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The ASUS ROG Stream Z13 gaming pill is a novel little bit of package from one of the crucial progressive gaming laptop computer manufacturers within the sport. This touchscreen transportable pill, full with removable keyboard which evokes the design of the Microsoft Floor Professional, will be purchased as a standalone gadget or mixed with an exterior graphics card to offer it an enormous enhance in gaming efficiency. This eGPU is called the ASUS ROG XG Cell, which comes with its personal energy cable, inner cooling, and I/O ports, and we’ve obtained the RTX 3080 model of the gadget right here to place by way of its paces. Neither of those merchandise come low-cost although, and mixed they retail for an MSRP that’s up there with probably the most highly-priced laptops (round $3400 for each). Learn on to see in the event that they’re value your hard-earned money.
ASUS ROG Stream Z13 (2022)
CPU
Intel Core i5-12500H/ i7-12700H/ i9-12900H
Graphics
Intel Xe (iGPU) / RTX 3050 / RTX 3050 Ti
Max Refresh Price
120Hz / 60Hz
Specs & upgradability
As is typical for a pill, in comparison with a laptop computer, the Stream Z13 can’t be opened up and upgradability choices previous the purpose of buy are extraordinarily restricted. The one exception to that is the lined SSD slot on the rear, which will be uncovered by eradicating the one Philips head screw securing it. That is the smaller sized M.2 2230 PCIe 4.0 x4 slot (versus the bigger 2280 dimension you generally see in laptops) so will solely settle for appropriately sized SSDs.
When it comes to the CPU and GPU there are three potential loadouts: probably the most highly effective Intel Core i9-12900H paired with Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti (which we have now right here), the i7-12700H with RTX 3050, or the i5-12500H with Intel Iris Xe built-in graphics (iGPU). The processor choices all have liquid metallic cooling, which is additional assisted by a vapor chamber.
Show choices on the 16:10 display screen are a 3840 x 2400 60Hz possibility, not advisable for avid gamers, or the 1920 x 1200 model we got. Reminiscence dimension for the Z13 caps out at 16GB of LPDDR5-5200MHz RAM (good and quick), although we’ve seen the AMD-powered X13 include 32GB of RAM: hopefully one thing that may grow to be accessible for the Z13 as properly in time. The utmost SSD dimension you should buy with the laptop computer is 1TB.
Unsurprisingly, this being a pill gadget, you don’t get an Ethernet port, so are solely reliant on the Wi-Fi 6E AX211 160MHz connection for gaming, until you employ a USB Ethernet adapter. Nonetheless, the ROG XG Cell GPU does have one, when you determine to choose one in every of these up. Extra on this within the Ports, sockets, and different options part beneath.
Lastly, you in fact get touchscreen performance, and you’ll order the Z13 with an ASUS Pen SA201H stylus, although it doesn’t include this as normal.
Intel Core i5-12500H/ i7-12700H/ i9-12900H
Intel Xe (iGPU) / RTX 3050 / RTX 3050 Ti
1920 x 1200 / 3840 x 2400
1080p rear-facing & 720p front-facing
1x USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), 3.5mm audio combo jack, 1x Thunderbolt 4/USB-C, 1x PCIe 3.0 x8 & USB-C 3.2 combo port
Professionals
- mixed with the ROG XG Cell, as highly effective as any gaming laptop computer
- very good brightness & distinction
- nice shade accuracy and panel uniformity
- optionally available ROG XG Cell comes with a number of ports
- good high quality removable keyboard & trackpad
- nice construct high quality
Cons
- poor gaming efficiency with the Stream Z13 by itself
- very costly
- poor response instances
- inadequate ports on the Stream Z13
- poor cameras/webcam and mic
- lacklustre battery life
- shade gamut can be wider
- No G-Sync
Software program
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The Stream Z13 comes with the identical ROG model of the ASUS Armoury Crate software program that you simply get with their different units. As ever it offers a number of performance to vary choices like fan pace and keyboard macros, with totally different profiles for every sport you play, and a few restricted RGB customization for the keyboard backlighting and the small window on the rear of the gadget. You don’t get the identical CPU/GPU voltage choices you do on correct gaming laptops just like the Zephyrus G14, however Base Clock Offset, Reminiscence Clock Offset, Thermal Goal, and GPU Energy Saver choices are customizable for the GPU: greater than you’ll discover in your typical pill/Floor.
