and DLSS 4.0 with Multi Frame Generation set on 4x makes a lot of difference where supported.
Let’s go over some performance and temperature logs.
Here’s Turbo mode, with the laptop flat on the desk.
The system averages around 220-230W of total power, with 170+W on the GPU. Temperatures average around 88-92 °C on the CPU and 80-82 °C on the GPU. Toasty!
Placing the laptop on a stand to improve airflow into the fans and underneath the chassis doesn’t impact performance, but helps lower temperatures by a few degrees: 82-87 °C on the CPU and 77-80 °C on the GPU. Much like on the Scar 16/18 tested before.
For comparison, the Legion Pro 7i performs at similar thermal levels on the CPU, but puts more power into the CPU at around 70W TDP on its Performance mode, while it runs a few degrees lower on the GPU, around 75 °C with the laptop raised off the desk.
Opting for Manual mode with max fans and an extra GPU overclock minimally improves framerates. The fans run louder, at 52 dBA. However, the system draws more power in this mode, with the extra going to the CPU. Hence, CPU temperatures are around 90 °C with the laptop raised off the desk, and the GPU temperatures drop to around 75 °C.
Performance mode draws an average of about 180-190W of total power, with 35W on the CPU and around 150W on the GPU. These translate in good framerates, within 10% of Turbo mode, with average fan noise at around 42 dBA and still high temperatures: ~85 °C on the CPU and ~80-82 °C on the GPU, with the laptop flat on the desk.
Placing the laptop on a stand helps shed a few degrees off the components, just like on Turbo.
Silent mode is interesting with these games, with around 30W on the CPU and 90-110W TGP on the GPU. As a result, Silent mode delivers excellent framerates, about 70-80% of Turbo mode. That’s with CPU temperatures around 80 °C and the GPU at 75 °C.
Here are the logs for Silent mode with the laptop on the desk.
And Silent mode off the desk.
However, if the GPU were to run at only 55W, framerates would drop significantly to about half of Turbo mode, but with much lower temperatures.
Overall, Silent mode set at a TGP of around 100W is an excellent general performer for this chassis. Somehow, though, the system sets the GPU at this level in games, but not in other applications and tests. So you might still have to tweak this mode on your laptop to get this sort of performance at this level.
Heat, Noise, Connectivity, Speakers, Camera This 2025 ROG Strix G16 implements the same thermal module design as the Scar 16, with a vapor chamber, two high-capacity fans, and an extra smaller fan in the middle of the chassis, plus a massive heatsink that covers the entire rear edge of the laptop.
More importantly, they put the same cooling on all configurations, and not just on the 5080. And if this can tame a 175W 5080, then it’s overkill for the 115W 5050-5070 configurations, which run cooler and quieter than this unit.
This is a significant update over the cooling module in the previous Strix G16 G614 chassis, which relied entirely on heatpipes and didn’t include a vapor chamber. Keep in mind that cooling is still offered with the AMD version of the Strix G16 2025.
So here’s the cooling on the Strix G16 G615 series.
And the cooling on the Strix G16 G614 series, for comparison.
Now, as shown in the previous section, this cooling module handles the Ultra 9 + RTX 5080 175W configuration fine, without any heat-induced throttling or other issues. But the CPU and GPU both run at high sustained temperatures on Turbo mode, ~85-90 °C on the CPU and ~77-82 °C on the GPU, lower if you place this on a stand. Performance and Silent modes run cooler, though especially on the CPU side.
As far as the fan noise levels go with demanding loads, we’re looking at ~52 dB at head-level on the Manual mode with max-fans, 48 dBA on Turbo mode, 40-42 dB on Performance mode, and sub-35 dB on Silent mode. That’s once more for the 5080 configuration; the others might run quieter on Turbo/Performance.
With daily use, you’ll hardly hear the fans at all. Silent mode allows them to idle as long as the CPU/GPU temperatures stay under 50 °C, but for the most part, the fans remain active and spin quietly at around 25 dBA or so. That means you’ll still hear their slight woosh in a completely quiet room, but not with general use in a regular environment. I haven’t noticed any coil whining or electronic noises on this unit.
Chassis temperatures stay low with casual use, in the low to mid-30s °C in the hottest spots.
*Daily Use – streaming Netflix in EDGE for 30 minutes, Silent profile, fans idle or <30 dB
I haven’t tested Manual mode, but based on what we know from the Scar notebooks, expect minimally lower temperatures than on Turbo and fan noise of 52 dBA at head level.
