Aorus 15G Reviewed.

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Review taken with permission from The Technovore.

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You’d expect that after reviewing a handful of laptops, things would start to get a bit predictable. It’s true, to a certain extent. However, that are still instances where a notebook can still surprise you…the Aorus 15G is one of them.

On initial inspection, the Aorus 15G looks like any ordinary gaming laptop.

Sure, it’s a bit bulkier than normal but everything looks like the rest of the gear Aorus releases.

It’s not.

There’s something remarkably different about the Aorus 15G that can only be felt, not seen.

Read on and find out what that is.

What is the Aorus 15G?

The Aorus 15G is a gaming notebook meant for the gaming enthusiast. It’s a Full HD 15.6-inch machine that packs an Intel Core i7-10875H, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB), 16GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD.

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It’s 3‎56(W) x 250(D) x 25(H) mm, and weighs about 2.2KG.

The Aorus 15G also comes with a variety of ports, all of them arrayed on the left and right side.

Unfortunately, I have some issues with the placement of the ports, especially on the right side, where the power adapter plugs in. Having a wired mouse and the adapter plugged in is a recipe for disaster.

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There’s no way to move the mouse smoothly without it getting caught in the adapter’s wires. I’d have preferred it if it aped the Aorus 5’s design, which had the power adapter connect to the back of the machine.

Another feature that I wish Aorus had copied from the Aorus 5 is the removable battery. It might seem like a small feature, but I really like being able to swap out a battery for a fresh one or even replace a defective one without having to send in the whole notebook for repairs.

I also have to detract points from the trackpad. It’s much too mushy for me and the lack of physical buttons is a big no-no in my book.

It’s responsive enough for general duties but you’re going to want to get a mouse ASAP.

While the hardware on the machine is not cutting edge (especially since the new 30XX series of GPUs are out), but the notebook’s still packing enough modern hardware that will make any hardcore gamer envious.

First off the menu, is that tasty display. It’s only 1080, but it’s X-Rite Pantone Certified, just like Gigabyte Aero 15 I reviewed a couple of months ago.

It’s a big deal, because most displays are only Pantone Validated (which means only some samples are tested and then the rest are deemed to pass). The displays on the Aorus 15G are certified, meaning every single one of them passes muster.

The bottom line is that colors are better defined and more accurate. It’s an incredible benefit to designers and creative types (which is why the Gigabyte Aero 15 was marketed towards content creators) due to the much more accurate color reproduction on-screen. For gamers, the benefits are similar; better color in games and media.

Coupled that with the lightning fast 240hz refresh rate and the 72% NTSC color gamut the display’s capable off and you get a great gaming screen that not only looks good, but performs just as well.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB) might not be the best in the 20XX line but it’s still much, much better than the older 10XX series, especially since it’s capable of ray tracing via hardware. At 1080p, it does a pretty decent job at it too, delivering a good balance of performance and visuals.

All that’s fine and dandy…but it’s not the real draw for the Aorus 15G.

So what is?

It’s the mechanical keyboard that’s embedded in the notebook. Using Omron switches (I suspect it’s the B3KL series), the mechanical keyboard in the Aorus 15G makes a world of difference from even the best membrane keyboards of the world.

Typing is much more tactile and pleasurable, with awesome travel. The ‘clicky’ sound the keys produce just add up to the typing experience, making the whole enchilada really fun to use.

Mechanical keyboards aren’t just for show either.

They’re much, much more responsive than membrane ones in most laptops, which means even the slightest depression can register as a button press. The keys in the Aorus 15G have an actuation point of 1.6mm, which means very little pressure is needed to get a key press recognized.

In gaming, with milliseconds separating wins and losses, it’s a major game changer. There’s a reason why e-sports teams use mechanical keyboards…

On top of their faster response times, mechanical keyboards are supposed to last longer than their membrane counterparts too. The Omron switches in the Aorus 15G are rated for 15 million presses. That’s a hell of a lot. Even if you continously hammer one button every few seconds, it’s still going to take you years to wear one out…

The Performance.

Befitting its hardware, the Aorus 15G isn’t a pushover either. While the NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU that powers it isn’t top of the line, it’s still enough to kick the asses of all the games we tested the laptop on.

Before we should that off however, here are the benchmarks for the system on PCmark 10 and 3Dmark.

Both results are strikingly similar to what the Aorus 5 SB achieved, which is a testament to how that machine punches above its weight class.

However, it’s gaming performance we’re interested in, not theoretical benchmarks on how a certain piece of hardware would perform. For that, we turn to our stalwarts; Final Fantasy XV, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Three Kingdoms.

First off, let’s take a look at Square Enix’s open world RPG.

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Custom, with everything turned on to their highest setting (only DLSS is off), is more than playable. The rating it gets might say ‘Standard’ but it’s a solidly playable 60FPS most of the time, with only some hitches here and there when the action heats up. Needless to say, every other setting is lower than Custom and every single one of them produces stellar results.

Then again, why would you want to play on a lower graphical setting when everything turned out is enjoyable enough?

For Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the results are similar as well.

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Even on Custom (again, that’s everything on the highest setting), the game has an average FPS of 47. That’s more than good enough to have an enjoyable experience, considering consoles games are mostly relegated to 30FPS.

Finally, here’s how the Aorus 15G performed with Three Kingdoms.

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As an RTS, you don’t really need the lightning fast reflexes you’d need if you’re playing an FPS. Three Kingdoms’ brand of RTS is pretty different from the frantic pace of Blizzard’s StarCraft II.

That’s why even on Custom settings, with everything maxed out, the game’s more than playable. It goes without saying then if the best setting’s playable, the rest should follow suit.

With decent scores in multiple genres, it just goes to show that the Aorus 15G’s hardware is definitely capable to hold its own.

I’d also like to point out the machine’s pretty silent, even when it’s under heavy load. The fans are noticeable when they’re going full blast, but they’re nowhere as loud as those I’ve heard on other laptops.

The Bottom Line.

The Aorus 15G comes with a pretty impressive list of hardware powering it. Not only is it capable of ray tracing, it has a killer display and a more than capable GPU.

For most notebooks, that’d be enough…the Aorus 15G isn’t most notebooks.

Its ace, the mechanical keyboard with Omron switches, elevates the notebook from being one of Aorus’ good notebooks, to being one of the company’s best.

The mechanical keyboard truly makes typing (and even gaming) feel much better and even more responsive. Having a mechanical keyboard in a notebook might seem like a tad excessive, but once you’ve used a mechanical keyboard, you’ll know that you’ll never want to go back to regular ones.

Unfortunately, a couple of weird technical issues detract from the awesome hardware. The trackpad having no buttons makes it sloppy, as I really hate the sluggish feel when pressing it in. The arrangement of ports at the sides could definitely be better, especially on the right side, where the power adapter plugs in.

TLDR:

Great notebook with an awesome mechanical keyboard but potentially problematic port placements.