ASUS ROG Ally + XG Mobile Review

[@stevenliu1377]

People tend to overlook the "mobile" in XG Mobile. It's meant to be _mobile._ The XG Mobile is 1200g _with 330W power supply integrated._ To put that in perspective, Lenovo's 300W power brick weighs 940g _by itself._ Your average gaming laptop weighs around 2500g. The XG Mobile is something you can take with you in place of a power supply to turbo-boost your RoG Ally on the go. It's a _mobile_ dock + power supply. RoG Ally + XG Mobile together weighs 1808g. That's roughly half the weight of an average gaming laptop + power brick. A small PC easily weighs 5 to 10 times as much.

[@mattreigada3745]

That's the best justification I've heard for the product line so far. I've been looking at the ROG Ally vs Ayaneo/GPD and I haven't been able to come up with one reason anyone would ever want to buy the XG mobile with an Ally instead of a handheld with USB4 and a TH3 enclosure for a full desktop class GPU. I'm not sure I'm sold that its a use case I would run into that much myself, but I can at least kind of see it now. Maybe someone travels a lot and wants to be able to set up a more permanent station in their hotel room with something that easily fits in luggage.

[@zacthegamer6145]

Not really. Meh

[@baohoaily]

Agreed. Perhaps plunking down for the 4090 version and swapping for the next gen Ally in a couple years would be viable too. More cpu performance and 32GB standard in 2 years would be 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@Clariselol]

a laptop you can carry in onehand. you need both hands to carry a rog ally + the mobile GPU + all the cables and power bricks

[@SOF006]

@@Clariselol Why are you carrying your gaming laptop around in your hand?

[@Grimlo9ic]

Thanks for taking into account how it actually feels to use and interact with the setup, Russ. I always appreciate that you go beyond just the tech specs in your reviews.

[@volcalstone]

I now have the XG Mobile 6850M XT with my Ally. One tip for sure that you need to do is set your iGPU vram to Auto instead of 4G which is the default. You could do this in Armoury Crate or the bios. This will give you 15.7GB of usable RAM instead of 11.7GB. This will make a big difference when you are running your XG Mobile harder at higher resolution like 4K.

[@bigseek00]

Thanks I jist brought that 6850

[@AlexRubio]

​@@bigseek00where did you buy it?

[@aleclap7761]

Hello, have you game crash with XG Mobile? I can't play with Modern Warfare 3( direct x error afer few seconds), Forza Motorsport(crash After shaders compilation), Remnant 2( crash After few seconds), I try with différent AMD Drivers, Asus support incrément official drivers, they don't work. Some other games run with no problems( Racket and Clank, Forza Horizon 5, Horizon zéro down...). "

[@volcalstone]

@@aleclap7761 mine doesn't crash with either Forza. It's been great so far. I just use whatever ASUS supply when it comes to the drivers. Nothing beyond that.

[@saintlaurent367]

​@aleclap7761 upgrade to windows 10 lol

[@schtoltheimreinbach]

I guess it's time to upgrade my 5 year old gaming laptop with gtx 1070 on it lol. My days of heavy gaming are now limited now that I am older. With this, an hour or two on the desk or on the couch is perfect for me. good review!!

[@SwiftMood]

This is so awesome. Asus website literally put the 6850 on sale from 1k to $799 recently. Picked one up myself last night and plan to make it my handheld/main PC as well. Thanks for your hard work

[@SwiftMood]

@@XFactorSports I watched ETA primes video on it and boom, I found myself listing my MSI laptop last night. I must of lowballed it because somebody in CT bought it within an hour 🤣

[@PlasmaSnake369]

Right now their website says it's $2,000 and it's out of stock

[@jesusbarrera6916]

@@PlasmaSnake369 that's the 4090..

[@manoo2056]

In flow x13 there were issues connecting the external GPU. The connector got stuck pretty often in some models. Hope that doesn't happen here.

[@HPPrintervx4p5q]

The steep price is actually a lot more palatable when you realise it's very portable and a full on usbc docking station. Not to mention that egpu cases are often hundred of dollars without a gpu.

[@piplup10203854]

I like how even in the first minute you have addressed like one of the biggest problems of a gaming rig, it's the heat. That is the number one reason why I'm looking to minimize my desk setups, I'd like to just use the bulk of my computing and work on my Macbook and then have a windows handheld device to replace a traditional gaming rig because the heat is outrageous lol like you said when it's just kicking hot air constantly against your feet it's just uncomfortable and your son is so lucky! My dad wasn't huge on gaming but we did play games when I was around that age so I hope he knows how lucky he is that his dad loves games and wants to share it.

[@jesusbarrera6916]

Get an AIO...

[@Dracossaint]

@@jesusbarrera6916 an AIO isn't going to stop it from dumping heat It's just going to make it more efficient at dumping heat....

[@luis51785]

DAMN WE ARE LIVING IN EXCITING TIMES , I preordered an ALLY, can’t wait to pick it up!!!

