Asus ROG Flow X13 (2023) review

They are saying that good issues are available in small packages, and Asus proves this as soon as once more with the most recent iteration of the Asus ROG Stream X13 (2023). This transportable powerhouse packs severe {hardware}, together with a Ryzen 9 7940HS and an RTX 4070 right into a modern 13-inch chassis that feels extra like an ultrabook than one of many best gaming laptops.

Asus made waves with the unique Stream X13 in 2021, and it’s listened to suggestions to enhance upon its newest design, together with a a lot bigger touchpad, a 165Hz QHD show, and a GPU able to high-refresh gaming. With all this energy packed inside such a small bundle, does the ROG Stream X13 dwell as much as its legacy? Asus despatched a evaluate unit over, and I’ve spent the previous month utilizing it for gaming, productiveness, and even some content material creation to seek out out whether or not it suits in our best Asus gaming laptop information.

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Why you may belief our recommendation ✔ At PCGamesN, our consultants spend hours testing {hardware}, video games, and VPNs. We share sincere, unbiased opinions that can assist you purchase the perfect. Discover out how we test.

Specs

The Asus ROG Stream X13 specs:

Design

The general design of this yr’s Stream X13 is basically unchanged from earlier fashions, with a couple of welcomed quality-of-life enhancements. The lid options textured diagonal strains and muted accents that enable the laptop computer to mix into any surroundings, moderately than asserting its standing as a gaming gadget. The body is barely smaller than earlier fashions, whereas nonetheless weighing simply 2.87lbs – solely a hair greater than Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air, which clocks in at 2.75lbs.

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Inside, the attractive Nebula show extends practically to the sting of the highest and sides, which sadly doesn’t depart room for a webcam. That is changing into extra widespread on gaming laptops, as many individuals appear to favor a extra skilled cam for streaming, so it’s forgivable on certainly one of this measurement.

What amazes me in regards to the X13’s design is how comfy the keyboard feels when typing and gaming, regardless of my moderately massive palms. ASUS claims that it’s a 15-inch laptop computer keyboard in a 13-inch laptop computer body, which feels about proper to me. Maybe certainly one of my favourite refined modifications to the Stream X13 is the touchpad. They’ve elevated the scale by 56%, which I discover to be extra comfy once I’m casually searching.

I used to be stunned to notice that, not like most ROG units, the Stream X13’s keyboard doesn’t characteristic customizable RGB lighting. There’s a uniform backlight that’s a bluish-white coloration, however you may solely modify the general brightness, which is a bit disappointing at this worth level.

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Very similar to earlier generations, the 2-in-1 design of the X13 lends effectively to different artistic duties, due to a touchscreen with stylus help. A fast flip of the display transforms this highly effective gaming machine right into a artistic workspace, which got here in useful whereas engaged on a few of my animated tasks that require a stylus for linework.

Options

Whereas the surface of the up to date Stream X13 could also be largely the identical as earlier fashions, the actual modifications are beneath the hood. A robust CPU was at all times part of the X13 lineup, nevertheless, Asus pulled out all of the stops by together with a Ryzen 9 7940HS, which is probably the most highly effective cellular chip that AMD at present provides, with 8 cores, 16 threads, and a 5.2 GHz max increase clock. However the largest change this yr needs to be within the GPU division.

Earlier fashions featured mid-range inner GPUs and relied on their exterior GPU which they name XG Cell for severe gaming energy. This yr ASUS determined to up the ante by together with an RTX 4070 (60W Max TGP) proper out of the field. This highly effective GPU lets you reap the benefits of the 165Hz WQXGA show without having any extra {hardware}. When you demand solely the perfect GPU on your laptop computer, you may nonetheless join the ROG XG Cell eGPU to unlock the Stream X13’s full potential.

Talking of the show, this is without doubt one of the most shocking and welcome upgrades to the X13. With the upgraded GPU, it is smart for ASUS to incorporate a higher-refresh display, and the 165Hz Nebula show delivers spectacularly. I used to be comfortable to seek out just about no ghosting throughout my testing, and it was vibrant sufficient for all of the working situations I examined it in, save exterior within the daylight.

What stunned me, nevertheless, was the truth that the show covers 100% of the DCI-P3 area and is Pantone-validated. Whereas that may not imply a lot to avid gamers, skilled creators in movie and TV depend on these requirements to make sure colours are as correct as doable. As somebody who splits their time between gaming and content material creation, I often depend on completely different shows relying on what I’m doing. The Stream X13’s show provides me the perfect of each worlds, which is uncommon in such a conveyable bundle.

