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Asus G501VW-FY081T Notebook Review

Compact gamer. The thin gaming notebook from Asus can convince with good features as well as measurements. The lack of an Ethernet port is unusual for a gaming notebook, but the device has a Thunderbolt 3 port instead.

For the original German review, see here.

The Asus G501VW-FY081T is a 15.6-inch notebook from the Republic of Gamer series. Considering the performance, the device is comparatively thin and light. We already reviewed two Haswell models of the G501. Our current review unit is equipped with a Skylake processor, which is the biggest difference to the Haswell models. The case is identical, but the Skylake model got an additional Thunderbolt 3 port. Rivals for the G501VW are notebooks like the Acer Aspire VN7-592G, the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 or the MSI GE62. You can also consider any other device from our Top 10 Lightweight Gaming ranking as a competitor.

Asus G501VW-FY081T (G501 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-6700HQ 4 x 2.6 - 3.5 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1176 MHz, Memory: 1253 MHz, GDDR5, 128-bit interface, ForceWare 364.51 (10.18.13.6451), Optimus
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2133, Single-Channel, one slot (free), 8 GB soldered
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, Samsung 156HL01-104, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM170 (Skylake PCH-H)
Storage
Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP, 128 GB 
, + HGST HTS541010A7E360 (1 TB, 5400 rpm), 1031 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC668 @ Intel Sunrise Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: Combo audio, Card Reader: SD, TPM 2.0
Networking
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 21.3 x 383 x 255 ( = 0.84 x 15.08 x 10.04 in)
Battery
60 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD webcam
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, USB 3.0 to Ethernet adapter, Cyberlink PhotoDirector 5, Cyberlink PowerDirector 12, McAfee LiveSafe - Internet Security (trial), MS Office (trial), 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.06 kg ( = 72.66 oz / 4.54 pounds), Power Supply: 565 g ( = 19.93 oz / 1.25 pounds)
Price
1349 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

Asus uses a black and comparatively thin metal chassis with an appealing design for the G501VW. Some red elements create a visual contrast. Asus uses a matte surface for the base unit, while the lid has a brushed finish. Both components are very susceptible for fingerprints. The battery is integrated and there is no maintenance hatch. You have to remove the whole bottom cover to access the internal components. This is not a big deal, but more on that later.

There is no criticism for the build quality. The device is well-built and the stability is also good. You can slightly warp the case at the usual spots (next to the keyboard on both sides, below the touchpad). The base unit could be a bit more torsion-resistant, even more so for the lid. There are at least no picture distortions when we apply pressure on the back of the screen. The hinges keep the display well in position and it is possible to open the lid with one hand.

Connectivity

The G501VW has three USB ports and all of them support the USB 3.0 standard. Our previous review models from the G501 were equipped with a Mini-DisplayPort, which was now replaced by a Thunderbolt 3 port (Type-C). The Skylake model of the G501 does not have an Ethernet port, but Asus does provide a USB 3.0 to Gigabit-Ethernet adapter. We cannot understand this decision for a gaming notebook. There is more than enough room and we already reviewed smaller notebooks with an Ethernet connector. The ports of the review unit are located in the rear area of the two sides, so the area next to the palm rest is free of cables.

Right side: combo audio, card reader, 2x USB 3.0
Right side: combo audio, card reader, 2x USB 3.0
Left side: power, USB 3.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt 3
Left side: power, USB 3.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt 3

Communication

Asus uses a Wi-Fi module from Intel (Dual-Band Wireless-AC 7265) for the G501VW. It supports the standards 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac as well as Bluetooth 4.0. We did not experience connection issues, and the signal was very stable in a radius of 15 meters around the router. We already mentioned that you do not get an Ethernet port, but Asus does provide a USB 3.0 to Gigabit-Ethernet adapter.

Card Reader

The card reader performs pretty well. We manage up to 82 MB/s when we copy large files and 71 MB/s for 250 jpg pictures (~5 MB each). We use our reference card from Toshiba (Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) to check the performance.

Accessories

Besides the usual documents (quick-start poster, warranty information), the notebook is shipped with a USB 3.0 to Gigabit-Ethernet adapter and a gaming mouse from Sica.

Operating System

The operating system of the notebook is Windows 10 Home (64-bit). A recovery DVD is not provided.