[@metagaminguniversemgu2240]

I'm doing this setup as well. Ordered the XG Mobile 6850 XT from Asus on sale for 799. Its here waiting on my Ally preorder. I'm hooking it up to a portable 60hrtz 15 inch Oled monitor when docked. This realizes the Switch dream to have a mobile PC with reasonable performance when handheld, and increased performance when docked. Its really good to see the 6850 XT outperform the 3080 version of the XG Mobile. I bought the 6850 XT because it was 799 vs the 1499 of the 3080 model based on price, but would have picked the 3080 if price was the same. Looks like I got the best of both worlds of less price and more performance. Sweet.

[@AnDroid0587]

Can't find them anywhere now, I'm really bummed because I had planned to get one the pay period after my Ally! 😅

[@garydbz6240]

I only discovered you a short time ago when i was looking for some cheap anbernic console info and gameplay i love the work you do and it's top quality. Please keep these coming.

[@johnadams9314]

Thanks for another great video. I fall into both 2 and 3, I usually game on a gaming laptop, but that’s just about to give up and I want a small form factor. As a result I’ve ordered both the Ally and the XG mobile. I really wish it wasn’t proprietary or just that there was more choice within the ASUS range of laptops that work with it if I ever wanted to get a laptop to go with the xg mobile. But I’m not regretting my order (yet) Also, here in Scotland that hot air output is a bonus not a drawback!

[@InVaZiOnAzN]

im pretty sure there will be people that will have converters and stuff made to do third party, which i hope people do then it will make it way more versatile and worth it to get the xg mobile.

[@EZOnTheEyes]

I absolutely love the design and concept, but at these pricepoints I just can't enter the market. The GPU Dock seems incredibly useful too, ive loved seeing the developments on the tech over the few years. Can't wait to see what's next for Handheld PC's!

[@Jaxv3r]

Yeah it's really bad when a ROG mobile gpu is expensive as 800$ gpu, but less power/has the power of a 250$ gpu, well for some people they have their different use, and might be helpful for them.

[@rustyshakelford1466]

Buying a $1000+ eGPU that is fundamentally throttled in performance for a $700 mini PC makes no sense at all. Making your own setup using Oculink costs half as much even considering your have to buy your own GPU and PSU, while delivering comparable performance (or any performance you want, you can use any GPU).

[@doctuls]

makes no sense at that price, its better to have a full PC and the ally for mobile gaming.

[@doctuls]

and you can build a really small Full PC nowadays

[@sergiohernandez7321]

@@rustyshakelford1466the ally doesn’t support occulink right?

[@vjallen75]

Thank you for keeping the XG Mobile review simple and easy to understand. I’ve been looking into getting one of these because I’m unable to use my gaming PC but I’d still like to be able to have the same power. The XG Mobile is a bit pricey for me but it’s something worth considering.

[@gamers-generation]

Thanks Russ for another great one! Something to keep in mind for someone looking into this setup: 1. If you're looking up comparisons online, these XG mobile GPUs are mobile or laptop grade graphics. So if you see a comparison of RTX 3080 vs RX 6800XT and you're surprised by the differences with this video, this might be the reason (besides bandwidth of the XG connector). 2. $1500 doesn't include the cost of other peripherals for a full desktop setup like monitor, keyboard, and mouse which do add up! 3. The ROG ALLY can't use other external GPU solutions like the Razer Core or the upcoming GPD G1 as an alternative because the device doesn't have USB4; so you are stuck with XG mobile graphics for this specific use case.

[@Dracossaint]

Let's not forget about USB 4 being non-standard. This USB 4 only supports these features of USB 4, while this one supports all of them 😫

[@crestofhonor2349]

This is better than the other eGPU setups as it's not bottlenecked by the lower bandwidth of those eGPUs

[@gamers-generation]

@@crestofhonor2349 You're correct about the higher bandwidth, but the XG mobile GPUs are still using a mobile version of said graphics solution. You can't easily compare them to a desktop solution plugged into a PCIE3/4/5x16 slot without doing a decent amount of leg work.

[@gamers-generation]

@@Dracossaint USB4 protocols (and USB3 for that matter) are non standard in their application I agree but I'm not sure what you mean by "this one supports all of them"?

[@Dracossaint]

@@gamers-generation well some of them support EGPU, some of them don't, some of them support display, out some of them don't etc etc. Microsoft is actually been the big proponent on standardizing USB 4 this time around. Look into their definition of it and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[@beachstl]

This video convinced me to buy the XG Mobile, specifically the 6850 XT. You were modest and not over hyping it. Just seeing the functionality and the simplicity was enough for me. This is my first real pc gaming experience and I was going to buy the ally anyway. I want that real switch pro experience that can play triple A games with powerful performance docked and portable. Great video. Well done.

[@BRN2BNDAIR]

Same man this will be my first pc gaming experience I'm excited!! I want that switch emulator to do TOTK 4K 60fps

[@HyperScorpio8688]

While the 3080 version would be better, the 6850M XT is already impressive so you really didn't make a mistake

[@chuythebeast7]

Just finished setting up my new XG Mobile 3080 with my ROG Ally and the first game I tested was Spiderman. 1440p I was locked in at a steady and very smooth 60fps and same with Elden Ring at Maxed out settings. The combo is a beast. Your video is great but I do believe that it contains inaccurate testing, It would be great to see an updated version of this video as it would provide a more clear view on both the 3080 and 6850mXT.

[@Uncharted95]

Does the 3080 + Ally do 4k 60fps or?

