Asus ROG Strix GL502VT

Ah interesting..
and also ASUS planning to launch XG2 which going to use Thunderbolt 3.0/USB Type-C connections (I read it on some website, but I'm still unsure if thunderbolt 3.0 = usb c)
if usb type c is enough to use xg2, then asus gl502 is golden

bro, you should buy one in indonesia and let us know
I think the panel is going to be different from cz/sk version
on the website, it's stated that the display is :

15.6" (16:9) LED backlit FHD (1920x1080) Anit-Glare Panel with 94% NTSC
Support ASUS Splendid Technology
With IPS Technology

I think it's good enough if it's true
I'm more worried about the wifi card, because it's hard to get an intel chip with m.2 slot in our country

 

Hello
Ones who already have Asus Rog GL 502VT in hands, Can you kindly address these following questions, I am also looking into buying this or GL551VW

1) How is the heat management on GL502VT, considering it has GTX970m and its thin, how well its cooling system works to keep the notebook parts safe from getting harmed ? I live in a part of world where summer season is very hot and very long, also I can't always use laptop in a air conditioned room or over top of a cooling pad. So is it a good option for me or should I opt for GL551VW, I do know it got GTX960m but its build is bit thicker and its known for being cool and silent. I would hate to spend 1200 USD on something that will turn into a frying pan after some 3d rendering work online or offline. I hope you know what I mean by that.

2) Wifi thing is important for me, is there a way i can know which wifi adapter is installed in unit i am about to buy, I do know its not mentioned in specification on sites, like bestbuy

3) I am mostly used to tn panel glossy screen, is matt finished ips panel can be too much of a difference

4) I know its really subjectve but does four orange button look too over powering in real or do they look ok with red backlits. I am more fan of a Gl551vw style keyboard keys though . . . .

 

I haven't bought it yet, but I could help a bit.

1. Read page 2. fw85 posted it.

2. Read page 1. fw85 posted it too. And also from page 7 onwards, there're more reviews about the wifi adapter

3. I think IPS better. but it's personal preference

4. You can see it on page 5. fw85 posted the picture of the keyboard when the lighting is on. And also on page 7. dotlolz made unboxing videos.

And please don't forget to review after you bought GL502

I'm still waiting for more reviews before buying my own laptop because it's quite pricey, and I don't feel like wasting money for crappy laptop

 

me too

 

Ah yes, forgot to address this. The screen in my model is: Samsung 156HL01-104. So we actually do have reviews on this screen already. (here for example: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-G501VW-FY081T-Notebook-Review.163403.0.html)

The interfaces can be a bit confusing at first. If you wish to learn the difference between Thunderbolt / regular USB 3.1 Type-C you should take a look at these videos:

 

@makjank: in Indonesia it's just announced ONE MONTH ago but no one sells it yet , truly indonesia =_=;

@fw85: ahh........samsung 156HL01-104, the pwm one T_T..............tx for your answer.

 

I ordered the Asus GL502VT-DS71, it will be arriving tomorrow. I think it is a different version than the one sold at best buy. The one over there seems like a cheaper deal for those on a budget, 5400rpm, come on! I upgraded mine to a 500gb samsung 850 sata ssd + 256 950 pro nvme ssd + changed the wireless card to killer. I will be doing a full review as soon as it gets here. If you have any questions let me know here and I will gather up the answers in the review as well.

 

Hey bud can you please answer a few simple questions for me once you get the laptop as it seems current owners seem incapable of answering my previous questions.

1. Check if your laptop comes with G-Sync, most likely not but check anyways.

2. Run GPU-Z and see if you can save the vBios to a file.

3. Does the laptop use Optimus, or does it give the user the ability to run in discrete mode on the 970/980m. If it does this the display should at least be overclockable. I am thinking it gives the user the option if they sell laptops using G-Sync because intel graphics aren't compatible with G-Sync. I doubt they made 2 different laptops. Either way I'd like to know.

4. Run firestrike bench and post a screenshot of temps on CPU and GPU.

Thanks!

