2021 Zephyrus G14 - Answering the Important Questions / Review / Comparisons

[@thetechnerd1617]

Finally a review of this laptop. I hate unboxings, they are pointless.

[@christopherdsuza324]

My cat would disagree with you...she loves unboxings best.

[@jbetancourt11]

This is exactly the type of comparison video I've been searching for. I recently purchased a 2020 G14 and yours is the first proper, in-depth comparison video I've come across. Thank you so much!

How's is your laptop? I am looking forward to buy the same I heard there are some quality control issues

[@nazarottto]

Gotta say this is the best review ever of the G14 on youtube.

[@usafballer79]

This is a really cool review - hitting some of the lifestyle questions that most reviewers avoid. I think there are plenty of great YTers that hit the standard performance, but they never review what it's like to "live with" a machine. Things like USB-C gaming, fans, using Armory crate, etc. I've got mine at a local BB awaiting pickup - going to have to check it out. One thing I will probably struggle with is battery life and fan noise - currently have an M1 Macbook Air that I love - but I'm trying to combine my desktop machine with a 2060 Super in it and my Macbook into a single machine for day to day use.

[@malaengsarbdigital]

seriously, all the review units from asus should go to reviewers like this. thank you!!

[@mikyajumbo]

Man you reviewed the products with my questions all answered.thanks for the review

[@coreyrmckay]

thank you finally got this comparison!!! ordered my g14 2021 model!

[@JhustineProvido]

I bought this laptop because of this video. I was impressed by the gpu for being so small and slim I'm a big fan of 13-14" laptops. with tuning it's not bad at all. I'm actually running a 3440x1440 100hz monitor docked(a bit heavy I know) but it performs admirably! with DLSS and other nvidia tech I'm actually getting really good performance. Cyberpunk with RTX off BUT with DLSS looks pretty decent. I've been using my desktop less these days. the laptop seem power enough for my usual usage.

[@manueltorres5284]

Thanks so much, it's only been a couple of minutes in and you have already answered some of my big questions.

[@Val_Ten]

Best in-depth review of gpu wats. Thank u!

[@akshayy_xd]

How much better is the fan on the 2021 compared to the 2020?

[@Kohiku]

5 months later, still no answer.. If anyone answers this question please leave me a like so I get notified. Thanks

[@rayovac200]

@@Kohiku here’s a like but still no answer hehehe

[@Suckmabalzz]

i own the 2021 version and the thermal is better than the 2020 version and the battery life is also better

[@akshayy_xd]

@@Suckmabalzz lol no its not, I bought it and its arguably worse

[@andrewk1499]

Most detailed comparison and review. Best discussion I've seen on the usbc pd performance also. Thank you!

[@bluewhalie635]

This is a really useful review. Consecutive models side by side and the discussion on wattage. Good job!

[@techgamingzw7857]

no nonsense review with actually helpful info . thanks guy

[@rafaeldoubleyou1767]

Thank you so much! One of the best vids / reviews out there! Good job! Exactly what I was looking for :).

[@TheSonnyhorse]

One of the most relevant reviews and comparisons I've ever seen. Thank you. Subscribed.

[@Miniowns]

I just got mine last week!! I love it, how are you liking it

[@roccosperanza]

Getting my G14 tomorrow! So glad I chose the 2021 model, thanks for the comparison.

[@alex_sioulas]

quick question how much did you get it for and where? Looking to buy one myself probably.

[@roccosperanza]

@@alex_sioulas 1450 at Best Buy.

[@alex_sioulas]

@@roccosperanza damn man here in Europe you cant find it lower than 1.8k for some frickin reason

[@himerry3477]

I bought at $1700 USD 2021 Asus G14 doesn't come with Anime matrix display at the back I was fooled by the reviews I watched I was told only the black has it now But its too late for me I've already brought

[@emanon3209]

I'm currently using 2020 version G14, I bought it for the weight and "performance" so that I can play some games when I'm on a business trip. But I finally find out that, instead of a 65w pd charge as I imagined, I have to take the 420g adapter to make the gpu work. Thanks for your test on 100w pd, now I'm waiting for the 2022 version with a front cam.

