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Asus ROG Strix G GL531GV Laptop Review: Like a Zephyrus, but Cheaper

Striking gold. Asus' Republic of Gamers lineup just got a lot bigger. The Strix G GL531 adds a splash of customizable LED colors to the series without impacting the overall performance we've come to expect from a gaming laptop. Fan noise when gaming could still use some improvement.

Much like how the 17.3-inch Asus ROG Strix G GL731 is the less expensive version of the higher-end 17.3-inch Asus ROG Strix III G731, the 15.6-inch Asus ROG Strix G GL531 is the less expensive version of the higher-end 15.6-inch Asus ROG Strix III G531. The GL531 sits in between the budget TUF FX505 and flagship GX531 or G531 in Asus' expansive lineup of gaming laptops.

The GL531 is identical to the G531 sans a few minor features that we will go over below. We therefore recommend checking out our existing reviews on the G531 and GL731 for more details on the design, keyboard feedback, port options, speakers, and other physical properties since almost all our comments will apply here on the GL531. For this review, we'll instead be focusing on the performance differences between the GL531, GX531, and G531.

Unveiled at April of this year, the GL531 series is available in at least 5 different SKUs with GTX 1050, GTX 1650, GTX 1660 Ti, RTX 2060, and RTX 2070 graphics. In comparison, the minimum GPU option for the G531 is the GTX 1660 Ti. The complete specifications list for the 15.6-inch GL531 and 17.3-inch GL731 series can be found on the official Asus page here. Our test unit today is the upper mid-range SKU with the Core i7-9750H CPU, RTX 2060 GPU, and 1080p 120 Hz display for $1600 USD on Xotic PC.

Direct competitors include other mid-range to upper mid-range 15.6-inch gaming laptops like the Lenovo Legion Y740, HP Omen 15, Aorus 15, Acer Predator Helios, MSI GP series, or the Dell G7 15.

More Asus reviews:

Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 (Strix GL531 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-9750H 6 x 2.6 - 4.5 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile - 6 GB VRAM, Core: 1060 MHz, Memory: 1788 MHz, GDDR6, 430.58, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4-2666, 19-19-19-43, Dual-Channel
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, Panda LM156LF-GL02, IPS, NCP0042, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8, 512 GB 
Soundcard
Nvidia TU106 - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 25.9 x 360 x 274 ( = 1.02 x 14.17 x 10.79 in)
Battery
66 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 4-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Asus Armoury Crate, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.4 kg ( = 84.66 oz / 5.29 pounds), Power Supply: 770 g ( = 27.16 oz / 1.7 pounds)
Price
1600 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

As mentioned above, the chassis of the GL531 is identical to the G531 save for these notable differences:

  • The proprietary Asus keystone security feature has been omitted on the GL531
  • The brushed aluminum outer lid and palm rests of the G531/G731 are now plastic
  • Some SKUs will have single-zone RGB keyboard lighting only while higher-end SKUs like our GL531GV have quad-zone RGB lighting
  • AC adapter sizes and ratings will be different depending on the SKU. Core i5/GTX 1050 SKUs come with a 150 W adapter while Core i9/RTX 2070 SKUs come with a 280 W adapter. Our mid-range Core i7/RTX 2060 SKU comes with a 230 W adapter.
389 mm / 15.3 inch 274.7 mm / 10.8 inch 24.95 mm / 0.982 inch 2.6 kg5.8 lbs360.4 mm / 14.2 inch 262 mm / 10.3 inch 26.8 mm / 1.055 inch 2.2 kg4.92 lbs362 mm / 14.3 inch 265 mm / 10.4 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 2.3 kg4.97 lbs360 mm / 14.2 inch 274 mm / 10.8 inch 25.9 mm / 1.02 inch 2.4 kg5.29 lbs361 mm / 14.2 inch 246 mm / 9.69 inch 24.4 mm / 0.961 inch 2.1 kg4.69 lbs359 mm / 14.1 inch 254 mm / 10 inch 21.7 mm / 0.854 inch 1.9 kg4.1 lbs360 mm / 14.2 inch 252 mm / 9.92 inch 19 mm / 0.748 inch 2.1 kg4.55 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: No connectivity
Right: No connectivity
Rear: Gigabit RJ-45, HDMI 2.0, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C w/ DisplayPort 1.4, AC adapter
Rear: Gigabit RJ-45, HDMI 2.0, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C w/ DisplayPort 1.4, AC adapter
Left: 3x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, 3.5 mm combo audio
Left: 3x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, 3.5 mm combo audio

