Approaching The Scene 293: Why The Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 Is My New Favorite Laptop

[@alvaro_solis]

I’ve just bought the 2022 model (i7 12700H / 16gb / RTX 3070Ti 8 GDDR6 / 2 Tb SSD), with the 3 buttons below the pad, not touchscreen but still amazing. Not a week using it but I hope last for a 5 to 6 years. And yes, the charger is bulky. Great video and new subscriber…!

[@PKperformanceEU]

hahahaha found another "future proofing" idiot of the day🤣🤣you dont need any of this power if you keep it for the next 5 years. People who actually need this much power will upgrade every 2 years to have the most power every period. Future proof morons please stop it only buy what you need and upgrade every 2-3 years

[@stonewheel2007]

I just picked one up and I love it. I had no laptop and was looking for suggestions. You were right with this one. Thanks!

[@Highigan]

Great review, just ordered this laptop for a work trip coming up and needing to edit on the road! Looks like a beast! Opped for the 4070rtx version tho, adding extra 4tb m.2 day 1 for sure! Great video appreciate the details and real world workload examples.

[@gosman949]

Highigan- how is the laptop doing. Is it noisy?

[@judithlapetino3614]

Thanks for the info. I also have the Dell XPS 15 (my second one in 5 years) and it is great to know there will be an option after retirement of the Dell. I loved my ASUS which I used between Dell 1 and Dell 2, and it was wonderfully configured but the size was only 13" so I no longer use for photo editing.

[@hoboshack1252]

Hi, I’m deciding between the RTX 4070 model and the RTX 3000ada model for architecture/ 3d rendering. Which one would do a better job?

[@GaryBeilby]

Great video, thanks. I've also been using an XPS 15 for about 6 years - loved its 4k touchscreen and solid power. But at the same time as I get big serious Microsoft end of life screen (it's limited to Win10 apparently) telling me support stops in 2025 I start noticing variable slow downs and other weird behavior - last few days it refuses to display the battery icon in the task bar. Ramble ramble - Anyway I ordered this ProArt - so thanks for your review. The alternative was the M3 Macbook Pro. I have the M1 Macbook in my home studio and it is an absolute beast for massive computing power from minimal battery power. If I'm ever going out camping/photography I'm bringing the mac not a windows laptop. The battery life isn't even comparable. But this is for my work computer - it will hardly ever come off my desk. And that OLED touchscreen - and a pen that works directly on the screen AND on the touchpad - like a built in wacom - AND the funky jog-wheel - That is worth far more than the extra horsepower (even though it's like, waay extra) for me. Plus - It's essentially also a gaming PC! Granted it's not entirely gaming optimised - but it looks like it will run most recent stuff fine at 1080p. Unlike a Macbook!

[@patrickmolloy6994]

as a former software developer I've been a Windows person for ever, but for my photo stuff, nothing came close to my 2017 iMac 5k 27". Now that it's so slow with these big files, and that A doesn't support it anymore (can't upgrade the OS anymore), it's time to upgrade. This is a pretty informative video, so thank you. I'm waiting to see if Apple come out with the rumoured 32" iMac with a 5k screen.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

When it comes to desktops, it's very hard to beat the Studio with the BenQ 32" monitor in my links. I can grumble about the lack of upgradeabilty, but it's rock solid, fast, powerful, dead silent and tiny. 6 thunderbolt ports, 128GB, and built in 10 GBe don't hurt. The BenQ monitor is a dream. It'll last through many computers and calibrates so well and easily. Apple seems to believe screen calibration isn't important anymore. I'm not in that camp. ;)

[@petersmith4098]

I have upgraded my 2012 Mac Mini to the very latest OS

[@cohoonatube]

Great review as always Hudson, thanks! Is your main draw for the PC laptops the touchscreen / upgradability / Ports? I’m an automation engineer by day on windows but very tied in to Mac at home… can’t believe the performance of the Arm chips… using a Mac Mini for everything I need both for my photography and music recording (next will probably be the Mac Studio :D). But, I actually prefer Windows… or I did till 11 came out. Mac OS seems to get more and more fiddly vs. streamlined, so I’m in the middle of some decision making. Love ASUS laptops. All our Laptops are currently Lenovo X Yogas (touchscreen, tablet mode, ports, no bloatware), same reasons you gave for the Asus. Trying to decide whether to stay Mac or move everything to Windows… was ready to move back to PC when I actually was forced to use 11 at work…

