One of the most extraordinary PCs we’ve ever seen
Asus’s Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand has produced some pretty impressive laptops, desktops and gaming peripherals. However, the ROG G20 is by far one of the most amazing looking products it's come up with.
The Asus ROG G20 is essentially a gaming desktop, with off-the-shelf PC parts shoehorned into a console-sized, futuristic-looking case. It’s a smallform-factor system that sits vertically with a uniquely designed chassis and a subtle selection of LEDs.
It’s an extraordinary looking PC, with two shell-like black plastic sections joining together over a red centre section. The LEDs are placed at the front of the unit, under the patterned outer shells, and from underneath the G20, which gives a more alien-looking theme to the desktop.
Inside, it’s a different story. Somehow Asus has managed to squeeze in a 3.4GHz Intel i7-6700, with 16GB of 2133MHz DDR4 memory, a 128GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD with Windows 10 and a further Toshiba 2TB hard drive.
In addition to that, and quite amazingly, the company has also included a full-sized Nvidia GTX970 with 4GB of memory. This is placed in its own bracket and takes up most of one of the side clam-like sections, with the rear I/O ports located at the back of the G20 toward the bottom of the unit. Surprisingly, there’s enough room inside for a laptopstyle cooling solution over the CPU and motherboard that channels the heat away from both the processor and the excess from the GPU up through the top vents of the G20.
Other hardware and connectivity includes 802.11ac wi-fi, a pair of front USB 3.0 ports, a slimline DVD/RW optical drive, two more USB 3.0 ports at the rear with a pair of USB 3.1 and USB 2.0 ports, a six-port audio block, HDMI, three DisplaPorts and DVI via the GTX970.
In terms of performance, the G20 managed to score a pretty impressive 13,631 in 3DMark 11, which in real-world terms means it’ll happily play the latest triple-A titles at the maximum settings at 1080p.
While the design of the Asus ROG G20 is splendid, there is an odd element thrown into the mix. Asus has decided that to keep the dimensions as discrete as possible and without ruining the aesthetics of the case, an external power supply was necessary. However, this isn’t any ordinary external power brick. It’s actually made up of two separate power supplies: one at 180W, the other at 230W, each with its own kettle lead power cord.
The thinking behind this is simple enough: the G20 is a high-spec PC and requires a fair amount of power. One of the PSUs is dedicated to the GPU, whereas the other provides power to the rest of the system – or at least we think it does. The draw appears to be balanced between the two, which keeps things working while minimising the heat generated within the case. It’s a strange setup, with its Asus ROG custom housing for both PSUs, but it works – despite using up two plugs in the process.
The Asus ROG G20 is definitely one of the most interesting gaming PCs we’ve ever tested, but it’s also one of the most enjoyable and fun. Yes, it has an odd PSU setup and it looks absolutely crazy, but we can’t help liking it.
It does, however, come at a higher than average price, £1,300 to be exact. Because of the style and specification, though, it’s an extraordinary gaming PC. David Hayward
An expensive, but impressive gaming PC.