ASUS ROG GL502VM Review: A Portable Gaming Laptop

ASUS ROG GL502VM: At First Glance

We have seen a lot of competitors in the world of gaming laptops. A lot of manufacturers compete to create the thinnest gaming laptops.

The concept of creating a gaming laptop that is thin and light enough to travel with is very compelling. Therefore, many laptop manufacturers have competed to create the thinnest gaming laptop.

However, most of these manufacturers had to compromise power for portability. Thankfully, the ASUS ROG GL502VM is different in this regard.

It is one of the first ultra-light gaming laptops that found a way to balance power and portability.

Are you wondering how ASUS achieved this feat? Please read on to satisfy your curiosity.

ASUS ROG GL502VM: Design, Dimension, and Weight

With ROG GL502VM, ASUS has managed to beat the old pattern of bulky, heavy, and truck-looking gaming laptops.

The chassis of this laptop is consists of plastic and may seem disappointing at first. However, it feels just as solid as any full-metal gaming laptop.

Unfortunately, the laptop is quick to attract fingerprint smudges; hence, you will have to consistently wipe it to keep it clean.

Meanwhile, the outer lid of the ASUS ROG GL502VM is made of dark brushed aluminum. Brushed aluminum lids are usually common on gaming laptops, so I am not surprised that it is on this laptop.

Notably, the lid has the distinct Republic of Gamers (ROG) logo by the center of the lid. There is also ROG branding on the lower border and a plastic bar at the top for a wireless antenna.

Additionally, the ASUS ROG GL502VM features an extra flat edge that has a Republic of Gamers tagline stamp. However, the edges are a little sharp.

Interestingly, ASUS has slowly moved away from the traditional black and red color combination found on most gaming laptops. So, instead of red highlights, the GL502VM has two orange strokes on each side of the ROG logo.

The laptop’s lid features a game-centric design without going overboard. Meanwhile, when you raise the lid, you will find a beautiful interior that consists of a 15.6″ screen and a keyboard base.

The screen is probably this laptop’s major selling point as it has an IPS panel with an FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution. Impressively, the display features G-sync and a 144 Hz refresh rate.

These features make your gaming experience even more enjoyable.

Moreover, the screen quality of the ASUS ROG GL502VM is impeccable. I have pretty much adored the screen on almost every ASUS device, even the company’s most affordable Chromebook.

However, the vibrancy of colors that the ASUS ROG GL502VM exhibits is on a whole new level. Hues are accurate and are represented distinctly on the 15.6-inch screen.

Also, the screen contrast is good, which makes the image quality even better.

As for screen brightness, the ASUS ROG GL502VM has a brightness level of 273 nits. This beats the category average of 247 nits.

The ASUS ROG GL502VM can be conveniently used outdoors with its adequate screen brightness.

Overall, the ASUS ROG GL502VM display is excellent. However, one area where I feel the screen lacks is that it does not have touch abilities.

Meanwhile, the screen is surrounded by fairly thick bezels. Hence, the top bezel has plenty of room to house a 720p resolution HD Webcam.

The camera quality is good enough for video conferencing. On the other hand, the bottom bezel houses an ASUS logo.

Proceeding to the keyboard area, the palm rest is made of plastic, but the layout is mostly fine. While talking about the layout, I should also mention that there are four extra keys on the top-left corner of the main deck.

These extra keys are used for mic control, UP/DOWN control, Volume control, and the ROG Center app control. In addition to the four keys, there is also a power button towards the right.

The power button has a power Logo that is always lit in red. The keyboard area also has red backlighting, and you can control the backlighting from the AURA software.

Speaking of the keyboard, it is island-styled, and it delivers springy and clicky feedback. This makes it very comfortable for typing.

Also, the keys have 1.6 millimeters of key travel. Key travel is the distance the key has between its resting position and fully pressed positions.

Proceeding to the touchpad, the 4.1 x 2.8-inch touchpad has a plastic surface. The touchpad is quite spacious and has enough room for your fingers to comfortably navigate documents and websites.

Also, multitouch gestures, like two-finger scroll and pinch-zoom, are quick and responsive.

Moving on, the ASUS ROG GL502VM uses one microphone and a two-speaker stereo to produce audio sound. Unfortunately, the two speakers, located on both sides of the chassis close to the hinge, are hardly visible.

Also, the sound quality they produce is good, but I think it could be better, especially for a gaming laptop.