With regards to connectivity, the Stream X13 leaves room for enchancment. On the fitting aspect, you’ll discover a single USB Sort C port (USB 4.2 Gen2), which you’ll want to make use of for charging, and the one USB Sort A (USB 3.2 Gen2) port. On the opposite aspect is the three.5mm audio jack, full-size HDMI 2.1 port, and MicroSD card reader. There’s a further Sort C port (USB 3.2 Gen 2) hidden behind a rubber stopper on the left aspect, which is a part of the XG Cell interface.

Whereas there are sufficient ports for many duties, I’m disenchanted that ASUS opted to place one of many three USB ports behind a rubber stopper. Certain, it covers up the XG Cell port that most individuals received’t use, however the stopper isn’t fully detachable, which meant I needed to fiddle with it each time I needed to cost the laptop computer from the left aspect, or wanted each USB-C ports. It’s hardly a deal-breaker, however one thing for them to contemplate subsequent time round.

Wi-fi connectivity is improbable on the Stream X13. I upgraded to a WiFi 6E community final yr, and that is the primary alternative I’ve had to make use of it with a succesful laptop computer. As you may think about, switch speeds are lightning-quick, which is useful once I’m working with massive pictures and video information.

As one may anticipate on a tool of this measurement, there’s not a number of room for audio system. A pair of them is situated on the underside of the laptop computer, and aren’t something to put in writing dwelling about. They work effectively sufficient for common music and media, however I discovered them to have a tinny sound and so they might have been louder.

Benchmarking

Efficiency

There’s no query that for those who drop $2,199 on an ROG Stream X13 you’re going to anticipate a great deal of efficiency inside this modern chassis. I’m comfortable to report that in my time with our evaluate mannequin, it took each video games and video manufacturing work in stride. In fact, when it’s packing an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, that comes as no shock right here.

To check out the Stream X13’s efficiency I ran a collection of artificial benchmarks and pushed the machine to its limits with a couple of video games at its native decision of 2560 x 1440. As you may see from the chart under, this fantastically thin-and-light laptop computer has loads of energy beneath the hood. You’ll wish to reap the benefits of the DLSS choice each time obtainable, because the RTX 4070 sees a substantial efficiency enchancment on video games like Cyberpunk 2077 and F1 22.

Whereas sheer efficiency is without doubt one of the predominant components I take into account when choosing a laptop computer, it’s not the one one. For me, I want a stability of energy, consolation, and battery life. By way of consolation, the laptop computer by no means obtained scorching sufficient to be a trouble, although throughout particularly taxing gaming periods it might get hotter than I favor.

I’m impressed with how quiet the Stream X13’s followers are, even when working at full velocity, however they’re nonetheless moderately noticeable once they kick on. This was much less of a difficulty whereas gaming, however at instances the followers would activate whereas merely utilizing an internet browser or watching a video, which is lower than best, and a bit distracting at instances.

Gaming laptops and poor battery life usually go hand-in-hand, as they’re power-hungry machines that sport higher whereas plugged in. Nonetheless, the Stream X13 is positioned as a tool for creators, in addition to avid gamers, so my expectations had been fairly excessive throughout my battery checks. I’m comfortable to report that ASUS’s software program does an awesome job of switching between the RTX 4070 and its iGPU to maximise each battery life and efficiency.

We make the most of the PCMark 10’s “Fashionable Workplace Battery Life” take a look at right here at PCGamesN, because it supplies an awesome mixture of typical duties like internet searching and video playback that mimic real-world utilization. The ROG Stream X13 lasted a little bit over 9 hours on common, which is a superb rating, contemplating the quantity of energy this little machine packs.

Utilizing PCMark 10’s “Gaming Battery Life” take a look at, the laptop computer solely clocked in round 2.5 hours of gaming earlier than it wanted a cost. Whereas underwhelming, you do take a efficiency hit from working off the battery, so your most intensive gaming periods will happen whereas it’s plugged in. Nonetheless, two and a half hours is sufficient time to sport your method via a flight or go the time once you’re away from an outlet.

Do you have to purchase the Asus ROG Stream X13?

• Sure: Skinny and light-weight convertible design
• Sure: Highly effective CPU and GPU for gaming
• No: Excessive price ticket
• No: Followers will be distracting

With a $2,499 price ticket (with out offers) the ROG Stream X13 isn’t geared toward everybody. Asus is concentrating on avid gamers and creators that want a number of energy, however need it within the lightest and thinnest bundle doable, and I’d say they hit their mark.

When you’ve obtained the price range and demand probably the most highly effective {hardware} and unparalleled portability, you’ll be hard-pressed to discover a higher choice than the ROG Stream X13 (2023).