Gone are the days when gaming laptops used to be large and clunky machines with an over-the-top flashy design language. Today’s gaming notebooks are sleek, light and feature a more subtle design with just a hint of that gamer-y aesthetic. Even though the design might not speak volumes, their performance far exceeds that of notebooks without a dedicated GPU.

First off, let’s get the hardware specifications out of the way before I get on with the review. The Asus ROG Strix GL503 packs in a 7th-Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor paired with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 or 1060 GPU, along with 8 or 16GB of RAM. On paper, the specifications are great for a budget gaming laptop and the GL503 features a number of unique additions which help it stand out in the saturated budget gaming notebook space. Here’s a quick rundown of the GL503’s specifications:

Note: For the purpose of this review, I used a GL503VD, which includes an Intel Core-i7 7700HQ processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU, and 8 gigabytes of RAM.

Design and Build Quality

The first thing I noticed as soon as I pulled the laptop out of the box was its stealthy all-black design. Yes, the laptop does feature a polished ROG logo on the lid, but the new minimal approach is far better than the design of older notebooks in the ROG line which was nothing short of an eyesore. The logo lights up a dull red when the laptop is turned on and I really dig this new approach. Kudos to Asus!

Connectivity

When it comes to connectivity, the Asus ROG Strix GL503VD features every possible connectivity option any typical gamer would need. It has a better selection of I/O than most of the other laptops in this price bracket and in my opinion, a typical user will never fall short of ports or feel the need to resort to a dongle.

Display

I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting much from the GL503VD on the display front, considering the fact that other laptops (read Dell) in the segment still ship with TN panels, but I was pleasantly surprised. The display on the GL503VD is pretty great, to be honest. Not only does it get fairly bright on the maximum setting, but it also fairs well when it comes to color reproduction.

Keyboard

I used the review unit as my primary device for about a week and since my work entails a lot of typing (as you’d expect), I was more than happy with the keyboard on the GL503VD. Now I wouldn’t compare it to a mechanical keyboard, but for a laptop, the keys are quite responsive and have a decent key travel. The keyboard is silent, so you wouldn’t have to worry about your teammates hearing you bash your keys, but the feedback is a bit on the mushy side.

Touchpad

The plastic touchpad on the GL503VD is a decent size and has a smooth surface which, at first, is amazing to use. On my first day of using the notebook, I remember placing it at par with the touchpad found on Macbooks, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The GL503VD features 3.5 W side-firing stereo speakers which are rather disappointing. They’re not quite loud to begin with and can easily be muffled if the laptop is placed on an uneven surface (like a lap).

Quality wise, the speakers are average at best and lack bass. The sound is dominated by mids and highs, which make them sound tinny on higher volumes. However, due to the placement, the stereo separation is pretty great which could be good while playing FPS games when you forget your headphones. But I’d recommend that you don’t forget your headphones.

Much like most OEMs, Asus also includes some of its proprietary software with the GL503VD. While I uninstall all bundled software while setting up a new system as a matter of principle, some of the software bundled with the GL503VD is kinda useful.

The Asus Aura Core software, which I mentioned earlier, can be used to customize the 4-zone RGB keyboard backlight and the ROG Gamefirst IV software monitors and prioritizes network access to prevent programs from affecting your online gaming experience.

Coming to the section you’ve probably been waiting for- performance. Powered by an Intel Core i7-7700HQ and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050, the GL503VD is exactly what you’d expect of a budget gaming notebook. It’s more than a capable multimedia machine and it can comfortably run any modern title at low to medium settings. To test the gaming performance, I tried out multiple titles, including League of Legends(LoL), Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited (ESO), and the notoriously unoptimized PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG).

Although the GL503VD was able to do fairly well while gaming, the meager 8GB RAM, in my opinion, was a major bottleneck. The effect was most prominent while browsing the internet and watching videos in full screen if a number of Chrome tabs were open at the same time. The system took a little more time switching between tabs and switching from windowed to full screen made videos stutter for a fraction of a second.

Asus has done a great job with the thermals on the GL503VD and the exterior heat is managed well. While playing ESO, even though the CPU reached 90 degrees after 15 minutes, the fans automatically went into overdrive and I experienced no throttling whatsoever. If fan noise isn’t an issue, you won’t have any problems while gaming on the GL503VD.

Gaming notebooks aren’t typically known for their amazing battery life, and the Asus GL503VD isn’t any different. The 64Wh battery powering the notebook lasts anywhere between 3 to 4 hours on light to regular use with the screen at maximum brightness. If you want to get a bit more runtime from the notebook, you can always choose the battery saving mode and turn down the brightness, which will give you an additional hour and a half depending on your use case. Under significant load, the GL503VD runs out of juice around the hour mark, so I won’t recommend pushing the laptop unless you’re near a power source.

Pros:

Cons:

SEE ALSO: Acer Nitro 5 Spin Review: A Gaming Laptop That’s Not for Gaming

Starting at just under Rs. 90,000, the GL503VD is a compelling buy for any gamer on a budget. The notebook not only performs well, but also has a stealthy look and a premium finish, so you can easily use it as your work laptop. However, if you’re planning on purchasing the notebook and have a little bit of wiggle room in your budget, I’d suggest you to go for the higher end variant with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 and 16GB of RAM. Along with the performance boost with the upgrade, you’ll get yourself a budget VR rig on which you can enjoy a number of VR titles.