Turbo mode ramps the fans to 48 dBA and still good temperatures, between 35-42 °C on the keyboard level and around 45 °C at the top, around the heatsink. That’s with the laptop raised on a stand.
I was also interested to test temperatures with the laptop flat on the desk, to understand how things differ when more air is pulled in from the top and less from the bottom (internals run at higher temperatures with the laptop flat on the desk, as explained earlier). Chassis temperatures actually drop a little bit around the keyboard, but the hotspot in the middle of the heatsink runs much hotter at close to 60 °C. So I’d still keep this laptop raised off the desk for sustained loads.
*Gaming – Turbo – playing Cyberpunk for 30 minutes, fans at ~47-48 dB
And finally, there’s Silent mode, with sub-35 dBA fan noise and still plenty of performance in games, about 75% of what the laptop delivers on Turbo.
*Gaming – Silent – playing Cyberpunk for 30 minutes, fans at <35 dB
For connectivity, there’s latest-gen WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 through an Intel BE200 module on this device, which performed fine during all these weeks. 2.5 GB wired Internet is also available. The LAN port is on the left edge, near the power port.
The audio system on the Strix G16 is similar to the one in the Scar 16 models, unlike in the past, where the Scars got extra tweeters. For the 2025 generations, both get the same set of four speakers, with two main bottom speakers and two tweeters that fire from under the display. Sound quality is alright, with good volumes (~85 dBA) and decent bass.
The webcam on this laptop is 2MPx, and supports IR with Windows Hello. The image quality is just as washed out as on the Scars. Somehow, this camera keeps looking worse than the 720p camera on the older models.
Battery life There’s a 90Wh battery inside this 2025 Strix G16, the same size as on most other ROG notebooks of the current generation.
Here’s what we got in terms of battery life on our unit, with the screen set at 120-nits brightness (50%) and 60Hz refresh (the system automatically switches to 60 Hz when unplugging the laptop).
12-15 W (~6-7 h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;13-15 W (~6-7 h of use) – 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;18 W (~5-6 h of use) – Netflix 4K HDR fullscreen in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;18-22 W (~4-5 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON, RGB elements switched off;80 W (~1 h of use) – Gaming – Witcher 3, Performance Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON, no fps limit.
For comparison, here’s what we got on that Scar 18 with the mini LED panel set on multi-zone lighting mode, ~120 nits brightness, and 60Hz refresh:
15-18 W (~5-6 h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;15.5 W (~6 h of use) – 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;22 W (~4 h of use) – Netflix 4K HDR fullscreen in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;18-22 W (~4-5 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON, RGB elements and Anime switched off;23-25 W (~4 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON, RGB elements and Anime switched on;80 W (~1 h of use) – Gaming – Witcher 3, Performance Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON, no fps limit.
This runs more efficiently with the IPS display and updated software. Pretty good runtimes for such a powerful machine, clearly longer than past generations.
Asus pairs this configuration with a 380W charger, a dual-piece design with long cables, and a hefty power brick. In total, they weigh around a kilo, which is plenty, but still lighter than the 330W charger in the previous-gen Strix models.
I’ve included below an image of the main 380W charger and a 100W ROG USB-C charger, which you might want to use for traveling/commuting with this laptop. It’s not included in the box, but you can get one on the side, and ideally, you’ll want an original ROG PD charger for the best possible performance on an ROG notebook.
Price and availability- Asus ROG Strix G16 G615 The ROGStrix G16 G615 lineup is available in tens of different configurations between regions; I can’t even begin to list all of them.
You mostly choose this for the GPU, and then possibly get to opt for versions with a few different CPUs and one of the two display options. For the most part, though, lower-tier GPU models are usually available with previous-gen Core HX processors and the 2K display, while the higher-tier versions get the Ultra 9 275HX model and the nicer 2.5K display. Regardless, I’d pay extra for this display, as mentioned earlier.
So, the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, RTX 5080, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, 2.5K 240Hz IPS configuration of the Strix G16 G615LW goes for $2600-2900 in the US, 3300-3500 EUR here across the pond, and about 2800 GBP in the UK. That’s generally about 300-500 USD/EUR/GBP less than a matching Scar 16 G635LW configuration.
The RTX 5070Ti version goes for around $2000 in the US and 2300-2500 EUR over here, with the more affordable versions specced with an Ultra 7 255HX processor and sometimes with a 2K display.
