Powerful, Portable & Competitively Priced

The Asus ROG Strix GL502VS isn't a perfect gaming laptop, but it's a great option for those wanting a powerful experience without spending a cent more than is necessary. As you'd expect from Asus, the hardware in this laptop is decent, and well suited to gaming on the included display.

The key feature of this laptop is its Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 graphics. This is a very powerful GPU that's capable of 60 to 120 FPS gaming at 1080p ultra settings, and you wouldn't expect any less from a laptop at this price point. Those interested in using external monitors will be glad to know the GTX 1070 is powerful enough for 1440p, which is pretty impressive considering this is just a 15.6-inch laptop.

Those tossing up between other gaming laptops will like to know the GTX 1070 is 38% faster than the GTX 1060 on average, with gains as high as 60% in very intensive titles. Those upgrading from a GTX 970M are looking at double the performance.

The Core i7-7700HQ performs as expected for Intel's most popular quad-core laptop chip, and you also get 16GB of RAM here. The 256GB SATA SSD in my review unit, though, doesn't perform as well as other gaming laptops I've reviewed that opt for PCIe drives instead. This doesn't have an enormous impact on gaming performance, but it'd be nice to see the best in this class of device.

I like the inclusion of a 1080p 120 Hz G-Sync display in this laptop, as it allows you to get the most out of the powerful hardware in this system. The display itself is bright, and although the color performance isn't as good as I'd like for color accurate work, it's clearly designed for gaming above anything else.

There are some aspects I'm not as keen on. The keyboard is one such area, which has poor travel distance in a laptop that's 30mm thick. The chassis is mostly constructed of plastic as well, which makes this the lightest GTX 1070 laptop on the market, but it looks and feels a bit cheap. Those that want portability, though, will be happy with the compromise Asus has made in that regard.

Shopping shortcuts:

Perhaps the most attractive thing about the GL502VS is its price. At $1,699, it comes in $100 cheaper than offerings from Gigabyte, MSI and Acer, making it one of the cheapest GTX 1070 laptops on the market. This has been achieved by sacrificing SSD space - the GL502VS comes with a 128GB SSD whereas all other options include a 256GB SSD - though the SSD is user upgradeable, and those on a tight budget may be willing to sacrifice some storage to gain the power of a GTX 1070.

75
TechSpot
score

Pros: GTX 1070 is perfect for 1080p gaming up to 120 FPS. 1080p 120Hz G-Sync display complements the GPU. Lightest 15.6-inch GTX 1070 laptop available. Attractive price.

Cons: Weak SSD performance. Disappointing keyboard. Plastic construction looks a bit cheap.

Other reviewers said: 82

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