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This overview first appeared in situation 349 of PC Pro.
If you consider Asus’ Vivobook vary, cheap laptops most likely spring to thoughts. So you could marvel what’s happening right here: a Vivobook costing £2,500? Certainly that’s extra Asus ROG gaming laptop territory? Dig into the specs and it appears like a gaming machine, too, with a turbo-fueled Core i9 matched with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics.
Right here, although, Asus has creators in its sights somewhat than avid gamers. It comes loaded with Nvidia’s Studio drivers, a Pantone-validated OLED display and even a intelligent dial constructed into the touchpad. However let’s begin with the basics: energy.
High weapons, half one
It’s simple to get blasé about such issues, however I nonetheless discover it outstanding to say that there are 24 cores inside this laptop computer. That’s as a result of Asus has opted for a Core i9-13980HX processor, which is as boy racer because it sounds. The 13980 signifies that it’s proper on the prime finish of Intel’s household, a reality bolstered by the H suffix (which stands for top efficiency). The X is the overclocking cherry on prime.
All this may be for naught if Asus had skimped on cooling, however a double fan and meaty heatsinks imply that the CPU ought to hold operating at its peak speeds – 5.6GHz for the eight efficiency P-cores – even below duress. No marvel it may possibly gobble as much as 105W.
It’s additionally why this laptop computer returned such stonking speeds in our CPU-torture assessments. A results of 16,581 in Geekbench 6.1 multicore is as quick as we’ve seen from a laptop computer, making me nervous that our new graphs ought to have the next peak than 20,000. This supreme pace was repeated in Cinebench R23’s multicore part, the place it scorched its method to 25,660.
High weapons, half two
The RTX 4070 doesn’t sit on the prime of Nvidia’s cell vary, however it’s nonetheless a potent chip. Its essential weapons are the 4,608 CUDA cores, which appears like an enormous quantity when in comparison with the RTX 4060 (3,072) however surprisingly few subsequent to the 7,424 of the RTX 4080 and 9,728 of the RTX 4090 (to be clear, these numbers consult with the laptop computer variations of Nvidia’s chips).
What number of CUDA cores you will have issues in skilled functions equivalent to 3ds Max, Catia and Maya – whereas there isn’t a linear relationship, it’s an amazing indicator of how lengthy duties will take – so there are causes to go for an RTX 4080 or 4090. Particularly as these merchandise include far superior reminiscence setups: the RTX 4070 consists of 8GB of GDDR6 RAM with a 128-bit interface width, however swap to the 4080 and also you get 12GB/192-bit, whereas a 4090 affords 16GB/256-bit. That’s an enormous soar.
Nevertheless, the RTX 4070 has energy effectivity in its favor, getting by on as much as 115W (35W minimal) in comparison with 150W for its siblings. It’s additionally the explanation why this laptop computer prices £2,500 somewhat than £3,000 or £3,500.
The excellent news is that with a Core i9 and 32GB of RAM because the backing forged, the RTX 4070 right here is given each probability to excel. I first noticed this in our suite of gaming assessments. Taking the 1080p Excessive outcomes first, the Vivobook returned 225fps in F1 2022, 93fps in Metro Exodus Enhanced, 183fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider and 86fps in Grime 5.
Switching to the panel’s native decision of three,200 x 2,000, these outcomes dropped to 116fps (F1 2022), 49fps (Metro), 95fps (Tomb Raider) and 49fps (Grime 5). In our hardest take a look at, Metro Exodus Enhanced at Excessive settings, the Vivobook returned 48fps at 1080p and 25fps at native decision. In different phrases, its solely unplayable body charges got here in that closing, brutal take a look at.
Artistic spin
All these outcomes have been with Nvidia’s Studio drivers, as equipped; if you’ll be utilizing this machine just for gaming then swap to the Recreation Prepared drivers for the most recent optimizations. Asus clearly expects individuals to make use of this laptop computer for creativity, nonetheless, so I additionally put it by means of its paces in Specviewperf R20.
