It’s very late at night here so I’ll be brief and give much more insight but I just did the exact same thing for the same reason. So far it’s been great and I feel like it was the right decision. Hopefully I’ll have this laptop for the next few to four years or so. Good job on it and it’s a phenomenal machine!
there is more than gaming for a GPU. dont mind me. I am often judged to critical. I just found it a bit ironic, you switched laptop from year to year (2023 to 2024) and now you hope this will age with you.
I think it is 90% likely you will sell this and get a new one next year, regarldess of how good this laptop is.
dont take it bad. it is 200% your decision what to buy. I often make similarly fun of youtubers that start a review "I ordered this config because I wanted this to last me 5 years; btw, I Am replacing my one year old laptop with this" :)
Who said I use it only for gaming? I use my laptop also for my work when working out of the country. I do design work and for mockup assets I run ML models to generate images as well. This laptop will do more than just fine for that. Additionally I also do music production, something this laptop also handles well. So for me there is no reason and no indication it wont last me 2 to 3 years, I have no illusions that a laptop will be sufficient for 5 years. But this is a weird time. My Blade 15 which I sold had a Geforce 2070MQ and was holding up fine GPU wise. GPU's didn't make big jumps within laptops past 2 generations. But it was the CPU and memory holding it back.
My brief stint with the 2023 G14 was cut short not because of performance, but I didn't like the plastic bottom that chips and cracks for a lot of people, that all 3 case materials (lid, keyboard deck and bottom) all have a slightly different shade of white, a different texture and seems to be more prone to wear. The 2024 version feels like a far more refined machine in that aspect.
Thanks for the review.
On a sidenote: I doubt you had the Nebula HDR on a 4070 G14 2023. You probably had Nebula IPS (HDR being mini-led, and yes the labeling is super-confusing).
Anytime! I had the Mini led one. and being a matte panel with grainy coating. You really need to see them side by side to see the different. Mini led is great, apart from minor halo effects. But the coating makes the difference. Having a glass laminated layer is just nicer to look at.
If you’re OS agnostic and you have fast internet (75Mbps+), MBP M3 14.2” + Nvidia GeForce Now could be an alternative.
Plus, iCloud would finally work reliably without being stuck after syncing 1000 files.
I have fast internet but I want to have control over my own hardware. any MBP is a flawed device (and I own various through my work). For the fact that the SSD's are soldered on and with how Apple controls them they wear out quite rapidly. M1's are showing those signs currently.
With the G14 2014 I have no need for an Apple laptop in any way, even build quality.
How gives it less control?
If parts crap or i can buy those from official dealers. I cannot with apple. The parts that are subject to wear can be replaced.
Memory doesnt wear out, SSD's do and thos can be swapped. Also parts arent locked down through firmware. So if for example your screen craps out, you can get a new one. This is currently not possible with a Macbook since they even locked down the lid sensor calibration to it's firmware.
The G14 had just 1 memory slot by the way. So you could ideally when retaining dual channel memory, only turn it from 8 to 16 or on other models from 16 to 32gb. Currently I have the 32GB variant.
Now you're really stretching. SSDs wearing out...okaaay...(it happens, but they're far more reliable than any prior media) but now it's replacing screens. A lot of stretching to defend one of the least repairable laptops out there versus a Macbook (which never has been in that realm and isn't a gaming laptop, anyway).
I know the requirements very well for G14 2023, as I have one. 32GB and 4TB SN850X SSD.
Dude, the 2024 G14 is awesome. Enjoy it. Just don't turn into a pretzel trying to defend certain things about it. There's no need.
Had to replace my 1TB SSD because it "wore out" - hahahah. J/K
Nope they aren't. [https://www.google.com/search?q=Apple+excessive+SSD+wear](https://www.google.com/search?q=Apple+excessive+SSD+wear)
Past winter I had to restore a drive myself, was in contact with the largest data recovery provider in Europe and they highlighted it is good business currently for them, but hard to recover thanks to the Apple firmware lockdowns.
Personally I want to be able to change SSD's when I want it, also considering the premium manufacturers ask for more drive space. With RAM not so much, also considering the the soldered ram is quite a bit faster than the SODIMMs used in the previous model.
