ASUS ROG Strix 16" G615LW-AS96 Eclipse Gray 2025
Microsoft Surface Laptop 15" 7th Edition Black 2025
What Buyers Say
ASUS ROG Strix 16" G615LW-AS96 Eclipse Gray 2025
The ASUS ROG G16 receives mostly positive reviews for its powerful performance, especially in AI/ML workloads and gaming, with good battery life and a high-quality screen. However, several users report significant issues with networking (slow SMB transfers, poor Wi-Fi) and intermittent keyboard cutouts, which may require a Windows reinstall or RMA. The laptop also ships with bloatware and default settings that can cause crashes, but these are fixable with configuration tweaks. Overall, it's a capable machine marred by software and hardware reliability concerns.
Pros
- Outstanding performance for AI/ML workloads
- Good battery life
- High-quality screen
- Fast 2.5G LAN and Wi-Fi 7
- Oversized touchpad
Cons
- Intermittent keyboard cutouts every 30 minutes
- Slow SMB file transfer speeds
- Poor Wi-Fi performance after reinstall
- Bloatware including McAfee
- Armory Crate software is terrible
Microsoft Surface Laptop 15" 7th Edition Black 2025
Users are very satisfied with this Surface Laptop, praising its build quality, smooth trackpad, excellent screen brightness, and long battery life. One reviewer noted a printer connectivity issue, but overall sentiment is highly positive.
Pros
- Excellent screen brightness
- Smooth trackpad
- Great battery life
- Solid build quality
- Magnetic charging port
Cons
- Printer connectivity issue
Scores
Specifications
| ASUS ROG Strix 16" G615LW-AS96 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15" 7th Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | ||
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX★ | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 |
| CPU Multi-Core Score | No data | |
| Cores | 24★ | 12 |
| Frequency | 2.7 GHz | 3.4 GHz★ |
| L3 Cache | 36 MB★ | 6 MB |
| Graphics | ||
| GPU* | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080★ | Qualcomm Adreno GPU |
| GPU Benchmark Score | ||
| Type | discrete | integrated★ |
| VRAM | 16 GB★ | — |
| VRAM Type | GDDR7 | Shared |
| Memory & Storage | ||
| RAM | 32 GB | 64 GB★ |
| RAM Generation | DDR5 | LPDDR5X |
| Storage 1 | 1 TB | 1 TB |
| Storage 1 Type | NVMe SSD | NVMe SSD |
| Display | ||
| Size | 16" | 15" |
| Resolution | 2560 px★ | 2496 px |
| Panel | IPS | IPS |
| Refresh Rate | 240 Hz★ | 120 Hz |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 600 nits★ |
| Color Gamut | 100% DCI-P3 | sRGB |
| Connectivity | ||
| USB-C Ports | 2 | 2 |
| USB Ports | 3★ | 1 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 5 | USB4 |
| HDMI | HDMI 2.1 | — |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.4 | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Ethernet | 2.5G LAN port | — |
| Physical | ||
| Weight | 2.00 kg | 1.66 kg★ |
| Battery | 90 Wh★ | 66 Wh |
| OS | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Pro |
Pros & Cons
ASUS ROG Strix 16" G615LW-AS96 Eclipse Gray 2025
- Strong port selection (98th percentile)98th %ile
- Strong cpu (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong screen (92nd percentile)92nd %ile
- Strong gpu (92nd percentile)92nd %ile
- Below average portability (20th percentile)20th %ile
Microsoft Surface Laptop 15" 7th Edition Black 2025
- Strong cpu (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong ram (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong screen (91st percentile)91st %ile
- Strong reliability (81st percentile)81st %ile
- Below average gpu (28th percentile)
Verdict
Scores 74 overall, wins 5 of 8 usage categories and 11 of 30 specs.