Maintenance

You have to remove the bottom cover of the notebook to access the components, which is a pretty simple procedure. First, you have to remove the two rubber feet at the rear, which cover a screw (Philips). Those screws have to be loosened. Then you can loosen the visible screws (Torx) at the bottom and lift the cover.

Warranty

The notebook comes with a two-year warranty including pickup service. You can expand the warranty period: A three-year warranty is available for around 80 Euros (~$90).

Input Devices

Keyboard

Asus equips the G501VW with an illuminated chiclet keyboard. The red illumination has three brightness levels and can be controlled via two function keys. The flat keys have average travel and a well-defined pressure point, but the resistance could be firmer for our taste. There is some bouncing in the center when you are typing. All in all, Asus implements a decent keyboard.

Touchpad

The ClickPad with multi-touch support is about 10.5 x 7.3 centimeters, so there is sufficient space for gesture controls. Asus’ Smart Gesture software allows the activation/deactivation of individual gestures. The smooth surface of the pad does not affect the gliding of the fingers. It has a short travel and a clearly audible as well as perceptible pressure point.

Display

Subpixel arrangement
Subpixel arrangement

The Asus notebook is equipped with a matte 15.6-inch screen with a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Luminance (311.7 cd/m²) and contrast (1066:1) are convenient. The display unfortunately shows PWM flickering at 200 Hz when the brightness level is at 90% and lower, so sensitive users could have problems with their eyes as well as get headaches. 

The G501VW is also available with a 4K screen (3840x2160 pixels); we already reviewed a Haswell model of the G501 with such a panel in 2015.

329
cd/m²
340
cd/m²
319
cd/m²
300
cd/m²
341
cd/m²
302
cd/m²
283
cd/m²
304
cd/m²
287
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Samsung 156HL01-104 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 341 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 311.7 cd/m² Minimum: 18 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 83 %
Center on Battery: 334 cd/m²
Contrast: 1066:1 (Black: 0.32 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.23 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.69 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
97% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
68.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
97.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.53

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 200 Hz ≤ 90 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 200 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 90 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 200 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18100 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

G501VW vs. sRGB
G501VW vs. sRGB
G501VW vs. AdobeRGB
G501VW vs. AdobeRGB

Asus ships the device with a preloaded color profile, so the color accuracy is actually not bad. We can measure a DeltaE-2000 deviation of 4.23 for the colors ex-works, while the ideal value would be smaller than 3. We cannot see a blue cast. The display can cover almost the whole sRGB reference at 97%, and the AdobeRGB color space is covered by 63%.

CalMAN – ColorChecker
CalMAN – ColorChecker
CalMAN – Grayscale
CalMAN – Grayscale
CalMAN – Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN – Saturation Sweeps

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
39 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 10 ms rise
↘ 29 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 96 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
50 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 22 ms rise
↘ 28 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 84 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

The Asus G501VW is equipped with an IPS display, so the viewing-angle stability is good and you can see the display content from any position. You can also use the notebook outdoors, but you should avoid direct sunlight.