Communication

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
683 MBit/s +25%
Dell G7 15-7588
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
642 MBit/s +17%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
Realtek RTL8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCIe Adapter
617 MBit/s +13%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
548 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
680 MBit/s +3%
Dell G7 15-7588
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
660 MBit/s 0%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
660 MBit/s
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
Realtek RTL8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCIe Adapter
586 MBit/s -11%

Maintenance

Servicing is user-unfriendly much like on the G731, GL731, and G531 because of the fragile ribbon cables that attach to the LED lights along the bottom panel. This is explained in more detail on our reviews of the G731 and G531.

Accessories and Warranty

There are no extras in the box other than the usual AC adapter and quick start guide. Warranty is the standard one-year limited protection with optional accidental damage protection at no additional charge for owners who register their laptops with Asus within 60 days of purchase.

Input Devices

Small (~10.8 x 6 cm) touchpad with quiet dedicated mouse keys
Small (~10.8 x 6 cm) touchpad with quiet dedicated mouse keys
Identical layout and feel to the GL731 save for the column of keys along the right edge
Identical layout and feel to the GL731 save for the column of keys along the right edge
Keys with 2 mm travel distance are deeper than most Ultrabooks
Keys with 2 mm travel distance are deeper than most Ultrabooks
Very small Arrow keys are cramped and spongy
Very small Arrow keys are cramped and spongy

Display

The GL531GV uses the same Panda LM156LF IPS panel as found on Asus' cheaper TUF FX505 series for a very similar visual experience between them. This 120 Hz panel is a budget offering as it doesn't quite match the 144 Hz panel on the pricier GX502GW in terms of response times, color coverage, and contrast ratio. Nonetheless, the silky smooth 120 Hz refresh rate is a tangible improvement over the typical 60 Hz panels on most entry-level gaming laptops like the MSI GF75.

Graininess is noticeable but minimal as is common on matte panels. Similarly, the uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom edge of the display on our test unit is also minor enough to be easy to ignore. Laptops with glossy displays like the Dell XPS 15 offer comparatively sharper texts and images.

No edge-to-edge glass or 4K UHD options
No edge-to-edge glass or 4K UHD options
Narrow bezels on three sides of the display
Narrow bezels on three sides of the display
Minor uneven backlight bleeding along bottom edge
Minor uneven backlight bleeding along bottom edge
Matte subpixel array
Matte subpixel array
290.1
cd/m²
275.1
cd/m²
285.5
cd/m²
264
cd/m²
290.1
cd/m²
265
cd/m²
248.2
cd/m²
280.9
cd/m²
266.4
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Panda LM156LF-GL02 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 290.1 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 273.9 cd/m² Minimum: 15.38 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 290.1 cd/m²
Contrast: 537:1 (Black: 0.54 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.16 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.35
ΔE Greyscale 4.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
60% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
38.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41.48% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
60.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
40.13% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.1
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
Panda LM156LF-GL02, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
Panda LM156LF-GL, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
AU Optronics B156HAN08.2 (AUO82ED), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Dell G7 15-7588
LG Philips LGD053F, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
LP156WFG-SPB2, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Aorus 15-SA
LG Philips LP156WFG-SPB2 (LGD05E8), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
MSI GF63 8RC
AU Optronics B156HAN02.1, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Display
-1%
57%
-6%
56%
58%
-2%
Display P3 Coverage
40.13
39.56
-1%
64.9
62%
37.82
-6%
63.5
58%
64.3
60%
39.43
-2%
sRGB Coverage
60.3
59.5
-1%
91
51%
56.2
-7%
92.4
53%
93.6
55%
59.3
-2%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
41.48
40.91
-1%
65.9
59%
39.2
-5%
64.7
56%
65.6
58%
40.73
-2%
Response Times
-13%
69%
-27%
38%
45%
-17%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
26 ?(13.6, 12.4)
30.4 ?(14, 16.4)
-17%
7.2 ?(3.8, 3.4)
72%
38.8 ?(16, 22.8)
-49%
18.8 ?(11.6, 7.2)
28%
15.6 ?(8, 7.6)
40%
33.2 ?(15.2, 18)
-28%
Response Time Black / White *
25.6 ?(14.8, 10.8)
27.6 ?(17.6, 10)
-8%
8.8 ?(4.4, 4.4)
66%
26.8 ?(14.4, 12.4)
-5%
13.2 ?(8, 5.2)
48%
12.8 ?(8.4, 4.4)
50%
27.2 ?(15.6, 11.6)
-6%
PWM Frequency
Screen
6%
38%
-11%
33%
38%
6%
Brightness middle
290.1
286.2
-1%
286
-1%
250.9
-14%
320.4
10%
266
-8%
266.6
-8%
Brightness
274
267
-3%
275
0%
246
-10%
298
9%
254
-7%
257
-6%
Brightness Distribution
86
84
-2%
90
5%
89
3%
85
-1%
90
5%
89
3%
Black Level *
0.54
0.33
39%
0.37
31%
0.34
37%
0.42
22%
0.28
48%
0.29
46%
Contrast
537
867
61%
773
44%
738
37%
763
42%
950
77%
919
71%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.16
5.45
-6%
2.19
58%
7.34
-42%
3.21
38%
3.11
40%
5.93
-15%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
18.09
18.08
-0%
4.4
76%
28.66
-58%
5.54
69%
5.84
68%
16.28
10%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
4.35
4.47
-3%
2.27
48%
4.42
-2%
2.36
46%
1.37
69%
3.6
17%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.4
5.3
-20%
2.2
50%
6.8
-55%
3.6
18%
3.94
10%
6.8
-55%
Gamma
2.1 105%
2.1 105%
2.41 91%
2.164 102%
2.27 97%
2.53 87%
2.43 91%
CCT
7362 88%
7679 85%
6405 101%
6780 96%
6503 100%
6210 105%
7192 90%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
38.1
37.6
-1%
59
55%
36
-6%
59
55%
60
57%
37.6
-1%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
60
59.1
-1%
91
52%
56
-7%
92
53%
93
55%
59.3
-1%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-3% / 2%
55% / 46%
-15% / -12%
42% / 38%
47% / 42%
-4% / 1%