[@Awaitedkid]

​@@Uncharted95yes

[@mileskt9232]

Yea, something is wrong with this. Maybe drivers, but it's odd as other reviews show the 3080 stronger than the 6850 on average

[@itisWhatitis12345]

Damm this is exactly what I was debating to buy or not. And you made this exact video. Super helpful. The conclusion is amazing as I want to replace my velka 7 SFFPC with something even more portable for flights. Also soon I'll have to be traveling between two houses frequently and I don't wanna build a 2nd PC. The velka 7 sffpc turned out to be a lot more weight (7kg+peripherals=10kg) and cumbersome than I had anticipated for my backpack and setup.

[@Awaitedkid]

Darn, so you're saying that for you, an Ally with an eGPU is THE optimal option lol.

[@darren591]

A handheld like this with an external GPU could be a full on desktop replacement. Personally I'm gonna wait a year or so for something that hopefully has an OLED screen and better battery life. Love that there are so many options coming out, hopefully it only gets more and more competitive.

[@briceofrivia926]

I just watched a test about the new Gpd Win Max 2, it has an external GPU too and it's a monster, also the screen is way more attractive

[@creaturecore13]

@@briceofrivia926 The win max 2 is in a form factor that doesnt make sense. At that point why not just get a 14" laptop power house from asus, razer, or msi? The win 4 on the other hand is a handheld i am looking forward to seeing with the new apu.

[@zakugodofwar1005]

It seems like the XG mobile is housing a laptop GPU anyway, how isit a desktop replacement, it's a laptop replacement

[@milkyy4168]

Unfortunately even ryzen 7040 chips aren’t too great at low wattages, like the one shown in this video. You’ll only get good battery life at low wattages, and currently x86 chips can’t do so while also getting stellar performance. Plus, an oled screen would make power draw worse.

[@serngamer1569]

@@milkyy4168 i would also add the risk of burn in with the oled screen. I usually have my laptop with the same image most of the time

[@eatyoursupper]

Can't they just release an XGM interface EGPU enclosure instead of some proprietary laptop GPU BS. Lot of us already support ASUS through their overpriced Desktop GPUs.

[@moonthor3]

I think the concept as a whole is really cool and exciting to see how it’s developing. However I think it’s important to note that ASUS ROG “all-in-one” devices have always struggled with heat displacement and fan noise issues. I’d love to see them improve on that with the XG mobile

[@kordellgreen9794]

Just watched a review and said they couldn’t hear the fans at all we shall see but it was up 70s celcius

[@creaturecore13]

For anyone wondering about just actual power differences between the laptop gpu and a full gpu in a thunderbolt enclosure, jarrods tech compared the XD 3080 with a full 3080 2 years ago and the XD mopped the floor with it. Thunderbolt is just very limiting. So even if you could upgrade the gpu in the future, it probably wouldnt give better performance then the XD gpu for at least a second generation. What i would like to see Asus do is instead release a gpu enclosure where you can buy your own gpu but uses the asus connector. Because then at least you can upgrade it as you see fit and not have the bandwidth limit of thunder bolt.

[@JarrodsTech]

RIP Thunderbolt

[@p5rsona]

@@JarrodsTech loooll

[@thehumanracesucks1017]

I own a few of their other line of products that use the XGmobile. it's a proprietary 8lane pci-e direct connector, it's well better than tb4. I own the z13 with the nvidia gpu. The 3080 xg mobile mops the floor with the XT xg mobile... but the x13 with the dedicated amd gpu preforms well better with the XT xg mobile than the Nvidia xg mobile. The problem here is that the driver bloat just isnt fleshed out when AMD & Nvidia drivers overlap. Asus hasn't figured a solution after a year or so of acknowledging the issue. If you get the Ally, the XT is the way to go. But this is not indicative of the 3080xg mobile. (note that asus even had to help get the drivers to get this man's xg3080 to even work with the ally - proving the lack of driver support for amd base to nvidia xg) You also don't account for these being heavily modified laptop gpus, not full desktop gpu, but it's not your average 45w-75w laptop gpu. But for reference, i have an i7 11700k & 3080 desktop, the z13 tablet w/ i9 11gen & the 3080xg, the z13&3080xg actually out performs my desktop in just about every game. So this is 100% a viable solution to desktop gaming. i play at 1440p @165hz. Most games run at med-high at 165hz. It's quite a hoss. It wouldn't surprise me if the XT xg mobile would give you roughly the same performance as it's desktop counterpart. These external gpu's aren't as limited as tb4 external gpus are. but i think you're right, i don't think tb4 even after another gen, will still be able to touch these.

[@GrrOnyou1337]

exactly the question i had. Thanks for your test!

[@bnr32jason]

I'm so conflicted on these. I love the idea of having a single device with eGPU dock that increases performance so well. $800 is just so much and the fan noise is a concern. Maybe you could rig something to mount everything under the desk so you don't have to hear the fan as much. So $700 for a ROG Ally + $800 for the eGPU, or $700 for the Ally + $800 for a MiniITX PC build. Not sure which is really the best solution.