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Dude I can relate! I built all my own PCs in the 90s and early 2000s until Vista drove me to Mac. Then the Trashcan Mac Pro and it's successor drove me to try a pimped out Dell XPS-SE desktop with Thuderbolt and Windows 10. I was blown away how much I loved it. It's still driving a lot of my network and doing video renders in the back of the studio. I've added raided SSDs as a scratch drive, a bigger power source, bigger NVMe drive, better RAM and faster NVIDIA cards to it to keep it's i9 humming. When my Macbook Pro started driving me nuts, I grabbed an OLED touch XPS-15 with Windows 11 and upgraded the desktop to the M1 Mac Studio Ultra. I feel the same way about Mac OS. I'm still clinging to OS12 in the Studio because every new version just seems to get worse to my mind. The new print driver interface is horrific in Ventura on. I find Windows 11 fine as long as you go in and get rid of some of it's annoying features. You can trim it to a really nice OS and the File Explorer is a big improvement on 10s. I even bit the bullet and upgraded the old XPS desktop to 11 too. The Studio is fabulous, but I hate some of the dumb decisions that they stick to with it. There's no reason they couldn't put a little beutifully designed door in it or two to upgrade RAM and swap out a couple of NVMe drives. No reason except designed obsolecense. That's why I went for the Ultra. 6 Thunderbolt ports and 128GB of RAM. There's no way to upgrade later... It's good for me to keep my feet in both worlds to help all the workshop students, but I fully believe that Windows has the ship steering true and I don't think that Mac does.

[@cohoonatube]

Your reply starting with "Dude" was enough to make my night lol (grew up in Sac / Tacoma). Thankful I'm not the only one with printer issues! Zero problem with our Epson's until Ventura! ...and though Vista was a nightmare, Windows 8 prior to 8.1 even more so for me. Glad to hear you are liking Windows 11, I need to upgrade one of my Yogas to Pro and give it a test drive. The one I'm using is a very locked down proprietary variant (large energy company). All the tricks to revert the Start menu close to it's amazing W10 functionality is stripped. I agree with your observation of Apple's trajectory... Apple was Apple because Jobs was a tyrant in many ways lol... takes someone with that level of tenacity for a particular vision, design, etc. to pull off what Apple had become... of course he did leave us with the trashcan as a parting gift. The cheesegrater was even worse. Still thankful to have such great options... all 1st world "problems". Thanks for your response Brother. Though I switched to the A7IV, I never miss any of your videos and you, your channel and the other Nikon-esque creators out there have me hoping the Z6III / Z7III is everything I need to jump back :D. Thanks again!

[@totalmonkeyspeed260]

Did you really use the alternative power supply and test it out? My new studiobook is not accepting power via USB-C and the Asus portable usb-c charger is not approved for the studiobook. So just wondering if the charger you recommend really works with no hassles or risks to the laptop. It would be a convenient solution. Thanks.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Worked for a month for me

[@DannySaladbar]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto so just a month that don't help much

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

@@DannySaladbar I had the laptop on loan from B&H to test for a month and it had zero issues being powered that way the whole time. I'm sure it would still be fine powered that way now.

[@ivaneberle3972]

The M2/M3 equivalent Snapdragon Gen3 machines may not smoke a maxxed-out i9, but most of the manufacturers will be migrating their laptops and tablets this year for power management and heat. They won't need the bricks for chargers

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Yeah, it was nice that this one worked fine too with the minix 140W charger via TB. I had to test it and was glad it showed no slow charging or non-standard power adapter warning and kept me charged at 100% while editing. Heat management just wasn't an issue at all. Crazy cool cooling design for a laptop.

[@brunomooser1204]

Thanks for the nice review.Do you have any issues by charging , that the device gets very hot, even when its switched off? I saw this by another yt channel.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I did not. Nope. I think it cools better than any other powerful laptop I've used before.

[@paulaoakes3566]

Hudson -- I would like to max out the storage. if I add another 4 tera bytes will windows see it as one drive or will it be partitioned?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

You can run two 4TB drives as two single partitions.

[@alaikens6353]

We photographers (and videographers) tend to process at the high end of our computer's performance capabilities, so we want more. Therefore, we're looking for computers that have an array of configuration options or can grow with us. This video demonstrated a good on ASUS and bad on Dell in this regard. It seems that Dell, like Apple, are constraining configurations for a premium price while relying more on external devices. For example I have a 2-year old Dell XPS 15 and I just upgraded my second SSD slot from a 2TB drive to a 4TB Lexar SSD on sale for $220. Configuring the new XPS 16 on the Dell website, the single 4TB SSD is a $700 upgrade from the standard 512GB SSD. Are you kidding me! Planned obsolesce at a premium price. I would hazard a guess that the built-in capabilities your Mac Studio will be exceeded by your needs, or the needs of new or upgraded software before you care to invest in replacing it 4, 5, or 6 years from now.