* ... smaller is better

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

Colors and grayscale are fairly inaccurate out of the box with average DeltaE values of 6.44 and 4.4, respectively. Color temperature is also on the cool side for a bluish hue that is typical of budget panels. While our calibration addresses many of these issues, color accuracy remains relatively poor due to the narrow gamut of the panel. Blue, magenta, and cyan in particular are represented less accurately than other tested colors especially at higher saturation levels.

Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration

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
25.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 14.8 ms rise
↘ 10.8 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 56 % 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
26 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 13.6 ms rise
↘ 12.4 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 30 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

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 not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor visibility is average at best since the backlight is not nearly as bright as what you'd find on a MacBook Pro 15 or Dell XPS 15. We recommend working under shade if possible to avoid squinting and washed out colors. Viewing angles are wide with noticeable color and grayscale shifting only if viewing from extreme and unrealistic angles.

Outdoors under sunlight
Outdoors under sunlight
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under sunlight
Outdoors under sunlight
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

The wide range of CPU and GPU options means the GL531 can perform as slow as a $1000 gaming laptop if configured with the Core i5-9300H and GTX 1050 GPU or as fast as a $2000 gaming laptop if configured with the Core i9-9880H and RTX 2070 GPU. There are no RTX 2080 options as Asus is reserving this for its higher-end Zephyrus or mainline G703 series instead. Latencymon shows no DPC issues even when wireless is enabled.

Nvidia Optimus comes standard meaning that there are no G-Sync options.

Processor

The Core i7-9750H is only a minor leap over the Core i7-8750H in terms of raw performance. Nonetheless, it performs about where we expect it to be on the Asus when compared to other laptops in our database sporting the same processor. Users can expect a 40 to 50 percent boost if jumping from the Core i5-8300H, Core i5-9300H, or Core i7-7700HQ. The Core i9-9880H option will be about 15 to 40 percent faster than the Core i7-9750H.

CPU performance sustainability is decent. When running CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop, the initial score of 1223 points drop to about 1100 points by the third loop to represent a performance dip of about 10 percent. Some competing laptops like the Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICH are able to maintain faster clock rates for longer for slightly faster CPU performance overall.

See our dedicated page on the Core i7-9750H for more technical information and benchmarks.