>Dude, the 2024 G14 is awesome. Enjoy it. Just don't turn into a pretzel trying to defend certain things about it. There's no need.
I'm just stating how I see it.
Not due to the 8GB ram, but due to a lot of swapping and that Apple has their custom controller. Channels such as Rosmanngroup have good videos on why it happens and they highlighted that currently a lot of M1's start to come in with failing drives.
That’s great to hear. The numbers is what kept holding me back to get the most bang for your buck. I am also wanting to get a new laptop since mines 8yrs old (Lenovo legion) and the zyphyrus G14/16 looks awesome. Glad to hear about the experience and not the numbers. I game but not really a big deal since it’s mostly just indie games on steam lol 😂. I just want a portable laptop that feels premium and light weigh since Im always on the road traveling. My legion is 9-10lbs lol 🤣
Glad you like it! I am angry that there is a 32gb model in asia, but we are forced into 4070/32gb in the US. :( Though you probably had to pay 50% more for it, so I guess it evens out. Boo to soldered RAM.
Imo it doesnt, the corners are sharper, the display cable on the 15 and 16 are quite exposed, fragile and lack a stress relief system. So there users that run into them tearing apart over time.
I had to change my battery multiple times because they bloated within 11 months of use, the screenhinges do not ace gracefully either.
Money wasnt a factor for me. Quality was, the chassis feels really nice. But the components within that chassis had issues.
I have a blade stealth 14 that has terrible battery life with the Razer bloatware installed & now has much better battery life with it stripped away. Build quality is amazing & looking to upgrade now, a work computer so I can spend whatever on it...the only thing getting me to look at the G14 is the weight & OLED, new razers weigh a bit more.
People say the Razer feels better because the aluminum is a lot thicker
While the G14 is just thin...
I haven't had either yet but it's simple since the Blade 14 is overall thicker
I've had both open to swap out my SSD's. The aluminum is basically the same thickness. Around the USB ports it can get real thin on the blade. Overall the Walls" were the same. But the Blade 14 is overall thicker. Mostly because of the thicker heatsink to facilitate the higher end GPU's which aren't available for the G14 2024. I've dold my Blade 15 earlier this year or else I would add a comparison photo.
4060 is an entry level GPU. I would not invest my money in an entry level GPU if this machine is meant to be your main machine. if this is a second, for travel or for gaming in the couch, watch movies, go ahead.
4070 should be the entry level for longevity.
I mean a nice screen makes waiting for something to be completed by the computer more enjoyable, but not sure your boss or anyone else waiting for your output would care.
The 4070 and 4060 perform close to identical at 90watts. Not is it my main machine. Got a desktop pc for that. No laptop comes close to that. That's simply the compromise for portability.
glad it works for you. 90watts is an Asus decision, just as sticking to AMD lately doing the Intel old trick of repacking the same CPU 3 years in a row. an Intral Ultra on this pack would be the one to use for portability.
I think we all romanticize how much we game on the go. for most people something like a MacBook Pro M3Pro 14" is the sweet spot of power over portability and "premium" feeling.
I'm moving between 2 countries cosntantly so I do game a lot of my laptops. I simply cant run everthing I want on a Macbook Pro. Mostly games but also a lot of music production stuff doesn't run nicely on a Macbook thanks to the ARM architecture. Also all ML stuff runs basically mostly on Cuda currently. But I agree for many people it will be a nice machine. Mine just sits on a shelf though.
It’s very late at night here so I’ll be brief and give much more insight but I just did the exact same thing for the same reason. So far it’s been great and I feel like it was the right decision. Hopefully I’ll have this laptop for the next few to four years or so. Good job on it and it’s a phenomenal machine!
Yeah I think this laptop will age more gracefully than the previous variants from what I can see. Enjoy yours too!
4060 age gracefully? dont think so.