[@WuFluChan]

If your trying to save room and not have to load everything to two devices get this if not go with the ally and itx or could just wait for an aftermarket solution to use a regular egpu with this connector. I’m thinking about selling all of my rigs except my sim racing rig because all I use is handhelds now

[@bnr32jason]

@@WuFluChan Space isn't really an issue for me, and I'm already pretty happy with my setup (desktop + Ayaneo 2). But I could see doing something like this to replace my kids desktop PCs. Both have 9700K's with 2070's, so a couple generations old now, but they run great, would be cool for them to have something to bring on road trips though. Really I'm just thinking out loud at this point, I'm not in any hurry to make any changes.

[@Dracossaint]

@@bnr32jason personally I would suggest a steam deck instead and Install windows on it if game compatibility is a concern. Well for road trips that is, $400 each and get a 512gb SSD and swap it in. They're about $40-50 a SSD.

[@WuFluChan]

@@bnr32jason dang they better buy you a worlds best dad mug lol. Personally don’t see any reason to upgrade from 2070s unless they are gaming at 4K. The only advantage I see to this setup is having everything on one device instead of two

[@bnr32jason]

@@WuFluChan right, it's not about upgrading, they play Minecraft and Roblox and some other small games. It's about giving them something to bring along with them other than an iPad. Like I said, not going to do anything right now, they are fine as is.

[@Playerdrew10]

I was actually surprised at the docked performance of the Ally on its own. I wonder what the video editing would be like? I might go for this around Black Friday or holiday season.

[@eros2144]

Waiting for Black Friday is super smart. Me i cant lol. I ordered 2 of these ❤❤❤

[@N54htmare]

@@eros2144 yea even at it’s price now it’s pretty good

[@kylerobinson6102]

It would be easier to justify a purchase if it was about 20%-30% cheaper imo.

[@Leynad778]

If you want an Ally, better order soon. I've ordered it last week and get it (allegedly) around the 14th of June and ordering now it's already the 7th of July.

[@OhmyJeebuss]

@@Leynad778Where did you read that? 👀I just ordered mine about an hour ago and it says delivery date is june 13

[@1977themayanpriest]

Im a farmer and I travel alot to my fields in the mountains ...this set up is just amazing ,ive got it all set up in my cabin and its so easy to just put in my back pack and go back to the city when I want to ...

[@TBoogy3]

Thanks so much for this video. I've seen one similar so far, but I needed a second opinion.

[@steveybiggunzgaming8118]

I got the 6850 xg mobile on sale for 800 down from 1400, not bad. Best Buy price matched that price from Asus.

[@jayhub24]

Yo, good shit! Just saw this and doing the same thing!

[@paullawson3558]

nobdy cares

[@buhshmuh]

​@@paullawson3558 i do, probably because i did the same thing lol

[@DayOfTheDad]

This is the exact thing I was thinking about doing! I have my main gaming computer listed on marketplace now... Awesome video, and weirdly relevant 😂

[@ryanoliver960]

This was a fantastic video, Russ! One of your best I think. I love that you tested games you don't normal test and stayed away from easier to run indie games since this isn't why you need the XG Mobile. I'd be curious to see benchmark comparisons to the 6850 and 3080 desktop variants to see the comparisons. Some of the results here shocked me by how poorly they seemed to perform for nearly top of the line last gen cards.

[@_TheElMan]

But he never used dlss which anyone would. DLSS Quality looks better than native and runs at least 25% faster

[@ctascmercdoc]

I have the same setup and love the XG mobile.... when it works as it should. The graphic performance when hooked up and active is awesome. I have an Alienware M17R5 with the AMD 6900HX and 3070ti and the Ally with the XG performs on par with it, if not better FPS. The upside to the Alienware is there are no issues swapping to the 3070ti. But having the ability to use the Ally as a hand held it wins hands down. It is definitely lighter than my laptop and the 780m is way faster than the 680m. Great video and looking forward to more on this.

[@shadowv4254]

I really enjoy the coverage and great freaking work man on this but the “all the same” is killing me in every video lol. Have a good weekend!

[@yountune9799]

Would have liked to see; playing on Ally (no external Monitor) taking advantage of the 120Hz screen on the Ally. Is it comfortable enough?

[@xoxollin]

imo the gpd win 4 is a better (or more complete) pc replacement in the sense that it has a built-in keyboard/mouse option for mobile computing as well as external gpu compatibility. id like to see a head-to-head between it and the ally!

[@LordShockwave9]

Yup, I'm going to fangirl for a moment: I have that same case for my PCs! I love that case, it's a good cheap case, for sure, with good airflow, especially with RGB fans up front.

[@Dracossaint]

It does not have good air flow, but Ive always liked the look of it personally. (Theirs more metal than perforation, I think gamers Nexus measured it %70 metal and %30 holes. It's roughly equivalent to having a single fan slot and the rest of it being a solid panel)

[@AkaHoodie]

​@@Dracossaintto each it's own

[@Dracossaint]

@@AkaHoodie agreed, it's more along the lines of fact checking. Because Cool Master used to have it listed as having great air flow when it's not and selling something on lies is not something I'm a fan of. Again I like the look of it :), just it doesn't have great air flow. That's up to the individual user if they care that much

[@harveysmith4424]

That 6850xt has really great performance, I'm surprised to see the 3080 mobile performance like that(worse than expected) as well, thought it would be closer to the 6850xt. If I could get into an ally and 6850xt for around $1000 maybe up to $1200 I'd cop them both but man that proprietary port makes it such a bummer.