Most significantly you get entry to a MUX Change from inside the inner software program, which will provide you with a considerable efficiency enhance in-game when you’re utilizing the RTX 3050 Ti or RTX 3050 possibility (although will clearly make no distinction for the Intel Xe iGPU mannequin). Observe although, that when connecting the RTX 3080 XG Cell exterior graphics, Optimus have to be turned on, so that you don’t get the identical efficiency benefit. To bypass this efficiency bottleneck, you possibly can nonetheless join the gadget to an exterior monitor, if you want.
As ever our greatest difficulty with Armoury Crate is simply that it’s so poorly organized and stuffed with unnecessarily distracting visuals and bloat, such because the ‘Information’ menu, which is actually simply ASUS advertising and marketing. ASUS ought to take a leaf out of XMG’s e-book on this regard.
Design aesthetics & RGB
You solely get one shade possibility for the AUS ROG Stream Z13, which is black. The removable keyboard and trackpad part of the chassis has a matte look and is manufactured from a sort of faux-suede materials, with the keys and trackpad themselves having a extra shiny end. The remainder of the metallic chassis has the vaguely sci-fi engraved styling frequent to many ASUS ROG merchandise. ‘Gamer’ options litter the again of the show, together with an 06 design made out of diagonal slits, ‘For These Who Dare’ written on the prime, the crimson element on the tab which opens the stand, and a clear RGB-lit window that exhibits off a number of the inner parts.
RGB is restricted to each this small window and the keyboard backlighting, which is pretty normal and comes with three brightness ranges.
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Dimension, construct high quality & ergonomics
The scale for the ASUS ROG FLOW Z13 are as follows:
Top: 1.58cm / 0.62″, Width: 29.9cm / 11.77″, Depth: 22.2cm / 0.87″
The ASUS ROG XG Cell RTX 3080 measures:
Top: 3.26cm / 1.28″, Width: 16.5cm / 6.50″, Depth: 21.7cm / 8.54″
The burden of all of the parts is as follows:
- ASUS ROG Stream Z13 pill: 1.2kg / 2.6lb
- Pill & keyboard: 1.5kg / 3.4lb
- Pill, keyboard, energy brick & cable: 2kg / 4.3lb
- ASUS ROG XG Cell RTX 3080 (with energy cable): 1.2kg / 2.65lb
- Mixed weight: 3.2kg / 6.95lb
When it comes to portability, we will’t fault the FLOW Z13. It’s a bit heavier than your common pill, however contemplating the {hardware} that’s in it this isn’t shocking and is kind of spectacular. The facility adapter can be pleasingly compact. The ROG XG Cell RTX 3080 has some chunk to it, however isn’t notably heavy. Moreover the thickness, it’s smaller than the Stream Z13 in its different dimensions, so you possibly can nonetheless comfortably put one subsequent to the opposite in a small rucksack or laptop computer bag.
The construct high quality of ASUS ROG Stream Z13 is top-notch, as is typical of most ASUS laptops. The principle metallic physique of the pill feels stable as you’d count on, however the normal areas of concern, such because the hinge-out stand on the again, additionally really feel sturdy and sturdy.
Removable keyboards on tablets will be fairly irritating at instances, coming indifferent too simply, however ASUS has executed properly right here: the magnetic connection is stable and attaches/detaches with a satisfying click on and the keyboard part feels agency whenever you use it, with no give when typing. There’s a hinge function that allows you to both increase the keyboard barely upwards, angled towards the display screen (the usual configuration), or be pushed all the way down to lie totally flat, revealing the tasteful ROG FLOW emblem on the underside bezel. Nonetheless, this latter place is a bit annoying, because the keyboard part bounces up and down whenever you sort on it, so might be to be averted.
Keyboard & trackpad
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For what it’s, the removable ASUS Stream Z13 keyboard is surprisingly good. Clearly, this membrane chiclet keyboard received’t compete with a mechanical or optomechanical keyboard for gaming on, however the dimension of the keys and the responsiveness are each respectable for such a small machine. The keys have a 1.7mm journey distance so don’t really feel too shallow and incorporate N-key rollover, so are significantly better for gaming on than your common pill’s keyboard can be. As acknowledged above, the removable keyboard section is pretty sturdy when put within the barely angled place, and doesn’t bow a lot whenever you sort on it.
The all-in-one glass trackpad is decently sized relative to the remainder of the machine. It feels stable and responsive to make use of, and we will’t actually say something unfavourable about it.
