Asus unveils GL552 gaming laptop

The new GL552 follows the design of Asus' own G751

The 15.6-inch machine is powered by Nvidia's new GTX 950M entry-level gaming GPU and supports M.2 SSDs.

Andrey Konstantinov, Published 03/13/2015

Yesterday, Asus expanded its portfolio of gaming laptops with a new 15.6-inch model called GL552. Its design is strongly reminiscent of the company's flagship gaming laptop, the G751: there's the familiar silver trapezoid insert on the lid and the keyboard features red illumination. A new sophisticated pattern covers the area above they keyboard, where the two upward-facing speakers are also located. The chassis, measuring 32.4 mm thick and weighing about 2.5 kg, provides easy access to storage and RAM but unfortunately doesn't allow to reach the rest of the hardware such as the cooling system quickly. The 3200 mAh battery, however, can be removed without opening the case.

The specifications position the GL552 as an entry-level gaming machine: with its Intel Core i7-4720HQ, it has nothing to be ashamed of on the processor side, but the new Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M graphics card is the weakest GTX-branded card of Nvidia's 900M series and the fact that Asus used the slower DDR3 video memory for it (2 or 4 GB, depending on the configuration) will further limit gaming performance. Nevertheless, modern games should be playable in Full HD resolution, though most will require advanced graphics features to be turned down. Asus will offer the GL552 with a Full HD (1920x1080) IPS panel or with a TN HD (1366x768) one. Both displays will be matte.

For the storage, GL552 is equipped with one SATA 2.5" bay and an M.2 slot. Standard configurations include up to 2 TB HDD or a 128/256 GB SATA SSD and a 128/256 GB M.2 SSD. There are two SODIMM slots supporting up to 16 GB DDR3L RAM in total. Depending on the wireless module installed, Wi-Fi support might be limited to single-band 802.11n or include dual-band 802.11ac. Bluetooth 4.0 is present in either case.

Asus hasn't shared any information about the pricing and availability so far.

The port variety is comprehensive but not surprising

Easy access to storage and RAM is possible

Source(s)

Asus

+ Show Press Release

Press Release

Taipei, Taiwan—12 March, 2015

ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces GL552

KEY POINTS

Powerful gaming laptop with up to 4th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M DirectX 12 graphics
Responsive, low-profile backlit keyboard with WASD key group, exclusive GameFirst III network optimization, and up to Full HD IPS display
Up to 2TB hard drive storage and optional SSD, exclusive ASUS SonicMaster audio, and quick-release panel for easy upgrades

Taipei, Taiwan (12th March, 2015) — ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced GL552, a high-performance gaming laptop powered by up to 4th-generation Intel^® Core^™ i7 processors and NVIDIA^® GeForce^® GTX^™ 950M graphics with DirectX 12 support. GL552 has ASUS-exclusive GameFirst III network optimization, a highly-responsive, low-profile, red-backlit keyboard with specially-marked WASD keys, and an up to Full HD IPS display with wide viewing angles. It bears the distinctive G Series lines and has a user-friendly design that provides access to the drive bay and memory slots for easy upgrades.

Full-on ROG gaming performance and classic design

ROG GL552 is made for gaming and primed for creativity, with up to 4th-generation quad-core Intel Core i7 processors for the performance to power the latest gaming titles and discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M graphics with Microsoft DirectX 12 for sharper visuals and smoother in-game animations.

The new gaming notebook retains the classic stealthy F-22 Raptor-inspired lines popularized by ROG’s G Series, with angled surfaces giving GL552 a dynamic, powerful stance — for a design that’s as attractive as it is strong.

Commanding keyboard, maximum storage flexibility instant upgradability

GL552 sports a stylish low-profile keyboard, with easy-touch keys that operate with a travel distance of 1.8mm for a perfect gaming response. The marked WASD key group and dedicated numeric pad enable fast, full control. Manufactured as a solid, one-piece construction, the entire keyboard is illuminated by a ROG-red backlight for anytime visibility.

GL552 also offers maxed-out storage options, with an up to 2TB hard disk drive and an up to 256GB M.2 solid-state disk (SSD) available as an option — fulfilling users’ desires for both maximum storage and maximum speed.

It’s also simple to push GL552 even further, with a slide-off panel offering instant access to M.2 SSD, hard drive and memory slots.

Faster frags, the widest views and total audio immersion

GL552 features ASUS-exclusive GameFirst III technology, which optimizes networks to give users lag-free gameplay. It prioritizes game packets and allocates more bandwidth for smooth, lag-free gaming. GameFirst III features four preset packet-priority modes, and manual settings for users who want total control over their network.

GL552’s large 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display has a matte-black finish that eliminates glare for stunning visuals without distraction. This superb display offers wide 178-degree viewing angles for minimal color shift even when viewed from extreme angles. ASUS SonicMaster provides rich, crystal-clear high-fidelity audio, while ROG AudioWizard features five easy-to-use preset modes with settings tailored to suit different game genres to give an even more immersive experience.

SPECIFICATIONS 1 for ASUS ROG GL552
Processor	Intel® Core™ i7-4720HQ (2.6GHz-3.6GHz) Mobile Intel® HM86 Chipset NVIDIA^® GeForce^® GTX 950M with up to 4GB GDDR3 VRAM
Operating system	Windows 8.1/ Windows 8.1 Professional
Display	15.6-inch IPS FHD (1920×1080) panel 15.6-inch TN HD (1366×768) panel All panels feature an anti-glare coating
Cameras	Built-in HD camera
Memory & storage	2 x SODIMM socket for expansion up to 16 GB DDR3L DRAM 1 x SATA Slot for 2.5-inch SATA 6Gbit/s HDD up to 2TB or SATA 6Gbit/s SSD 128GB/256GB 1 x M.2 (2280) Slot for SATA 6Gbit/s SSD 128GB/256GB
Wireless	802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0
Interface	1 x D-sub VGA port 2 x USB 3.0 / 1 x USB2.0 1 x HDMI 1 x Headphone-out and mic-in 1 x RJ-45 LAN port
Battery	Four-cell lithium-ion, 3200mAh
Size	385 x 255 x 32.4mm (for non-touch models)
Weight	2.5kg (estimated)

[1] Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors.

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About ASUS

ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets, smartphones and wearables. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,326 awards in 2014 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 13,600 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of 4,500 engineers. Company revenue for 2014 was approximately US$14.5 billion.