Outdoor use
Outdoor use
Viewing angles
Viewing angles
Asus G501VW-FY081T
IPS, 1920x1080
Asus G501JW
IPS, 3840x2160
Asus G501JW-CN168H
IPS, 1920x1080
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
IPS, 3840x2160
Gigabyte P55W v5
IPS, 1920x1080
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
IPS, 3840x2160
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
IPS, 3840x2160
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
IPS, 1920x1080
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
IPS, 1920x1080
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
IPS, 3840x2160
Display
-24%
10%
26%
-25%
-6%
-6%
-35%
-10%
-12%
Display P3 Coverage
66.8
50
-25%
76.5
15%
86.2
29%
50.1
-25%
64.3
-4%
63.4
-5%
43.03
-36%
64
-4%
64.9
-3%
sRGB Coverage
97.3
75
-23%
100
3%
100
3%
73.5
-24%
89.9
-8%
90
-8%
64.7
-34%
82.7
-15%
66.9
-31%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
68.6
51.6
-25%
76.4
11%
99.5
45%
51.2
-25%
65.4
-5%
64.6
-6%
44.47
-35%
60.4
-12%
66.9
-2%
Response Times
146%
22%
22%
35%
16%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
50 ?(22, 28)
49 ?(24, 25)
2%
44 ?(18, 26)
12%
43.2 ?(18, 25.2)
14%
32 ?(13, 19)
36%
48 ?(16, 32)
4%
Response Time Black / White *
39 ?(10, 29)
25 ?(7, 18)
36%
27 ?(7, 20)
31%
27.2 ?(7.6, 19.6)
30%
26 ?(9, 17)
33%
28 ?(6, 22)
28%
PWM Frequency
200 ?(90)
1000 ?(10)
400%
Screen
-24%
-2%
19%
-8%
-23%
-28%
-6%
-14%
-4%
Brightness middle
341
336.8
-1%
344
1%
303
-11%
254
-26%
252.9
-26%
276
-19%
254
-26%
291.2
-15%
322
-6%
Brightness
312
317
2%
337
8%
291
-7%
267
-14%
250
-20%
273
-12%
241
-23%
292
-6%
325
4%
Brightness Distribution
83
77
-7%
95
14%
83
0%
89
7%
89
7%
85
2%
78
-6%
83
0%
90
8%
Black Level *
0.32
0.53
-66%
0.31
3%
0.22
31%
0.28
12%
0.5
-56%
0.78
-144%
0.27
16%
0.547
-71%
0.37
-16%
Contrast
1066
635
-40%
1110
4%
1377
29%
907
-15%
506
-53%
354
-67%
941
-12%
532
-50%
870
-18%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.23
7.02
-66%
5.98
-41%
3.47
18%
4.28
-1%
5.22
-23%
4.05
4%
3.54
16%
4.29
-1%
3.77
11%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
8.02
6.79
15%
10.6
-32%
8.33
-4%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.69
4.01
14%
5.75
-23%
1.17
75%
2.77
41%
6.74
-44%
4.68
-0%
2.29
51%
2.51
46%
5.36
-14%
Gamma
2.53 87%
2.1 105%
2.51 88%
2.35 94%
2.28 96%
2.45 90%
2.55 86%
2.5 88%
2.13 103%
2.39 92%
CCT
7549 86%
6642 98%
7366 88%
6658 98%
6284 103%
6026 108%
6871 95%
6698 97%
6403 102%
7163 91%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
63
47.67
-24%
71
13%
86
37%
47
-25%
58.4
-7%
58
-8%
41
-35%
54
-14%
61
-3%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
97
100
3%
100
3%
73
-25%
89.7
-8%
90
-7%
64
-34%
82
-15%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-24% / -24%
4% / 1%
64% / 44%
-4% / -7%
-2% / -14%
0% / -14%
-8% / -9%
-12% / -13%
-8% / -6%

* ... smaller is better

Performance

Asus' G501VW is a compact 15.6-inch gaming notebook. It provides smooth gameplay for all modern games. Our review unit retails for around 1,300 Euros (~$1476), so it is currently the least expensive model from the series. Other configurations are available.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
LatencyMon

Processor

The Asus notebook uses an Intel Core i7-6700HQ (Skylake) quad-core processor. This high-end model is currently used for many gaming notebooks. It provides more than sufficient performance for games and all common applications. The 45-Watt TDP of the processor is much higher compared to ULV-CPUs (15 Watts). The Core i7 has a nominal clock of 2.6 GHz, but it can be increased to 3.1 (four cores), 3.3 GHz (two cores), and 3.5 GHz (one core) via Turbo Boost. The latter is active both on mains as well as battery power.

The processor is not faster than its Broadwell predecessor (Core i7-5700HQ); they are actually pretty much on par. While the Skylake model has a small advantage in single-core scenarios due to improvements of the Skylake architecture, the Broadwell model is slightly ahead in the multi-tests thanks to the higher Turbo Boost.