Webcam & inbuilt microphone
The AUS ROG Stream Z13 comes with two cameras: a 1080p one on the again which may take pictures in addition to video, and a second 720p one dealing with the consumer above the display screen. The 1080p digicam truly has the worst video high quality of the 2 (truly fairly poor), although apparently (we didn’t take a look at this) is able to producing half-decent nonetheless images. The 720p webcam is pretty center of the street by way of picture high quality, and the microphone is barely worse than common. Neither digicam has InfraRed expertise, and subsequently don’t assist Home windows Hi there. So, all-in-all, a bit disappointing.
Ports, sockets, and different options
ASUS ROG Stream Z13 ports
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In case you’re pondering of shopping for the Stream Z13 by itself, and aren’t enthused by the thought of utilizing a USB hub, put together to be disillusioned. In your cash you get a single USB-A port, one USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 port for charging the gadget, and one other inside the socket for the XG Cell (a novel combo PCIe 3.0 x8 plus USB-C 3.2 port), a 3.5mm audio jack: and that’s it. This proved fairly irritating when making an attempt to connect each a mouse and an exterior SSD when benchmarking, so we think about many customers will really feel the identical. Additionally, as is to be anticipated from a pill, you don’t get an ethernet port, which can delay a number of on-line avid gamers.
RTX 3080 ROG XG Cell ports
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In case you do determine to go together with the ROG XG Cell, nevertheless, you get a plethora of ports: 4x USB-A, a micro SD card reader, a gigabit Ethernet port, and HDMI 2.0a and DisplayPort sockets, which make connecting to 2 exterior displays good and straightforward.
Display screen
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The ASUS ROG Stream Z13 model we acquired comes with a 1920 x 1200 show (primarily the 16:10 equal of 1080p). The 16:10 offers a bit of additional headroom when paperwork, looking the net, or doing any sort of inventive workflow, and it’s an excellent design selection for a smaller sized gadget like this the place display screen area is at a premium.
Though a 3840 x 2400 (the 16:10 model of 4K) show possibility is on the market, this caps out at a most refresh price of 60Hz, so we wouldn’t actually suggest it for a gaming machine. The 1200p model has a 120Hz most refresh price, which is respectable for a gaming gadget, if not fairly as excessive as you’d like for aggressive on-line shooters like CS:GO and the like.
There may be No G-Sync accessible, sadly, however Adaptive Sync is enabled with Optimus switched on. When it comes to response time, you solely get 21ms common grey-to-grey, which by the requirements of most gaming laptops is fairly poor, however for a 13” show it’s truly the most effective on the market on the time of writing. As has occurred with the 14” gaming laptop computer market although, we count on issues to enhance dramatically on this space over the subsequent yr or so.
Touchscreen performance is one space the place this pill differs from the gaming laptop computer competitors, and once we used it it felt correct and responsive: no complaints.
ASUS ROG Stream Z13 shade gamut
ASUS claimed that the G14 shade gamut of this show covers 100% of sRGB area, however in our assessments it fell wanting this goal.
We recorded 96.8% sRGB protection, 73.1% DCI-P3, and 71.1% Adobe RGB, which sadly means it’s not likely appropriate for color-accurate work within the sRGB area: unlucky given the power of the opposite outcomes beneath.
ASUS ROG Stream Z13 shade accuracy out of the field
Previous to calibrating the show, the colour accuracy of the G14 out of the field confirmed a mean delta of 0.99, which could be very spectacular certainly, and properly beneath the two.5 threshold that marks a good degree of variance. White level was very good at 6616K, very near the perfect 6500K outcome, and gamma was equally good at 2.22 (very near the two.2 preferrred). Black depth was good at 0.0882 cd/m² (for an IPS panel at the least), and the distinction ratio of 1349.6:1 was spectacular. Briefly: nice outcomes throughout the board, notably by way of the common delta.
ASUS ROG Stream Z13 shade accuracy following calibration
Though the above outcomes indicated to us that some manufacturing unit calibration had already seemingly occurred on this gadget, we determined to do a fast calibration ourselves to see if it might make a lot of a distinction.
Publish-calibration, gamma remained unchanged at 2.22. There was a slight enchancment within the common delta, which lowered to 0.95. Distinction barely elevated to 1363.9:1, and it was the identical story of very slight enhancements for the black level (0.0872cd/m²) and white level (6610K). Briefly: not likely value bothering with.
ASUS ROG Stream Z13 panel uniformity
We do a panel uniformity take a look at on all laptops we overview after their calibration, which assessments for each luminance and shade accuracy. We begin on the centremost level as a reference after which take a look at all the opposite sections of the display screen (25 in complete) to see how they evaluate.
