You'll probably never see USB charging on anything other than a bottom tier gaming laptop, short of some sort of kludgy dual USB plug implementation. USB power maxes out at 100W, which isn't enough unless you use a low power CPU or a very low end GPU like the MX150.
45W for the i5/i7 and 55W for the GTX 1050, only leaves 10W for the screen, ram, SSDs, fans, any USB devices, etc. That's not enough unless either the CPU or GPU is underclocked and power limited; or you're going to drain the battery while plugged in and gaming.
Asus is including a 150W brick, which is enough to let you charge the battery while still maxing the system out gaming.
It's a very nice-looking machine, but it's not particularly thin or light unless you compare it to lower-end machines. The Dell XPS 15 a bit thinner and lighter. The MacBook Pro is much thinner and a bit lighter. And then there are the thing/light champs like the Samsung Notebook 9 and LG Gram.
The i9 option is truly new, though. It'll be interesting to see how well the machine deals with the heat.
Because it lets you combine a laptop that's discrete enough to pass without comment in public with the ability to game at halfway decent settings into a single package.
The point is that it doesn't work well in practice. If you max out that GPU while gaming at so called "halfway decent settings" you better have the laptop in the freezer.
Functionality has to take a back seat to making the computer needlessly thin since that's a more important (for generating sales) metric than how well a computer copes with waste heat.
So close to being a replacement to my UX301LA... I hope they make a 13" 1440p or 4k option with either Ryzen Vega onboard or Core i7/i5 Vega onboard graphics. NVIDIA / hybrid graphics are OK, but a pain for Linux environments thanks to the backwards / hacky implementation that only their Windows drivers fully implement.
The chart for the laptop does not list the i9-8950HK extreme CPU. I doubt the laptop can keep the 6 cores, if fully loaded, any higher clocked than a regular 8750 could do in that chassis.
I would consider this machine in an i9 version except for two major failings: First, it is limited to 16GB of soldered RAM! (That's ridiculous for such power: I want 32GB minimum, with an option to get 64GB.) Second, a VGA webcam? Really? I could get a Full HD web cam back in 2011 on my Dell XPS 17 (L702X). Why are we accepting low-resolution VGA webcams in such machines these days? In any case, the 16GB RAM limit is a deal-killer for me, sadly.
Some problems with this: 1) Why only 16 GB RAM? ASUS should have gone the extra mile and added an external memory controller to the CPU to allow 32 GB RAM. 16 GB is going to be too easily filled, slowing everything down. 2) Why VGA Webcam? That doesn't make any sense. At least use a minimum of 1080P for the webcam if 4K is not available. 3) Why such a small battery for a 15.6 inch laptop? That battery is suitable for a 13 inch.
It's just going to throttle. A 4 pound laptop with an extreme 6-core? Please... MSI GS weighs 4 pounds too and can't stop from throttling at 90C with the i7-8750h. Gimmick.
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23 Comments
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jordanclock - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
How come the i9 isn't listed on the table for CPU options?danwat1234 - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
Indeed and how could it possibly keep it cool enough to take advantage.jordanclock - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
The i9-8950HK has the same TDP as i7-8850H.danwat1234 - Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - link
Doesn't matter, the i9 will taken significantly more power. Takes a large cooling system to let it turboboost like it should.fred666 - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
Yeah, I am not buying this if it doesn't have an i9.eva02langley - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
Something like that with a Freesync IPS monitor 1080 @ 144 Hz with a 2700U... How much longer do I need to wait?niva - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
It will never happen.nicolaim - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
"Premium laptop" "VGA webcam" LOLThe lack of charging through the USB ports is also a letdown.
DanNeely - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
You'll probably never see USB charging on anything other than a bottom tier gaming laptop, short of some sort of kludgy dual USB plug implementation. USB power maxes out at 100W, which isn't enough unless you use a low power CPU or a very low end GPU like the MX150.45W for the i5/i7 and 55W for the GTX 1050, only leaves 10W for the screen, ram, SSDs, fans, any USB devices, etc. That's not enough unless either the CPU or GPU is underclocked and power limited; or you're going to drain the battery while plugged in and gaming.
Asus is including a 150W brick, which is enough to let you charge the battery while still maxing the system out gaming.
omf - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
It's a very nice-looking machine, but it's not particularly thin or light unless you compare it to lower-end machines. The Dell XPS 15 a bit thinner and lighter. The MacBook Pro is much thinner and a bit lighter. And then there are the thing/light champs like the Samsung Notebook 9 and LG Gram.The i9 option is truly new, though. It'll be interesting to see how well the machine deals with the heat.
Charlie22911 - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
I am flummoxed at this recent trend of stuffing CPUs and GPUs into devices that cant handle them without throttling.SharpEars - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
You are absolutely right!DanNeely - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
Because it lets you combine a laptop that's discrete enough to pass without comment in public with the ability to game at halfway decent settings into a single package.niva - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
The point is that it doesn't work well in practice. If you max out that GPU while gaming at so called "halfway decent settings" you better have the laptop in the freezer.PeachNCream - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
Functionality has to take a back seat to making the computer needlessly thin since that's a more important (for generating sales) metric than how well a computer copes with waste heat.BPB - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
"Meanwhile, a version with a Core i5 processor and a Full HD LCD will likely be offered at a more democratic price"It's kinda off topic, but what does democratic price mean?
Ananke - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
cheap enough, so plebs feel free, aka the poor to have economy freedom :) :)mooninite - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
So close to being a replacement to my UX301LA... I hope they make a 13" 1440p or 4k option with either Ryzen Vega onboard or Core i7/i5 Vega onboard graphics. NVIDIA / hybrid graphics are OK, but a pain for Linux environments thanks to the backwards / hacky implementation that only their Windows drivers fully implement.danwat1234 - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
The chart for the laptop does not list the i9-8950HK extreme CPU. I doubt the laptop can keep the 6 cores, if fully loaded, any higher clocked than a regular 8750 could do in that chassis.DanNeely - Friday, May 18, 2018 - link
Apparent typo in the chart or press release. The Asus page lists the top end chip as i9-8950HK not i7-8850H.TJMH - Sunday, May 20, 2018 - link
I would consider this machine in an i9 version except for two major failings: First, it is limited to 16GB of soldered RAM! (That's ridiculous for such power: I want 32GB minimum, with an option to get 64GB.) Second, a VGA webcam? Really? I could get a Full HD web cam back in 2011 on my Dell XPS 17 (L702X). Why are we accepting low-resolution VGA webcams in such machines these days? In any case, the 16GB RAM limit is a deal-killer for me, sadly.jameskatt - Wednesday, May 23, 2018 - link
Some problems with this:1) Why only 16 GB RAM? ASUS should have gone the extra mile and added an external memory controller to the CPU to allow 32 GB RAM. 16 GB is going to be too easily filled, slowing everything down.
2) Why VGA Webcam? That doesn't make any sense. At least use a minimum of 1080P for the webcam if 4K is not available.
3) Why such a small battery for a 15.6 inch laptop? That battery is suitable for a 13 inch.
danwat1234 - Friday, May 25, 2018 - link
It's just going to throttle. A 4 pound laptop with an extreme 6-core? Please... MSI GS weighs 4 pounds too and can't stop from throttling at 90C with the i7-8750h.Gimmick.