[@Rachachachas]

Probably amd optimization. In intel cpus, benchmarks last year have the 3080 outperforming the amd one, though albeit slightly.

[@Dracossaint]

I forgot what they call it but AMD actually does have some optimizations that are between Ryzen CPUs and Radeon GPUs. It was some marketing point they had.

[@OaklandTae]

most of those games are console ports, which were made and optimized for the AMD cpu/gpu so they run better on the 6850. Most games outside of that will be about 12% better on the 3080. Both will do well depending on what you play, obviously consider raytracing and upscaling as well.

[@kennymorelandiii9406]

​@dracossaint I want to say it was Rebar? Could be wrong but I know you're right there is an advantage if you're running all team red

[@Sethbacca]

Great vid. I’ve been contemplating this as a desktop replacement.

[@duderocks4209]

Great video. I subscribed. Keep the ROG ally videos coming. LFG.

[@philingram4810]

Good video answered a lot of my questions

[@frankpatterson9682]

Solid video! Always educational and entertaining. For a non savvy gamer like myself I appreciate ALL the information.

[@wynzavian2000]

I love the XG 4090 mobile. I have the z13 2023 and the ally. Only get the XG mobile if Asus is your go to brand (for gaming). Pricing is a little steep, but you can get it on sale depending on the timing and the retailer. Asus 4090 sales out all the time on the ASUS website but you can get notfied when its back in stock. The 3080 XG goes for 1000 on Asus. AMD XG is the best budget you can get it as low as 700 bucks. It is really overkill but at least Asus showing that they are willing to continue to support the XG mobile.

[@OpoSai]

The fact that the xg mobile is this amazing wow! Technology has come a long way

[@dingonunahir1]

the problem here is the low power cpu and possibly bandwidth limitations over an external connection. You probably will leave a lot of performance on the table despite paying a price premium. For home gaming, you can really build a low power gaming machine at home for the same price or less that consumes very little power and doesn't get hot. You just need to know which parts to pick for your usage.

[@stavroGR]

Here waiting for delivery!

[@christopher480]

hot air on your feet is only bad for you.....for the rest of us that do not live in a tropical climate....its a plus.

[@waswat]

I live in the Netherlands but I'd absolutely disagree.

[@Rachachachas]

Hooo boy. I have the 3080 xg mobile and it blows out heat like a portable heater lok.

[@PlasmaSnake369]

I was thinking of buying that same coolermaster for a build but I read it has por thermal performance

[@Dreamz_420_]

You ROG Ally fan boys are on some real copium when anything negative is said.

[@QuickJames]

Here in Canada that hot air would help in these cold weather keeping my feets warm

[@TrusteftTech]

I have a feeling this was design to be placed on the right side of the monitor/working space. :) I am more impressed of the 6850XT which I was not really aware of. Thanks for the video.

[@IzokatAdventures]

The Ally, along with an Innocn OLED portable monitor replaced my laptop all together, my travel bag is way lighter now carrying the Ally, monitor and a Keyboard/mouse combo plus I can just disconnect everything and play it as a handheld... I love it!!

[@Erw-In]

Hi Russ, great video again! Your videos have been a great help over the last year or soo to help me get into retro gaming. But, and this is a big one: You choose a bad case to put your desktop pc in. It has no airflow and components run hot, fans have to work harder and that is the reason for your issues with it. If you would change the case to a better one with actual airflow, add a fan or two and tune the fan profile, it would be whisper quiet, even under full load!

[@InTransit8911]

Asus really needs to release a full size egpu enclosure that uses the xg mobile connector. Using my rx 6800 with my Ayaneo 2 is underwhelming.

[@Wokisan]

The ROG Ally and Steamdeck are exciting to me (I have a deck) but honestly I just enjoy the process of picking parts and putting PCs together to ever want to fully replace desktop PCs. Heck, I still don't even have a laptop at this point.

[@solidust573]

That desktop could keep your feet warm in the winter ☃️😮

[@joeysherrett]

It would great if you could push past 1080p, especially while using the eGPU. It would definitely be able to hit 1440p 60fps and 4k 30fps in most games.

[@iseptimus]

I play at 1440P with the 3080 version, including RT Overdirve in Cyberpunk. It can do 4K medium settings on high end games. Doom Eternal will do Ultra Nightmare at 80-90ftps.

[@jamesyu5212]

It's a 6850M XT which is almost as powerful as a 6700XT. Of course it can do 1440p 60.

[@nesswatch7935]

Did you watch the video? Lol the egpu makes it push those frames at higher resolutions. If you’re only using the ally, then yes 1080p at 30fps is where that sits at without an egpu.

[@arthurmorgan1724]

This is exactly the settings that I have been requesting everyone to use in their videos I.e 1080p medium/high settings with the rog ally console only .

[@kevinmcdaniel871]

this is perfect for me as a truck driver I'm away 2 weeks at a time but now I can leave my ps5 at home I just pre ordered the ROG Ally and when I get the XG mobile I can game like I do at home w my 3090/I-9.

