The newly redesigned frame looks better than ever and is sturdy enough to take with you everywhere.
And yet, I still find myself surprised with the 2024 model.
The Zephyrus G14 doesnt seem to fail in any of those categories.
The 2024 version of the ROG Zephyrus G14 still reigns supreme in the pint-sized portable gaming laptop space.Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
My overly critical mind wants to find a bigger fault with the overall design, but I simply cant.
Yes, mostly due to the soldered memory, making it impossible to upgrade.
Instead, one singular PCIe 4.0 express slot is available for storage upgrades.
There are fewer variations on offer compared to previous years.
First of all, its thinner by about .58 inches compared to last years model.
Instead, now theres a single Slash Lighting panel that cuts corner to corner on the outside panel.
My favorite was setting it to mimic the bass frequency of whatever youre listening to.
Its certainly less boisterous than ROGs previous G14 models.
Thats especially true since the G14 is still not the quietest laptop around when under stress.
There are three fans blowing pretty much all the hot air out the back of the laptop.
Weve previously complained that the small Zephyrus model can get hot in the worst ways.
Its hard to take a small laptop and dissipate heat well when under load.
Thats just a smart design.
Despite the new heat model, its a very sturdy machine overall.
The full aluminum chassis is rigid when carrying it around closed or when typing.
Its pretty much the new name of the game for both gaming andnon-gaming laptops.
Its a VESA True Black 500-certified screen that seems almost indulgent on a screen of this size.
The screen also supports Nvidia G-Sync, which should reduce screen tearing and stuttering.
Its not a full spatial experience, but in-game, its surprisingly immersive.
I cant compare precise metrics between this laptops 4060 and 4070 versions, but its what you probably expect.
The memory is soldered onto the motherboard so that you wont be upgrading that anytime soon.
Still, I couldnt complain about my time with the Zephyrus on the AMD chipset.
One thing to note about the new G14 is the small compromises made to shrink the overall footprint.
The GPUs TGP, or its total graphics power, is 65W in Turbo Mode.
Games like Warhammer 40K: Darktide wont manage to beat 30 FPS on high tweaks without ray tracing enabled.
If you enable Nvidias super shader program, youll double the frames in both areas.
Cyberpunk 2077 was a nice surprise.
I could beat 60 FPS with DLSS on high on crowded streets.
This will drastically reduce noise when youre using the PC for non-gaming tasks.
That being said, the Zephyrus does have a modicum of staying power despite its small size.
Consider me a convert if this is the epitome of what 14-inch gaming can be.
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