ASUS Launches the ROG GX500, a 4K UHD 15-inch Gaming Notebook
by Ian Cutress on June 2, 2014 11:25 PM EST
In recent months, screen resolutions have exploded on to the scene when users started wanting something more than a cheap 1080p panel. Notebooks typically have had higher pixel densities than desktop monitors, and with the recent string of cheaper 1440p and 4K panels to hit the market, it was only a matter of time before one of the notebook manufacturers put together a 4K panel inside a gaming chassis. The ROG GX500 is ASUS’ answer to such madness.
Aside from the 3840x2160 screen measuring 15.6” (that is 280 PPI), this 2.2kg beast will feature i7 processors along with an NVIDIA GTX860M. One might argue that this mobile GPU is not powerful enough for 4K/UHD, and I would incline to agree. To this extent users might dial back settings, or use the system in 4K mode for desktop but 2560x1440 in gaming.
The laptop will be paired with VisualMaster technology for 100% NTSC, which ASUS is reporting as a world-first on a notebook. The system will measure just 19mm thick, but will use a dual-fan cooling system to manage the heat generation.
No word on pricing as of yet, although I am enquiring regarding sampling in case we can get a review sample. Expected launch is in Q3.
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makerofthegames - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
Eugh, after my G75's horrible build quality, I just can't see myself buying another Asus laptop.frostyfiredude - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
Little correction here, screen density is 280PPI on this beast rather than 140PPI.Looks mighty awesome, it's great to see this influx of high density and high quality displays finally hitting all over the place.
Ryan Smith - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
Good eye. Thank you for pointing that out.jasaero - Thursday, June 5, 2014 - link
When will we finally see some 17" 4k or atleast something better than 1080p thin laptops though? Or any better than 1080p 17" panels?? That's what I really want....particularly in 17" thin design like Razer or MSI GS70.HellzHavoc - Tuesday, June 3, 2014 - link
Inb4 this cost $2k+...dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, June 3, 2014 - link
It would probably make more sense to run at 1080p, given the clean quarter res scaling. And you probably wouldn't want to go beyond that with an 860M without turning a lot of settings down.Xinn3r - Tuesday, June 3, 2014 - link
Anyone can tell me what's the point of a very high resolution with a (pretty) low mobile graphics card?What's the FPS gonna be in particularly demanding games with this kind of resolution?
Isn't it better to just have a good 1080p IPS panel on a 15 inch (DPI will not be so bad)?
Until now, the best compromise is still the Razer Blade 2013.
Decent GPU, decent resolution (still prefer 1080p for better framerate), thin, light and sexy body, but price that makes me never want to think about it again.
Spunjji - Tuesday, June 3, 2014 - link
The screen should still look great in games at 1080p with scaling - effective pixel density of 1080p panels at this size is already quite high anyway. If anything, the slight blur from the bilinear scaling will give you a sort of free "anti-alisaing" without the destructive artifacting that results from non-integer scaling.Then you get the benefits of a high-res screen outside of gaming, for example with photo editing. I like the look of it quite a lot!
madmilk - Tuesday, June 3, 2014 - link
I doubt most buyers of this laptop will actually use it for gaming. For some reason, PC manufacturers love to brand their best consumer hardware as "gaming" hardware. Just look at mice and keyboards. The high-res screen helps it fill a niche similar to the 15" rMBP: the best possible laptop under 5 pounds. The 2014 Razer Blade is close, but battery life is rather poor at under five hours. The 2013 Razer Blade on the other hand has a screen reminiscent of a $200 netbook, which makes for a very unpleasant user experience. Hopefully Asus will get the formula right.MDX - Monday, June 16, 2014 - link
Agreed. I barely game, but I do need a slim design with a high DPI display (and preferably macro keys) for working! Razer shot themselves in the foot with the terrible screen, so now I'm just waiting to nab whatever has the best screen, is under 2cm, and has macro keys...