CineBench 15
CineBench 15
CineBench 11.5 64-bit
CineBench 11.5 64-bit
065130195260325390455520585650715780845910975104011051170Tooltip
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1103 (1087.93-1223.2)
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1183 (1168.7-1209.56)
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0); CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1040 (1017.76-1182)
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1035 (1020.33-1139.99)
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
Intel Core i9-9900K
212 Points +18%
Medion Erazer X15805
Intel Core i9-8950HK
203 Points +13%
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
190 Points +6%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
189 Points +6%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (170 - 194, n=82)
183.7 Points +3%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
Intel Core i7-9750H
179 Points
Dell G7 15-7588
Intel Core i7-8750H
176 Points -2%
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL
Intel Core i5-8300H
171 Points -4%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
157 Points -12%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
156 Points -13%
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
Intel Core i9-9900K
2022 Points +65%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
1721 Points +40%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
Intel Core i7-9750H
1226 Points
Medion Erazer X15805
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1217 Points -1%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (952 - 1306, n=85)
1182 Points -4%
Dell G7 15-7588
Intel Core i7-8750H
1113 Points -9%
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
897 Points -27%
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL
Intel Core i5-8300H
805 Points -34%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
799 Points -35%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
733 Points -40%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
2.19 Points +7%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
2.11 Points +3%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (1.96 - 2.19, n=10)
2.1 Points +3%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
Intel Core i7-9750H
2.04 Points
Dell G7 15-7588
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.99 Points -2%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.83 Points -10%
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
18.94 Points +40%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
Intel Core i7-9750H
13.57 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (11.3 - 14.1, n=10)
13 Points -4%
Dell G7 15-7588
Intel Core i7-8750H
12.08 Points -11%
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
9.78 Points -28%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.17 Points -40%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
42456 Points
Medion Erazer X15805
Intel Core i9-8950HK
36591 Points
Dell G7 15-7588
Intel Core i7-8750H
34157 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (28251 - 36304, n=13)
33539 Points
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
28189 Points
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
21978 Points
Rendering Single 32Bit
Medion Erazer X15805
Intel Core i9-8950HK
7735 Points
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
7222 Points
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
6967 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (6659 - 7214, n=13)
6923 Points
Dell G7 15-7588
Intel Core i7-8750H
6591 Points
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5939 Points
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL
Intel Core i5-8300H
278.5 s *
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
231.7 s *
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
176.3 s *
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
 
154.4 s *
Dell G7 15-7588
Intel Core i7-8750H
153.4 s *
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
118.7 s *

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
2.04 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
13.57 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
77.4 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
179 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1226 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
117.4 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help

System Performance

PCMark results are comparable to other mid-range laptops including the Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICH and Asus' own higher-end Zephyrus S GX502GW. We didn't experience any software or hardware issues during our time with the unit save for the annoying Asus pop-ups when first connecting to the Internet. Note that the power profiles on Armoury Crate can be counter intuitive as detailed here.

PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 10
Score
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5941 Points +7%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
5826 Points +5%
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
5761 Points +4%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
5654 Points +2%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
5528 Points
Dell G7 15-7588
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA
5285 Points -4%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
4732 Points -14%
Essentials
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
9486 Points +3%
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
9379 Points +1%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
9245 Points
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
9231 Points 0%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
9146 Points -1%
Dell G7 15-7588
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA
8466 Points -8%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
8355 Points -10%
Productivity
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
8025 Points +8%
Dell G7 15-7588
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA
7710 Points +4%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
7661 Points +3%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
7431 Points
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
7351 Points -1%
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
7311 Points -2%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
6518 Points -12%
Digital Content Creation
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
8163 Points +22%
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
7570 Points +13%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
7311 Points +10%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
6936 Points +4%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
6673 Points
Dell G7 15-7588
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA
6139 Points -8%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
5282 Points -21%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5115 Points +20%
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
5081 Points +20%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
4578 Points +8%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
4251 Points
Dell G7 15-7588
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA
3968 Points -7%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
3917 Points -8%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
5919 Points +9%
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
5913 Points +9%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5852 Points +8%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
5419 Points
Dell G7 15-7588
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA
5410 Points 0%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
4701 Points -13%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4251 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5419 points
PCMark 10 Score
5528 points
Help

Storage Devices

Two internal storage bays are available (1x M.2 2280 PCIe + 1x 2.5-inch SATA III). Our specific test unit comes equipped with the same 512 GB Intel SSD 660p as on the less expensive Asus TUF FX505 and more expenive Zephyrus S GX531. AS SSD results between these systems are unsurprisingly very similar with sequential read and write rates of about 1300 MB/s and 900 MB/s, respectively. It's difficult to know if costlier SKUs come equipped with the faster Samsung PM981 instead as this would depend on the reseller. The Razer Blade 15 and Blade Pro 17 almost always come with Samsung SSDs.