 

Me too but looking the gtx980m version...

 

Hey everyone !

I've read the entire thread and I didn't see anything about the battery life :/ I might be wrong though...
Long story short, I'm looking for a slim gaming laptop and the GL502 and the G501 (both from ASUS) both caughr my eyes ! I would go for the GL502 but there's one thing that bothers me .. the battery life. I know that it's a 60Wh and on some models of the G501 we have a 90+Wh but then again, it all depends on how the power management for the laptop is working :/

So if anyone who has the gl502 could post some idea of how long one full charge can last under normal use (wifi + video or something), I would really appreciate it !
Many thanks in advance !
Smacksy

 

For me gtx 970 is sufficient and I am looking into one sold by best buy because I think its a fair price, and I am not worried about 5400 rpm harddisk, no ssd and lesser ram because all these can be upgraded. But main things are processor 6700hq quad core and gpu gtx970m, screen panel and cooling mechanism, things that can't be switched. And as I see if you get things pre installed like better harddrive, ssd, ram etc it costs you more than if you buy them yourself separately and install yourself....And as of 980m version its not on any retailer site yet, hopefully soon it will be, but as that card has more punch and chassis is thin it might get more warmer, but then again its just a guess work as there are no professional reviews out there yet

you are right and i think its battery is internal and not removable from back but i can be wrong too and as of how long it will last would really depond on what you will use it for safe guess is for just browsing 3hr maybe ( manafacture claims 6 hour ) and for videos and more demanding tasks like gaming might be 1 hour or so....again just guessing because its obvious while gaming no battery can last for very long....

 

According to Asus website the GTX980M version have a slightly thicker chassis, maybe for better cooling.

For me personally I'll prefer the 980M because the 900 series is getting outdated in a few months once nvidia release Pascal mobile gpus, so might as well get the best of current gen.

 

I read it does not support G- Sync because it has Optimus, you cannot have both? I will take a look at the rest tomorrow. Will let you know!

 

hopefully yes, but what if slightly is not good enough, overheating is one of main reasons of hardware breakdown in laptops, and mostly hardware it effects is irreplaceable like gpu, also its not good for a comfort level,....laptop should be a laptop, not a cookware...

yes its very subjective to ones needs, about new things coming, there is always something new coming in the future market, you get what you need, when you need it ....but i do get your point of view....

 

1. Mine does not, but there should be models that will.

2. Yes, GPU-Z does give me the option to save the card's BIOS to a file.

3. I believe it does use Optimus, yes. Also, I do not see a scenario where I would need to overclock my laptop's display, but that's just me.

4. Ran Fire Strike multiple times, system was under load for about half an hour. Latest result:

I believe I've mentioned the battery life somewhere at the beginning of this thread. Currently a full charge, during WiFi surfing or watching movies, at 50% brightness, lasts between 5 - 5:30 hours. And again, it depends how much you want to use your laptop for gaming. If you wish to play demanding games, then G501's 960M is no match for a 970M (which is about twice as powerful), or a 980M (about 30% more powerful than a 970M). There are, of course, more downsides to the G501 compared to GL502. Just check the specs and you should be able to spot them.

edit:
@vaporparagorn
As for the battery, it is internal, but it also is removable. After you've removed the backplate, you are also able to remove the battery, as it is screwed down with a couple of screws. Of course, I did not personally try this yet, but I see no obstacle that would prevent you from removing the battery. It's just a couple of screws, instead of a small latch like usually.

 

Much thanks for that! Excellent temperatures for such an small form factor. I hope they do a quick refresh with the 1070/1080m. I am highly interested in this laptop but am not willing to buy a 970m or 980m this late in their life span. I will wait for the 1070m refresh and then probably pick on up as I like the form factor. I could do without the flashy gamer looks but it still looks somewhat reserved enough for me.

Such a shame the GPU can't be overclocked. Have you checked in the BIOS for an option to boot in discrete GPU mode?

I am going to assume those CPU temps are without underrvolting, which I hignly recommend as Skylake mobile chips undervolt like a champ. You can easily get -150mV and most do a lot more.

