Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 GA403 Review (Ryzen 9 8945HS, RTX 4060)

Today, we’re reviewing the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA403 (2024 model), a laptop that straddles the business and gaming segments. ASUS offers a wide range of laptops to suit various needs, and this laptop stands out because it caters to both business people and gamers.

Its sleek design not only catches the eye of business users, but it also has a powerful hardware configuration. The laptop features the latest Ryzen 9 8945HS processor and RTX 4060 graphics card, making it an ideal choice for gaming consumers. Although it is made for gaming, it also caters to the needs of business users.

One of the standout features of this laptop is its 14-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It also features LPDDR5x memory modules, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and a 73Wh battery.

Specifications

Screen	ROG Nebula Display 14-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED, 16:10 , Glossy, 100% DCI-P3, 120Hz, 0.2ms, G-Sync / Adaptive-Sync, Pantone Validated MUX Switch + NVIDIA Advanced Optimus Dolby Vision HDR
Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS Processor 4GHz (24MB Cache, up to 5.2 GHz, 8 cores, 16 Threads); AMD Ryzen AI up to 39 TOPs
Wireless Connection	Wi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) (Triple band) 2 x 2 wireless card, Bluetooth 5.3
Graphics card	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 at 90W, 8GB GDDR6
Memory	32GB, 16GB x 2 LPDDR5x-6400MHz on board
Storage	1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD
Ports	1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack 1x HDMI 2.1 FRL 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort 1x Type C USB 4 support DisplayPort / power delivery 1x card reader (microSD) (UHS-II)
Battery	73Wh, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion battery with 180W AC Adapter
OS	Windows 11 Pro
Weight	3.30lb (1.5kg)

Design

The dimensions of this laptop are 310.9 x 219.9 x 16.1 mm, and it weighs about 1.5 kg. Compared to the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 (which weighs 1.12kg), the weight difference between the two isn’t significant. This is truly an innovation by ASUS ROG, as it has managed to pack the RTX 4060 graphics card into such dimensions and weight.

The laptop is available in two colors: Eclipse Grey and Platinum White. The model under review is grey. A new Oblique light bar on the display housing, aka the Slash Lightning Matrix. Unlike the cross-shaped light matrix in older models, this oblique lightning bar can be customized through the control center, allowing users to adjust the blinking style and more.

Image credit: Asus

Display

When you open the laptop, you are greeted by a 14-inch OLED display, officially named the ROG Nebula Display, which is perfect for gamers as it supports a 3K resolution (2880 x 1800) and a 120Hz refresh rate. The display has a 16:10 aspect ratio for an immersive viewing experience. It covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, ensuring vivid and accurate color reproduction.

The screen bezels are very slim, but the screen-to-body ratio has not been stated. There is a 1080p Full HD IR camera sensor on the top bezel that supports Windows Hello face recognition for quick and easy Windows login.

Our benchmarks of this display show that it covers 100% sRGB, 96.9% Adobe RGB, and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. The Delta E average is 0.80, and the maximum Delta E is 2.63. In HDR mode, the measured peak brightness reached 659 nits, while in standard mode, it reached 422.8 nits.

The screen uses DC dimming when the brightness is above 60%, and PWM dimming when the brightness is below 60%.

Screen Test Results
sRGB	100%
Adobe RGB	96.9%
DCI-P3	100%
Maximum Brightness	659nits
Average Delta E	0.80

Keyboard

It comes with a backlit Chiclet keyboard that does not include a numeric keypad, which is common in 14-inch laptops, so we can ignore this factor. However, some users may find this keyboard layout a bit inconvenient for digital input. The stability of the keycaps feels average (1.7mm keycaps), and the feedback when pressed is not as direct as in everyday use. Additionally, the arrow keys may not be very convenient for all users.

There are four keys on the top left of the keyboard dedicated to adjusting settings. Adjacent to them is a ROG logo key that users can use to switch between different performance modes. At the top right is a power button with a 3D engraving on the surface. The uneven texture adds a tactile feel and enhances the overall texture.

Under the keyboard is a wide touchpad. The user experience of the touchpad goes beyond the keyboard, and the click and swipe feel is satisfying. The glass-covered design adds a sleek, smooth texture. The bezel-less design of the touchpad integrates seamlessly with the wrist rest to ensure a non-intrusive feel during use and provides an excellent user experience.

Ports

In the ROG Zephyrus G14, Asus offers a total of 7 ports that cover all the major connectivity needs of gamers and office users. Despite its slim and lightweight design, Asus has managed to offer a variety of ports, which is appreciated.

On the left side, there is a charging port, an HDMI 2.1 port (which supports 4K resolution at 120fps), a USB 4 Type-C port that offers a transfer rate of 40Gbps and supports PD charging and DisplayPort functionality, a USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 2 port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the right side, there is a USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2 port (supporting 10Gbps transfer rates and DisplayPort), as well as a USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 2 port and a microSD card slot.

It’s worth mentioning that both USB Type-A ports support high-speed transfer rates of 10Gbps. If you don’t think there are enough ports, you can purchase a USB Dock to connect more devices.

Speakers

The two speaker openings are located on the left and right sides of the keyboard, which deliver exceptional audio performance. According to the official claim, this laptop comes with six speakers, which is the top of the range among models of a similar size. In fact, its auditory performance is considered the best in the industry. In terms of sound quality, it can even rival top-of-the-line products like the MacBook Pro.