Right here, it carried out consistent with expectations for an RTX 4070 laptop computer. Highlights included 91 within the 3ds Max viewset, 335 in Maya and 238 in SolidWorks; to place these scores in perspective, the Lenovo P620 Tower scored 147, 439 and 278 respectively. These outcomes are considerably increased, however so they need to be for a desktop workstation with a Threadripper Professional 5945WX and Nvidia’s RTX A4000 graphics.
Asus loves so as to add little extras to its touchpads, and right here that’s a DialPad. It is a dotted circle, with an inch diameter, that sits on the prime left of the touchpad, however you should activate it: press and maintain the tiny image on the prime proper of the pad, then swipe in. It’s a clunky mechanism, however this stops you unintentionally switching the dial on and off.
As soon as lively, a white circle throughout the dotted traces lights up. Press it, and the Asus dial overlay seems on-screen, with completely different choices relying on context. In Photoshop, as an example, it affords the possibility to cycle by means of brush sizes, swap between paperwork, zoom out and in of layers and rapidly undo adjustments. It’s no substitute for a bodily dial, however creatives with dexterous fingers might develop keen on it.
Getting bodily
I ended up leaving the dial on more often than not, because the touchpad is giant sufficient (130 x 83mm) that it didn’t intrude with navigation. With a glass coating it ticks the same old clean and responsive containers, though I often discovered myself reaching for the F6 key to deactivate the entire thing as palm rejection didn’t all the time work.
Nor will these individuals who sort for a dwelling love this keyboard, which affords surprisingly little journey for a laptop computer that measures 21mm thick. The keys themselves provide little “really feel”, with a dull motion, however as soon as you progress previous this and the single-height Enter key (oddly jammed subsequent to the hash key and completed in the identical darkish gray) the keyboard fades into the inoffensive background.
And there are a few positives. All of the keys are a beneficiant measurement and have a wise hole between them, serving to to attenuate typos, the spacebar is large and, whereas the cursor keys are shortened, they’re additionally separated from the primary buttons. Plus, a devoted quantity pad is sensible in a laptop computer this width.
Tremendous measurement
This machine is not any ultraportable.
Whichever dimension you measure, it’s chunky. A 356 x 249mm footprint means you’ll want a good-sized rucksack to hold it with you, and whereas Asus formally states the load as 1.9kg that’s for the extra fundamental spec: I weighed it at 2.1kg. The 21mm thickness refers back to the entrance of the chassis; when you issue within the orange “foot” – a U-shape strip that lifts the Vivobook from a floor to assist airflow – it’s nearer to 2.5mm.
I just like the brash orange colour (echoed within the Esc key) because it lifts what’s in any other case fairly a boring-looking design. Asus additionally makes this Vivobook in black, however the silver model I examined is unlikely to achieve any lustful glances from passersby. Its solely different flash of styling is a raised space on the lid – virtually like a melded-on enterprise card – that reveals the laptop computer’s identify.
Quite than model, then, this laptop computer is designed for practicality. Head to the left and also you’ll discover a gigabit Ethernet port, full-size SD card reader, USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbits/sec) port and the ability connector. Over on the appropriate, a 3.5mm jack and HDMI 2.1 output are saved firm by two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports and a second USB-A port. That’s a robust connectivity providing, backed up by Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
Energy down
To get essentially the most out of this laptop computer, although, you’ll have to hold it plugged in. I discovered that battery life diverse significantly throughout my assessments, however set your expectations at round 4 hours – hardly a full working day. And in PCMark’s Gaming take a look at, which pushes the graphics chip in the identical manner artistic graphics duties will, it lasted solely 1hr 41mins.
You possibly can trickle-charge it utilizing the Thunderbolt ports, however I can’t think about travelling with out the 540g energy provide. Contemplating its 240W output, it’s surprisingly compact, and it takes the laptop computer from empty to 80% in an hour, reaching full capability in lower than two hours.
