We already knew the Intel Core i7-6820HK powered these massive laptops, as well as a desktop Nvidia GeForce GTX 980, which is now confirmed to have 8GB of GDDR5 memory. While there are technically two machines, the GX700 and GX701, the latter is simply the same laptop without the cooling dock. The GX700 boasts up to 64GB of 2,400MHz DDR4 memory, which should be more than enough, to say the least. The display is a 17.3-inch IPS panel with G-Sync in choice of 1080p or 4K, but no word on its maximum refresh rate. For storage, Asus includes a pair of 512GB NVMe SSDs in a RAID 0 array.
Apart from its liquid cooling dock, which enables CPU, GPU, and RAM overclocking, the GX700 packs in three USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet, HDMI, MiniDisplayPort, Thunderbolt, and the now obligatory USB 3.1 Type-C port, which there are actually two of. Since the machines are fairly large, at about 8.6 pounds for the laptop and 10.14 pounds for the dock, there’s room for a pair of 2W speakers and a 3W subwoofer. Its 94Wh battery is sizable, but don’t expect to travel too far with hardware this powerful. No official word on pricing, but Asus’ press release says the systems will be available in limited quantities in late June and early July. The GX700 is also listed on B&H Photo for $5,000, and is listed as “Coming soon” with an option to pre-order.
If portability is a little more important, Asus is also unveiling a new slim gaming laptop, the GL502. Unlike the show-stopping GX700, the GL502 is a bit more modest with its internals. That doesn’t mean it’s a slouch though, as its powered by an Intel Core i7-6700HQ (or i5-6300HQ), paired up with anywhere from 8 to 32GB of RAM. There are also two screen options for the 15.6-inch panel, 1080p and 4K, and a third 1080p IPS option if that’s more important. For storage, the standard 1TB and 2TB data drives are available, plus 128, 256, and 512GB SATA SSDs, or the choice of 256 and 512GB PCIe SSds.
Of course, the GL502 is an ROG computer, part of Asus’ gaming wing, so there are actually a few discrete graphics options. The GL502VT features a GTX 970M with 3 or 6GB of memory, where the GL502VY upgrades to a GTX 980M with 4 or 8GB. The GL502 is actually already available for purchase, with the most basic model starting at $1,399 and the top end reaching just $2,069, although there’s no sign of a 8GB 980M model just yet.
We’ve reviewed a number of Asus ROG laptops in the past, and will hopefully be able to spend time with these two vastly different systems to see how they work in the real world.
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