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.

Allen Ngo 👁, 08/02/2019 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 ...

Test device courtesy of Xotic PC

Download your licensed rating image as PNG / SVG

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 - 6144 MB, Core: 1060 MHz, Memory: 1788 MHz, GDDR6, 430.58, Optimus

Memory

16384 MB

, 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 (10/100/1000/2500/5000MBit/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

Links

Asus homepage
Asus notebook section

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

see all specifications

[+] Add to comparison

» Compare devices

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.

Connectivity

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

Communication

Networking
iperf3 Client (transmit) TCP 1 m 4M x10
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW Intel Wireless-AC 9560	683 MBit/s ∼100% +25%
Dell G7 15-7588 Intel Wireless-AC 9560	642 MBit/s ∼94% +17%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 Realtek RTL8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCIe Adapter	617 MBit/s ∼90% +13%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 Intel Wireless-AC 9560	548 MBit/s ∼80%
iperf3 Client (receive) TCP 1 m 4M x10
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW Intel Wireless-AC 9560	680 MBit/s ∼100% +3%
Dell G7 15-7588 Intel Wireless-AC 9560	660 MBit/s ∼97% 0%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 Intel Wireless-AC 9560	660 MBit/s ∼97%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 Realtek RTL8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCIe Adapter	586 MBit/s ∼86% -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

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

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.

Narrow bezels on three sides of the display

Minor uneven backlight bleeding along bottom edge


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

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 290.1 cd/m² 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 | 0.59-29.43 Ø5.6, calibrated: 4.35
ΔE Greyscale 4.4 | 0.64-98 Ø5.8
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)
60.31% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
40.13% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.1

Download ICC File (X-Rite i1Pro 2)

	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%	64.92 62%	37.82 -6%	63.5 58%	64.25 60%	39.43 -2%
sRGB Coverage	60.31	59.46 -1%	91.02 51%	56.24 -7%	92.42 53%	93.55 55%	59.33 -2%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage	41.48	40.91 -1%	65.95 59%	39.2 -5%	64.7 56%	65.57 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 DeltaE2000 *	5.16	5.45 -6%	2.19 58%	7.34 -42%	3.21 38%	3.11 40%	5.93 -15%
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. *	18.09	18.08 -0%	4.4 76%	28.66 -58%	5.54 69%	5.84 68%	16.28 10%
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 calibrated *	4.35	4.47 -3%	2.27 48%	4.42 -2%	2.36 46%	1.37 69%	3.6 17%
Greyscale DeltaE2000 *	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

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.

Display Response Times

ℹ

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
25.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 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 0.8 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 47 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (24.1 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
26 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 13.6 ms rise
26 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 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 0.8 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 19 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (38.3 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

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: 51 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 9713 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 151500) 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.

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.

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 | Cinebench R11.5 | Cinebench R10 | wPrime 2.10

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG Intel Core i9-9900K	212 Points ∼78% +18%
Medion Erazer X15805 Intel Core i9-8950HK	203 Points ∼75% +13%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Intel Core i7-7700K	190 Points ∼70% +6%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	189 Points ∼69% +6%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (170 - 194, n=82)	184 Points ∼68% +3%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 Intel Core i7-9750H	179 Points ∼66%
Dell G7 15-7588 Intel Core i7-8750H	176 Points ∼65% -2%
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL Intel Core i5-8300H	171 Points ∼63% -4%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 AMD Ryzen 7 3750H	157 Points ∼58% -12%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	156 Points ∼57% -13%
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG Intel Core i9-9900K	2022 Points ∼45% +65%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	1721 Points ∼38% +40%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 Intel Core i7-9750H	1226 Points ∼27%
Medion Erazer X15805 Intel Core i9-8950HK	1217 Points ∼27% -1%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (952 - 1306, n=85)	1182 Points ∼26% -4%
Dell G7 15-7588 Intel Core i7-8750H	1113 Points ∼25% -9%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Intel Core i7-7700K	897 Points ∼20% -27%
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL Intel Core i5-8300H	805 Points ∼18% -34%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 AMD Ryzen 7 3750H	799 Points ∼18% -35%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	733 Points ∼16% -40%

Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Eurocom Tornado F5 Intel Core i7-7700K	2.19 Points ∼70% +7%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	2.11 Points ∼67% +3%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (1.96 - 2.19, n=10)	2.1 Points ∼67% +3%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 Intel Core i7-9750H	2.04 Points ∼65%
Dell G7 15-7588 Intel Core i7-8750H	1.99 Points ∼63% -2%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	1.83 Points ∼58% -10%
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	18.94 Points ∼38% +40%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 Intel Core i7-9750H	13.57 Points ∼27%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (11.3 - 14.1, n=10)	13 Points ∼26% -4%
Dell G7 15-7588 Intel Core i7-8750H	12.08 Points ∼24% -11%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Intel Core i7-7700K	9.78 Points ∼20% -28%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	8.17 Points ∼16% -40%

Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	42456 Points ∼65%
Medion Erazer X15805 Intel Core i9-8950HK	36591 Points ∼56%
Dell G7 15-7588 Intel Core i7-8750H	34157 Points ∼52%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (28251 - 36304, n=13)	33539 Points ∼51%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Intel Core i7-7700K	28189 Points ∼43%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	21978 Points ∼34%
Rendering Single 32Bit
Medion Erazer X15805 Intel Core i9-8950HK	7735 Points ∼69%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Intel Core i7-7700K	7222 Points ∼64%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	6967 Points ∼62%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (6659 - 7214, n=13)	6923 Points ∼62%
Dell G7 15-7588 Intel Core i7-8750H	6591 Points ∼59%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	5939 Points ∼53%

wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL Intel Core i5-8300H	278.469 s * ∼3%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	231.67 s * ∼3%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Intel Core i7-7700K	176.329 s * ∼2%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H	154 s * ∼2%
Dell G7 15-7588 Intel Core i7-8750H	153.38 s * ∼2%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	118.733 s * ∼1%

* ... 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

77.37 fps

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

179 Points

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

1226 Points

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

117.43 fps

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

99.6 %

Help

... in comparison

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 | PCMark 8

PCMark 10
Score
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ	5941 Points ∼68% +7%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	5826 Points ∼66% +5%
Aorus 15-SA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8	5761 Points ∼66% +4%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)	5654 Points ∼64% +2%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	5528 Points ∼63%
Dell G7 15-7588 GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA	5285 Points ∼60% -4%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	4732 Points ∼54% -14%
Essentials
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ	9486 Points ∼82% +3%
Aorus 15-SA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8	9379 Points ∼82% +1%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	9245 Points ∼80%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)	9231 Points ∼80% 0%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	9146 Points ∼79% -1%
Dell G7 15-7588 GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA	8466 Points ∼74% -8%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	8355 Points ∼73% -10%
Productivity
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	8025 Points ∼72% +8%
Dell G7 15-7588 GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA	7710 Points ∼69% +4%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)	7661 Points ∼69% +3%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	7431 Points ∼67%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ	7351 Points ∼66% -1%
Aorus 15-SA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8	7311 Points ∼65% -2%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	6518 Points ∼58% -12%
Digital Content Creation
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ	8163 Points ∼53% +22%
Aorus 15-SA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8	7570 Points ∼49% +13%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	7311 Points ∼47% +10%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)	6936 Points ∼45% +4%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	6673 Points ∼43%
Dell G7 15-7588 GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA	6139 Points ∼40% -8%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	5282 Points ∼34% -21%

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ	5115 Points ∼81% +20%
Aorus 15-SA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8	5081 Points ∼81% +20%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	4578 Points ∼73% +8%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	4251 Points ∼68%
Dell G7 15-7588 GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA	3968 Points ∼63% -7%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	3917 Points ∼62% -8%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	5919 Points ∼83% +9%
Aorus 15-SA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8	5913 Points ∼83% +9%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ	5852 Points ∼82% +8%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	5419 Points ∼76%
Dell G7 15-7588 GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, SK hynix SC311 SATA	5410 Points ∼76% 0%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	4701 Points ∼66% -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.

	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	1280.44	1019.04 -20%	2505.83 96%	1952.51 52%	2600.57 103%
Seq Write	904.89	888.5 -2%	1711.53 89%	1629.24 80%	1506.85 67%
4K Read	48.73	48.22 -1%	48.32 -1%	33.2 -32%	56.27 15%
4K Write	107.03	115.48 8%	103.6 -3%	88.05 -18%	110.3 3%
4K-64 Read	321.15	321.49 0%	623.93 94%	756.72 136%	876.55 173%
4K-64 Write	760.81	787.44 4%	1253 65%	1500.92 97%	914.36 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	1518.69	942.16 -38%		1872.47 23%	2103.58 39%
Copy Program MB/s	749.45	444.49 -41%		478.19 -36%	387.69 -48%
Copy Game MB/s	943.02	866.7 -8%		1164.53 23%	1020.79 8%

* ... smaller is better

CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6

AS SSD

Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8

CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 1727 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 971.5 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: 966.9 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 53.62 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.