The CPU is soldered.
The CPU is soldered.
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6794
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
20097
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5391
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
62.4 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
7.42 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.68 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
85.8 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
674 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
149 Points
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
719 Points +7%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
680 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
675 Points 0%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
675 Points 0%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
674 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
673 Points 0%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
673 Points 0%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
672 Points 0%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
656 Points -3%
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
651 Points -3%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
642 Points -5%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
577 Points -14%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
491 Points -27%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
329 Points -51%
CPU Single 64Bit
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
149 Points 0%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
149 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
146 Points -2%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
146 Points -2%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
146 Points -2%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
144 Points -3%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
144 Points -3%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
141 Points -5%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
138 Points -7%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
134 Points -10%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
134 Points -10%
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
133 Points -11%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
132 Points -11%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
113 Points -24%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
7.96 Points +7%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
7.48 Points +1%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
7.48 Points +1%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
7.43 Points 0%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
7.42 Points 0%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
7.42 Points
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
7.4 Points 0%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
7.33 Points -1%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
7.29 Points -2%
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
7.25 Points -2%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
7.07 Points -5%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
6.58 Points -11%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
6.5 Points -12%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
3.63 Points -51%
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
1.68 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
1.68 Points 0%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
1.68 Points 0%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
1.68 Points
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
1.65 Points -2%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
1.64 Points -2%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
1.58 Points -6%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
1.56 Points -7%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
1.56 Points -7%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
1.55 Points -8%
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
1.51 Points -10%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
1.49 Points -11%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
1.49 Points -11%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
1.42 Points -15%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
21681 Points +8%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
20388 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
20380 Points +1%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
20326 Points +1%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
20320 Points +1%
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
20281 Points +1%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
20097 Points
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
20033 Points 0%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
19977 Points -1%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
19949 Points -1%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
19831 Points -1%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
18816 Points -6%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
18088 Points -10%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
11050 Points -45%
Rendering Single 32Bit
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
5567 Points +3%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
5485 Points +2%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
5475 Points +2%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5462 Points +1%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
5453 Points +1%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
5391 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
5316 Points -1%
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
5284 Points -2%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
5244 Points -3%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
5123 Points -5%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
5105 Points -5%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
5101 Points -5%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
5081 Points -6%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
4924 Points -9%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
3469 Points +9%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
3385 Points +6%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
3302 Points +4%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
3278 Points +3%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
3250 Points +2%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
3182 Points
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
12971 Points +8%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
12649 Points +5%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
12551 Points +4%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
12158 Points +1%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
12062 Points
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
6785 Points -44%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
177.9 ms * -139%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
94.4 ms * -27%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
83 ms * -12%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
83 ms * -12%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
81.4 ms * -10%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
77 ms * -4%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
76.1 ms * -2%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
75.4 ms * -1%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
74.3 ms *
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
251.8 Points +2%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
246.3 Points
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
244 Points -1%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
241.3 Points -2%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
241.2 Points -2%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
1979 ms * -92%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
1128 ms * -9%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
1081 ms * -5%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
1040 ms * -1%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
1040 ms * -1%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
1036 ms * -0%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
1032 ms *
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
969 ms * +6%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
961 ms * +7%
Octane V2 - Total Score
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
38945 Points 0%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
38786 Points
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
36965 Points -5%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
36103 Points -7%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
34552 Points -11%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
32544 Points -16%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
31345 Points -19%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
31282 Points -19%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
16556 Points -57%
Peacekeeper - ---
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
4525 Points +40%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
3322 Points +3%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
3228 Points
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
3167 Points -2%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
3132 Points -3%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
3036 Points -6%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

That the system is responsive and runs smoothly is no surprise when you consider the powerful hardware. The PCMark scores are also very good, but the G501VW cannot beat a ULV notebook like the Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0 – despite the much more powerful CPU/GPU combination. This once again shows that faster hardware does not really pay off in common tasks. The quad-core processor needs applications that are optimized for multiple cores to show its potential. You can just slightly improve the performance of the Asus device. It is possible to implement another memory module; Asus maxed-out the other components.