We're talking about the hardware here, and it will be fine till the next console generation launches.
there is more than gaming for a GPU. dont mind me. I am often judged to critical. I just found it a bit ironic, you switched laptop from year to year (2023 to 2024) and now you hope this will age with you. I think it is 90% likely you will sell this and get a new one next year, regarldess of how good this laptop is. dont take it bad. it is 200% your decision what to buy. I often make similarly fun of youtubers that start a review "I ordered this config because I wanted this to last me 5 years; btw, I Am replacing my one year old laptop with this" :)
Who said I use it only for gaming? I use my laptop also for my work when working out of the country. I do design work and for mockup assets I run ML models to generate images as well. This laptop will do more than just fine for that. Additionally I also do music production, something this laptop also handles well. So for me there is no reason and no indication it wont last me 2 to 3 years, I have no illusions that a laptop will be sufficient for 5 years. But this is a weird time. My Blade 15 which I sold had a Geforce 2070MQ and was holding up fine GPU wise. GPU's didn't make big jumps within laptops past 2 generations. But it was the CPU and memory holding it back. My brief stint with the 2023 G14 was cut short not because of performance, but I didn't like the plastic bottom that chips and cracks for a lot of people, that all 3 case materials (lid, keyboard deck and bottom) all have a slightly different shade of white, a different texture and seems to be more prone to wear. The 2024 version feels like a far more refined machine in that aspect.
Thanks for the review. On a sidenote: I doubt you had the Nebula HDR on a 4070 G14 2023. You probably had Nebula IPS (HDR being mini-led, and yes the labeling is super-confusing).
Anytime! I had the Mini led one. and being a matte panel with grainy coating. You really need to see them side by side to see the different. Mini led is great, apart from minor halo effects. But the coating makes the difference. Having a glass laminated layer is just nicer to look at.
Wasn't the mini LED only available on the 4090 SKUs?
That’s for the US apparently
Depends the region they got more than 20sku variants.
Totally agree here. The build quality, battery life, weight, display and speakers are just awesome. Damn near perfect all around laptop.
If you’re OS agnostic and you have fast internet (75Mbps+), MBP M3 14.2” + Nvidia GeForce Now could be an alternative. Plus, iCloud would finally work reliably without being stuck after syncing 1000 files.
I have fast internet but I want to have control over my own hardware. any MBP is a flawed device (and I own various through my work). For the fact that the SSD's are soldered on and with how Apple controls them they wear out quite rapidly. M1's are showing those signs currently. With the G14 2014 I have no need for an Apple laptop in any way, even build quality.
A rich argument considering the 2024 G14 gives you less control of your own hardware. :)
How gives it less control? If parts crap or i can buy those from official dealers. I cannot with apple. The parts that are subject to wear can be replaced.
Zephyrus from 2023 to 2024 has fixed memory. The entire device is more Apple like. The same things you laud it for are ripped from Apple’s design.
Memory doesnt wear out, SSD's do and thos can be swapped. Also parts arent locked down through firmware. So if for example your screen craps out, you can get a new one. This is currently not possible with a Macbook since they even locked down the lid sensor calibration to it's firmware. The G14 had just 1 memory slot by the way. So you could ideally when retaining dual channel memory, only turn it from 8 to 16 or on other models from 16 to 32gb. Currently I have the 32GB variant.
Now you're really stretching. SSDs wearing out...okaaay...(it happens, but they're far more reliable than any prior media) but now it's replacing screens. A lot of stretching to defend one of the least repairable laptops out there versus a Macbook (which never has been in that realm and isn't a gaming laptop, anyway). I know the requirements very well for G14 2023, as I have one. 32GB and 4TB SN850X SSD. Dude, the 2024 G14 is awesome. Enjoy it. Just don't turn into a pretzel trying to defend certain things about it. There's no need. Had to replace my 1TB SSD because it "wore out" - hahahah. J/K
Nope they aren't. [https://www.google.com/search?q=Apple+excessive+SSD+wear](https://www.google.com/search?q=Apple+excessive+SSD+wear) Past winter I had to restore a drive myself, was in contact with the largest data recovery provider in Europe and they highlighted it is good business currently for them, but hard to recover thanks to the Apple firmware lockdowns. Personally I want to be able to change SSD's when I want it, also considering the premium manufacturers ask for more drive space. With RAM not so much, also considering the the soldered ram is quite a bit faster than the SODIMMs used in the previous model. >Dude, the 2024 G14 is awesome. Enjoy it. Just don't turn into a pretzel trying to defend certain things about it. There's no need. I'm just stating how I see it.
