Aorus 17X AZF reviewed: Slim high-end gaming notebook with i9-13900HX and RTX 4090 laptop GPU

Powered by an Intel Core i9-13900HX and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 laptop GPU, these two components alone speak to the intended role of the Aorus 17X AZF. Fundamentally, this configuration leaves no room for criticism. The Core i9-13900HX is based on Intel's latest CPU architecture. Meanwhile, however, there are even faster models that offer slightly even better CPU performance. Nevertheless, the SoC in our test unit did its job reliably. This is spearheaded by the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 laptop GPU, which is currently gaining a hold in the mobile sector. Driven by this graphics card, all current games can be played without issue. Features such as ray tracing and DLSS 3.0 are included and can provide an additional FPS boost in many games.

At US$3499.99, the Aorus 17X AZF is by no means a bargain, but compared to similarly equipped devices, it cuts a good figure. For the price, you also get a great QHD display with excellent color fidelity. However, the display brightness, which is generally better among other laptops, is deserving of criticism. We were impressed by the storage capacity, as a total of 2 TB is good and exactly what we expect in a modern gaming laptop. However, you should know that the storage configuration consists of two NVMe SSDs with 1 TB each. The RAM is also solid, since 32 GB of DDR5 RAM suits the device well and offers enough reserves.

The Aorus 17X AZF also has points of criticism in regard to connectivity. We would have wished for one or two USB ports or a card reader in light of its size. On the other hand, the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4 and the distribution of the available ports are to be commended. The biggest drawback, however, is the volume under load, which should not be underestimated in high-performance gaming laptops. On the other hand, a number of settings can be adjusted via the Gigabyte Control Center and, among other things, the fan curve can also be adjusted. Further details on this and all other information about the Aorus 17X AZF can be found here in our detailed review.