Asus ROG Flow x13 | 13.4" 4k 16:10 | R9 5900HS | 32GB RAM | 1TB SSD | GTX 1650 + eGPU 3080 150W 16GB | $3500

Looks amazing, but god, I couldn't imagine how the thermals are going to be with that CPU in such a small package on top of the GPU.

Warukyure wrote: ↑ Looks amazing, but god, I couldn't imagine how the thermals are going to be with that CPU in such a small package on top of the GPU.

The 3080 is actually in a separate dock/device that connects to the laptop. The dock has it's own cooling, so the whole package performs adequately as the laptop is purely cooling the CPU.

Warukyure wrote: ↑ Looks amazing, but god, I couldn't imagine how the thermals are going to be with that CPU in such a small package on top of the GPU.

The 3080 is external, the internal 1650 is 50 watts (or less). Awesome device, wish I had this kind of money to spend…

They're getting rid of this old version with the RTX1650. The newer Flow X13s have a 3050Ti (faster).

Isn't this still a little pricey?
I don't know how much a 3080 is even worth on the open market (assuming you could get one) but assuming you could get one, an eGPU enclosure isn't that expensive.
Assuming you can get away with $2000, that leaves $1500 for the notebook.
I think I paid about the same price for a much faster onboard GPU.

death_hawk wrote: ↑ Isn't this still a little pricey?
I don't know how much a 3080 is even worth on the open market (assuming you could get one) but assuming you could get one, an eGPU enclosure isn't that expensive.
Assuming you can get away with $2000, that leaves $1500 for the notebook.
I think I paid about the same price for a much faster onboard GPU.

Did your laptop also have a 4K screen, 32GB RAM and a 1TB ssd? eGPU enclosures are ~$400-600 for anything worth using, last I checked.

Yes!!!!! I love it. More touchscreen gaming laptop possibilities. I hope this trend continues.

Slick looking rig.

generaltao99 wrote: ↑ Did your laptop also have a 4K screen, 32GB RAM and a 1TB ssd? eGPU enclosures are ~$400-600 for anything worth using, last I checked.

To add to that, those eGPUs don't have 80 Gbps bandwidth this one does, means from RTX 3080 with those eGPUs, you get less than half the performance

HandleyX92208 wrote: ↑ The 3080 is actually in a separate dock/device that connects to the laptop. The dock has it's own cooling, so the whole package performs adequately as the laptop is purely cooling the CPU.

I was wondering what the "eGPU" was..... Neat.

I'm really curious about the cooling because small gaming laptops are notorious for their horrible heat displacement but at the same time the Asus ROG serie is usually renowned for it's efficient cooling (TUF serie is another story)

death_hawk wrote: ↑ Isn't this still a little pricey?
I don't know how much a 3080 is even worth on the open market (assuming you could get one) but assuming you could get one, an eGPU enclosure isn't that expensive.
Assuming you can get away with $2000, that leaves $1500 for the notebook.
I think I paid about the same price for a much faster onboard GPU.

I think it should be stated the "3080" in the eGPU is a mobile version of the 3080, which means it's actually based on the desktop 3070 chip. The proprietary eGPU is also not user upgradable, you would have to wait for Asus to release a new model with 4000 series if they choose to. Price wise, when it is $500 off, it ends up being cheaper than the other competing 150W+ 3080 laptops, such as the Alienware X17, MSI GE76, Alienware M17/15 R4, Asus S17. As someone else stated, it is using a non standard connection, not thunderbolt, and offers more bandwidth than even the new Thunderbolt 4 connection. The Asus eGPU is also tiny, it's maybe the size of a journal/personal notebook. The Razer Core X on the other hand is not fitting in your back pack any time soon.


Here you can see the comparison between the Asus proprietary eGPU and your regular Thunderbolt eGPU with a full desktop 3080. Due to the bandwidth limitations and other technologies, the Thunderbolt eGPU ends up underperforming at lower resolutions.

I don't see the use case for this specific model. Nice 4K screen, but an old/slow video card that can barely drive a 1080p. If you want to play high frame rates with the 3080, you need another screen anyway.

I would get a nice gaming laptop for $1400 (that Dell with 3060 was not bad at all) and spend the rest on a good desktop. You end up with 2 computers, both more powerful than this Asus, and with Steam (and GOG) synchronizing saves, you can continue on one where you left off on another.