You’ll most likely hold it plugged in a lot of the time, through which case I like to recommend you absolutely examine the MyAsus app. From right here you may swap on the battery care mode, modify the fan profile (we examined with Efficiency mode, and the followers get noisy whenever you’re pushing this machine), and mess around with “TaskFirst”, which lets you set community connectivity priorities – to sport streaming, say, or communication apps.
There’s additionally a bunch of choices for the microphone, and in contrast to many “AI optimizations” I’ve tried, that is value utilizing. There’s nothing flawed with the plain mode, however the “single presenter convention name” possibility will carry your voice to the fore. Because of the superb 1080p webcam, which helps Home windows Whats up and features a fiddly however efficient privateness shutter, you’ll look nice on calls, too.
Entertain me
I’ve blended emotions concerning the speakers, however that’s primarily because of the excessive expectations set elsewhere. When you take heed to music in isolation on the Vivobook then you definately’ll be impressed by its quantity and the way clearly devices and voices emerge – the intricate instrumentation of Björk is generally an excessive amount of for laptops, however the Vivobook handles the combo of strings and vocals nicely. The place it falls down is bass, pushing the trebles and mids an excessive amount of to the fore, however I’m being choosy.
Definitely you’ll love watching movies on this laptop computer due to its sheer quantity (with no signal of distortion), and it helps that Asus features a top-quality OLED panel. It barely wants saying, however a 3,200 x 2,000 decision ensures sharp edges on textual content, and black completely punches by means of to make darkish scenes in movies look improbable.
It has DisplayHDR 600 Black certification, confirming that it’ll hit 600cd/m2 in HDR content material, whereas its peak of 389cd/m2 in SDR mode means it’s simple to learn in each situation. Besides, because it seems, vivid sunshine, the place the display’s reflectivity grew to become apparent.
Inside, although, it’s excellent. You possibly can select from quite a lot of settings within the MyAsus app, however for testing I caught to the usual mode after which switched between the preset gamuts: Native, sRGB, DCI-P3 and Show P3. Native makes most sense if you wish to benefit from the widest colour vary (it stretches 19% past even the DCI-P3 gamut), however sRGB and DCI-P3 locked the display right down to these gamuts virtually completely.
Colour accuracy is powerful – its common Delta-E by no means went above 0.72, with something below one thought of glorious – and anybody who values true whites can be happy by a pure colour temperature of 6479K, solely 21K off the goal 6500K.
Remaining ideas
When you’re a demanding consumer, then, that is virtually an ideal laptop computer. It even has the chance to improve over time: the 32GB of reminiscence comes provides as two 16GB SODIMMs, somewhat than being embedded, and in the event you’re a nimble hand with a Phillips screwdriver you may whip the underside off this chassis inside a minute.
It will reveal the truth that the 1TB M.2 2280 SSD can also be replaceable, and notice this isn’t the speediest Gen 4 drive round: 4,061MB/sec reads and a pair of,971MB/sec writes are sturdy however not distinctive. I’d be tempted to exchange it with a quicker 2TB drive at some future date; sadly there isn’t a second M.2 slot, regardless of the quantity of area accessible on the board.
Then once more, we have to keep in mind that this isn’t a £3,000+ cell workstation. Whereas hardly low-cost at £2,500, it rewards you with all the ability and high quality that the majority artistic professionals want. By way of worth, that’s definitely aggressive when positioned subsequent to an equal 16in MacBook Pro. And sure, that laptop computer affords far superior battery life, minimal fan noise and higher efficiency away from the mains, however it lacks the graphical grunt of Nvidia’s RTX chip together with simple upgrades.
Whether or not the Vivobook Professional is best for you, then, relies upon completely on what you plan to make use of it for. All I can let you know is that Asus extracts essentially the most from its elements, whereas the supporting forged – notably the display – come from the highest drawer when it comes to high quality.