[@TheNyayko]

Man Really Thank You Great Video !!

[@alvirarahman2690]

Got myself the G14 last year, I am so glad the newer version isn’t Earth shatteringly different 💃

[@UnboxerofWorlds]

Both versions are incredible!

[@EricLouisYoung]

the first actual review on the internet. thanks!

[@ЭтоДрючинский]

Very nice review! Can you compare what's the quietest level both G14 and 15 can be at while load? Which one is quieter?

[@ItsMeProday83]

Well done mate...really useful comparison 👍🔝

[@paulorodriguesalexandre7750]

And congrats for your video!

[@DeRickz69420]

Thanks for the vid, was waiting for reviews on this machine. On a different topic tho, how's your 2020 G14 aging? Encountered any major issues with it?

[@cbutters]

My 2020 is holding up well, although I need to find a new home for it. My 2020 was even bought a floor model that was on the bestbuy demo table for 4 months before I picked it up. It is solid and looks perfect; like new. The 2021 is mostly the same; and while the paint is a nicer shade of white; the paint job seems weak and it isn't done nearly as well... I've already picked up a scratch on the 2021's paint from the zipper on my back pack which I've never seen anything like that carrying it the same way with my 2020 model. I wonder if the paint just hasn't cured yet??? Anyways, the 2020 is solid; especially for the price you can find it these days $800-1000. The 2021 is a keeper as well; and the 100 watt usb-c / 144hz screen / improved cpu / gpu performance makes it worth the $1500 they are asking IMO. So just depends on your budget... The 2021 G14 will be a screaming deal in a few months when we can start finding it for 1100-1200 on sale or open box BestBuy.

[@shaun1283]

Helpful, thanks 👍

[@welshmouse]

The only thing I really want to know is if the screen is better than last year with regard to response time. Those first 14 inch high refresh panels had awful ghosting and I'm really hoping it's improved.

[@cbutters]

It has improved, the screen is brighter... has 144hz, and ghosting is slightly improved, but it still isn't nearly as good as the panel in the G15.

[@TheDeathstar2000]

@@cbutters you should make a pinned comment about the screen because many comments are asking this same question and might not read this

[@tjdultra6982]

This is a great review, I'm leaning towards 2021 G14(3060) @$1,999 since it's in stock. Good takeaway from this video tho is to easily understand the changes you can do with the CPU/GPU tweaking which I didnt know before.

[@ImPewPew4]

Bestbuy has it for $1500

[@tjdultra6982]

@@ImPewPew4 Looking at Best Buy Canada @CA$1999

[@himerry3477]

Note that Asus G14 2021 doesn't come with Anime matrix ...I'm beating myself up for not knowing the white 2021 doesn't come with anime matrix display at the back I bought the laptop for that reason. Alone $1700 I'm very disappointed it doesn't not have the Anime matrix option in the Amory kcrat

[@dalechristopher3917]

great work, thanks!

[@Nazraq04]

Well, you convinced me that I want the 2021 version over the 2020 version. But I still want the 15 inch with the 3070 even more!

[@cbutters]

Yeah, if you don't need the slim form factor of the G14.... the G15 is the way to go!

[@fruitsamuray6240]

The 2021 version hasn't released yet here in my country, should I wait or do you think that the 2020 version is still worth it? Oh, nice detailed review! Thanks

[@rajankhoiwal]

One knows the shit when one talks about Wattage of GPUs.🙌

[@NezBs]

Great video! i have my 2021 g14 coming on friday

[@cbutters]

Good choice!

[@Ifalvarado]

I like how the 2021 model can let you choose between igpu and dgpu unplugged or using usb-c. You get decent framerates with games now. Before it would be stuck on Igpu unless you have the power supply which sucks. Not even the usb-c triggers to full dgpu performance

[@gear8704]

Great and useful content.

[@vojtasTS29]

Have you compared the motherboards? I wonder what they did to make it charge at 100w. If the cirquitry was redesigned, they might have fixed the problem where the laptop would burn out if using usb-c pd and the ac brick at once.

[@EngineeringDirector]

Really helpful analysis. Thanks for making this video. How's the fan noise in the 2021 G14?