RaidZero wrote: ↑ I don't see the use case for this specific model. Nice 4K screen, but an old/slow video card that can barely drive a 1080p. If you want to play high frame rates with the 3080, you need another screen anyway.

I would get a nice gaming laptop for $1400 (that Dell with 3060 was not bad at all) and spend the rest on a good desktop. You end up with 2 computers, both more powerful than this Asus, and with Steam (and GOG) synchronizing saves, you can continue on one where you left off on another.

Yea I totally agree, if you are just gaming get a desktop. This is probably more geared towards someone that makes a living using their computer and wants to take it on the go in the smallest package possible.

RaidZero wrote: ↑ I don't see the use case for this specific model. Nice 4K screen, but an old/slow video card that can barely drive a 1080p. If you want to play high frame rates with the 3080, you need another screen anyway.

I would get a nice gaming laptop for $1400 (that Dell with 3060 was not bad at all) and spend the rest on a good desktop. You end up with 2 computers, both more powerful than this Asus, and with Steam (and GOG) synchronizing saves, you can continue on one where you left off on another.

I think perhaps you misunderstand the customers who may buy this laptop. They want the highest end GPU possible in the smallest form factor. Suggesting another laptop that is not as portable or powerful does not work. This model allows normal laptop use with a still decent 1650 GPU while being really slim and portable. If you need all the GPU power plug in the 3080 (mobile version) . This entire package incl the GPU can fit in a backpack. The GPU also serves as the power unit unlike some other devices where you would need an external GPU plus a power supply making the entire package very cumbersome. At this time, there is no laptop with the feature set and size as this Flow 13

vernonco wrote: ↑ I think perhaps you misunderstand the customers who may buy this laptop. They want the highest end GPU possible in the smallest form factor. Suggesting another laptop that is not as portable or powerful does not work. This model allows normal laptop use with a still decent 1650 GPU while being really slim and portable. If you need all the GPU power plug in the 3080 (mobile version) . This entire package incl the GPU can fit in a backpack. The GPU also serves as the power unit unlike some other devices where you would need an external GPU plus a power supply making the entire package very cumbersome. At this time, there is no laptop with the feature set and size as this Flow 13

Any laptop, and even more the thin and lights, is a compromise between the power that is used by the CPU and GPU and needs to be dissipated, the size of the heatsink and fans, and the speed of the fans/noise.
I understand that someone wants the fastest and best they money can buy, and I have nothing against that. What I am saying is that this specific compromise, even if state of the art, is still bad.

The CPU is very fast, but a 35W part. The laptop should be able to deal with short bursts of computing power, but I don't see anyone rendering on this laptop, unless they want to put up with heat, fan noise and ultimately thermal throttling.

The 1650 GPU is bad - not bad per se, it's fine in a $700 low end gaming laptop, but not in a $3000 one. Is this a gaming laptop? It's sold as one, but you can't really play games (I mean, newer than 10 year old ones), and without again hitting some thermal limits, and again, the 1650 is slow.

The screen is good - but not the best. You want the best, get a Spectre or XPS, they have brighter panels.

The eGPU - portable, but where do you carry a 3080 mobile and find a monitor that can take advantage of that card? Can you fit a 24" or 27" screen in that backpack? At least Asus should have put a bypass on the monitor, to be able to connect the eGPU to the laptop monitor and play in 4K, even if playing on a 13" is far from ideal, but at least you get the framerate and the resolution. Assuming the screen can do more than 60 Hz.

So I really fail to see the use case. You travel to a hotel, sure, you can connect it to a TV, but really you won't get more than 60 fps, might as well get a console. You take it to a friend's house, and expect them to give you a monitor? I don't know.

It's a jack of all trades, master of none ultimately. Again, even if state of the art (fastest CPU, biggest SDD for 2240, 32 GB RAM), it's just not there yet and most everyone will be better served by using two computers.
A good deal for whoever is looking for something like this I suppose though, $500 is $500.

Upvoted for the OP taking the time to post and the fact that they correctly mentioned to not expect desktop 3080 performance out of the eGPU.

I think people should see Jarrod's review before they speak. I mean, really watch it and listen to what he says. I see this thing as a {portable} desktop replacement.

nambit wrote: ↑ I think people should see Jarrod's review before they speak. I mean, really watch it and listen to what he says. I see this thing as a {portable} desktop replacement.

