This is easily one of the best M16 laptop reviews out there. The delivery was smooth and the message concise. And you addressed every single issue buyers are worried about, e.g. clarifying what memory is soldered on the board. At no point did i feel like i needed to skip ahead or slow down the video. Can't say that's the case with many reviewers, and this includes the well established tech reviewers. hope you review more laptops or firearms in the future!
Great review, straight to the point, watched it like 10 times before actually pulling the trigger and now a happy owner. Also what's the program you're running for GPU temp, CPU, etc..on right side of screen (10:27)
Just returned this after watching so many reviews. Mine had horrible backlight bleed and dead pixels. After reading reviews where people went through multiple only to have to pick "the best of the bad" I couldn't put myself through an exchange. If you get one with a good screen, you're in for a treat, the speakers and trackpad were second to none (among gaming laptops, at least)
I've gone through three from best buy now that had back light bleed on the corners. One had dead pixels..I should've kept the first it had one little spot on it. Called Asus to be sent in but they claim best buy can repair it.
I just picked this up after having to return my Alienware m17 r5 because of screen issues. I was debating for 3 hours if I should just exchange it for another r5 or go for the ASUS m16. I really liked the look of the m17 r5, but I loved how simple the ASUS m16 looked. Well simple to my eyes lol. So, I bit the bullet and swapped out the m17 r5 for the ASUS m16. So far, I'm really glad I got it. haven't played any games yet since I just came home with it not too long ago and busy downloading games but I'm liking the feel and look of it. Plus, I saved $160 from the swap lol.
Great review! Even under relatively mild non-gaming loads (12-15 Chrome tabs + 3-4 PDF documents in Acrobat reader with GPU not running), the CPU temperature in the "silent" setting reaches 70 deg C (I have the I-7 +3050 TI version)). Even when the CPU temperature is lower (around 60 deg C), the keyboard region above the function keys feels pretty hot and it's the same for a large part of the back side. Is this something common across most compact laptops? Are you happy with the thermals? Do you suggest that I manually change the fan curves for better cooling? Also, what do you think of the front vents throwing hot air directly to the bottom of the 16:10 screen? Can you briefly tell how all do these affect the longevity of this otherwise compact and efficient laptop?
although a bit higher than I saw in Silent mode, Your temperature still well within the safe zone for laptop hardware. That's the drawback of using silent mode, is it keeps the fan from spitting up, which is quite, but the heat isn't being pushed out and gets conducted more by the laptop itself. There is a lot of debate about the long term effects of the heat blowing onto the screen. Lots of speculation, but I've yet to see any evidence that it does any harm to the panel.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds I just picked up this laptop for myself and am experiencing cpu temps of upper 90 C when gaming, even after manually setting the fans to max out at 100% once 70 C is hit. Ive been keeping it propped up and its been about 75 F (24 C) in my house while gaming. Is this normal for this laptop to be running this hot? Im trying to make sure it is performing as intended before the return window expires.
@@MeaslyVids if you are using the "Turbo" profile, then yes it is within expected temperature limits. I was hitting 93C on the CPU when stress testing. I also have a aluminum laptop stand that folds out if I want to keep temps a bit lower, and has the added benefit of elevating the screen a bit.
Extremely detailed and helpful video! Keep up the good work. I just wanted to ask what does combined wattage at 140W mean? Since the max wattage of the GPU is 120W and the CPU is 60(?) if I'm not wrong. Would love if you could help clarify this. Thanks a bunch in advance :)
Interesting, I have this same laptop but just a W not a ZW model, and mine *does* have 16GB RAM soldered with a 16GB SODIMM, so the maximum RAM is 48GB if one were to replace the 16GB SODIMM with a 32GB one.
Can't speak to longevity as I've only had it for 3 weeks now, but the hinges feel solid, no creaking and they are nice and fluid even when opening one-handed.
I got a question. I am intending to buy this laptop. The website says that a Delta Headset & a Chakram Mouse should be included along with a ROG backpack. Was it included with the laptop?
No, this version only comes with what I showed in the unboxing. The website really doesn't do a great job with accuracy in regards to specs and include accessories...