The notebook only has one memory slot.
The notebook only has one memory slot.
PCMark 7 Score
5020 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3495 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4445 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4599 points
Help
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
3832 Points +10%
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
3801 Points +9%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
3753 Points +7%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
3665 Points +5%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
3495 Points
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
3452 Points -1%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
3447 Points -1%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
3154 Points -10%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
3077 Points -12%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
3019 Points -14%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
2988 Points -15%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
2907 Points -17%
PCMark 7 - Score
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
6121 Points +22%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
5861 Points +17%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
5831 Points +16%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
5804 Points +16%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
5739 Points +14%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
5636 Points +12%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
5628 Points +12%
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
5548 Points +11%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5323 Points +6%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
5124 Points +2%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
5020 Points
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
4714 Points -6%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
3624 Points -28%

Storage Devices

The system drive of the G501VW is a Solid State Drive from LiteOn. This M.2 model has a total capacity of 128 GB, and around 90 GB is free for the user. The rest is occupied by the recovery partition and the Windows installation. The read performance of the SSD is on a normal level; but the write performance falls behind the possibilities of modern drives. However, you cannot notice it in practice. This SSD is not a high-end drive, it is a mid-range solution. The M.2 slot is attached via PCI Express x4 (NVMe). If you use corresponding SSDs, you can reach transfer rates up to three times (read) and eight times higher (write) compared to the integrated SSD.

Games need a lot of storage space, so the notebook is also equipped with an additional conventional 2.5-inch hard drive. It has a storage capacity of 1 TB and runs at 5400 rpm.

SSD as a system drive
SSD as a system drive
HDD for sufficient storage capacity
HDD for sufficient storage capacity
Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
Sequential Read: 447.1 MB/s
Sequential Write: 136 MB/s
512K Read: 297.1 MB/s
512K Write: 86.5 MB/s
4K Read: 15.84 MB/s
4K Write: 31.96 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 96.9 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 20.29 MB/s
Asus G501VW-FY081T
Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
SK hynix SC300 M.2
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
Asus G501JW
Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
AS SSD
239%
148%
2%
225%
121%
531%
Seq Read
504
514
2%
509
1%
492.3
-2%
513
2%
506
0%
1410
180%
Seq Write
126.9
424.8
235%
202
59%
65.6
-48%
253.3
100%
454.4
258%
1118
781%
4K Read
13.87
21.75
57%
25.01
80%
16.17
17%
32.57
135%
17.88
29%
39.75
187%
4K Write
30.66
67.9
121%
59.3
93%
29.04
-5%
90.5
195%
53.9
76%
92.6
202%
4K-64 Read
87.6
259.4
196%
310.3
254%
87.8
0%
340.4
289%
362.9
314%
937
970%
4K-64 Write
19.4
243.8
1157%
135.5
598%
25.49
31%
201.4
938%
59.7
208%
362.8
1770%
Access Time Read *
0.207
0.071
66%
0.106
49%
0.194
6%
0.087
58%
0.182
12%
0.045
78%
Access Time Write *
0.225
0.053
76%
0.116
48%
0.195
13%
0.037
84%
0.066
71%
0.041
82%

* ... smaller is better

GPU Performance

Nothing changed for the G501VW compared to the G501 models we reviewed in 2015 in terms of graphics card. The GeForce GTX 960M GPU from Nvidia is the entry-level model of the high-end range. It supports DirectX 11 and runs with a nominal clock of 1097 MHz, which can be increased up to 1176 MHz via GPU Boost. The chip is supported by 4 GB GDDR5 memory (128-bit interface) and the 3DMark scores are on the expected level for this GPU.

Besides the GeForce GPU, you can also use Intel’s HD Graphics 530 GPU from the processor. It is a switchable graphics solution (Optimus), where the GeForce GPU handles demanding applications like games, while the Intel GPU is active during light workloads and on battery power. The switch between both GPUs happens automatically, but it is also possible to adjust the allocation manually.

3DMark 06 Standard Score
23347 points
3DMark 11 Performance
5533 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
58706 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
17094 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
4028 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
10036 Points +81%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
8932 Points +61%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
5778 Points +4%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
5635 Points +2%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
5572 Points +1%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5562 Points +1%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
5533 Points
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
5398 Points -2%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
5277 Points -5%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
5112 Points -8%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
4644 Points -16%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
4579 Points -17%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
4160 Points -25%
3DMark
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
106681 Points +82%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
83675 Points +43%
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
81949 Points +40%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
77739 Points +32%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
77565 Points +32%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
76562 Points +30%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
64844 Points +10%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
58706 Points
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
58288 Points -1%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
51420 Points -12%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
44588 Points -24%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
44471 Points -24%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
29172 Points -50%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
21810 Points +28%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
20087 Points +18%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
19618 Points +15%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
17140 Points 0%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
17094 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
16805 Points -2%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
16358 Points -4%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
16208 Points -5%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
16151 Points -6%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
14578 Points -15%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
14471 Points -15%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
13673 Points -20%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
12931 Points -24%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
9618 Points -44%
1280x720 Sky Diver Score
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
18332 Points +41%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
12960 Points
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
12388 Points -4%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
12230 Points -6%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
10597 Points -18%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
7124 Points +77%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
6565 Points +63%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
4071 Points +1%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
4028 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
4026 Points 0%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
4008 Points 0%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
3998 Points -1%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
3939 Points -2%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
3914 Points -3%
Asus G501JW-CN168H
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
3791 Points -6%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
3609 Points -10%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
2917 Points -28%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
2761 Points -31%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
2722 Points -32%
3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
24611 Points +5%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
23822 Points +2%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
23347 Points
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
22143 Points -5%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
21645 Points -7%
Acer Aspire VN7-572G-72L0
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B128
17956 Points -23%