 

With users telling me the laptop uses optimus there must be 2 versions of this laptop or that the 980m G-sync version doesn't have optimus because you can't have both. Still need 100% positive confirmation this laptop doesn't have the option to do discrete GPU switching like the Clevo 650 series.

 

Which is the cpu of the gtx980m version?? Is it g-sync? Can be an option to msi dominator gt72s pro?

 

Just went through all the options in BIOS and I couldn't find an option to boot with discrete GPU.
Also, I will probably look into undervolting, thanks for pointing that out. You're right that skylake chips in general undervolt very well. On my desktop's i7 6700k (in pair with GTX 970, lol this laptop is like my desktop's little brother), the stock Vcore was ludicrous. Something above 1.3V, like 1.32V. Instantly knocked it down to 1.275V, dropping the temps by like 15°C while keeping it stable. Should be able to do the same here with the i7 6700HQ.

 

Could you try repasting with a better TIM and see if you can drop a few Celsius off the CPU? Anything under 80 under full load would be damn nice! The GPU looks to be happy at 75c though, which is a big plus. I told myself I will NEVER ever buy a gaming laptop that does not allow easy fan cleaning and re pasting. This here seems to check off everything on my list so far!

 

here its for only $697, same model bestbuy is selling for 1,199$ ....

https://www.sell-to.com/Computers-a...L502VT-15.6-Laptop-Intel-Core-i7-12GB-1TB-Har

hoax or not ?

 

Speaking of the devil,
In indonesia it's already on sale, i just realized it, ASUS INDONESIA warranty too
http://gamerjakarta.com/asus-rog-gl502vt-fy129t-laptop-gaming/

So in our country, this is the spec:
ASUS ROG GL502VT-FY129T :

Prosesor Intel Skylake Core™ i7-6700HQ (Quad-Core, 6MB Cache, up to 3.5GHz)
Ram 16GB – DDR4, 2133GHz
Tipe Grafis NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (6GB GDDR5 VRAM)
Hardisk 1TB HDD 7200Rpm + 256GB SSD
Display 15.6″ LED backlit FULL HD (1920×1080) Anit-Glaire Panel
Sistem Operasi Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Webcam Mega Pixel Fixed web camera
HD Web Camera
Optical Drive NO DVD RW
Connectivity Wi-Fi
Integrated 802.11b/g/n
Integrated 802.11 AC (WIDI Support)
10/100/1000 Base T
Bluetooth
Built-in Bluetooth V4.0
Interface 1 x COMBO audio jack
1 x Microphone-in/Headphone-out jack
3 x USB 3.0 port(s)
1 x USB-C Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps)
1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
1x HDMI
1 x mini Display Port
1 x SD card reader
1X AC adapter plug
Audio Support Windows 10 Cortana with Voice
ASUS SonicMaster Premium Technology
Adaptor Plug Type :ø5.5 (mm)
Output :
19.5 V DC, 9.23 A, 180 W
Input :
100 -240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal
Battery 4 Cells Battery
Up to 6 Hours web browsing
Height 390 x 266 x 23.5 mm (WxDxH) (w/ 4cell battery)
Weight 2.2 kg with Battery
Garansi 2 Tahun Resmi ASUS
Kondisi Laptop Gaming Asus ROG GL502VT-FY129T:

• ORIGINAL BNIB / 100% Baru
• Barang Disegel
• Garansi resmi Asus 2 tahun

Kelengkapan Laptop Gaming Asus ROG GL502VT-FY129T:

• Unit Laptop
• Mouse Gaming ROG
• Tas backpack ROG original
• Charger
• Buku Paduan
• Kartu Garansi
• Dus
• Fullset

 

There are laptops out there where repasting is a must, such as the Gigabyte P34W/P35W for example. Those things can run as hot as 90-95°C at times, deeming a repaste a very good idea. This laptop is not one of them, however. While I will eventually clean the fans of dust, I will most likely not go through the trouble of repasting either of the chips, as it is not necessary at all. Even under full load, the laptop seems to be nowhere near temp-throttling, and even has a sufficient ceiling for hot summer days. But if you really wished to do so, I'm sure you could. Nothing on the inside of the laptop seems to be glued down and inaccessible, and I'm pretty sure we could just unscrew everything and take the laptop apart component by component if we wanted to.