Also Read: Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G6+ Review

RAM, SSD, and Battery

The Zephyrus G14 comes with 32GB of RAM, which is the only memory option available. According to the officials, this 32GB of memory is dual-channel LPDDR5x-6400MHz memory soldered directly to the motherboard, so the memory is not upgradable.

All laptop versions come with a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD. There is a limitation in the storage section: the single SSD slot means that users cannot simply add another SSD for expansion. Instead, upgrading storage requires replacing the existing SSD.

The Zephyrus G14 2024 model comes with a 4-cell 73Wh Li-Polymer battery rated at 4,500 mAh. Additionally, a 180W AC adapter is included in the package, and a 100W Type-C adapter is available in some regions. According to officials, the 180W charger can charge the battery to 50% in 30 minutes.

In the battery test, we used the PCMark 10 Modern Office test under specific conditions: performance mode was set to optimal energy efficiency, the keyboard backlight was set to level one, display case lighting was off, and the screen brightness was set to 150 nits. After a 30-minute test run, the battery dropped by 17%. At these settings, the actual battery life is expected to be around 5 to 6 hours.

CPU benchmarks

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is powered by the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor, which is the only option for this laptop. The processor is based on TSMC’s 4nm FinFET process and consists of eight cores and 16 threads. All eight cores are Zen 4 cores, with a base frequency of 4.0 GHz and a maximum frequency of 5.2 GHz. it has 8MB of L2 cache and 16MB of L3 cache, and a default TDP of 45W.

The processor also integrates a Radeon 780M graphics card with 12 graphics cores at 2800 MHz. However, our main focus is on the RTX 4060 graphics card. Here are some benchmarks for the CPU:

Cinebench R20: 711 on single-core and 6,697 on multi-core

Cinebench R23: 1,801 on single-core and 17,099 on multi-core

GPU Benchmarks

The model we reviewed comes with an RTX 4060 graphics card. However, if you have a different budget, you can also choose other graphics cards. The laptop also offers an RTX 4050 graphics card for customers with a lower budget and an RTX 4070 graphics card for those on a higher budget. The GPU has 8GB of GDDR6 memory at 1940MHz and a power consumption of 90W. We benchmarked the GPU, and the results are as follows:

3DMark Time Spy: Scored 9,915 Points

3DMark Fire Strike: Scored 25,098 Points

Gaming Test

As a gaming laptop, it is very necessary to conduct a gaming test on this laptop. Here are the benchmark results for some popular games.

League of Legends: 169fps on Highest settings, 211fps on medium settings, and 268fps on lowest settings.

DOTA 2: 86fps on Highest settings, 125fps on Medium settings, and 174fps on Lowest settings.

At the highest settings, the Zephyrus G16 (2024) performs satisfactorily. It provides a smooth gaming experience in both online games and standalone games that do not require high performance. However, it may be challenging when dealing with high-end games that require high hardware specifications. However, considering its 14-inch screen size, users have the option to lower the picture quality settings to improve gaming smoothness.

Stress Testing

Finally, let’s take a look at the cooling system of the laptop. At the bottom of the laptop, many vents help dissipate heat. Its cooling system consists of three cooling fans and some heat pipes. All three cooling fans are second-generation Arc Flow fans, which reduce power consumption by 16% and increase airflow by 11% compared to older models.

CPU Stress Testing: This test was done using the AIDA64 FPU Stress Testing application. The notebook’s performance mode was set to enhanced mode. After almost 30 minutes of testing, the CPU’s power consumption was 70W, the temperature was 94°C, and the core frequency remained stable at 4.5GHz. The measured noise was 51 dB. The highest temperature was 43°C in the middle of the keyboard, while the palm rest area had the lowest temperature of 31°C.

CPU+GPU Stress Testing: In this test, we switched to enhanced mode. After running the test for 30 minutes, the CPU’s power consumption was 19W, the temperature was 74°C, and the frequency remained stable at 2.5GHz. The GPU’s power consumption was at 82W. The observed temperature was 84°C. The highest temperature was 46°C in the middle of the keyboard, while the palm rest area had the lowest temperature of 34°C.

Also Read: Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Review

Summary:

In our review of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA403, we can say that this laptop effectively meets the needs of business people and gaming enthusiasts. It comes with a sleek design and powerful hardware, including the latest Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and RTX 4060 GPU. This laptop offers the perfect combination of performance and portability.

Additionally, the 14-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, while LPDDR5x memory and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD provide faster speeds and storage.

Thanks to its six-speaker system, the laptop’s audio performance is exceptional, delivering immersive sound quality comparable to top-of-the-line products like the MacBook Pro. The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and RTX 4060 GPU provide solid performance in gaming and productivity tasks, although demanding games may require lower settings for optimal smoothness. The heat dissipation efficiency is high, and the powerful cooling system can control the temperature during the stress test.

The model we reviewed costs $1800. The ASUS GA403 offers excellent value for its performance and features. Users on a tight budget can opt for the RTX 4050 GPU version, while those on a budget can opt for the RTX 4070 version for higher performance. In conclusion, the Zephyrus G14 is a compelling choice for users looking for a versatile laptop for both work and play.