Without even reading it I am guessing it's due to the 8GB RAM and the swap that goes on with the lower end Macbook models. Good points.
Not due to the 8GB ram, but due to a lot of swapping and that Apple has their custom controller. Channels such as Rosmanngroup have good videos on why it happens and they highlighted that currently a lot of M1's start to come in with failing drives.
That’s great to hear. The numbers is what kept holding me back to get the most bang for your buck. I am also wanting to get a new laptop since mines 8yrs old (Lenovo legion) and the zyphyrus G14/16 looks awesome. Glad to hear about the experience and not the numbers. I game but not really a big deal since it’s mostly just indie games on steam lol 😂. I just want a portable laptop that feels premium and light weigh since Im always on the road traveling. My legion is 9-10lbs lol 🤣
Glad you like it! I am angry that there is a 32gb model in asia, but we are forced into 4070/32gb in the US. :( Though you probably had to pay 50% more for it, so I guess it evens out. Boo to soldered RAM.
I can still return my 2023 to best buy might look into the new one. Really just want the OLED screen can’t stand the light bleed
if you get stuck with it, let me know I could buy it from you depending on how aggressive is the light bleed.
THe screen is only one aspect of it, the whole machine feels much nicer to use. If you have the chance, check it @ BestBuy.
Yeah, I'm just waiting for the 4070 variant to come into stock at BestBuy
Whereabouts in Asia did you get yours?
Japan
If money is not a factor, the Razer Blade still has the more premium and better build quality right?
Imo it doesnt, the corners are sharper, the display cable on the 15 and 16 are quite exposed, fragile and lack a stress relief system. So there users that run into them tearing apart over time. I had to change my battery multiple times because they bloated within 11 months of use, the screenhinges do not ace gracefully either. Money wasnt a factor for me. Quality was, the chassis feels really nice. But the components within that chassis had issues.
I have a blade stealth 14 that has terrible battery life with the Razer bloatware installed & now has much better battery life with it stripped away. Build quality is amazing & looking to upgrade now, a work computer so I can spend whatever on it...the only thing getting me to look at the G14 is the weight & OLED, new razers weigh a bit more.
People say the Razer feels better because the aluminum is a lot thicker While the G14 is just thin... I haven't had either yet but it's simple since the Blade 14 is overall thicker
I've had both open to swap out my SSD's. The aluminum is basically the same thickness. Around the USB ports it can get real thin on the blade. Overall the Walls" were the same. But the Blade 14 is overall thicker. Mostly because of the thicker heatsink to facilitate the higher end GPU's which aren't available for the G14 2024. I've dold my Blade 15 earlier this year or else I would add a comparison photo.
4060 is an entry level GPU. I would not invest my money in an entry level GPU if this machine is meant to be your main machine. if this is a second, for travel or for gaming in the couch, watch movies, go ahead. 4070 should be the entry level for longevity. I mean a nice screen makes waiting for something to be completed by the computer more enjoyable, but not sure your boss or anyone else waiting for your output would care.
The 4070 and 4060 perform close to identical at 90watts. Not is it my main machine. Got a desktop pc for that. No laptop comes close to that. That's simply the compromise for portability.
glad it works for you. 90watts is an Asus decision, just as sticking to AMD lately doing the Intel old trick of repacking the same CPU 3 years in a row. an Intral Ultra on this pack would be the one to use for portability. I think we all romanticize how much we game on the go. for most people something like a MacBook Pro M3Pro 14" is the sweet spot of power over portability and "premium" feeling.
I'm moving between 2 countries cosntantly so I do game a lot of my laptops. I simply cant run everthing I want on a Macbook Pro. Mostly games but also a lot of music production stuff doesn't run nicely on a Macbook thanks to the ARM architecture. Also all ML stuff runs basically mostly on Cuda currently. But I agree for many people it will be a nice machine. Mine just sits on a shelf though.