Ive been researching for a new Laptop the last 3 month and i always come back to the m16. Still held back due to heat issues, but i think i will pull the trigger on this. The only alternative ive got my eyes on is the razer blade 15, but for the same config they let you pay 1k extra which is just too much even tho the aluminum chassis is very sleek, but definetly not worth that much of a premium. Do you have experience with asus support? This is another factory im taking greatly into consideration and also why i refrain from a razer which has horrendous support from what i read.
I've only had to use Asus support for a graphics card issue a few years back, and it wasn't difficult to work with them. Can't speak to how they are with laptops though.
I would love to do more, but I am reviewing devices that I use personally, and only upgrade every 1-2 years. If I can get my hands on more laptops, I would totally do more reviews.
Not sure, But I've been able to game on a 38-in ultra wide using a USB-C to DisplayPort connector without issue. No drop in frame rates with external monitors compared to the laptop screen if at the same resolution.
About to pick up this same model from Best Buy tomorrow (May 12th, 2022) and appreciate you letting us know about not changing the settings in Windows menu regarding the Power adjustments and only doing so in Armoury Crate. When you first got yours started for the first time, how long did it take to have Windows, drivers and Armoury Crate update to the latest version?
One thing I also forgot to mention the video that I discovered, is that you do not want to download drivers directly from the Nvidia website. You need to use the ones provided by Asus. Guessing it has to do with the MUX switch in this laptop.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds Just got the M16 and have completed the Windows updates as well as the Armoury Crate app. Is the Nvidia driver update in the Armoury Crate app or somewhere else? Thank you!
Hey! Great review . Very detailed one . You talked about silent mode and although you mentioned it was quiet browsing or working on some documents I guess the fans will turn on eventually. If they do, are they noticeable? Besides gaming I would use it for Power BI or data analysis. The other question is regarding the performance profile. Can you game on this profile? Or would you recommend to always use turbo when gaming? And the last one would be when you re not plugged in (only using battery) are the fans noisy watching films or browsing for example? Thank you!
If the fans do eventually kick on in silent mode, they are still fairly inaudible. Gaming in this profile depends on the title. Newer AAA FPS would need the added horsepower from the performance and turbo modes. Games that are less graphically intense work fine in silent.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds I forgot to ask you if on performance mode the fans are somewhat annoying. In my case I would be studying with data software like SQL and Power Bi so I would guess it could get warm on silent mode. Maybe performance mode would keep it cool while not being “annoying” Thank you very much in advance!
@@MrArmageddonBuilds Regarding the led lights reflecting on the screen. Have you tried covering them with thin black tape? Would u say it could cause any issue? Dont know if there is any air exhaust close to those lights
Hey! I think someone may have already asked this, but... I want to upgrade one ram slot to 32gb ddr5. Would having a 32gb +8gb help the system run faster?
Adding a larger RAM dimm won't make anything run faster, but if you have applications or programs that are memory hungry, the added ram might be needed to run properly. For example when I edit in Adobe premiere pro, I can come very close to maxing out the 16 GB it comes with when working with large 4K footage files.
Awesome content! Congrats! Let me ask you something, I'm considering buying one, but wanted to upgrade the ram. Do you reckon, having a bigger size module may impact on overall performance, even if DDR5 already runs on dual or quad channel.
There will be a small hit to overall RAM performance by throwing in a larger module, but if you have applications or workflow that require more RAM, the increase outweighs the slight performance dip.
@@DarnellMckenzieDr3stunna Because you are no longer using a matched pair and can't fully utilize dual channel mode. But honestly the performance dip is minimal and if your workload needs more RAM, better to add the larger DIMM. Just try to get something that is the same frequency and latency of the in-board module.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds ok so I’ll uninstalled the nvidia app and use asus armor core. How exactly do I update it through there? I think I might’ve done it already without knowing but just to know for sure
@@Jra362 I haven't used armory crate for GPU updates, but they might show up there. I have always just gone to the Asus download center online and pulled the driver for my laptop.
