Asus ROG Strix GL502VM(-DB71/-DB74) 15.6″ Gaming Notebook (Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, FHD, i7-6700HQ, 16GB RAM)

The Asus ROG Strix GL502VM, including the best selling GL502VM-DB71 and GL502VM-DB74 models, is powerful yet sleek 15.6-inch gaming notebook series. The centerpiece of the notebook is the latest Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB video card. Carrying almost the same specs as the desktop GTX 1060 6GB version, the GPU inside the GL502VM is fully capable of running all modern games on high-quality to “ultra” HQ graphics detail settings and Full HD resolution. Getting a laptop with even more powerful GTX 1070 and 1080 is advised if you’re into gaming on Ultra HD 4K resolution and multi-monitor setups. Otherwise, the 1060 is all that most laptop gamers need. To further improve game rendering smoothness, Asus has included Nvidia’s G-Sync display refresh rate syncing technology.

In other aspects, the GL502VM is a prime example of a thin-and-light gaming laptop. The notebook weighs in at 4.9 pounds and is 0.9″ thick. It has an aluminum display lid and plastic base part, all with orange accents. The 15.6″ display sports Full HD resolution, IPS technology for wide viewing angles. There’s also a backlit keyboard and an advanced cooling system in comparison to the standard laptops. Besides the GTX 1060, under the hood the Asus ROG Strix GL502VM packs the 6th Generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ quad-core processor, among the fastest on the market. It’s paired with 16GB of RAM, which can satisfy multitasking needs of average and demanding users. Finally, storage space is capacious too. The GL502VM-DB71 model (around $1,400) ships with a 1-Terabyte hard drive at 7,200rpm. For those demanding faster storage, the 1,600-dollar GL502VM-DB74 adds a 256GB solid state drive alongside the 1TB HDD.

The battery is bigger than those in standard laptops. It is rated at 64 WHr and claimed to be capable of providing “up to 5 hours” of battery life. That’s a great battery life, considering the powerful components inside the Strix.

Other notebook necessities, like stereo speakers, a webcam (720p), Wi-Fi and Ethernet LAN network interfaces, Bluetooth, HDMI out, combo audio jack, three USB (30.0) ports, and a media card reader (microSD), are present. Additionally, the Asus ROG Strix GL502VM(-DB71/-DB74) provides the new-generation USB-C 3.1 port, and a mini DisplayPort video output.

For those looking to save money on the Asus ROG Strix 15.6″ series, the PC makers also offers basically the same laptop with the older Nvidia GeForce 970M series video card and lower pricing. It’s the Asus ROG Strix GL502VT.