Further down, an i7-14650HX, RTX 5060, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, 2K 165Hz IPS display is available at $1300-$1500 in the US, and around 1800 EUR over here. And the 5050 versions come a little lower, but usually with a Core i5-13450HX processor.
And then there’s the Strix G614 update with Ryzen 9 HX specs and up to RTX 5070Ti graphics , which sells for less than the Intel-based G615 lineup. A Ryzen 9 8940HX + RTX 5070Ti configuration can be found for around $1600 in the US and 1900 EUR over here, but with the 2K display.
So overall, plenty of options to choose from, and most likely at further discounted prices later in the year. Just make sure you understand the specifics of each model as you go further down in budget.
Follow this link for updated configurations and prices in your region at the time you’re reading this article.
Final thoughts- 2025 Asus ROG Strix G16 G615 review The Asus Strix G16 G615 series is a competitive option in the space of 16-inch high-performance laptops for serious gaming and workloads.
It’s more affordable than Asus’s Strix Scar 16 lineup, which comes with a better keyboard and display, as well as a few extra aesthetic perks. In fact, at this point, around September 2025, it sits somewhere in the middle of the segment, with some options selling for less (Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, HP Omen MAX 16, MSI Vector 16) and some selling for more (Acer Predator Helios 16, Alienware 16 Area 51).
There are multiple differences between these lineups, and the Strix G16 checks most of the right boxes, with very few flaws. My main nit is with the sharp front edge and the poor quality camera, but these are minor.
What matters more is that this delivers excellent performance in the top configuration with the RTX 5080, on par with the best competitors. And while it does run fairly hot, it’s never too hot and never throttles performance in any way. Furthermore, mostly the same advanced cooling with a vapor chamber is implemented on the lower-tier configurations, which are going to run cooler and quieter. But the value of this chassis is primarily with the 5070Ti/5080 versions imo, where the full-size chassis is better justified.
At the end of the day, though, I expect two aspects to make or break this laptop for you: the keyboard’s layout and the fact that it only comes with an IPS display. That’s because some of you might want a full keyboard with a NumPad or an OLED screen with punchier image quality, and if that’s the case, you’ll have to go somewhere else. Most likely to the Legion Pro 7i, but the Alienware 16 Area 51 has its merits with that beefy cooling, and the HP Omen MAX 16 is interesting as well if you’re on a tighter budget.
Anyway, that sums up my time with the Asus Strix G16 G615 lineup. Looking for your thoughts and feedback and questions down below, in the comments section.
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Review by: Andrei Girbea
Andrei Girbea is a Writer and Editor-in-Chief here at Ultrabookreview.com . I write about mobile technology, laptops and computers in general. I've been doing it for more than 15 years now. I'm a techie with a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. I mostly write reviews and thorough guides here on the site, with some occasional columns and first-impression articles.
the wind
February 20, 2026 at 8:24 am
My personal experience so far:
– high battery drain while in UEFI: one can observe visually how the battery goes down; the CPU reaches 74° (battery health is shown as 0.4% down (99.6%) by hwinfo in windows; – there is 0 info at UEFI about battery status)
– high battery drain while in "Slackware"(slackware64-current-install-dvd.iso 2026-02-15)/Rescue(systemrescue-12.03-amd64.iso) – console only – 0% CPU/GPU usage – 1 hour doing nothing with all processes sleeping, and it is gone
– not possible to control fan speed and or power saving neither in UEFI nor in "linux"
– UEFI: can not add hidden WiFi AP; no lighting control; no CPU/memory info – one can't see frequencies/voltages/etc. the only temp. shown is the CPU one
– keyboard controls for screen/keyboard/bottom lighting/brightness are not functional unless in "windows": neither in UEFI, nor "linux" console;
– the CPU lacks instruction set(s) – some binaries compiled for "Ryzen 5 8600G" are causing "illegal instruction" on the "275HX": had to recompile "clang" 19.1.3, "xz", "lzip", … (disabling e cores changes nothing)
– the p cores can not be disabled (in hopes of lower battery drain) – min is 4.
– in order for the keyboard functions to work and for the cpu to stay at 50° with switched off fans with acceptable battery drain, while the system is doing virtually nothing, one must boot the "windows" OS that is fused with tons of "asus" software that is mandatory for this device to function as advertised; the software in questions gives you all the control the UEFI and the firmware does not; in comparison: one can control keyboard lighting on a simple keyboard device no matter the OS, POST, etc – as long as it is powered on; on this device even keyboard light power-saving (switch off after time) functions only while the "asus" software in "windows" is loaded