Depends on what you're doing while in Silent mode. General web browsing or working on more simple tasks there is no audible noise coming from the laptop.
@Mr Armageddon Builds Thanks. But I don't care much about noise, especially in silent mode. Stopped fan allows keep laptop clean from dust for long period of time. I have such feature on my MSI Prestige 14 A10SC.
Left side ports placement looks ridiculous. I just cannot understand is really okay for everyone that flash drive, ethernet and power cable are always under left hand?
-Does the keyboard gets warm when using the laptop for normal stuff (and for a long time sometimes)? -And im gonna need it for coding so i want to know if the keyboard gets hot or warm after hours of using?
This is easily one of the best M16 laptop reviews out there. The delivery was smooth and the message concise. And you addressed every single issue buyers are worried about, e.g. clarifying what memory is soldered on the board. At no point did i feel like i needed to skip ahead or slow down the video. Can't say that's the case with many reviewers, and this includes the well established tech reviewers. hope you review more laptops or firearms in the future!
I was surprised at the webcam quality. It's not as bad as others have stated. Thanks
Man, I can’t thank you enough for this thorough review!
This is the best M16 review out there. Thanks a lot. Subscribed.
Thank you for this amazing review mate. Contrary to majority of reviewing yt channels you gave included all info I needed. Well done bud
Great review, straight to the point, watched it like 10 times before actually pulling the trigger and now a happy owner. Also what's the program you're running for GPU temp, CPU, etc..on right side of screen (10:27)
Rainmeter. There are a bunch of skins available so you can customize the look and what data you want to see.
Just returned this after watching so many reviews. Mine had horrible backlight bleed and dead pixels. After reading reviews where people went through multiple only to have to pick "the best of the bad" I couldn't put myself through an exchange. If you get one with a good screen, you're in for a treat, the speakers and trackpad were second to none (among gaming laptops, at least)
I've gone through three from best buy now that had back light bleed on the corners. One had dead pixels..I should've kept the first it had one little spot on it. Called Asus to be sent in but they claim best buy can repair it.
It's trash, fans go loud even on silent mode with basic browsing and simple tasks
Great video. I love mine. I bought mine at Best Buy on sale Aug 6th for $1849.99. Beautiful display.
I just picked this up after having to return my Alienware m17 r5 because of screen issues. I was debating for 3 hours if I should just exchange it for another r5 or go for the ASUS m16. I really liked the look of the m17 r5, but I loved how simple the ASUS m16 looked. Well simple to my eyes lol. So, I bit the bullet and swapped out the m17 r5 for the ASUS m16. So far, I'm really glad I got it. haven't played any games yet since I just came home with it not too long ago and busy downloading games but I'm liking the feel and look of it. Plus, I saved $160 from the swap lol.
how has the laptop held up?
Great review! Even under relatively mild non-gaming loads (12-15 Chrome tabs + 3-4 PDF documents in Acrobat reader with GPU not running), the CPU temperature in the "silent" setting reaches 70 deg C (I have the I-7 +3050 TI version)). Even when the CPU temperature is lower (around 60 deg C), the keyboard region above the function keys feels pretty hot and it's the same for a large part of the back side. Is this something common across most compact laptops?
Are you happy with the thermals? Do you suggest that I manually change the fan curves for better cooling? Also, what do you think of the front vents throwing hot air directly to the bottom of the 16:10 screen? Can you briefly tell how all do these affect the longevity of this otherwise compact and efficient laptop?
although a bit higher than I saw in Silent mode, Your temperature still well within the safe zone for laptop hardware.
That's the drawback of using silent mode, is it keeps the fan from spitting up, which is quite, but the heat isn't being pushed out and gets conducted more by the laptop itself.
There is a lot of debate about the long term effects of the heat blowing onto the screen. Lots of speculation, but I've yet to see any evidence that it does any harm to the panel.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds I just picked up this laptop for myself and am experiencing cpu temps of upper 90 C when gaming, even after manually setting the fans to max out at 100% once 70 C is hit. Ive been keeping it propped up and its been about 75 F (24 C) in my house while gaming. Is this normal for this laptop to be running this hot? Im trying to make sure it is performing as intended before the return window expires.