Gaming Performance

The notebook manages smooth gameplay in all modern titles. Many games reach playable frame rates in the HD resolution (1366x768 pixels) and medium quality settings. The lower the hardware requirements for a game are, the higher the resolution/quality can be. The native resolution of the screen (1920x1080 pixels) is only possible for a couple of games though. Examples would be titles like FIFA 16 and World of Warships. More gaming performance is provided by notebooks with a GeForce GTX 970M or GTX 980M GPU, which start at around 1,300-1,400 Euros (~$1476-~$1590).

low med. high ultra
Tomb Raider (2013) 267.3 158.9 107.5 53.1
BioShock Infinite (2013) 152.5 125.4 111 45
Battlefield 4 (2013) 146.2 109.5 80.8 33.8
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 65.4 43.7 25.7 21.5
Far Cry Primal (2016) 71 33 29 24
The Division (2016) 70.4 50.7 23.8 17.6
Hitman 2016 (2016) 42 37.7 18.7 17.7
Need for Speed 2016 (2016) 78.3 72.6 39.3 30.4
Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX AF:16x
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZHPV128 m.2 PCI-e
92.4 fps +74%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
87.5 fps +65%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
53.2 fps 0%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
53.1 fps
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
52.4 fps -1%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
50.3 fps -5%
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
49.1 fps -8%
Asus G501JW
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
47.9 fps -10%
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
32.3 fps -39%

Emissions

System Noise

Fan noise
Fan noise

You cannot hear a lot from the G501VW while it's idling, because the fans are often deactivated. The only thing you can hear is the murmur of the 2.5-inch hard drive. This changes under load, where we can measure up to 44.3 dB(A) during our stress test. This is similar to the result under medium workloads. The CPU is periodically throttled to 800 MHz during the stress test, so the fans are not stressed as much.

Noise Level

Idle
32.1 / 32.1 / 32.1 dB(A)
Load
43.3 / 44.3 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1 Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 31.2 dB(A)
Asus G501VW-FY081T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Asus G501JW
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Asus G501JW-CN168H
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Gigabyte P55W v5
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 970M
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 970M
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Noise
-2%
-2%
-3%
-6%
6%
-2%
-9%
-6%
1%
off / environment *
31.2
31.3
-0%
Idle Minimum *
32.1
31.3
2%
31
3%
31.2
3%
33
-3%
28.9
10%
32.6
-2%
34
-6%
35.2
-10%
30
7%
Idle Average *
32.1
33.4
-4%
33.8
-5%
31.2
3%
34
-6%
28.9
10%
32.6
-2%
35
-9%
35.3
-10%
32.2
-0%
Idle Maximum *
32.1
36.3
-13%
34.1
-6%
36.2
-13%
35
-9%
30.2
6%
32.6
-2%
36
-12%
35.5
-11%
35
-9%
Load Average *
43.3
39.5
9%
44.3
-2%
45.3
-5%
43
1%
41.8
3%
40.5
6%
44
-2%
40.4
7%
41.7
4%
Load Maximum *
44.3
46.3
-5%
44.4
-0%
47.3
-7%
49
-11%
43.9
1%
49.1
-11%
51
-15%
47.2
-7%
42.6
4%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Stress test G501VW
Stress test G501VW

Our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark for at least one hour) reveals different results for the G501VW on mains and battery power. The CPU starts at 3.1 GHz on battery power and will then start to drop its speed stepwise, while the GPU runs at 849 MHz. The CPU can usually maintain 3.0-3.1 GHz on mains but periodically drops to just 800 MHz, while the GPU reaches 980 MHz. The laptop does not get very warm; the temperatures do not surpass 50 °C at any spot.