Usually, any common shade variation below 1.00 is sweet and exhibits up as inexperienced within the picture beneath, although the common client received’t be capable to inform a lot distinction beneath 3.00. Visible editors who work with shade nevertheless might have a keener eye.
The outcomes we obtained on the ASUS ROG Stream Z13 have been excellent, with solely a little bit of variation (a delta of two.54) within the one prime left section when it was at most brightness, although at different brightness settings it was beneath 1.00. A reasonably spectacular panel uniformity certainly.
Brightness
We completed off our shade accuracy testing by operating a luminance take a look at. On the unit we examined, we obtained a peak brightness of 555.05 cd/m² and a minimal of 62.48 cd/m² which hits the five hundred nits of most brightness claimed by ASUS and is a really spectacular vary of brightness. When utilizing the laptop computer indoors through the daytime we’d suggest matching the brightness to 120 cd/m² which equates to a brightness setting of 11% below the brightness controls for this laptop computer.
Audio
For a pill, the audio system on the ASUS ROG Stream Z13 are fairly respectable with enough quantity, however the high quality is pretty mediocre by gaming laptop computer requirements. The constancy of the sound dips when the quantity is about to most, and there’s not likely a lot bass replication in any respect. ASUS usually hit properly above common in relation to audio system of their gaming laptop computer line, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 being an excellent instance, however the restrictions imposed by the slim type issue of a pill clearly make good high quality audio system a harder ask.
Battery life
When conducting our battery take a look at we made positive the inner settings inside Armoury Crate have been set as favourably as potential. Panel Energy Saver mode was switched on (which turns the refresh price of the show to 60Hz when the gadget is unplugged), the MUX Change was used to disable MSHybrid Mode (i.e. Optimus) and Eco mode was turned on to totally disable the devoted/discrete GPU (dGPU).
With all these settings enabled and the efficiency mode set to Silent for optimum energy effectivity, we carried out our normal battery take a look at: two hours of YouTube adopted by the remaining time idling with Google Chrome open, at 50% brightness and with background functions switched off.
The outcomes have been considerably disappointing, notably as that is presupposed to have the advantages of a conveyable pill machine: six hours is the most effective you possibly can hope for, even on this very undemanding situation. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see if ASUS launch an AMD 6000 sequence CPU model of the Z13 down the road, as this is able to virtually definitely have considerably improved battery life over the Intel model.
Efficiency, noise & temperature
Noise
ASUS ROG Stream Z13
Set to Silent mode inside the Armoury Crate software program, the pill was precisely that: excellent when you’re utilizing the machine to sort paperwork or internet browse in an workplace or on the transfer.
Efficiency mode made the followers extra audible when gaming utilizing the inbuilt {hardware}, although it was nonetheless considerably quieter than nearly all of gaming laptops.
Switching the fan pace profile to most in Guide mode, together with the facility to the core parts, the followers obtained considerably louder as you’d count on, although nonetheless significantly beneath that of a gaming laptop computer.
RTX 3080 ROG XG Cell
In each Silent and Efficiency mode, the ROG XG Cell RTX 3080 was about as loud as a standard gaming laptop computer, however with the followers and voltage turned as much as the max in Guide mode, as we did in our testing, the exterior GPU will get extraordinarily loud. Except they’ve noise-canceling tech, you’ll seemingly be capable to hear it even by way of your headphones when gaming.
Exterior temperature
Given the design of the pill homes all of its inner, heat-generating parts behind the show, the removable keyboard part stays cool all through, even in probably the most demanding of situations. Exhaust vents are positioned on the highest of the show, so that you’re unlikely to get any issues.
Inner temperature
The temperature outcomes above have been all recorded throughout our assessments for every sport, masking all resolutions and graphical settings. For every take a look at, we’d set the voltage and reminiscence settings, in addition to fan pace to the most utilizing our personal customized profile inside Guide mode within the Armoury Crate software program.
We solely examined the inner temperature inside the pill itself and never the RTX 3080 ROG XG Cell exterior GPU, so the GPU temps within the second graph symbolize the temperature on the RTX 3050 Ti dGPU when it was not in use, and the exterior GPU was operating. As anticipated, though CPU temps stay related, the inner temperatures on the dGPU drop considerably as soon as the eGPU is enabled.
ASUS ROG Stream Z13 benchmarks with RTX 3050 Ti
We examined the ASUS ROG Stream Z13 at its native 1200p decision throughout a spread of various titles on totally different graphical presets. When benchmarking the Stream Z13 utilizing its RTX 3050 Ti dGPU we used the onboard MUX Change to show off Optimus for all our testing, to make sure the most effective efficiency. All fan, voltage, and reminiscence utilization settings inside the Armoury Crate software program have been set to the max utilizing a Guide fan pace profile.