[@jordansell10]

Can’t wait to go pick mine up

[@pingping035]

Thanks for the video❤❤

[@PantsaBear]

There was something wrong with the 3080 when you were playing Elden Ring and Horizon. Even the power draw seems messed up, where in games like your Witcher comparison the power draw is much more similar and gives the performance youd expect. It's either some kind of driver, setting, or hardware error with that one most likely. I wouldn't really trust that data for the time being (maybe its a firmware thing?) Great video otherwise though, thank you for providing this info :)

[@Lead_Foot]

It looks like its running on the igpu. All the gpu usage is on gpu2

[@indifferenceytb9530]

I had the opportunity to compare both: the XG mobile RTX 3080 and RX 6850 on my rog flow z13. And at that time (7-8 month ago) 3080 was ahead of 6850 by 10-15% in almost all games. Moreover, Elden Ring at RTX 3080 at native 4k resolution that z13 have produced a stable 55-60 fps at medium-high. I'm very surprised at how badly the 3080 performed in his video.

[@PantsaBear]

@@indifferenceytb9530 Thanks for the comparison. Yeah something is up with either the Ally or settings for sure in the vid

[@PantsaBear]

​@@Lead_Foot I thought so too at first, but I'm not so sure since the gou that is clearly the egpu is still drawing a pretty high load, it just doesn't seem like the game is utilizing it properly. Very bizarre

[@harrydavey9884]

I didnt even know about this product. I wonder if a dock that increases desktop performance will be in the future of the Steam Deck. I always thought it would be a no brainer for The Switch tbh

[@RetroGameCorps]

I would love to see something like this from Valve!

[@akilclark2827]

Great video. I was thinking of getting this for my man cave. No room for a pc but this would work great connected to the ally and my tv

[@pauldeshield]

Not having USB 4 is a huge let down imo. Yes, I know the XG port has more bandwidth, but we are limited to the proprietary eGPU. Would be great if you could connect any eGPU and upgrade with any GPU. Why is the USB port not USB 4.0?

[@superregera799]

Hey Russ, crazy how we have almost the same spec Pc and we built them at basically the same time. I agree with you that it's a good system for the price. I've always been curious about the concept of replacing a desktop with something like this, but this just doesn't seem quite right. It actually seems like it takes up more space on your desk than your mini tower did. Plus, all of the delay, complication and extra noise just doesn't make it seem worth it. If someone can make a powerful PC handheld wtih eGPU that's as easy to dock as a Switch, I think we'd have a real winner on our hands. Thanks again for a great vid, man.

[@TheTyisawesome]

I like it so much when it goes on sale i'll buy one. I have pre-order the Ally to replace my current gaming PC

[@DizzyDJW]

That proprietary connector needs to bend at a 90 degree angle where it connects to the ROG Ally, leaving less than an inch sticking up and the rest sticking out at that 90 degress, in order for it to feel more secure and less cumbersome. That would be the change I'd hope to see.

[@PiggyDash]

So the setup costs you like $1500 all together?

[@das2003]

$1500 just for the Gpu and its a mobile version too, not a desktop. So in total, it's $2200.

[@pghj100]

​@D nah the 6850m is 799 the handheld is 699

[@Dracossaint]

@@pghj100 It dropped $400 right after he bought it

[@pghj100]

@@Dracossaint makes sense

[@xville8642]

Thanks Russ! I've replaced my desktop with the Intel NUC12 Extreme a year ago and I'm more than happy with it. For a handheld I will most probably go with the Steam Deck... It's something with the Ally that I'm not convinced yet.

[@Precyze]

Sick tattoo sleeve man 👌🏽🔥 thanks for the video

[@budman6137]

I was really hoping this was gonna be the XG Mobile 4090 version. I really wana see how the Ally pairs with it. I'm trying to get one but they're never in stock. Got notis on so hopefully I can catch one in the next batch

[@TBoogy3]

They haven't released it yet. It will be crazy good of course and I was gonna get it, but with the 6850 on sale for $800, it's hard to justify the 4090s $2000.

[@TheChillee]

It’s still the laptop version of 4090, so not the same, but it will be the apex performer for XG Mobile

[@DaveAdams222]

So I'm gonna go ahead and pick up that AMD external GPU to see what's what. I, too, have a gaming PC that's over-the-top and gets super hot. I think this combo will give me what I'm looking for with a walk-away option of a handheld. I'm curious as to how the emulation scene will evolve over the months into years.

[@ithildiess8305]

Does nobody use noctua coolers anymore ? I haven't had a hot pc in forever. Although I do also run an AC in my apartment so my room is never hot. If my GPU/CPU ever hit above 60-70 Celsius it would quickly get removed by the AC. Although summers are short here so it's just for 2-4weeks.

[@markderoller7645]

Great video!