Max. Load
 40.1 °C
104 F
40.9 °C
106 F
41 °C
106 F
 
 26.7 °C
80 F
32.4 °C
90 F
26.2 °C
79 F
 
 28.8 °C
84 F
27.2 °C
81 F
28.6 °C
83 F
 
Maximum: 41 °C = 106 F
Average: 32.4 °C = 90 F
48.2 °C
119 F
42.1 °C
108 F
43.1 °C
110 F
37 °C
99 F
37.9 °C
100 F
35 °C
95 F
31 °C
88 F
33 °C
91 F
31.7 °C
89 F
Maximum: 48.2 °C = 119 F
Average: 37.7 °C = 100 F
Power Supply (max.)  21.8 °C = 71 F | Room Temperature 54.3 °C = 130 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.4 °C / 90 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 48.2 °C / 119 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.8 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 28.8 °C / 83.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+0.1 °C / 0.2 F).
Asus G501VW-FY081T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Asus G501JW
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Asus G501JW-CN168H
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Gigabyte P55W v5
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 970M
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 970M
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Heat
-16%
-1%
-16%
-10%
-3%
-19%
-17%
-20%
-39%
Maximum Upper Side *
41
42.2
-3%
43.1
-5%
50.1
-22%
50
-22%
44.2
-8%
54
-32%
59.3
-45%
43.2
-5%
53
-29%
Maximum Bottom *
48.2
47.6
1%
47.4
2%
56.2
-17%
57.7
-20%
48
-0%
53.4
-11%
61.2
-27%
53.4
-11%
53.2
-10%
Idle Upper Side *
26.4
34.4
-30%
26.2
1%
28.3
-7%
25.7
3%
26.2
1%
30.4
-15%
26.4
-0%
34.2
-30%
38.6
-46%
Idle Bottom *
26.7
34.6
-30%
27.1
-1%
31.1
-16%
27.2
-2%
27.8
-4%
31.3
-17%
25.6
4%
35.6
-33%
45.9
-72%

* ... smaller is better

Speakers

Pink Noise
Pink Noise

The stereo speakers are located at the bottom of the notebook, but there is no additional subwoofer. They produce a decent sound, which lacks bass. You will have to use headphones or external speakers for a better sound experience.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

We can measure a maximum idle consumption of 13.2 Watts – a good result for such a powerful notebook. The value will fluctuate between 74 and 108 Watts during the stress test, because the CPU clock varies between 800 MHz and 3.0-3.1 GHz. The gaming consumption will be at around 82 Watts (+/- 10 Watts). The nominal output of the power adapter is 120 Watts.

A look at our comparison table shows that the G501 Haswell model from last year consumed up to 40.7 Watts while idling. We also noticed such a high value for our review unit at first as well. This can happen for one device, but it is very unlikely for two notebooks. We therefore had a closer look at the system and found the reason in the Task Manager. One of the applications from the XRite software we use for the display measurements continuously created partial load for the processor (30 – 40%) – even when we did not use the software. After the removal, the power consumption dropped to the value in the table. The same applies for the noise development and the battery runtimes. Only ROG devices showed this behavior so far, so there is most likely a conflict between the XRite software and software exclusively used for ROG models.

The power adaptor tips the scale at 565 grams.
The power adaptor tips the scale at 565 grams.
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.3 / 0.6 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 6.9 / 10.7 / 13.2 Watt
Load midlight 82 / 94 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Asus G501VW-FY081T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Asus G501JW-CN168H
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Gigabyte P55W v5
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 970M
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
Power Consumption
-110%
-22%
-28%
-27%
-2%
-70%
Idle Minimum *
6.9
13.6
-97%
8.9
-29%
9
-30%
9.4
-36%
7
-1%
16.2
-135%
Idle Average *
10.7
38.1
-256%
13.9
-30%
13
-21%
14.4
-35%
11
-3%
20.2
-89%
Idle Maximum *
13.2
40.7
-208%
15.6
-18%
17
-29%
15
-14%
17
-29%
22.8
-73%
Load Average *
82
81.6
-0%
89
-9%
81
1%
102
-24%
69
16%
96.4
-18%
Load Maximum *
94
81.6
13%
118
-26%
152
-62%
120
-28%
89
5%
126.9
-35%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