See our table of HDDs and SSDs for more benchmark comparisons.

CDM 5.5
CDM 5.5
AS SSD
AS SSD
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
Aorus 15-SA
Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
AS SSD
-8%
48%
41%
47%
Seq Read
1280
1019
-20%
2506
96%
1953
53%
2601
103%
Seq Write
905
889
-2%
1712
89%
1629
80%
1507
67%
4K Read
48.73
48.22
-1%
48.32
-1%
33.2
-32%
56.3
16%
4K Write
107
115.5
8%
103.6
-3%
88.1
-18%
110.3
3%
4K-64 Read
321.1
321.5
0%
624
94%
757
136%
877
173%
4K-64 Write
761
787
3%
1253
65%
1501
97%
914
20%
Access Time Read *
0.058
0.065
-12%
0.08
-38%
0.077
-33%
0.05
14%
Access Time Write *
0.046
0.047
-2%
0.04
13%
0.043
7%
0.034
26%
Score Read
498
472
-5%
923
85%
985
98%
1193
140%
Score Write
958
992
4%
1528
59%
1752
83%
1175
23%
Score Total
1711
1717
0%
2896
69%
3230
89%
2938
72%
Copy ISO MB/s
1519
942
-38%
1872
23%
2104
39%
Copy Program MB/s
749
444.5
-41%
478.2
-36%
387.7
-48%
Copy Game MB/s
943
867
-8%
1165
24%
1021
8%

* ... smaller is better

Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 1727 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 972 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 337.3 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 431.4 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1461 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 967 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 53.6 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 121.9 MB/s

GPU Performance

The mobile GeForce RTX 2060 is a mixed bag. While it offers a 40 percent boost and 70 percent boost over the GTX 1060 in DX11 and DX12 titles, respectively, it's still about 20 percent slower than a proper desktop RTX 2060. In contrast, the mobile GTX 1660 Ti performs nearly identically to its desktop GTX 1660 Ti counterpart. It's worth noting that 3DMark benchmark rank the RTX 2060 within just a few percentage points of the often more expensive RTX 2070 Max-Q.

Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Port Royal
Port Royal
Time Spy
Time Spy
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
24623 Points +55%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X
19338 Points +22%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
19123 Points +20%
Eurocom Tornado F5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700K
17321 Points +9%
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
16923 Points +6%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
  (14768 - 18358, n=43)
16301 Points +2%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
15913 Points
Aorus 15-SA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
15164 Points -5%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H
12903 Points -19%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
11483 Points -28%
Dell G7 15-7588
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
11309 Points -29%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK
9537 Points -40%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H
9428 Points -41%
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H
6112 Points -62%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
9754 Points +61%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X
7732 Points +28%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
7277 Points +20%
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
6499 Points +7%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
  (5660 - 6910, n=41)
6206 Points +2%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
6059 Points
Aorus 15-SA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
5931 Points -2%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H
4925 Points -19%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
3572 Points -41%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H
3568 Points -41%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK
2805 Points -54%
2560x1440 Port Royal Graphics
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
5538 Points +70%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
3958 Points +21%
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
3735 Points +15%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
  (3020 - 3859, n=29)
3431 Points +5%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
3261 Points
Aorus 15-SA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
1540 Points -53%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H
1294 Points -60%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
34050 Points +64%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X
26413 Points +27%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
24267 Points +17%
Eurocom Tornado F5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700K
23042 Points +11%
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
21660 Points +5%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
  (19143 - 24662, n=40)
21459 Points +4%
Aorus 15-SA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
20862 Points +1%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
20723 Points
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H
17264 Points -17%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
14550 Points -30%
Dell G7 15-7588
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
14487 Points -30%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H
13575 Points -34%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK
12193 Points -41%
1280x720 Performance Combined
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
16523 Points +37%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X
13742 Points +14%
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
12715 Points +5%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H
12431 Points +3%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
12078 Points
Aorus 15-SA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
11914 Points -1%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
  (1107 - 14726, n=40)
11688 Points -3%
Eurocom Tornado F5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700K
11099 Points -8%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
10866 Points -10%
Dell G7 15-7588
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
10798 Points -11%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK
9459 Points -22%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7696 Points -36%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H
6838 Points -43%
3DMark 11 Performance
17903 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
36566 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
14439 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
6154 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The mobile GeForce RTX 2060 is still powerful enough to play the latest titles at 1080p on maximum settings even if it's not quite as fast as its desktop counterpart. The performance difference between the mobile RTX 2060 and lesser GTX 1660 Ti is surprisingly small unless if you value RTX-exclusive features like DLSS or ray-tracing. If you want to reach a stable 120 FPS to fully exploit the 120 Hz panel, however, be prepared to reduce the graphics settings substantially.