Moving on to ports, the ASUS GL502VM has a variety of ports to sustain an excellent gaming session. There are two USB 3.0 ports with an SD card reader, a Kensington lock, and a headset jack by the right side.

You’ll find another USB 3.0 port along with a Mini DisplayPort and a USB Type-C port on the left side. The left-hand side also houses a Gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI, and a power connector.

When it comes to weight and dimension, the ASUS ROG GL502VM is a lightweight gaming laptop that weighs only 2240g. Its dimension is 390 x 266 x 23.50 mm (W x D x H).

In comparison with the Alienware 15, the ASUS ROG GL502VM weighs heavier. Specifically, the Alienware 15 weighs 2160 g.

Meanwhile, in dimension, the ROG GL502VM is also less portable than the Alienware 15. The Alienware 15s’ dimension is 360.5 x 276 x 19.50 mm (W x D x H).

In conclusion, I can say that ASUS did a pretty good job with the ROG GL502VM’s design. Hence, I give the ASUS ROG GL502VM a rating of eight in this design review section.

ASUS ROG GL502VM: Processor (CPU) Performance

The ASUS ROG GL502VM uses an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor. In terms of processing speed, this processor offers a base and maximum frequency of 2.80 GHz and 3.80 GHz, respectively.

To add to that, the ASUS ROG GL502VM processor is considered a quad-core processor. Hence, it can handle up to eight tasks simultaneously because of its hyperthreading.

Additionally, this processor has a 6 MB cache memory.

As one would expect, the ROG GL502VMs processor is a high-end processor featured primarily on high-end gaming laptops. Also, because of its 3.80 GHz high clock speed, this laptop should be able to do just any task you assign to it.

To further disclose the processing ability of this laptop, I will be sharing its Cinebench R15 benchmark test results. Cinebench R15 is a benchmark tool that tests the performance of a laptop’s processor.

The Cinebench R15 benchmark is usually in two categories – single-core and multi-core. I will share the benchmark test in both categories.

Meanwhile, it is worthy of note that a higher score in each test category denotes better processor performance.

Therefore, based on the Cinebench R15 test results, ASUS ROG GL502VM recorded 148 points for its single-core test. On the other hand, the laptop recorded 680 points in the multi-core test.

Comparatively, this ASUS laptop offers better performance than the Acer Predator 15 G9-592-7925. Specifically, the Acer Predator 15 G9-592-7925 had 142 points and 676 points on the single-core and multi-core tests respectively.

In conclusion, the ASUS ROG GL502VM demonstrates its ability to swiftly process heavy computing tasks from the benchmark test. Therefore, I will rate it an eight in this processor performance review section.

ASUS ROG GL502VM: Memory (RAM) Performance

The ASUS ROG GL502VM provides just one DDR4 SDRAM slot with a standard capacity of 8 GB. Better still, the laptop supports a maximum of 24 GB RAM.

This means that you can upgrade the 8 GB memory to a memory size not larger than 24 GB. That is possible because the memory is not soldered to the laptop’s motherboard.

Besides, with the least 8 GB of RAM on this laptop, this laptop is capable of heavy multitasking. For example, this ASUS ROG GL502VM gaming laptop can open up to 20 Chrome browser tabs.

Even so, switching between these tabs will be swift.

Having talked about the multitasking ability of this laptop, let us discuss its performance in the PCMark 8 test. PCMark 8 is a benchmark tool that evaluates a system’s memory performance by mimicking essential computing tasks.

Such tasks are emailing, video streaming, web browsing, and others. Similar to the Cinebench R15 benchmark, the higher the score in this test, the better the laptop’s performance.

Based on the PCMark 8 test result, the ASUS ROG GL502VM scored higher than all its competitors, with 4741 points. One of its competitors, which it surpassed, is the MSI GS63VR-6RF16H22 Stealth Pro which scored 4060 points.

Overall, the ASUS ROG GL502VM delivered an impressive memory performance. Therefore, I will be rating the laptop a nine out of ten in this memory review section.

ASUS ROG GL502VM: Storage Option and Performance

When it comes to storage, the ASUS ROG GL502VM comes with an HDD storage type. This storage type offers a maximum capacity of 1 TB.

Furthermore, the ASUS ROG GL502VM also features a 2-in-1 card reader.

Considering the storage needs of most gamers, I applaud the storage space of this laptop. Nevertheless, you can purchase an external hard drive if you ever need more storage space.

