Asus G751 Gaming Laptop: Mobile Maxwell Done Right

Performance Summary: I'm extremely hard to please when it comes to laptops. All too often, PC systems are built with four-digit price tags, but three-digit thinking. Systems are buried in case stickers, bloated with unwanted software, and carry components with impressive spec sheets but inadequate internal cooling. The Aus G571JY has none of these problems. Instead, it offers excellent image quality, absolutely top notch performance, and perhaps best of all -- it's quiet.  This is a laptop you can game on, without headphones, and without worrying about the permanent case of tinnitus you're going to have by the time it come time for a new system.

Are there downsides? A tiny few. I'm not crazy about the keyboard layout or the decision to use multiple rows of special keys right above the standard Function keys, because it means I tend to whack them when I'm reaching for a hotbar instead. I'm also not thrilled with the location of the "Delete" key.

On a scale of 1-10, these are minor, minor nitpicks. Maybe a 2.

If you're in the market for a gaming laptop the ASUS G751 is the new gold standard for everyone else to beat. And we want to give credit where credit is due -- NVIDIA's GTX 980M is easily the best mobile GPU architecture we've seen to date. It's far better than Kepler-based hardware. AMD's Apple iMac-only R9 M295X would undoubtedly make a better fight of things than the R9 M290X did in our Alienware 17-inch review, but based on relative performance on the desktop the GTX 980M would still most likely win that fight in mobile.

For all the credit NVIDIA deserves for making a great mobile chip, the crown star still goes to ASUS for integrating that chip into a fabulous mobile system. If you're in the market for a mobile gaming rig in this class, by all means, give this laptop some serious consideration.

 

GTX 980M fastest mobile GPU ever Well balanced configuration Quiet (for a gaming laptop) Excellent screen quality	A few odd key placements Does not include complementary supermodel