Asus' thin and light ROG Zephyrus gaming notebook is now available

Computex marked the debut of several Max-Q gaming laptops based on Nvidia's new design guidelines which call for slimmer, lighter, and quieter notebooks that still deliver exceptional performance. Asus' own ROG Zephyrus was among them, and its now finally available for purchase—if you can still find one.

The ROG Zephyrus gaming notebook comes in two models that are similar in most respects minus a few details, such as the GPU and storage capacity. Both models, the GX501IV-XS71 and XS74, include a seventh-gen Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor and 16 GB of DDR4-2400 memory. But the XS71 features only a 256 GB SSD, while the XS74 doubles the amount of storage to 512 GB. The latter is almost certainly the wisest choice here, as 256 GB will fill up much too quickly for comfort.

Additionally, both laptops differ in the type of GPU they use. The XS71 uses an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070, which is an extremely capable card, of course. But the XS74 does one better; it gets the top-of-the-line mobile GTX 1080. Given that both laptops have a 1080p display resolution, you can't really go wrong with either card. It should be noted that while the displays have a 120 Hz refresh rate, they are also G-Sync capable, so screen tearing shouldn't be a concern.

Having a thin profile—only 0.7 inches—doesn't mean that ROG Zephyrus skimps on ports. It comes with 4 USB 3.1 Type-A ports and a single Type-C port that supports Thunderbolt. There's also room for HDMI out and a headphone/mic jack. As is expected on all new laptops, the ROG Zephyrus includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity. A webcam with array mic is also included.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus can be purchased from various online retailers, including Amazon and Newegg as well as Asus' own site. However, its only the XS74; the XS71 doesn't hit stores until August. The XS74 sells for $2,699 but unfortunately is out of stock from the aforementioned retailers. It is unknown when the Zephyrus will be back in stock.

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