3DMark | 3DMark 11

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI GE75 9SG NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H	24623 Points ∼49% +55%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X	19338 Points ∼38% +22%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H	19123 Points ∼38% +20%
Eurocom Tornado F5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700K	17321 Points ∼34% +9%
Medion Erazer X15805 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK	16923 Points ∼33% +6%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile (14768 - 18358, n=43)	16301 Points ∼32% +2%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H	15913 Points ∼31%
Aorus 15-SA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H	15164 Points ∼30% -5%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H	12903 Points ∼26% -19%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ	11483 Points ∼23% -28%
Dell G7 15-7588 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H	11309 Points ∼22% -29%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK	9537 Points ∼19% -40%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H	9428 Points ∼19% -41%
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H	6112 Points ∼12% -62%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
MSI GE75 9SG NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H	9754 Points ∼49% +61%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X	7732 Points ∼39% +28%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H	7277 Points ∼37% +20%
Medion Erazer X15805 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK	6499 Points ∼33% +7%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile (5660 - 6910, n=41)	6206 Points ∼31% +2%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H	6059 Points ∼31%
Aorus 15-SA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H	5931 Points ∼30% -2%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H	4925 Points ∼25% -19%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ	3572 Points ∼18% -41%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H	3568 Points ∼18% -41%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK	2805 Points ∼14% -54%
2560x1440 Port Royal Graphics
MSI GE75 9SG NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H	5538 Points ∼42% +70%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H	3958 Points ∼30% +21%
Medion Erazer X15805 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK	3735 Points ∼29% +15%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile (3020 - 3859, n=29)	3431 Points ∼26% +5%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H	3261 Points ∼25%
Aorus 15-SA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H	1540 Points ∼12% -53%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H	1294 Points ∼10% -60%

3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI GE75 9SG NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H	34050 Points ∼58% +64%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X	26413 Points ∼45% +27%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H	24267 Points ∼41% +17%
Eurocom Tornado F5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700K	23042 Points ∼39% +11%
Medion Erazer X15805 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK	21660 Points ∼37% +5%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile (19143 - 24662, n=40)	21459 Points ∼36% +4%
Aorus 15-SA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H	20862 Points ∼35% +1%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H	20723 Points ∼35%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H	17264 Points ∼29% -17%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ	14550 Points ∼25% -30%
Dell G7 15-7588 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H	14487 Points ∼25% -30%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H	13575 Points ∼23% -34%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK	12193 Points ∼21% -41%
1280x720 Performance Combined
MSI GE75 9SG NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H	16523 Points ∼68% +37%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X	13742 Points ∼57% +14%
Medion Erazer X15805 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK	12715 Points ∼53% +5%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H	12431 Points ∼51% +3%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H	12078 Points ∼50%
Aorus 15-SA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H	11914 Points ∼49% -1%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile (1107 - 14726, n=40)	11688 Points ∼48% -3%
Eurocom Tornado F5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700K	11099 Points ∼46% -8%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H	10866 Points ∼45% -10%
Dell G7 15-7588 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H	10798 Points ∼45% -11%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK	9459 Points ∼39% -22%
Asus FX503VM-EH73 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ	7696 Points ∼32% -36%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H	6838 Points ∼28% -43%

3DMark | 3DMark 11

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

... in comparison

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 ∼100% +47%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop)	90 fps ∼83% +22%
Alienware m15 P79F Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	84 fps ∼77% +14%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile (54 - 86, n=22)	74.6 fps ∼68% +1%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	74.2 fps ∼68% 0%
Asus Strix GL531GV-PB74 Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile	74 fps ∼68%
Asus ROG Strix G GL731GU-RB74 Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile	70 fps ∼64% -5%
HP Pavilion Gaming 17-cd0085cl Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q	64 fps ∼59% -14%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73 AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile	41 fps ∼38% -45%

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	fps
The Witcher 3 (2015)	266.7	189.9	117.4	63.3	fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)	122	92	86	74	fps

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)

	30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud
min: , med: , max: Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 28.2 dB(A)

Temperature

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.

Max. Load

Idle

Witcher 3


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

Max. Load

Idle

Witcher 3


28.4 °C 83 F	30 °C 86 F	29.2 °C 85 F
27.8 °C 82 F	29.2 °C 85 F	30.8 °C 87 F
23.8 °C 75 F	24.8 °C 77 F	24.2 °C 76 F

Maximum: 30.8 °C = 87 F
Average: 27.6 °C = 82 F


32.6 °C 91 F	32 °C 90 F	32.2 °C 90 F
31.2 °C 88 F	34 °C 93 F	29 °C 84 F
26.6 °C 80 F	26.6 °C 80 F	27 °C 81 F

Maximum: 34 °C = 93 F
Average: 30.1 °C = 86 F

Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer

Max. Load

Idle

Witcher 3


40 °C 104 F	42.6 °C 109 F	45.2 °C 113 F
33.6 °C 92 F	36.8 °C 98 F	31.4 °C 89 F
26.8 °C 80 F	27.6 °C 82 F	27.2 °C 81 F

Maximum: 45.2 °C = 113 F
Average: 34.6 °C = 94 F


44.6 °C 112 F	42.6 °C 109 F	45.8 °C 114 F
38.2 °C 101 F	38.2 °C 101 F	30 °C 86 F
27 °C 81 F	26.8 °C 80 F	27 °C 81 F

Maximum: 45.8 °C = 114 F
Average: 35.6 °C = 96 F

Power Supply (max.) 47 °C = 117 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 33.5 °C / 92 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 °C / 104 F, ranging from 21.6 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 42.8 °C / 109 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.6 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 33.5 °C / 92 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 34.6 °C / 94 F, compared to the device average of 33.5 °C / 92 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.

	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