See our dedicated page on the GeForce RTX 2060 for more technical information and benchmarks.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
109 fps +47%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop)
90 fps +22%
Alienware m15 P79F
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
84 fps +14%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
  (54 - 86, n=22)
74.6 fps +1%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
74.2 fps 0%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
74 fps
Asus ROG Strix G GL731GU-RB74
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
70 fps -5%
HP Pavilion Gaming 17-cd0085cl
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
64 fps -14%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
41 fps -45%
051015202530354045505560Tooltip
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8: Ø55.8 (52-60)
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 297 273.2 258.5 145.3
The Witcher 3 (2015) 266.7 189.9 117.4 63.3
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 122 92 86 74

Emissions

System Noise

Much like what we discovered on the G531, the dual fans of the GL531 pulse frequently even during low loads like browsing or video streaming. We recommend setting the system to Silent mode in order to keep fan noise as low as possible during these undemanding sessions.

Although not as loud as the more powerful G531GW with RTX 2070 graphics, expect fan noise to be about 51 dB(A) when gaming which is still on the loud side. Setting the system to Balanced or Turbo mode makes no difference; when on Turbo mode, the fans would simply reach their maximum RPMs at a faster rate. Hearing footsteps or other key in-game audio cues is difficult when the fans are blasting above 50 dB(A).

We can notice no electronic noise or coil whine from our specific test unit.

Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
MSI GF63 8RC
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Seagate BarraCuda Pro Compute 1TB ST1000LM049
Noise
6%
-10%
-8%
-11%
2%
off / environment *
28.2
28.2
-0%
29
-3%
30
-6%
29
-3%
28
1%
Idle Minimum *
28.8
28.2
2%
30
-4%
31
-8%
32
-11%
33.8
-17%
Idle Average *
31.4
28.2
10%
37
-18%
33
-5%
35
-11%
34
-8%
Idle Maximum *
33.3
31.4
6%
39
-17%
38
-14%
41
-23%
34.2
-3%
Load Average *
46.2
39.8
14%
54
-17%
50
-8%
54
-17%
37.3
19%
Witcher 3 ultra *
50.5
47
7%
54
-7%
53
-5%
52
-3%
43.4
14%
Load Maximum *
51.3
50.2
2%
54
-5%
56
-9%
56
-9%
46
10%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
28.8 / 31.4 / 33.3 dB(A)
Load
46.2 / 51.3 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: 28.2 dB(A)

Temperature

Three sets of exhaust vents
Three sets of exhaust vents

Since the RTX 2060 in our GL531 runs cooler than the RTX 2070 in the G531 as our next section will show, surface temperatures on the GL531 should be cooler as well. This is indeed the case as the center keyboard hot spot on the GL531 stabilizes at about 37 C when running Witcher 3 compared to 41 C on the G531. The WASD keys, palm rests, and clickpad remain cooler at about 27 C to 33 C for comfortable fingers when gaming.

The rear quadrants of the chassis are much warmer than the front since the vents and heat pipes are towards the back of the system.

System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle (bottom)
System idle (bottom)
Witcher 3 load (top)
Witcher 3 load (top)
Witcher 3 load (bottom)
Witcher 3 load (bottom)
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (bottom)
Maximum load (bottom)
Max. Load
 39 °C
102 F
41.4 °C
107 F
43.4 °C
110 F
 
 29.6 °C
85 F
34 °C
93 F
27.6 °C
82 F
 
 23.4 °C
74 F
23.8 °C
75 F
23.6 °C
74 F
 
Maximum: 43.4 °C = 110 F
Average: 31.8 °C = 89 F
46 °C
115 F
47.4 °C
117 F
49.2 °C
121 F
39 °C
102 F
40.6 °C
105 F
32.6 °C
91 F
26 °C
79 F
26.4 °C
80 F
26.2 °C
79 F
Maximum: 49.2 °C = 121 F
Average: 37 °C = 99 F
Power Supply (max.)  46 °C = 115 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.8 °C / 89 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 43.4 °C / 110 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 49.2 °C / 121 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.6 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 34.6 °C / 94 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 27.6 °C / 81.7 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+1.3 °C / 2.3 F).