@@MeaslyVids if you are using the "Turbo" profile, then yes it is within expected temperature limits. I was hitting 93C on the CPU when stress testing. I also have a aluminum laptop stand that folds out if I want to keep temps a bit lower, and has the added benefit of elevating the screen a bit.
Perfect review, thank you!
Extremely detailed and helpful video! Keep up the good work.
I just wanted to ask what does combined wattage at 140W mean? Since the max wattage of the GPU is 120W and the CPU is 60(?) if I'm not wrong. Would love if you could help clarify this. Thanks a bunch in advance :)
Interesting, I have this same laptop but just a W not a ZW model, and mine *does* have 16GB RAM soldered with a 16GB SODIMM, so the maximum RAM is 48GB if one were to replace the 16GB SODIMM with a 32GB one.
nice video , I am considering this laptop for productivity instead of a Dell XPS 17, how the built quality and hinges feel are they durable ? thanks
Can't speak to longevity as I've only had it for 3 weeks now, but the hinges feel solid, no creaking and they are nice and fluid even when opening one-handed.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds thanks
I got a question. I am intending to buy this laptop. The website says that a Delta Headset & a Chakram Mouse should be included along with a ROG backpack. Was it included with the laptop?
No, this version only comes with what I showed in the unboxing. The website really doesn't do a great job with accuracy in regards to specs and include accessories...
Very nice review, thank you! :D
Ive been researching for a new Laptop the last 3 month and i always come back to the m16. Still held back due to heat issues, but i think i will pull the trigger on this. The only alternative ive got my eyes on is the razer blade 15, but for the same config they let you pay 1k extra which is just too much even tho the aluminum chassis is very sleek, but definetly not worth that much of a premium. Do you have experience with asus support? This is another factory im taking greatly into consideration and also why i refrain from a razer which has horrendous support from what i read.
I've only had to use Asus support for a graphics card issue a few years back, and it wasn't difficult to work with them. Can't speak to how they are with laptops though.
Full disclaimer, mine is warrantied through Best Buy for 2yrs, so I won't have to deal with Asus directly if anything comes up.
You have some good reviews on your channel , have you consider to do more laptop reviews because there great
I would love to do more, but I am reviewing devices that I use personally, and only upgrade every 1-2 years. If I can get my hands on more laptops, I would totally do more reviews.
Is the type-c port that supports DisplayPort connected to the RTX graphics card ? Or is it connected to the Intel GPU?
Not sure, But I've been able to game on a 38-in ultra wide using a USB-C to DisplayPort connector without issue. No drop in frame rates with external monitors compared to the laptop screen if at the same resolution.
About to pick up this same model from Best Buy tomorrow (May 12th, 2022) and appreciate you letting us know about not changing the settings in Windows menu regarding the Power adjustments and only doing so in Armoury Crate. When you first got yours started for the first time, how long did it take to have Windows, drivers and Armoury Crate update to the latest version?
Windows update took roughly 30min and a few reboots to get everything current.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds nice, thank you
One thing I also forgot to mention the video that I discovered, is that you do not want to download drivers directly from the Nvidia website. You need to use the ones provided by Asus. Guessing it has to do with the MUX switch in this laptop.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds Just got the M16 and have completed the Windows updates as well as the Armoury Crate app. Is the Nvidia driver update in the Armoury Crate app or somewhere else? Thank you!
@@Goalier95 I only had to reinstall it because I had to wipe my laptop. The one that comes installed with should be fairly current.
Hey! Great review . Very detailed one .
You talked about silent mode and although you mentioned it was quiet browsing or working on some documents I guess the fans will turn on eventually. If they do, are they noticeable? Besides gaming I would use it for Power BI or data analysis.
The other question is regarding the performance profile. Can you game on this profile? Or would you recommend to always use turbo when gaming?
And the last one would be when you re not plugged in (only using battery) are the fans noisy watching films or browsing for example?
Thank you!