Now let us discuss the performance of the ASUS ROG GL502VM on a CrystalDiskMark benchmark test. The CrystalDiskMark is a benchmark tool that calculates how fast a computer’s storage is.

Also, in this benchmark, the higher the result, the better the performance of the laptop’s storage. Based on the test result, the ASUS ROG GL502VM recorded a sequential read speed of 462.5 MBps.

It also recorded a sequential write speed of 462.7 MBps.

For more understanding, read speed is the time it takes for a laptop to open a file. Meanwhile, write speed means the time it takes a laptop’s storage to save a file.

Compared to ASUS ROG GL502VM, the Acer Predator 15 had a sequential read speed of 509.8 MBps. It also has a sequential write speed of 455.3 MBps.

Based on the ASUS ROG GL502VMs storage performance, I will be rating it an eight out of ten in this storage review section.

ASUS ROG GL502VM: Graphics Card Performance

The ASUS ROG GL502VM features an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card. As for the speed, this graphics card has a base frequency of 1506 MHz and a maximum frequency of 1709 MHz.

Furthermore, because this is a high-end gaming laptop, its graphics card offers a 6 GB GDDR5 dedicated VRAM. For clarity, a VRAM is a type of memory that mainly boosts the graphic processing capability of a computer.

The main advantage of having a VRAM is that it makes a computer offer acceptable graphics performance. Therefore, with 6 GB dedicated VRAM, the ASUS ROG GL502VM should smoothly and freely run high-end games without distortion.

Talking about games, the ASUS ROG GL502VM should have the ability to achieve about 188 fps (frame per second) while playing Battlefield 4 at high settings. Additionally, this laptop should be able to play watch Dog 2 at 44.1 fps and ultrahigh settings.

To further verify the graphics performance of this laptop, let me discuss its performance result in a 3DMark 11 benchmark test. Importantly, it is worth knowing that the 3DMark 11 is a benchmark tool that tests how a computer renders graphics.

As with other benchmarks, the higher the score, the better the computer’s graphics performance. Therefore, according to the 3DMark test results, the ASUS ROG GL502VM recorded a massive 11,622 points.

Impressively, this laptop outperformed the Acer Predator 15, which scored 7,624 points. However, the Schenker XMG P506 PRO surpassed the ASUS ROG GL502VM on the 3DMark 11 test.

Specifically, the Schenker XMG P506 PRO scored 12,517 points.

In conclusion, the ASUS ROG GL502VM offers one of the best GPUs in the market. Hence, this laptop deserves a nine out of ten in this graphics review section.

ASUS ROG GL502VM: Battery Life and Performance

As for the battery, the ASUS ROG GL502VM is powered by a 4-cell, 64 Whr battery. Unfortunately, ASUS did not advertise the battery life of this laptop.

However, we usually include the battery life in our laptop reviews. Hence, I will be doing the same for the ASUS ROG GL502VM in this review using some battery life test results.

The reason for this is to affirm the longevity of the laptop’s battery. Based on the first battery rundown test results, the ASUS ROG GL502VM only lasted 5 hours 15 minutes.

The test involved keeping the laptop idle under minimum brightness without WLAN.

Secondly, in a continuous web surfing test at minimum screen brightness, the laptop lasted 3 hours 40 minutes. Thirdly, the laptop lasted 1 hour 57 minutes on high load.

In comparison, the Schenker XMG P506 PRO lasted almost the same as the ASUS ROG GL502VM when left idle. Specifically, it lasted 5 hours 10 minutes in the idle test.

Also, the Schenker XMG P506 PRO lasted 4 hours 27 minutes in the web surfing test and 1 hour 38 minutes on maximum load.

In conclusion, the ASUS ROG GL502VM battery life is nothing overwhelming. However, it surpassed the average 5 hours we mostly see in gaming laptops.

Hence, I will rate the laptop a seven in this battery performance review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The ASUS ROG GL502VM is a well-balanced high-performing gaming laptop. This laptop balances portability with performance.

Interestingly, this laptop has a vivid display and a GPU that delivers a good gaming experience. Furthermore, this laptop also offers high storage space.

However, the battery life of this laptop might be less than you would expect. Nevertheless, we can say that the battery life paid the price for its high performance.

Meanwhile, if you have your charger with you all the time, you almost have nothing to worry about. Thus, if you are a game lover who wants a high-performing gaming laptop with good GPU performance, the ASUS ROG GL502VM is a good choice.

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