ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (GA401, 2020)

Source

Dave2D

Key Takeaways

• Bafflingly omitted a built-in webcam right in 2020 at the height of work-from-home and Zoom conferencing.
• The 120Hz display suffers from horrific 20ms+ response times, creating nauseating ghosting in fast-paced FPS games.
• Silver keycaps with uneven white backlighting completely wash out in daylight, making key labels unreadable.
• Metal keyboard deck shoots past 48°C under gaming load, scorching fingers resting on the WASD area.

✅ Pros

• Groundbreaking AMD Ryzen 4000 CPU efficiency in a 14-inch chassis
• Sleek magnesium styling with creative AniMe Matrix lid LEDs
• Impressive 8+ hour battery endurance for daily productivity

❌ Cons

• Unforgivable omission of a built-in webcam
• Glacial pixel response times with massive ghosting
• White-on-silver backlighting is completely invisible in daylight
• Uncomfortably hot keyboard deck during gaming

📝 Verdict

"Zephyrus G14 broke lightweight gaming ground, but missing webcams and ghosting displays made it deeply flawed."

Source

• Video: ASUS Zephyrus G14 Gaming Laptop Review
• Channel: Dave2D | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• He scrutinizes it by the strict standard of "buying it with his own money to replace his daily computer"; the Ryzen 4000's 8 cores/16 threads deliver excellent multi-core performance, faster in Premiere than his Razer Blade
• The GPU is a GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q (there's also an RTX 2060 Max-Q version); he had hoped for more, but given the 14-inch chassis, he thinks the smaller size and weight are worth the trade-off
• Thermals are good; Turbo mode fans are loud but acceptable, while the manual full-speed mode is too loud for him to use
• The 120Hz screen has ghosting from slow response times, which he considers the biggest downside; there's no webcam, and none is included in the box
• The 76Wh battery lasts about 8.5 hours; it can charge over USB-C at up to 65W but can't unleash full GPU performance that way; the white version's keyboard backlight isn't bright enough and the keys are hard to read; the speakers are good but not top-tier; ErgoLift blows hot air toward the screen

✅ Pros

• Strong 8-core CPU performance
• Compact and light
• Good thermals
• Long battery life, supports USB-C charging

❌ Cons

• Screen ghosting
• No webcam
• White version's backlight is hard to see
• Hot air blows toward the screen

📝 Verdict

He really likes it; AMD's performance far exceeds expectations and is clearly better than Intel's 9th generation, forcing Intel to bring something good; he plans to try the gray version instead.

Source

• Video: This Ryzen 9 Notebook Is AMAZING - Zephyrus G14 Review
• Channel: Hardware Canucks | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• The review unit has a Ryzen 9 4900HS (8 cores/16 threads), 16GB DDR4-3200, a 1TB SSD, a 14-inch 1080p 120Hz screen and an RTX 2060 Max-Q, priced under US$1,500 (about US$1,000 to start)
• The performance shocked him: in Blender, Cinebench and even some DaVinci Resolve tests, in Turbo mode it beat his Razer Blade 15 with an RTX 2080 Max-Q
• Battery life in a light Chrome loop test was about 9.5 hours, and he calls it "a gaming laptop with ultrabook-class battery life"
• Front-facing tweeters + bottom woofers make for some of the best laptop speakers he's heard; the 120Hz screen is smooth for gaming, but not bright enough and hard to see outdoors
• At full CPU load it spikes to 96°C, then throttles to hold around 71°C, and surface temperatures in the middle of the keyboard and on the bottom run high; other downsides are no webcam, average backlighting and a less-than-ideal I/O layout (he'd like more USB-A on the sides)

✅ Pros

• 8-core performance beats Intel rivals
• Very long battery life
• Excellent speakers
• Reasonable price

❌ Cons

• No webcam
• Screen not bright enough
• High surface temperatures
• Average I/O layout and backlighting

📝 Verdict

AMD has caught up with Intel's best; if you want a compact gaming laptop, he'd put it at the top of your list.

Source

• Video: ASUS G14 Review - 8 Core 4900HS in 14”?!
• Channel: Jarrod'sTech | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• The review unit is a high-end configuration: Ryzen 9 4900HS (8 cores/16 threads, 35W), RTX 2060 Max-Q, 16GB DDR4-3200, 1TB SSD and a 14-inch 1080p 120Hz FreeSync screen
• The all-magnesium-alloy chassis is well built; when you open the lid, the hinge lifts the back of the chassis by 15mm, tilting the keyboard, keeping the bottom speakers off the desk and improving airflow
• The 1080p panel measured 96% sRGB, 339 nits and 910:1 contrast; he thinks 1080p 120Hz is a better fit than 1440p for gaming at 14 inches
• The speakers (two 0.7W tweeters + two 2.5W) are the best laptop speakers he's heard in a long time; the trackpad is one of the most accurate he's used
• The 76Wh battery lasted about 6 hours 10 minutes of YouTube; downsides: no webcam, no Thunderbolt or Ethernet port, only one memory slot, uneven keyboard backlighting and high temperatures under heavy load

✅ Pros

• Strong 8-core CPU performance
• Compact, thin and light
• Excellent speakers
• Excellent screen and trackpad

❌ Cons

• No webcam
• No Thunderbolt/Ethernet
• Only one memory slot
• Uneven backlight, runs hot

📝 Verdict

It delivers amazing performance in a smaller chassis, especially for those who need a powerful CPU, and can go up against bigger, thicker i9 machines; lots of strengths, few weaknesses.