If the fans do eventually kick on in silent mode, they are still fairly inaudible. Gaming in this profile depends on the title. Newer AAA FPS would need the added horsepower from the performance and turbo modes. Games that are less graphically intense work fine in silent.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds thank you very much!
@@MrArmageddonBuilds I forgot to ask you if on performance mode the fans are somewhat annoying. In my case I would be studying with data software like SQL and Power Bi so I would guess it could get warm on silent mode. Maybe performance mode would keep it cool while not being “annoying”
Thank you very much in advance!
@@agustinochoa117 I wouldn't say the fans are annoying in performance mode, but they are definitely noticeable.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds Regarding the led lights reflecting on the screen. Have you tried covering them with thin black tape? Would u say it could cause any issue? Dont know if there is any air exhaust close to those lights
I'm debating buying this model but personally would u want for the 2023 model ?
I haven't seen pricing on the 2023 version yet, so hard to say. But if the 2022 version gets heavy discounts, that's pretty appealing.
WASD gets really damn hot for me when gaming on turbo mode but damn I love this computer!
Hey!
I think someone may have already asked this, but...
I want to upgrade one ram slot to 32gb ddr5.
Would having a 32gb +8gb help the system run faster?
Adding a larger RAM dimm won't make anything run faster, but if you have applications or programs that are memory hungry, the added ram might be needed to run properly. For example when I edit in Adobe premiere pro, I can come very close to maxing out the 16 GB it comes with when working with large 4K footage files.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds I'm most likely going to have to run a lot of VMs so 40gb may be a worthwhile upgrade. Thank you!
Awesome content! Congrats!
Let me ask you something, I'm considering buying one, but wanted to upgrade the ram. Do you reckon, having a bigger size module may impact on overall performance, even if DDR5 already runs on dual or quad channel.
There will be a small hit to overall RAM performance by throwing in a larger module, but if you have applications or workflow that require more RAM, the increase outweighs the slight performance dip.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds I just bought a 32gb ram stick so you’re saying putting this would impact performance? If so why ?
@@DarnellMckenzieDr3stunna Because you are no longer using a matched pair and can't fully utilize dual channel mode. But honestly the performance dip is minimal and if your workload needs more RAM, better to add the larger DIMM. Just try to get something that is the same frequency and latency of the in-board module.
Question, how do I exactly update the GPU should I do it through nvidia or through the ASUS armor core?
I recommend doing it through the ASUS utility.
@@MrArmageddonBuilds ok so I’ll uninstalled the nvidia app and use asus armor core. How exactly do I update it through there? I think I might’ve done it already without knowing but just to know for sure
@@Jra362 I haven't used armory crate for GPU updates, but they might show up there. I have always just gone to the Asus download center online and pulled the driver for my laptop.
@@Jra362 rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-zephyrus/rog-zephyrus-m16-2022-series/helpdesk_download/
Thanks!!!
Does it have fan stop feature when cpu/gpu are not hot? Probably in silent mode?
Depends on what you're doing while in Silent mode. General web browsing or working on more simple tasks there is no audible noise coming from the laptop.
@Mr Armageddon Builds Thanks. But I don't care much about noise, especially in silent mode. Stopped fan allows keep laptop clean from dust for long period of time. I have such feature on my MSI Prestige 14 A10SC.
Left side ports placement looks ridiculous. I just cannot understand is really okay for everyone that flash drive, ethernet and power cable are always under left hand?
Seems pretty standard as the majority of people are right-handed, and ports on the right side would interfere with mouse operation.
What is the max wattage to the gpu alone ? I noticed you listed max on cpu but not gpu
120 watts for the 3070ti
i hope i can buy this laptop this month. :)
What would be a good 32 gb ram for this laptop?
DDR5 @ 4800 MHz. Find something that has similar CAS latencies.
What ssd size will I need for this laptop?
M.2 2280 form factor
-Does the keyboard gets warm when using the laptop for normal stuff (and for a long time sometimes)?
-And im gonna need it for coding so i want to know if the keyboard gets hot or warm after hours of using?
It gets warm while gaming or video encoding, but haven't noticed it get very warm during more standard workflows or web browsing.