Stress Test

We stress the system to identify for any potential throttling or stability issues. When running Prime95 to stress the CPU, we can observe clock rates as high as 4 GHz for the first few seconds until hitting a core temperature of 88 C. Thereafter, clock rates drop to 3.3 GHz in order to maintain a cooler core temperature of 75 C as shown by our screenshot below. This behavior explains our CineBench R15 loop test results above where performance is fastest only at the start of the test. Clock rates do not throttle below the base clock rate of the i7-9750H even when running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously which we expected no less from a gaming laptop.

CPU and GPU temperatures stabilize at 80 C and 67 C, respectively, when running Witcher 3. In contrast, the Core i9 CPU and RTX 2070 GPU on the Asus G531GW stabilize at 81 C and 77 C, respectively, while the older GTX 1060-powered Asus GL504GM stabilizes at about 67 C under similar gaming conditions. The 60 C to 70 C range is relatively cool for a gaming laptop while the very warm 80 C range is quite common on super-thin form factors.

Running on batteries will impact performance. A Fire Strike run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 9983 and 4423 points, respectively, compared to 17042 and 15913 points when on mains.

System idle
System idle
Witcher 3 stress
Witcher 3 stress
Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle -- -- 54 42
Prime95 Stress 3.3 -- 74 53
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 3.1 - 3.2 1095 81 69
Witcher 3 Stress 4.0 - 4.1 1755 ~80 67

Speakers

Pink noise at maximum volume. The balanced audio quality is one of the stronger points of the system
Pink noise at maximum volume. The balanced audio quality is one of the stronger points of the system
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2043.8422539.140.53140404040.239.95038.138.76335.842.3803641.51003551.212534.357.416034.764.720034.167.425033.768.231533.568.840033.767.35003470.263032748003173.4100030.869.4125030.471160030.571.3200030.370.9250029.869.8315029.469.1400029.572.6500028.870630028.768.7800028.4701000028.367.51250028.264.51600028.254.2SPL42.482.7N4.660.8median 30.5median 69.1Delta2.62.835.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseAsus Strix GL531GV-PB74Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.7 dB)
Analysis not possible as minimum curve is missing or too high

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Idling demands between 11 W and 33 W depending on the brightness level and power profile compared to under 12 W and 9 W on the Asus TUF FX505 and Dell G7, respectively. The Asus GX502 and G531 are also unusually demanding at over 30 W each not unlike our GL531 when under similar idling conditions. The poor power efficiencies of the GL531, G531, and GX502 are likely responsible for their relatively short battery lives as shown in our next section.

Power consumption values when gaming are more normal and where we expect them to be at about 144 W. The Asus GX502GW with the RTX 2070 GPU consumes about 22 percent more power when under similar gaming conditions for about 20 percent more GPU performance. Perhaps more significantly, our GL531 consumes only about 6 percent more power than the GTX 1060-equipped Asus GL504GM for a comparatively massive 40 to 70 percent increase in GPU performance.

We're able to record a maximum consumption of 210 W from the medium-sized (~16.5 x 7.5 x 3.2 cm) 230 W AC adapter. This eventually falls and stabilizes at 167 W due to performance throttling since maximum Turbo Boost clock rates are unsustainable as demonstrated by the CineBench loop test above.

Consumption whilst running 3DMark 06
Consumption whilst running 3DMark 06
Constant consumption when running Witcher 3
Constant consumption when running Witcher 3
Prime95 initiated at 20s mark. Consumption spikes to 142 W before dropping and stabilizing at 105 W since clock rates are highest only during the first few seconds
Prime95 initiated at 20s mark. Consumption spikes to 142 W before dropping and stabilizing at 105 W since clock rates are highest only during the first few seconds
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 20s mark. Consumption spikes to 210 W before eventually stabilizing at 167 W
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 20s mark. Consumption spikes to 210 W before eventually stabilizing at 167 W
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.49 / 0.99 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 10.9 / 14.7 / 32.4 Watt
Load midlight 121.9 / 209.6 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 Strix GL531GV-PB74
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
R7 3750H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0), IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell G7 15-7588
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, SK hynix SC311 SATA, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Aorus 15-SA
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus Strix GL504GM
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Power Consumption
41%
-40%
40%
-21%
-13%
11%
Idle Minimum *
10.9
7
36%
24
-120%
5.5
50%
22.9
-110%
20
-83%
10
8%
Idle Average *
14.7
9.9
33%
27
-84%
7.6
48%
27.2
-85%
23
-56%
16.9
-15%
Idle Maximum *
32.4
12
63%
33
-2%
9
72%
27.5
15%
29
10%
21.1
35%
Load Average *
121.9
68.4
44%
129
-6%
94
23%
83.4
32%
87
29%
112.4
8%
Witcher 3 ultra *
143.5
94.9
34%
176
-23%
116.3
19%
143.6
-0%
136
5%
135.5
6%
Load Maximum *
209.6
130.9
38%
216
-3%
154.4
26%
160.5
23%
173
17%
157.3
25%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The 66 Wh internal battery is identical in size to the battery of the G531. Some lesser SKUs of the GL531, however, may come equipped with a smaller 48 Wh module instead.

