ASUS ROG GR8 Review

The ASUS ROG GR8 is one of the interesting gaming PC that was introduced last year. So why is this gaming PC interesting? Well, because this gaming PC is powered by a powerful hardware but it still sports a compact design. I know, it’s very rare to hear the words compact and gaming on the same sentence. If you want to know more about it, check out my review of the ASUS ROG GR8 below.

Design

The design and construction of the ASUS ROG GR8 is probably the best reason why you’re buying it. It’s very compact and at 2.5L chassis, you can bring this baby anywhere and everywhere you want because it doesn’t take too much space on your bag and it is very light too.

Since this is a gaming device. The design of the ASUS ROG GR8 looks mysterious but pleasing to the eye. It features a patterned that looks like alien-ish but very attractive. Instead of going of the typical squarish flat design, the ASUS ROG GR8 features a slanted squared design which you can use vertically or horizontally but I always prefer to use the ASUS ROG GR8 vertically.

The ASUS ROG GR8 might be small but this one doesn’t compromise its ports. The ASUS ROG GR8 comes with 4x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, Display Port, Gigabit Ethernet, S/PDIF Optical out, audio jacks, K-lock, Wi-Fi and Miracast. Yep, there’s a dedicated button for Miracast so you can use this mini gaming PC as your media center for your living room. However, I do not suggest that you use Miracast for gaming because the experience isn’t as good as a wired HDMI.

Compared to full-fledged desktops, one of ASUS ROG GR8’s downside is the ability to upgrade its hardware. Yes, you could upgrade the RAM and storage but you cannot upgrade the CPU and GPU because these parts are already intact and yes, the ASUS ROG GR8 is using hardware for notebooks instead of desktop but it’s not really a bad thing because the hardware running on the ASUS ROG GR8 is pretty good and it can run most games and applications that are really demanding.

One thing that you’ll love in this one is that it comes with mechanical keyboard and mouse. The mechanical M801 keyboard that comes with the ASUS ROG GR8 is compact but comes with a compromise. It doesn’t have a numeric keyboard which is needed in some games. The M801 mechanical keyboard comes in different lighting modes depending on the mode that you want that’ll fit on your gaming needs.

In my experience, the keyboard is very responsive and you could hear the clicks every time you press a button (which makes me more productive when I’m typing a review for some unknown reason). However, the keyboard is a little bit thick (that’s expected) and it’s too heavy for its size (Not a deal breaker, really). Nonetheless, the M801 mechanical keyboard is very comfortable to use.

Aside from the awesome mechanical keyboard, the ASUS ROG GR8 comes with an ASUS ROG Gladius Mouse. The finish was good and it’s very comfortable to use whether you’re using it for browsing or for games. It’s very responsive too and there’s a button that’ll give switch your DPI which is really helpful if you’re playing shooter games and you want to snipe someone who kept on bunny-hopping. That mouse is really awesome for gaming.

Software and Performance

Running on the ASUS ROG GR8 is a Windows 8.1 64-bit and in case you didn’t know yet, a free Windows 10 upgrade will be available for the first year after it’s launch. Since this is an ASUS ROG device, there are a lot of pre-installed applications meant for gaming like the ASUS Sonic Radar II and ROG Game First III but I barely use those apps and don’t you worry. It doesn’t take too much memory and you can uninstall it when you find it too annoying.

In case you forgot to read the specs sheet, the ASUS ROG GR8 got a powerful Intel Core i7 4510U processor along with an 8GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX750TI 2GB VRAM GPU. It’s not the best hardware that you could see around in the desktop gaming industry but it will probably be enough unless you want to play your games on 4K (But I highly doubt that).

Of course, here’s the part that you’ve been all have been waiting for. I was able to play these games on this cutie little monster:

• Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (Ultra settings, 1600×900) – 35fps
• Grand Theft Auto V (Medium settings 1600×900) – 29fps
• Far Cry 4 (Ultra settings 1600×900) – 29fps

Verdict

The ASUS ROG GR8 is definitely not the most powerful gaming desktop from ASUS but it is definitely my favorite one. Why? Because of its size. Gaming and small desktops doesn’t really add up until the ASUS ROG GR8 came up. It’s not the best in gaming but it can save you a lot of space. Not only that, you’ll also be able to bring this anywhere thanks to its lightweight design and small body construction. It’s really great to have this mini gaming PC if you’re always on the go or if you work in your office and you want to bring with you or you want to bring this anywhere

It’s not for everybody. Not everyone would love this because of its specs. Some people might not like the lack of ability to upgrade the GPU but again, the ASUS ROG GR8 is made for people who are always on the go.

One thing that I love in here is the price. Why? Because for an ROG device, the P57,990 price tag is reasonable. Because not only you’re getting an ASUS ROG GR8, but you’ll also have a keyboard and gaming mouse.

Again, if you’re always on the go and if you value the space on your room and you don’t need too much of an upgrade on your PC then the ASUS ROG GR8 might be the one for you. Do I love it? Yes. Do I recommend it? Definitely.

ASUS ROG GR8 Specs:

• 2.0GHz Intel Core i7 4510U Processor
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX750Ti 2GB
• Intel HD Graphics 4400
• 8GB RAM DDR3L Dual Channel at 1600MHz (2x SO-DIMM)
• 2.5″ 1TB SATA 7200RPM Hard Drive
• 2.5″ x 1 extension bay for additional HDD/SSD
• 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with Miracast receiver
• Intel Ethernet 10/100/1000/Gigabits Mbps
• High Definition 5.1 Channel Audio
• 2 x USB 2.0
• 4 x USB 3.0
• 1 x Headphone jack
• 1 x Microphone jack
• 1 x RJ45 LAN
• 1 x HDMI
• 1 x Kensington Lock
• 1 x DC-in
• 1 x Optical S/PDIF out
• 120 W Power adaptor
• Windows 8.1 64-bit OS
• 6 x 24.5 x 23.8 cm
• 1.284 kg
• ASUS M801 Mechanical keyboardKeyboard
• ASUS ROG Gladius mouse
• SRP: Php57,990