[@timnowak8573]

As a concept on paper it looks ok. But when it comes to reality, you can be disappointed. Personally I think, a desktop computer is a much better option in my opinion. Especially if we consider using desktop mode more often because:. You can choose the format of the motherboard as well as the case, and build a small slim computer. Or a powerful and large workstation. In addition, you can choose components, including quieter and more efficient fans, etc. An important thing is also the possibility of replacing one component if it fails, you do not have to replace the entire device. An additional important thing for me is the ability to add a large number of disks for data. I mean 2.5 and 3.5 inches. In addition, you can use pci adapters, and install m2 format drives. Another advantage is adding a better sound card to the computer, which is especially important for music lovers. So to sum up. If Asus wasn't greedy for money, and used a universal USB4 connector, Thunderbolt or OcuLink would be much better. Not to mention that it would be a more convenient, cheaper, more accessible solution. And so it remains an expensive solution. Much better in this case was GPD with Win Max 2 refreshed version. Win Max 2 runs with OneDock eGPU, which is definitely cheaper. And an added bonus is the ability to add a graphics card depending on personal preference. .In addition, GPD has great expandability through two memory cards as well as the ability to mount, and use two m2 disks. For me personally, GPD wins, and is definitely the better choice in that regard.

[@ruihanazawa4136]

I fall into #2 &3. I don’t have a gaming desktop at the moment. I was looking at the Minisforum HX99G (RX 6600M) as my mini desktop gaming rig. However, since I’m getting the ROG Ally anyway, I figured the XG Mobile is a better solution (faster, too) at around the same price and I won’t have to ship the device to China if I need warranty. My brother and I each have our own gaming laptops but we share the same desktop setup (monitor, keyboard, mouse) when playing docked. I like the idea that we can each have our own Allies instead and just share the XG Mobile between us.

[@roumiaou]

Good & informative review.

[@itzdcx]

I can't wait to buy this!!!!! I love my Steamdeck but I want a External GPU gaming Setup!!!

[@cdwizzerd]

i have the flow x13 & XG mobile, & it’s an awesome set up. portable ultra book for music production and graphics that can turn into a desktop beast by just plugging it in. love it i end up needing the laptop form factor for productivity, but this handheld form factor looks perfect for my girl who loves her switch.

[@genio5311]

Please make a video comparing performance of the Ally with the Ayaneo 2 or another 6800u device at same TDP

[@ZeroDawnGaming91]

I am so excited for both units to arrive. This is legit mind blowing… how far we have come since the steam deck it’s insane

[@mechanicalmonk2020]

From a fully open system to one that uses proprietary tech. True advancement indeed.

[@ricardomartinez5687]

Great review

[@BassAnywhere]

I'm surprised by the performance difference between the 6850 XT and RTX 3080, shouldn't the latter be more powerful ? It's even more expensive, is it because it's older ?

[@jasontemlett]

So, I guess I'm an outlier here - I'm not actually a game player...... but I love the idea of a handheld version of a machine that can manage all the digital nonsense I get up to..... as an architect, teacher and illusionist it's a real mix. So somet I ing that could cope with general computing, media, resources and media etc.... and perhaps the occasional playing around with CAD, image manipulative and 3D/design work with something in pocket or at hand is a dream. I just so enjoy how you detail and explore what's hip and happening in the hardware world. Thanks! Russ: " ... a setup guide that justs says to plug it in" Rookie Me: " OH so its accessible, cool cool cool."

[@wusaint]

As much as I love my Steamdeck and have no desire to move over to the Ally, I will say that if you want something that you can dock and feasibly take the place of a full desktop this is the way to go. Yes I'd prefer to use a standard eGPU but if you don't mind spending the inflated prices and being stuck in a proprietary space this is great.

[@takashy87]

The idea of such a setup is nice, but considering the total price (Ally + mobile GPU) you can basically get a gaming laptop with similar (if not better?) specs Maybe it's different in the US, but over here in Europe, getting an Ally + XG Mobile (3080 or AMD from 2022) is roughly the same price as a gaming laptop with a 3080, where changing the SSD and RAM is an option, while it's only limited to the SSD on the Ally, not to mention the small form factor SSD limiting it even more (just as on the Deck) Only difference to me seems to be if you prefer a laptop (larger screen, keyboard, more upgradability options) VS having a more handheld'y device that you can dock to a very expensive external GPU 😅

[@LuisPerez-5]

I will just get the Ally and wait for those eGPUs to go down in price

[@takashy87]

@@LuisPerez-5 I was thinking the same, but looking at the prices of the XG Mobiles from 2021 and 2022 (3080 / AMD), they're both still pretty dang expensive somehow the AMD one from 2022 is actually cheaper than the 3080 (though might be a performance thing, idk) for me personally it seems like by the time the Mobile GPUs are at a decent price, we'll probably have like 6080s and whatever AMD's naming is..

[@LuisPerez-5]

@@takashy87 yeah but the Ally gives pretty good performance by itself so I should be good for now

[@jesusbarrera6916]

@@LuisPerez-5 this is the cheapest they have ever been and the 4090 is $2000.... They are not going to get cheaper

[@TBoogy3]

Buy the 6850 now, and in a few years get the 4090 on clearance by then. Personally I hope they keep alternating and the next model is an AMD.

[@Reaper_01]

Absolutely works for me brother living out of the car right now but I have the ROG Flow Z13 with an rtx 3080 egpu with a Bluetti power supply and I work overnights in my car as well securing an abandoned building and let me tell you it’s probably the greatest thing on this green earth 🌏 I think it saved my life

[@Reaper_01]

Don’t need a monitor or anything for now the Flow Z13 is just perfect on its own and with the rtx 3080🧑‍🍳💋

[@eplugplay8409]

Combo is way too expensive, might as well just build a desktop PC and get a steam deck. As for positioning, maybe position the Rog Ally flat if you are not using the display when docked? Also is your PC case the Q300L?