Battery life is poor and even worse than what we recorded on the G531 at just under 2 hours of real-world WLAN load. We set the system to Balanced mode with the integrated GPU active and the display to 150 nits brightness like we do for all our WLAN tests. Asus may want to optimize the power-sipping behavior of the GL531 to boost battery life to more reasonable numbers. Until then, we recommend setting the system to Silent mode to squeeze out as much battery life as possible when not gaming.

Recharging from empty to full capacity takes about 1.5 hours.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
1h 52min
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, 66 Wh
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
R7 3750H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, 48 Wh
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 76 Wh
Dell G7 15-7588
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, 56 Wh
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, 57 Wh
Aorus 15-SA
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, 62 Wh
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW
i9-9880H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 66 Wh
Battery Runtime
154%
96%
304%
48%
51%
58%
WiFi v1.3
112
285
154%
220
96%
452
304%
166
48%
169
51%
177
58%
Reader / Idle
466
353
656
235
208
328
Load
87
62
132
46
122
81

Pros

+ powerful 3.5 W x2 internal speakers
+ 1x M.2 2280 + 2.5-inch SATA III
+ wide variety of GPU options
+ great gaming performance
+ comfortable QWERTY keys
+ fast 120 Hz refresh rate
+ dedicated mouse keys
+ narrow bezels

Cons

- no Thunderbolt 3, SD card reader, or webcam
- chassis is almost entirely plastic
- small touchpad and Arrow keys
- heavier than many competitors
- difficult serviceability
- narrow color space
- limited hinge angle
- poor battery life
- pricey

Verdict

In review: Asus ROG Strix G GL531GV-PB74. Test unit provided by Xotic PC
In review: Asus ROG Strix G GL531GV-PB74. Test unit provided by Xotic PC

Many of our comments about the 17.3-inch Strix G GL731 apply here for the 15.6-inch Strix G GL531 since they share the same overall design language with similar internal hardware. In particular, drawbacks like the user-unfriendly serviceability, small Arrow keys, short battery life, and loud fans could all use a closer look to create a better next generation model. The ability to customize the keyboard light and LED bar independently would be especially useful to have.

The best qualities of the GL531 are its powerful 3.5 W speakers and chassis design. For a laptop that's mostly plastic, the textured surfaces really elevate it to feel more like a high-end gaming machine when compared to other plastic designs like on the Acer Nitro 5 or the MSI GP and GL series.

Price is the main advantage. At about $1600 USD, the system is several hundred dollars less than the Zephyrus S series while offering many of the same core specifications and performance options. To save even more, we recommend going for the GTX 1660 Ti SKU as it's only about 10 percent slower in games when not accounting for any RTX specific features.

It performs like a Zephyrus without costing as much. You'll have to live with some annoyances like the difficult serviceability, small Arrow keys, loud fans, and lack of a webcam. Core gaming performance is otherwise as fast as most enthusiast gaming laptops.

Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 - 07/18/2020 v7
Allen Ngo

Chassis
84 / 98 → 86%
Keyboard
85%
Pointing Device
83%
Connectivity
53 / 80 → 66%
Weight
60 / 10-66 → 90%
Battery
60 / 95 → 64%
Display
83%
Games Performance
97%
Application Performance
96%
Temperature
88 / 95 → 93%
Noise
76 / 90 → 84%
Audio
88%
Average
73%
84%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Asus ROG Strix G GL531GV Laptop Review: Like a Zephyrus, but Cheaper
Allen Ngo, 2019-08- 2 (Update: 2019-08- 2)