If anything, that seems rather fishy..

 

can you please tell me more about screen, as you have mentioned previously it uses same screen as in GL501VW and shared review link, and review of that screen states, its dull, it flickers at 90% brightness level, which is noticeable, not good for eyes, and things like that. Do you notice anything like that on your GL502VT, like flickering and dull washed out colors?....etc ....

 

I just got mine half an hour ago, will upload unboxing soon and a review tomorrow.
First thoughts- very good build quality. Lid is aluminium, very thin, but also very sturdy.
Bottom is plastic, very solid feel with no flex anywhere. This is a good design as it should provide very good cooling. I will test soon. Screen reminds me of the g752, no backlight bleeding, high brightness, good colors, viewing angles. Speakers are just OK, but i havent installed any drivers or software yet. They sound like the asus g752, software might fix it. Only complain i have so far is the keyboard, it feels a little bit cheaper than the g752. Dont get me wrong, this is a great keyboard, i liked the g752 and alienware 15 a bit more though. More info soon. Any questions?

 

Congrats on your new laptop. What are the specs you're getting?

Awaiting your review. As expected from new owners, inputs to battery life and temperature/noise levels will be very much appreciated.

 

I got mine with a 970m gtx 3gb, 16 gb ram, 500 gb samsung 850 pro and 256 950 pro.

 

Quick update on the keyboard- after using it a bit it "burned in" and feels just like the asus g752. I think it just needed a few presses, weird!

 

Did you order yours from HiDevolution?

 

Yes I did!

 

Does it use Optimus?

 

I didn't say you needed to do it, just if you were willing to see if you were able to shave off a few more degrees. Nothing wrong about trying to get it to run cooler..

Thanks anyway.

 

What is your screen model?

I bought mine at Best Buy and the screen on it is pretty horrible IMO. Only thing bugging me so far. Temps are much better than the P34W I am about to send back so I am going to say this is a keeper for me.

I may try the one on Amazon. I mean hell after taxes I paid $1302 and if I wanted a better screen i'd end up at the price of the model listed on Amazon.

 

i got the SAMSUNG SDC324C

you can find the monitor review here:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-GL550JK-CN391H-Notebook-Review.121051.0.html

I can say that my panel is nice to look at, i have no issues with it

 

The "SAMSUNG SDC324C" also goes by the name "156HL01-102". My unit is equipped with the "156HL01-104". They're pretty much the exact same screens, which seem to have been used in the majority (if not all) 15.6" ASUS gaming laptops for years already, so nothing new there.

 

Looks like the bestbuy version comes with the Chi Mei [Unknown Model: CMN15D2] (N156HGE-EAL CMN N156HGE-EAL)

Colors look washed out and viewing angles are pretty good side to side but looking from top or from the bottom the screen washes out almost instantly.

 

I've had both non-IPS Asus screens, maybe different models, of Chi Mei - 2 kinds, and AUO - one kind.

The Chi Mei's I could adjust the refresh to 100hz on both

The AUO would only do 70hz, but I still got used to both of them, and side by side - straight on - the both look good to me. IPS looks better, but hey you got what you got, try to enjoy it.

The key to enjoying Asus laptop displays is to uninstall Asus TrueColor, seriously it's the first thing I uninstall.

But, I also dig out the icn files for the color calibration, and apply those through the system color dialogs - setting it as the default.

The other TrueColor gingerbread, the "tuned" color "modes" are all way off to my eyes.

It will take a few days of getting used to the display without TrueColor, it will seem less "colorful", but after a few hours to a day or two depending on how long you use it and how many different things you do, eventually you will forget and get used to the unfiltered color calibration.