[@roythoman4137]

I was wondering how you found the keyboard? It looks like a nice keyboard but I'm worried about it being pushed toward the display panel. Did that make it odd typing on it? I know that's to make room for the fancy touchpad. I don't work well with touchpads and I use a mouse. I probably wouldn't use this one either. Also the dial, does that interfere with typing at all? Other wise I really like this unit. Oh, is the bottom aluminum as well or is that plastic? Thanks!

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I liked the keyboard. It didn't feel too close to me and I got used to the wheel position quickly. I don't remember, but I think it was metal. I didn't pull it open to be sure though.

[@boboneill1828]

How is the screen for fingerprint rejection? I've always been wary of touch screens as marks get in the way of editing. Certainly wouldn't work on my Macbook Air. I certainly agree with you about Macbook's total lack of customisability.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Like a nice tablet. :) it resists prints, but over time you see them as they build up when you shut down. It cleans in seconds with a microfiber. It's nicer than my XPS touch OLED and it's great. I couldn't go back to a laptop without touch now. No way.

[@decisiveman78]

Glass screen or that film coding on top? I love a nice glass screen. I hate when they put that film coding on it to prevent reflection 🤮

[@gordonnorman8259]

Like you, I've been a contented XPS (13, 15, 17) user for many years doing stills/video editing and am a bit surprised you would favor that nice ASUS model over the top XPS17 (assuming it fits your backpack) with the more powerful RTX 4080 GPU, more Tbolt ports, larger touchscreen, etc...?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I wouldn't if they were continuing to make it this year. The 16" XPS I'm describing with the soldered in Ram, single M.2 header, Micro-SD slot and short throw butterfly keyboard replaced the 15 and 17" both for 2024. They're still selling the last 2023s, but when they're gone, that's it. That's why I tested this in the first place.

[@ungood_developmen]

I'm seeing lots of negative reviews for the ProArt 16 claiming that the OLED touchscreens are distractingly grainy and have a "mesh screen" effect. They say it's most noticeable in the whites and up close. What's your take on that? Is it a problem at all? Ty!

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

LMAO. Best laptop screen I've used yet personally. It's not my BenQ 32" photographer's screen I use with the Mac Studio, but it's better than the XPS 15 or Macbook Pro 16 I have been using prior. The new Macbook Pro's won't even let you hardware calibrate the XDR displays either. Nice screen, but really? No, this screen is amazing. I certainly never saw anything remotely like what you're describing. When my XPS-15 goes, this is the laptop I'm getting.

[@ungood_developmen]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto Right on! Good to know. Thanks for sharing your perspective on this. It's super helpful. Cheers!

[@stanislasflipo7214]

I have it, having OCD the graininess drives me crazy but I got used to it after a few months

[@jwsmith6075]

I just got mine, the Minix P140, the mag cable and rt-angled adapters (just as you listed). But other than your video here, I can't find anything talking about USB-C charging or any details we need to know. You showed plugging it into the first (frontmost) USB-C port on the right side. Am I correct that either Asus port on that side will safely charge via USB-C? And do you use the full 140w Minix port?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Yes, yes and yes. :)

[@senerhayat]

00:14; 08:16 Wondering how you can comfortably use the mouse when one of the type-c ports is plugged in like that. A very thoughtless port placement on my part. Care to comment on that?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I didn't notice that being an issue at all. Not even a once. Maybe in the days of long-headered, less flexible USB 2.0 cables that would be a concern...? Not with our modern flexible thunderbolt/USB-C cables. I work exclusively with a MX Master 3S and never noticed it once. What I did notice was how great an idea it was for Asus to put the fan's exhausts arrayed straight of the back and rear sides of the case where you'd traditionally expect ports. Efficient and much more comfortable. I think the port placement enables that very wise and innovative move.

[@senerhayat]

Thank you. As a whole package it's nice that it allows the back to be used as an exhaust front, but a better implementation of this is the Scar 16 (albeit it's a gaming laptop, but still) where almost every port is on the left and the whole back is an exhaust. As for flexible cables, I guess one can try and find angled ones which don't protrude that much to the right so you can prevent them from occupying mouse space.@@HudsonHenryPhoto

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

There are also the 40gb/s 240W right angle magnetic USB4 adapters I link in this video's description. 2 are quite reasonable. This machine COOLS because it's the whole back and 1/3 of each side. Most quality, fast thunderbolt and USB4 cables are quite flexible today and they have tiny usb-c headers. It's a non issue.