[@jpateka]

The q300l is a terrible case.

[@fairphoneuser9009]

That's exactly my point. I don't see why you should buy this, if you don't wanna take it to a friend's place who doesn't have a gaming desktop PC...

[@1uponu705]

​@@fairphoneuser9009 what about if you're traveling..going over by a family member house for a few days. A hotel for a few days etc etc. It's perfect if you actually think about it

[@1uponu705]

Basically if you're always on the go and not just in the house 24/7 this combo is better than a laptop & desktop

[@fairphoneuser9009]

@@1uponu705 Well, you would have to do this all the time...

[@thomasluggiero3413]

I have the 3080 XG Mobile and love it with my Flow Z13. I run my XG Mobile open case so it runs much cooler than teh restricted airflow.

[@markzhou9739]

Thanks for sharing, I am curious about why 3080's performance is not better than 6850M XT

[@mileskt9232]

It shouldn't be, something is wrong with the video testing.

[@adnerayala3409]

I wish they make this a little smaller but I wait , GPD Win 4 is making one smaller I think, I hope you can make a video soon

[@Rokabur]

This has me excited for the Win Max 2 2023 refresh and a DESKTOP RX 6700XT in an eGPU enclosure, being able to play modern games on the go and with settings maxed out at home.

[@land_walker]

You really should have mentioned that all of these GPUs are the mobile versions found in laptops. The 3080 tested here is not the same as one for desktops. The same goes for 4090. The Asus 4090 performs about on the level of a desktop 4070/4080.

[@TheJustinboodram]

Great video! I want a desktop but I like the portability, I think I’ll just get the GPU warranty lol

[@bruxis]

I like how you say this solution is much smaller than your full desktop but like, only vertically (not actual space on your desk)? And your tower can go on the floor?

[@nesswatch7935]

So you’re going to personally carry your tower from place to place? Lmao. The ally/XY mobile combo allows you to bring your setup conveniently anywhere at under 5 pounds of weight.

[@FranzKafkaRockOpera]

@@nesswatch7935 I mean, realistically, how often are you going to be taking your eGPU enclosure alongside all your peripherals to a place that has a pre-existing monitor? I guess I could see it if you stay in hotel rooms a lot, but then you'd probably just want to carry and use the Ally alone.

[@jesusbarrera6916]

@@nesswatch7935 you can also buy a more powerful laptop that you can move around...

[@ForTheViolence]

Great video. Here is a suggestion. Do a video with productivity workloads such as photo and video editing. Maybe even blender. Some people are trying to see if can be a true desktop replacement. Me included. You’ll generate a lot of interest.

[@bigbrainb4662]

I just wish there was an option of the XG Mobile that doesn't cost 800 dollars. Something like a 4060 or 4070 maybe with a nvme slot and I would almost instantly sell my old gaming pc (3600 and 6700XT)

[@hidden_name7469]

Theres a 4090 that costs 2000 lol

[@lazyreuvin]

Wait... did anyone else freeze when he said my 14 year old son?! Bro you look super young!!

[@kwakes212]

I travel a lot for work so the idea of this I really like, being held up in hotel rooms I can just hook it up

[@elcoreano11]

You can buy a minisforum prebuilt minipc with discrete graphics for less than the cost of the XG mobile. Unless Asus significantly drops the price of the XG mobile, It doesnt make sense.

[@marshallmcluhan33]

Yeah this isn't a handheld now and a small gaming PC would b cheaper for the similar performance. I'm not sure who this is for.

[@benchristensen1526]

Nice review

[@LegionIscariot]

I like the idea of the XG Mobile when you can get it cheap. Thats the problem with it being proprietary; its expensive 🥵 and there are no alternatives from third party makers.

[@mechanicalmonk2020]

And you can't upgrade it and it very likely has no resale value.

[@crashdude7589]

@@mechanicalmonk2020 that's the issue, and from my limited understanding other egpu solutions are not as good.

[@jorgeg0327]

It would be good if they ever release an eGPU enclosure with their proprietary connector. That way you can keep upgrading the GPU inside.

[@crashdude7589]

@@jorgeg0327 that would be great

[@seizuresaladventures]

Thank you for this review/preview - very insightful. In your opinion, which of these 2 options do you think is better for gaming on an OLED TV / External Monitor: a) XG Mobile w/ RTX 4090 + ROG Ally b) G14/M16 Zephyrus w/ RTX 4080

[@stereoman.]

I was hoping to see how much power the Asus Rog Ally draws from the wall with and without the XG Mobile GPU compared to your pc as energy prices have become a big issue for a lot of people in recent years.

[@alistear7862]

IRC it's using a 65 watt power brick. Slightly more juice than the Switch and Steam Deck.

[@EcksGamer]

For what you kept doing at the 6 min mark what i would of done is have it on the right side from the Ally as that would look clean and hide the wires better especially if you have the XG mobile station facing you.

[@MrShivedragon]

love this videos, I bout the rog ally because i usualy play the switch handheld on the couch and wanted to buy a new gaming pc, so i'm buying the rog ally now and kep an eye on the rog mobile prices for later