[@cbutters]

Seems about the same in terms of noise and noise quality; but it actually seems to be kicking off the fans less / not ramping them up as quickly.

[@Jonnyinter1]

Any word on the 2021 G14 screen response time? I remember it was an issue with last year’s model.

[@johnmknox]

They should make the screens 16/10 aspect ratio. Other than that very hard to critique what ASUS is doing.

[@jelipebands1700]

Great review can you do another video on the g15 with overclocking and locking the cpu to 30watts

[@pratyushsharma6655]

Can we get a full G15 review ? With gaming benchmark against G14....

[@joseffiedler5428]

Hi, great review answering some hidden questions! I've got an interesting one - how about Optimus vs. G-Sync for games (CS-GO, Warzone)? Only way of plugging the 3060 directly and enabling G-Sync is through the usb-c port. But is it worth it to buy a G-Sync certified monitor to connect via USB-C? Test would be greatly appreciated!!

[@mattfaust1918]

Cbutters my time spy scores jumped Dramatically when I updated the latest bios from Asus.

[@Coolica]

I have the G14 (1440p screen) and when I tried to charge with a USB-C PD 100W charger (it’s an ASUS power brick that came with my unit) it throttled and acted as if it was running on battery. Turbo and Manual were both disabled, but the laptop confirmed it was using PD charging and was showing that it was charging. So I’m not sure how you were able to make it run full power on USB-C PD. Was there something you tweaked?

[@G0Dful]

Same question here

[@rhysbushnell9389]

Great video, super useful. Do you have any recommended settings to set the CPU and GPU at in Armoury Crate to get the best gaming performance in general?

[@cbutters]

For more graphics headroom; If you play with the manual settings +100 on GPU, +250 on memory, and limit CPU to 15-25 watts depending on the results you are seeing in the game.

[@stevemedinajr1618]

Needing some help. i can't find a review or in-depth review for my Zephyrus G14. I got it from best buy, the specs are Ryzen 9 5900HS RTX 3060 16 GB ram with a UHD Display 120hz not a FHD Display. im trying to find out what is all the diffrences from your 2021 model and mine. is it really only the display? every time i look on youtube i only find that either the display is diffrent or the video card is diffrent from mine. trying to find out why it runs so hot and why the speakers are horrible when i keep hearing eveyone saying on youtube on your 2021 model the speakers are nice.

[@pistachiodisguisey911]

Need more reviews on the QHD 2021 G14’s they have 4 models in the trailer 2 with 1080p screens and 2 with qhd and anime matrix displays in black or white

[@pedjadoktor7803]

Great comparison, but how are the thermals on 2021 models, some tests show that g15 is more prone to thermal throttling than g14, so performance in real usage isn't much greater than g14

[@Martin-kx8yv]

Had the g14 2020, great machine but had to go back. For productivity and gaming it’s so so noisy overall that I went with a mba. Less games, way better machine in terms of built quality and UX.

[@YesNo-xc2dr]

what about the ghosting?

[@phrog.4809]

I also wonder about this

[@JohnESwan3]

The only 2 questions I have left are is the keyboard back lighting on the g14 as bad as the 2020 version and how is the screen responsiveness. Otherwise you answered every question I have had that nobody else would, especially usb c

[@WeeeAffandi]

I wish you had compared Cpu/gpu temperatures in all tunings as well

[@abhigyandatta13]

Please let us know about the screen ghosting

[@cho5379]

Late on the party, does the opposite happens? i.e. does the CPU wattage increase when you lower the GPU cap?

[@ryanpretorius1639]

Hey I’m not bothered between the sizes of the g14 and g15 overall would you say the extra money you pay for the g 15 is worth it?

[@EdgarVerona]

What is the *actual* difference between/meaning of SPL and SPPT? I've been searching and have found no info, just some people speculating about what they think it means on a forum.

[@paulorodriguesalexandre7750]

My armory crate is missing de spl and sppt controls. What is the version of your armory crate? Where can i download it?

[@life_in_gen]

How is the spacebar (g15) key when pressed bottom left/right does it register at all? My one doesnt register sometimes.

