Asus G751 Gaming Laptop: Mobile Maxwell Done Right

Name: Asus G751 Gaming Laptop: Mobile Maxwell Done Right
Brand: Asus

by Joel Hruska — Friday, October 31, 2014, 10:44 AM EDT

Exterior Design

Instead of trying to shave millimeters off the chassis, Asus opted for a vent configuration that ensures internal components can be kept cool, even under heavy load. Two of the USB 3.0 ports, the Blu-ray player, and the two-in-one card reader are visible here against the outer edge of the system. The monitor panel is reinforced with a large clamshell that keeps the entire upper panel steady.

This laptop simply doesn't get noisy. Even after marathon gaming sessions or two hours of looped Metro Last Light, you can still plunk this system down into your lap and game on it, no questions asked.

Most of the serious ports are on the right-hand side. From the far left, we've got SPDIF, audio / headphone out, and microphone in. Then a pair of USB 3.0 ports, a DisplayPort/Thunderbolt port, HDMI 1.4, gigabit Ethernet, and -- for some odd reason -- an ancient 15-pin VGA port.

We chuckled when we first saw the VGA port. It feels like finding a hand crank on the side of a Tesla Model S. But hey -- there's no mainstream display standard in the past thirty years you can't hook to this laptop, and I'm sure that's valuable to someone.

Here's another look at the clamshell. The hinge design is strong and sturdy, and the two blacks -- one matte, one glossy, with the look of brushed aluminum -- complement each other nicely in our opinion.

The base of the laptop is well designed too, with only modest air outflow (most of the air is directed out the back). You can see the slightly curved bottom -- Asus made the laptop deeper than it first appears to enhance airflow and ensure adequate cooling. In practice this means the system sits slightly higher than you might be used to, but it's a welcome shift from the noise output of other designs.

And here's a shot of the keyboard. This is not a render -- there are no stickers marring the surface, apart from the single HDMI sticker on the left, and we can live with that. The ROG logo to the right is silkscreened or etched directly into the chassis. The trackpad is large and responsive, with good palm detection and movement cancellation. Both buttons work well for regular browsing (I didn't test them for gaming for the obvious reason that gaming on a trackpad is an experience not unlike eternal damnation.)

Key response and travel are both excellent and the Asus G751JY is easy to type on and game with. The only nitpick I have with the keyboard design is that Asus stuck its special function buttons directly above the standard keyboard function keys -- but the reduced height on a laptop keyboard means that hands accustomed to desktop key sizes will overshoot and run into the topmost keys instead. The top left one snaps you back to desktop, which made for a lot of awkward alt-tabbing as I played games.

These are minor issues, however. All new keyboards take a bit of adjusting, and the G751JY's is excellent in all the important ways.