Affordability has never been a forte of gaming notebooks. Their prices usually start at around the RM4K mark and go upwards from there. If you wanted a gaming notebook, you're going to have to pay a pretty penny to own one. ASUS has probably realised that there are many who would like to own a gaming notebook but price points prohibit most people from getting one. The G551J is ASUS' attempt at a budget gaming notebook, and, personally, it’s a dream come true!
JET BLACK SHELL
Compared to its other siblings in the ASUS RoG series, the G551J is nowhere near as big or bulky as them. Its size is typical of a 15.6in notebook. The entire casing of the machine is coloured black with the RoG emblem located at the centre. Opening up the notebook reveals the 15.6in screen as well as the full keyboard that glows a deep and vivid red when the notebook is powered on.
ENERGETIC INNARDS
So what does a sub-4K Ringgit Malaysia gaming notebook net you? A decent set of components is the answer. First off, it comes with an Intel Core i7-4710HQ that can be overclocked to 3.5GHz. The notebook itself features 4GB RAM and comes with a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M graphics card. If you feel that this a bit underpowered, you can opt for the more powerful variant that comes with 8GB RAM and a 4GB GTX 860M instead. Of course, that configuration breaks the RM4K mark.
LASTS LONG ENOUGH
Battery life on gaming notebooks isn't exactly stellar and the G551J is no exception. Gaming on this notebook will drain the battery in roughly an hour and a half, depending on the types of games you're playing. If you're using the notebook for productivity purposes, you can probably hit the three-hour mark - pretty common for these kinds of notebooks in my opinion. Needless to say, you probably want to carry around the power brick whenever you leave home with this notebook.
POWER PLAY
When it comes to gaming, some limitations are to be expected when the platform is priced below the RM4K mark. This notebook is capable of running slightly older games, such as Starcraft II and Diablo 3 at Very High and Ultra settings without much fuss. However, more recent games such as Shadows of Mordor and Wolfenstein will cause the notebook to choke when the settings are maxed out. Don't get me wrong, it can definitely handle both games just fine on Medium-High settings, but it does not have the raw horsepower needed to run the game at full details while keeping the framerate at above 20fps.
HEAT SIGNATURE
This notebook isn't without its issues. For starters, I'm not really a big fan of the in-built speakers as it is really subpar. If you're used to super-fast boot times, because your Ultrabook, notebook, or whatever contains an SSD, then you might be disappointed to hear that the G551J does not contain an SSD as it opts for a single 1TB SATA drive instead. However, what worries me the most is the heat levels this notebook generates. When on load, it managed to hit the 85-degree Celsius mark, an uncomfortably high rate for a notebook. The air coming out of the vent port is very hot as well, so if you're a left handed mouse user, that is going to be a pain to deal with.
BUDGET GAMING
So is the G551J a gaming notebook worth buying? The answer is most definitely. The G551J is a powerful little thing for a great price that is worth onsidering by anyone who has a tight budget. If you're expecting top-of-the-line performance out of this, you're probably expecting too much out of an affordably priced gaming notebook. What you pay is what you get when it comes to gaming and, as such, don't expect it to be a notebook that eats all sorts of games for breakfast. If you're not the kind of person that wants everything to be maxed out and maintain a 60fps framerate, then the G551J is hands down the best budget gaming notebook available on the market.
VERDICT
A powerful gaming notebook at an affordable price.
SPECS
Dimension 383 x 255 x 31.5 mm
Weight 2.7kg
Processor Intel Core i7-4710HQ (Turbo up to 3.5GHz, 6M cache)
Memory 4GB DDR3L 1600MHz SDRAM
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M 2GB GDDR5
Display 15.6 inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit
Storage SATA 1TB (5400rpm)
Connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n, 10/100/1000Mbit/s Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports 1x mini DisplayPort, 3x USB 3.0, 1x HDMI, 1x SD/MMC, 1x audio jack combo
Battery Li-ion 56Wh (5200 mAh, 6 cells)