[@MrZola1234]

I'm most curious how the box performs if you replace the 1 stick of 8 ram with 16 how well it performs? I know you lose out on interleaving, but do you still get a big lift in performance when gaming and editing hd or 4 video?

[@RyanAlt-bx8tw]

I have the 2021 g14 and flashed the vbios so that the 3060 pulls 130w. My benchmarks actually beat the g15.

[@trunkey-dev]

I've read a lot of comments on reddit, they said that Zephyrus G14 2021 just support maximum 65W (i don't get the word "up to 65W" in asus advertisement). Is that true that we can pull it to another limit, and what's the limit of the type c output by the way. By the way, tks a lot i spent a whole night, digging for this such satisfying video, no one answer my question before 😭😭😭

[@haxorinator8219]

65W appears to be an error and was corrected by ASUS later. The G14 2021 is officially rated at 60W-80W with Nvidia Dynamic Boost. Mostly at 60W, but possibly higher depending on games.

[@eriknordqvist9016]

I thought that decrease the cpu power use the cpu would cut power and also the performance? Both to save battery and make it less hot?

[@ambrosekillpack4841]

are the 2020 zephyrus G14 and the 2021 zephyrus G14 the same construction on the keyboard and mouse deck?

[@shaeD96]

Thank you I've been wanting the answer to if you can game over USB c or not ever since they said the 2021 model can charge 100w

[@cbutters]

Yes and just to clarify, you can't enable the manual or turbo profiles when powering off of USB-C still; but the performance profile works great and runs at full speed unlike the "Performance" profile on the 2020 G14 that still gimped performance down to unusable levels.

[@ace100hyper3]

Just the comparison I was looking for! I was wondering about the response time of the panel on G14 2021 compared to G14 2020. The previous model was known to exhibit ghosting, how is the new one? Also, how does the G14 2021 compare to G15 2021 in terms of noise?

[@cbutters]

Seems like consensus is that it is definitely improved... but nobody with actual equipment seems to have tested it... side by side I can tell the 2021 screen is definitely better; but I couldn't say by how much... it doesn't feel as good as the 2021 g15 screen either. I did a side by side ufo test... for what it is worth ... look for that vid on my channel.

[@jungpyolee4061]

I have a 2021 g14. but I only show 'fan' in manual mode. How does 'cpu SPL' appear? armoury creat version 4.0.8.0

[@JoshJPJunko]

Would the CPU and GPU tweaks be a way to reduce or eliminate coil whine in the G14??

[@dabeasthalofan6276]

Still wished they had an intel version of the laptop to implement thunderbolt 3

[@mikeriverajr4447]

here goes a million dollar question that no one has answered any where on the whole interenet [i have been seatching up and down] does play low latency audio in other words can you use is for music production, anybody who has ever done audio production knows that clicking and popping from audio drop outs from buffer under runs is a huge issue and seems to have nothing to do with computer performance, because you can have a cheap computer perform well and a great computer perform poorly. . . [dpc latency issues] , if you want to make a great vid make it it on this, download abelton trial and open there demo track and then play it on the lowest buffer settings possible, does it handle it? its the million dollar question

[@kreytube5177]

g14is 3060 g15is 3070 isn't it? the bench marks shows about 20% its GDPs capacity difference I guess?

[@taffy1564]

What's the point of the 2021 G14 "Aura" f4 key if it doesn't have RGB keyboard? Doesn't make sense, seems useless to me?

[@cbutters]

You can control the frequency of the "Breathing" and "Flashing" of the lights.

[@karamsjourney]

so as a rule of thumb, should i always reduce the wattage of the cpu to 20W while gaming for better performance?

[@cbutters]

Depends on if your game is GPU starved or CPU starved.... if it is GPU starved, you can cap the CPU to give more wattage to the GPU. FFXIV will perform much better if you cap the CPU to give the extra power to the GPU.

[@roger767]

How is the fan noise and the keyboard backlighting on the G14 2021 vs the 2020 version?

[@cbutters]

Fan seems to kick on a lot less, but noise profile is about the same other than they seem to ramp up less often. Keyboard backlight seems unchanged other than it is a bit brighter.