[@gosman949]

When is your solar eclipse presentation coming? I am presenting to my camera club my pics from 2017 and "how to" photograph the upcoming solar eclipse. I have my method but I'm not a good teacher. Will be interesting to see how you teach it.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Next week

[@princess544]

Can i put cf express card in the card slot??plz reply

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

@@princess544 no. You need a cf express reader. It has an SD slot. I know of no computer with a built in CF express reader. (A or B)

[@user-le7yo1hp8n]

Hi thanks for your review i will be purchasing this laptop!! Could you please suggest a monitor that would work be for this?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I've got all that in my digital darkroom links at www.hudsonhenry.com/atslinks

[@gosman949]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto BenQ 27 inch no longer available on your link with Amazon

[@kuau714]

when you did the large pano how was the fan noise and how does it compare to you XPS 15 in terms of fan noise

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Very quiet and MUCH quieter.

[@thomastuorto9929]

Temps during heavy editing& comparison vs Apple's M processor macbooks? Your thoughts please.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Certainly better than the M1 16"MBP I last used. It's got an insane fan setup and it's brilliant how it blows straight out the back and each side instead of down into your lap or desk. But again. Untill Apple reopens the case to let me access ram and ssd as well as gives me a touch oled... I've no interest.

[@PKperformanceEU]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto Apple doesnt feel the loss of you believe me kek. We dont want powerhungry slow replacable DDR ram ever again in laptops. As for temps not even close to apples 16inch laptops those idle at 35c fans turned off. Performance is better on M3max by about 30% in multi core as well as single threaded loads. Macbook wins no question. if money isnt a thing

[@cboj64]

Need to replace laptop. I was Looking at the B&H vs the Amazon link. It seems the Amazon is a bit higher performance (Processor speed and video card) any thoughts? At least about which has a better video card?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

They're both fabulous. The B&H is a bit more geared to creators VS gamers with the graphics card. The gamers are insanely demanding though and both NVIDIA cards will be amazing. I doubt you'll be able to tell any real world difference. You can't really go wrong on that decision.

[@davidluery477]

What is the actual model number of your XPS 15? It might be possible to pick up one used or refurbished. Thanks.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

It's pretty old a 9510

[@davidluery477]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto Thanks.

[@tobiashoier1]

hi what pen can you use for the proart studio book 16 W706 :)

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

The one that comes with it is great. I didn't treat any others.

[@RadAlzyoud]

One main reason I will never consider a laptop like this is that I can’t use the full performance on battery. Funny, I was at B&H this week and handled this specific laptop. That wheel is awkward and very sensitive for my taste.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Hmmm. I love the wheel. Took a day to get the feel and I miss it now after a couple of weeks. I find you don't need the Max performance mode. None of my demos were done with it. Performance mode was all I used and that works fine on battery. Any time you're editing 4k video or rendering panos a laptops battery will drain quick. That's true of all brands and os's. I did test battery life. My wife and I watched 4 hours of streaming video on it before I got a low battery warning. Not bad in my book for a machine like this. :)

[@sakibkhondaker]

Will charging with Type C cause any damage in long run?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Absolutely not

[@sakibkhondaker]

​@@HudsonHenryPhoto Another Question please. Some people says this model gets too hot while charging.

[@Pengranger]

I just couldn’t go back to a Windows laptop. I use one for work and can’t wait to get back to a MacBook.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I feel the exact opposite. 😂 I think apples headed backwards these days. Piss off Nvidia, resist touch screens, seal the entire thing so you can't upgrade. No thanks!

[@MichaelNarlock]

I’m in the market for a new laptop. Does this fit into the nya-evo 60c? @hudsonhenryphoto

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

yes, but not in the laptop/hydration sleeve. I find that pulling the velcro on the internal divider and slipping it behind the RCI is the way to go. Fits snug and is quite well protected. After all, that puts it behind the laptop sleeve. You can leave the internal divider in, you just pull the velcro enough to slip the laptop past it from the main upper compartment. It'll make sense if you try it with your current laptop. :-)

[@MichaelNarlock]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto Much thanks! I actually received my proart yesterday and that was the location I ended up putting it as the laptop sleeve was just a bit too narrow. Thanks again!

[@roybixby6135]

OLED is great when its new but i'm not happy about changing screens every 2-3 years ...🦘

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Haven't had that issue with my aging xps15 or my Samsung the frame TV or my Toshiba OLED. I don't know anyone else who has either.