Our realistic Wi-Fi test determines a runtime of 5:30 hours for the Asus notebook. This test simulates web browsing with the Balanced power profile and a display brightness of around 150 cd/m². We use our video test to determine the runtime with a loop of the short movie Big Buck Bunny (H.264, 1920x1080 pixels). The wireless modules are deactivated and the display brightness is adjusted to around 150 cd/m². The G501VW shuts down after 5:03 hours.

Asus offers two different battery modules. Models without a 2.5-inch hard drive are equipped with a 96-Wh battery. Configurations with a 2.5-inch hard drive besides the M.2-SSD, like our review unit, have a 60-Wh battery.

We already reviewed a Haswell model of the G501 with such a 96-Wh battery back in 2015. Our comparison chart shows that this model usually falls behind our current review unit. This is partly due to the previously mentioned issues with the XRite software. Another reason is the 4K screen, which consumes more power than an FHD panel. Our current review model should be able to manage Wi-Fi and video runtimes of around 7 hours with the 96-Wh battery.

60-Wh battery
60-Wh battery
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
10h 10min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 25.10586.0.0)
5h 30min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
5h 03min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 04min
Asus G501VW-FY081T
60 Wh
Asus G501JW
96 Wh
Asus G501JW-CN168H
60 Wh
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
52 Wh
Gigabyte P55W v5
61 Wh
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
96 Wh
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
74 Wh
HP Pavilion 15-ak003ng
48 Wh
MSI GS60 6QE-002US
47 Wh
Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P
52 Wh
Battery Runtime
57%
-42%
-14%
15%
37%
2%
-6%
-55%
-42%
Reader / Idle
610
415
-32%
530
-13%
604
-1%
689
13%
709
16%
572
-6%
116
-81%
216
-65%
H.264
303
231
-24%
332
10%
283
-7%
176
-42%
WiFi v1.3
330
286
-13%
190
-42%
218
-34%
348
5%
379
15%
232
-30%
304
-8%
97
-71%
166
-50%
Load
64
202
216%
75
17%
93
45%
117
83%
76
19%
62
-3%
56
-12%
58
-9%

Pros

+ matte IPS screen
+ Full-HD panel
+ SSD + HDD
+ good battery runtimes
+ nice chassis
+ Thunderbolt 3

Cons

- no Ethernet port

Verdict

In review: Asus G501VW-FY081T. Test model courtesy of Asus Germany.
In review: Asus G501VW-FY081T. Test model courtesy of Asus Germany.

The G501W from Asus is a nice and thin gaming notebook with a 15.6-inch screen. The processor provides more than enough performance for all common applications. It is usually a quiet and cool device in practice. A fast SSD ensures a responsive system and there is sufficient storage thanks to the additional 1 TB hard drive (2.5-inch). Both drives can easily be replaced since you can remove the bottom cover of the notebook. We also like the bright and high-contrast IPS screen. The battery runtimes are more than decent for such a powerful notebook.

The Asus G501VW is primarily an update of the predecessor. You get a new processor generation and a new Thunderbolt 3 port (Type-C connector). Asus, unfortunately, does not implement an Ethernet port – a questionable decision for a gaming notebook. 

Priced at around 1,300 Euros (~$1476), the notebook is not one of the less expensive models. Asus should have offered more for the price; a 256 GB SSD and/or 16 GB RAM are not unrealistic for this price tag.

Asus G501VW-FY081T - 04/18/2016 v5.1(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
86 / 98 → 87%
Keyboard
86%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
62 / 81 → 76%
Weight
63 / 10-66 → 95%
Battery
82%
Display
88%
Games Performance
80%
Application Performance
88%
Temperature
92 / 95 → 97%
Noise
81 / 90 → 90%
Audio
73%
Camera
63 / 85 → 74%
Average
79%
84%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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Sascha Mölck, 2016-04-12 (Update: 2018-05-15)