[@grapegh0stx]

What ram does it come with? is it M425R1GB4BB0-CQK? thanks

[@usafballer79]

can you share which USB-C charger you were using here? If it runs full power then I'd like to get it. Others have reported their 100W charger is not netting A/C like performance.

[@cbutters]

I was using a POWERADD USB-C Bank.... But keep in mind, I'm not seeing "A/C like performance" entirely.... you still don't get the manual or turbo profiles to use. But you can still get pretty much the same performance as the "Performance" profile... (I got 9400 on A/C adapter for Final Fantasy Benchmark, and I can get 9007 over USB-C. which is about 95% of the peak performance. It also differs drastically from the Original 2020 G14 which gimped the device way more heavily over USB-C PD.

[@usafballer79]

@@cbutters Well, running in performance with a 65W GPU is different than what subreddit are saying that they only get "battery" like performance when using 100W PD. I would even be fine with Silent mode on 100W - it can drive a lot of games at 60+ FPS, or close to it with minimal fans. I guess I'll have to pick up a 100W and try it - all I have are 65W adapters so far.

[@TheYeyeMan5000]

Any one knows is there is a Docking Station that is 3 monitor for the 2021 g14?

[@skeen5675]

Can you post a tutorial on tuning or is it simply undervolting in Crate?

[@WeeeAffandi]

Undervolting and lowering TDP are two separate things. AMD does not allow you to undervolt their CPUs, you can only lower the TDP

[@akshayy_xd]

Yes I was :)

[@pres002]

my thing is, is it worth the price to get the 2021 model or 2020. it's about a $350 difference.

[@himerry3477]

I bought at $1700 USD 2021 Asus G14 doesn't come with Anime matrix display at the back of the laptop in case you're buying it because of that led light display at the back I was fooled by the reviews I watched Now i was told only the black has it now But its too late for me because I've already brought the 2021 doesn't have the Anime matrix option.

[@henrylin6022]

quick question, where did you get the 2021 version? I'm having a hard time finding it right now

[@dan_8647]

here's one model sold by Best Buy: www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-zephyrus-14-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-9-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3060-1tb-ssd-moonlight-white-moonlight-white/6452913.p?skuId=6452913

[@henrylin6022]

@@dan_8647 is there a black version? I'm not a big fan of the white ones

[@dan_8647]

@@henrylin6022 unfortunately no, at least not that i’ve been able to find.

[@henrylin6022]

@@dan_8647 oh k, thanks for letting me know! Great review btw

[@himerry3477]

I bought at $1700 USD 2021 Asus G14 doesn't come with Anime matrix display at the back of the laptop in case you're buying it because of that led light display at the back I was fooled by the reviews I watched Now i was told only the black has it now But its too late for me because I've already brought the 2021 doesn't have the Anime matrix option.

[@OmegaWaffle1235]

Should I buy G14 or G15?

[@karamsjourney]

Is the g15 running a 3070 or a 3060 in this comparison? Does anyone know?

[@cbutters]

3070

[@AntonCi]

Хороший обзор, хмм.

[@siddharthburman7556]

Damn, how are the keyboard decks so white on the g14s, it's completely silver irl

[@4lan]

Strix series please

[@hollymolly518]

how about the battery? is it better? or worse...

[@cbutters]

I've now had it long enough I can speak to this... If you have the 2020 configured right and it isn't glitching, they are pretty close... but with the 2021 its so easy to drop it into "Silent" mode and iGPU mode and get amazing battery life right out of the box easily.

[@hollymolly518]

@@cbutters IC thank you so much for replying, very helpful

[@TheMpxGaming]

Its so good in many ways and looks great but its not good at all for games, i wanted it so bad..

[@misterpro7903]

These are selling like hot cakes on bestbuy and ebay

[@aleeNL]

The nails.

[@thesexyskywalker3283]

Could you do something like this for the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE? I'm trying to decide between that and this Zephyrus G14. Ik the G14 is technically better overall but the Triton has a webcam at the same portability along with RGB lighting keyboard.

[@tom6655]

Great video, thanks man!