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ASUS ROG Stream Z13 benchmarks with ROG XG Cell RTX 3080
The Stream Z13 with ROG XG Cell RTX 3080 exterior GPU was once more examined utilizing probably the most performance-favorable settings potential, although as acknowledged, connecting the eGPU prevents using the MUX Change to disable Optimus.
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ASUS ROG Stream Z13 gaming efficiency: the takeaway
By itself, the ASUS ROG Stream Z13 with RTX 3050 Ti and Intel Core i9-12900H doesn’t notably impress so far as gaming goes. The dimensions constraints of the pill chassis imply the RTX 3050 Ti is comparatively underpowered, even in comparison with different RTX 3050 Tis, so that you’ll battle to get playable efficiency on the most recent, most demanding titles on something above the bottom settings. Even then, don’t count on to get a lot above 60FPS in some titles. As you possibly can inform from its absence above, we weren’t capable of activate Ray-Tracing in Doom Everlasting utilizing the onboard RTX 3050 Ti. Moreover, the very best settings in Doom Everlasting even with out Ray-Tracing, weren’t playable utilizing the dGPU because the VRAM of the machine was not ample. Older, much less demanding video games reminiscent of CS:GO will run very properly although, notably ones which make the most of CPU energy.
Mix the Stream Z13 with the ROG XG Cell RTX 3080 nevertheless, and the efficiency in-game is on par with the most effective gaming laptops available on the market; in FPS phrases it truly beats the 2021 XMG Neo 15 with RTX 3080 that we rated as one in every of our greatest gaming laptops of final yr, demolishing demanding titles even on the very best settings with Ray-Tracing turned on. That is additionally with out the good thing about having the ability to disable Optimus with the eGPU connected, so count on a considerable efficiency enhance when you bypassed this utilizing an exterior monitor. When you think about that the XG Cell RTX 3080 is nearer to a full-sized desktop graphics card, quite than the scaled-down variations designed for laptops, this isn’t actually shocking.
Closing Phrase
Contemplating all of the above, we positively wouldn’t suggest shopping for the ASUS ROG Stream Z13 by itself. The RTX 3050 Ti model simply isn’t highly effective sufficient in-game to justify its exorbitant value, and there are superior, cheaper non-gaming tablets on the market. You’d be higher off shopping for a 14-inch gaming laptop computer just like the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 for a similar sum of money, far superior gaming efficiency, battery life, a greater I/O, and a sooner, extra responsive show, and simply put up with the marginally lowered portability.
Given the great shade accuracy and panel uniformity (at the least within the mannequin we examined), it’s a disgrace that the gamut solely extends to 96.8% sRGB for the 1080p model because the Z13 may have added one other string to its bow as a machine appropriate for creatives on the lookout for a machine appropriate for color-accurate images / graphic design. As it’s, the touchscreen performance and stylus pen assist are each respectable, however given the poor battery lifetime of the laptop computer, even when Optimus is enabled, its utility as a cellular inventive platform is inferior to different tablets.
When trying on the ASUS ROG Stream Z13 and RTX 3080 ROG XG Cell mixed bundle, it’s spectacular in some ways, although it’s exhausting to suggest it aside from very particular circumstances. The mixture of the 2 performs in addition to the very finest gaming laptops available on the market in FPS phrases, higher than virtually each different RTX 3080 laptop computer, however is vastly costly.
We want to see a less expensive Stream Z13 possibility accessible that mixes Intel Xe built-in graphics with probably the most highly effective i9-12900H CPU possibility as we examined right here, given the RTX 3050 Ti is basically a waste of cash, however in keeping with the ASUS web site the Intel Xe solely comes with the i5-12500H, which might influence your efficiency when pairing it with the RTX 3080 ROG XG Cell eGPU.
The one state of affairs we may see this pill and ROG XG Cell mixture working properly in, is when you mix the 2 with an exterior monitor at house when gaming, however take the machine with you on the transfer for common use/office duties. This might not solely provide you with the next refresh price and response instances, however most significantly take pleasure in bypassing Optimus, supplying you with an extra FPS efficiency enhance that might put it alongside a number of the cheaper RTX 3080 desktops on the market, while retaining its utility as a conveyable gadget. The issue is, you possibly can simply as simply purchase a separate desktop and pill for a similar value and equal, if not superior, efficiency.
