ASUS ROG GL552J Review: Game on For Gamers

We can find the familiar black-red colors that signify the ROG design language, lid surface is made of anthracite. All surfaces except for the matte black display frame are very susceptible to fingerprints that are not easy to remove. We think the case design is nice and the customary well pronounced light-gray inlay on the lid that has a brushed metal finish and the illuminated ASUS ROG logo in the center.

ASUS  has not used any metal at all, but the plastics have a very premium look and feel.  The base was slightly lifted when we tried to open the lid with one hand, but it still worked. The hinges have a bit of bouncing, but that is hardly a problem given the form factor and the weight of the device. You are not going to lug it around everyday, so no issues.

One of the three available USB ports still uses the old 2.0 standard and is therefore hardly suitable for the transfer of large files. Instead of Display Port there’s a VGA port for older displays and projectors besides the standard HDMI output. An Ethernet connector is obviously available as well on a device that is often stationary. There are two separate stereo jacks and no combined port, so you can also use high-quality headsets with the Asus GL552J with ease and not much of a hassle.

The port layout can be a problem because all the ports except for the Kensington Lock and the power adaptor are very far at the front. The USB 2.0 port at the right side, which is predestined for an external mouse, is at least only accompanied by the two audio ports, but attached cables can still be a problem. The SD-card reader is located at the front.

The world of gamers demands matte Full HD panels by default, and Asus delivers that very well indeed. The IPS technology provides exceptional picture quality with wide viewing angles and impressive color accuracy. 1920 x 1080 pixels is the resolution of choice for the majority of games and result in a pixel density of 141 PPI in combination with the 15.6-inch screen.

The maximum brightness (center) is impressive at 326 cd/m², and it is almost impossible to notice the reduced luminance when you pull the plug. A brightness distribution of 91% is amazing for gamers, but it has to be said here that you can see minor amounts of screen bleeding at the top when you look at a black picture with the highest brightness setting.

Largely owing to the powerful quad-core CPU, 8 GB memory, the mainstream graphics card Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M with 4 GB dedicated memory as well as a 1 TB hard drive, the ASUS GL552J performs like a pro. MS Office was not even a minor challenge, even complex Photoshop sessions with large files and many layers were not posing any  problem for the hardware. There is more than enough capacity for most of the important games and ensures a smooth and stutter free experience. The gaming performance is a tad bit huffy owing to the graphics card, but the processor makes up and never gives reason to complain. All in all a win here.

The mainstream graphics card Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M (DX11, 128-bit interface, power consumption of around 50 watts) is pretty powerful, you also get pretty fast and neat graphics with 4 GB DDR3 memory (1800 MHz) in the case of the GL552J. . The processor and memory combo lead to blazing fast performance. Flawless to the core!

The battery is all good for about 3 hours, but with heavy gaming it is a good idea to keep it connected to the power outlet to avoid faster battery discharge, given the graphic and processing power, it is but understandable.

Verdict

If you are a gamer and are looking for your gaming laptop under 80k, this one is for you. Gives you no reason to complain and purrs like a kitten. But this is NOT a budget laptop. The price is Rs. 74,990 and it is worth every single penny if you ask us! Go for it!