We unbox ASUS’ ROG G551J!

Before ASUS was known for making tablets and phones, the company made their fortune making notebooks and PC components. In fact, they made the latter so well that they made a separate, high-end line just for gamers dubbed the Republic of Gamers. Even in today’s world where PC shipments are dropping like a rock, ASUS’ ROG brand still enjoys brisk business – so much so that they’re the de-facto brand for gamers looking to make a statement.

That’s why as gamers ourselves, we couldn’t contain our glee as we unboxed the newest entry to the ROG notebook gaming family, the ROG G551J. This particular ROG notebook is a departure for ASUS and the ROG brand for several reasons, specifically, it’s a more affordable notebook overall compared to what we’ve been seeing in the past. It’s definitely more expensive than your typical notebook, but for a gaming notebook, the pricing is relatively reasonable.

ASUS ROG G551J specs

• Intel Core i7-4720HQ processor, 2.6GHz
• NVIDIA GeForce 960M GPU (4GB of VRAM)
• 16GB of RAM
• 15.6-inch full HD IPS display, 1920 x 1080 resolution
• 1TB HDD
• WiFi, Bluetooth, USB 3.0 X 3, Blu-Ray drive, Ethernet port, HDMI, Mini Display Port

Packaging and contents

The G551J comes in a sturdy cardboard box that comes with a plastic carrying handle, making it easier to haul it from the store to your house especially since the entire thing is more than 2.5 kilos in weight. Once you open up the carton, the distinctive ROG livery greets you, along with the actual notebook itself.

Accessories include the biggest power brick we’ve ever seen for a notebook, a bunch of user manuals and a very, very nice ROG branded gaming mouse. How’s that for a freebie?

Initial impressions: A monster hiding in a classy shell

We’ve had more than enough experience with gaming notebooks before, so we had a pretty good idea of what the G551J would probably look like – big, plasticy and probably designed slightly over the top to conform to gamer’s taste. Imagine our surprise when we found a classy looking notebook that has a metal body with a brushed metal finish instead.

To be honest we’re rather pleased that ASUS has gone with a sleek, classy and minimalist styling with their G551J rather than go with gaudy, over the top designs that other companies tend to favor for gaming products. Not all gamers like that style, and we’re pretty sure that the G551J would probably pass off as a higher-end Zenbook model if all the ROG livery are removed.

Like the lid, the wrist rest and the main body of the G551J is made from metal. The main chassis of the notebook sport a chamfered, red trim, and feature a prominent exhaust vent on the lower left side. The G551J sports a 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution display that’s not touch capable. While some may lament the exclusion of a touch-enabled display, it’s really not a great loss, considering that the notebook is supposed to be used for gaming anyway.

The notebook has three USB 3.0 ports, a mini display port and a HDMI port, as well as a Blu-Ray player, SD card slot and an Ethernet port.

The keyboard is backlit, though in ROG’s traditional red color, with the WASD keys highlighted further because of their importance to PC gamers. Because the notebook is so wide, the G551J also sports a full numpad and arrow keys aside from the regular QWERTY keys that you’d expect from notebooks. The trackpad is located right below the keyboard, is big, and is extremely responsive – probably the most responsive trackpad we’ve ever used on a notebook.

As far as the actual hardware is concerned, the G551J is a certified monster. In it beats Intel’s Core i7-4720HQ processor running at 2.6GHz, 16GB of RAM, 1TB HDD and NVIDIA’s GeForce 960M GPU (4GB of VRAM). This notebook is probably more powerful than our main PC where we play games and edit video, and we’re not doubting its abilities for a second.

What’s nice about the G551J is that while it has plenty of power under the hood, it’s not all that heavy – at 2.6 kilos it’s heavier than most notebooks but it’s still relatively lighter than competing gaming notebooks out there.

It’s also relatively cheaper than most gaming notebooks – in a world where gaming notebooks like the latest Razer Blade go for anywhere from 95K and up, the G551J is comparatively more affordable, at just Php 69,995.

You better believe that we’ll be using the ROG G551J as our primary PC from now on, and we’re in the process of transferring our games from Steam over to it so we can use it as our gaming machine.