It may take a couple of attempts, don't feel back going back to TrueColor, but keep trying to rid your eye's of it

Don't forget to reboot after uninstalling TrueColor, and rebooting after setting the default system calibration with the TrueColor calibration file.

And, most important, play with the display brightness to adjust to your most comfort. When I switch to the AUO it was much brighter than the Chi Mei's, and I had to end up running it at 30%, instead of the 70-80% I ran the Chi Mei's.

 

How were you able yo adjust the refresh rate?

 

Custom refresh rate inside the nvidia driver

 

You set a custom resolution in the Nvidia Control Panel, also check the box for unsupported resolutions as needed, and only change the refresh number.

Then along with the monitor supported resolutions you will have a section of custom ones, I usually create a custom resolution up to every 5hz from the top, usually 100hz, down to 70hz.



When I have an app that runs slower than 101 FPS / 100hz, I adjust the RTSS FPS limiter to the average FPS+1, say 81FPS and set the refresh to the 80hz preset for 1920x1080.

Using that method I get smooth game play in all games and little or no tearing.

If you don't have G-sync you can set adaptive vsync to the refresh, or run without it.

 

This is what I've been hoping this laptop has, can anyone confirm if this laptop has optimus/has any of those nvidia options available? Since they sell a version with G-Sync I'm curious to see if they really do have different versions of the laptop that don't use optimus, or have a switching option built in similar to Clevo 650 series.

 

Don't have that option, seems Intel GPU is the one controlling my monitor.

 

Ah, so the question is answered, this version of the GL502 has Intel Optimus, all video goes through the Intel iGPU to the Display.

I wonder if one of the video outputs connects directly to the 970m, which would let you do display/video control through the Nvidia control panel with the external display. You might check, and let us know - when you have an external display handy.

Also check to see if there is a BIOS or Asus tool tha lets you switch between Intel iGPU and direct connection to the 970m for the internal display.

Some laptops have a physical switch, some have a BIOS setting, some have a single connection to an external monitor to the discrete Nvidia GPU, and some are all Intel Optimus, all the time.

The Intel control panel was rumored to support custom resolutions, but when I tried it it was a mess, too much detail to know and fill in for so many details, when all I want to do is keep the defaults except change the refresh rate.

You might check for a newer / Beta Intel Display driver and see if Intel has added any fine control over the resolution/refresh.

Please let us know what you find

 

Well i'm not worried about my refresh rate just the poor colors and viewing angles so I don't think i'll tinker anymore with trying to find a way to force the laptop to use the nvidia gpu 24/7.

I did take a quick glance at the bios and there isn't anything in there except your usual settings so that's as far as i'll go on this.

 

Did your Asus laptop come with Asus Truecolor? Did you try uninstalling it?

You may need to install the Asus True Color calibration profile to get what you want. Or, run a custom color calibration tool to build your own.

 

I have the splendid app installed. I uninstalled it but the difference is minimal if at all any.

Also, this looks to be the correct LCD on panelook for anyone interested on specs of the screen that comes equipped on the best buy models.

http://www.panelook.com/N156HGE-EAL Rev.C1_Innolux_15.6_LCM_overview_26689.html

 

That is a TN panel. The best buy version comes with a TN?

 

I was also interested in one sold by bestbuy but everybody who have bought from there is mentioning screen and washedout colors, so now i am conscious about it. Is best buy selling it for $200 less compare to other retails just because model on bestbuy has lesser ram and 5400 rpm hd or does it also mean that reduced price tag means that unit sold by them has cheaper screen too ? And how to know the one sold on Amazon has better screen than bestbuy one ?. I am trying to import this laptop and I have only one week before person who can brings it will leave USA. So any prompt replies, suggestions or help plz ?

 

Also can someone please explain among these two which one is better

15.6" (16:9) LED backlit FHD (1920x1080) Anit-Glaire Panel with 72% NTSC
15.6" (16:9) LED backlit FHD (1920x1080) Anit-Glaire Panel with 94% NTSC

The one sold on Amazon by excaliberpc has 72 % NTSC screen in it