I watched it and he also says that for most people, a desktop and a laptop would be better.

RaidZero wrote: ↑ I watched it and he also says that for most people, a desktop and a laptop would be better.

I don't recall him saying that, actually. However, he did say it's cheaper to buy a desktop + a laptop, but noted it's probably for people who need one system to do it all who need to take the GPU with them.
Still, the fact that this thing outperforms existing expensive (and huge) external GPU enclosures is pretty impressive.
The thing I don't quite get is how he gripes on the lack of upgradeability when we're dealing with a 13 inch laptop (like, how many are upgradeable???).
My only issue after checking this review is that I'm not a fan of the screen. The response time is pretty bad (like the G14) which is disappointing.
I actually checked one out at Best Buy a couple days ago, and was surprised on how tiny and light the thing was, and the keyboard was a lot better than the reviewers suggested.

If the screen were better and the price were cheaper, the x13 with the 3050 and no external GPU would be more desirable. It's plenty nice on its own.
However, the Zephyrus G14 is, in my opinion, an overall better machine for about the same price. I'm thinking they should have just added the enclosure option to that.

Me, personally, I'm thinking it's better to just get the new Legion 7, MSI GE66, Alienware X17 as you don't have to lug an external GPU enclosure with you to get power.
Anyhow, I'm thinking a Razer Blade 14 (3070 version) is a better buy than this deal. Still, I like that Asus came up with this device.

I became a fanboy of Asus's laptops eversince I switched to my zenbook pro duo.

I've been interested in this release so did a few digging and contemplating and this is my conclusion.

To those who want something portable but still powerful and have the money to spend on it, feel free to get it. It's main selling point is the portability and people like me who ends up travelling a lot can appreciate having a mobile rtx 3080 in such a small form factor. The small 13 inch screen sounds small on paper but if you put it on tent mode when gaming, it will feel like a normal 15 or 16 incher when it's that close to your face. My 15.6 screen feels bigger than a 17 incher once I started using a "cooling" stand.

To those who wants good tech but also good bang for your buck, save your upgrade money for next year's model or next next. Since this is a first gen product, you might want next year's design "upgrades". For example, although I love my zenbook pro duo, i am a bit salty that my 2019 model doesn't have 2020's screen lift. They might also abandon the egpu thing and you'll be stuck with an overpriced machine.

nambit wrote: ↑ I don't recall him saying that, actually. However, he did say it's cheaper to buy a desktop + a laptop, but noted it's probably for people who need one system to do it all who need to take the GPU with them.

That's exactly it

nambit wrote: ↑ Still, the fact that this thing outperforms existing expensive (and huge) external GPU enclosures is pretty impressive.

It is state of the art, but again, to take advantage of that eGPU you need a good monitor. Using a 60 Hz monitor or TV with that eGPU is a waste. You can put a 1000 HP engine in a Kia Rio for bragging rights, but without changing everything else you still can't go fast, the transmission will shear as soon as you go over 300 HP, and assuming you somehow get to 250 km/h, the brakes are not powerful enough to stop you fast. It's just not a balanced system.

nambit wrote: ↑ The thing I don't quite get is how he gripes on the lack of upgradeability when we're dealing with a 13 inch laptop (like, how many are upgradeable???).

Everyone brings their own biases when reviewing a product, even without realizing it. And that's right, not many

nambit wrote: ↑ My only issue after checking this review is that I'm not a fan of the screen. The response time is pretty bad (like the G14) which is disappointing.
If the screen were better and the price were cheaper, the x13 with the 3050 and no external GPU would be more desirable. It's plenty nice on its own.

That's why spending $3500 on this is not that great of an idea. Get a better laptop, heck get two laptops, a thin and light with 4K screen for Office and media playing, and a 15 - 17" gaming laptop, with a screen that has high refresh rates and a good GPU.

nambit wrote: ↑ Me, personally, I'm thinking it's better to just get the new Legion 7, MSI GE66, Alienware X17 as you don't have to lug an external GPU enclosure with you to get power.
Anyhow, I'm thinking a Razer Blade 14 (3070 version) is a better buy than this deal. Still, I like that Asus came up with this device.

We are on the same page here.