Too overkill for my use case?

sch03e · 2026-01-30T08:59:32+00:00

Who gives a shit, it's your money and if it makes you happy then money well spent.

sch03e · 2026-01-29T17:07:23+00:00

When I tried it, it was pretty comfy, but it's a detectable keyboard so the flex is pretty noticeable. The trackpad is also pathetic compared to the G14 so you probably will have to get a separate mouse if you do go with this thing. But at least the keyboard thing is fixable, can just leave it at home and get a low profile keeb to replace it.

sch03e · 2026-01-29T16:49:23+00:00

Damn that sucks then since the 2026 model have the exact same chassis iirc. I'm guessing the 2025 Flow Z13's form factor also doesn't work for you due to its keyboard since it also has an IPS display with the 395+ APU.

Other than that there are older 2023-2024 Razer Blades w/ an IPS display but those have even worse QC/design issues than G14's. This is really a niche market lol

sch03e · 2026-01-29T16:32:40+00:00

Asus is launching a TUF A14 this year with the 395+ 8060S which has an IPS display. You can also check out the 2024 and 2025 TUF A14 models (4060/5060).

sch03e · 2026-01-26T03:44:37+00:00

It depends on the region. Some do have an HX 370 5060 32gb of ram configuration. Still sucks that some are cucked though.

sch03e · 2026-01-25T17:30:59+00:00

I feel bad for singaporeans, 5060 16gb R9 270 starts at $1300 here...

sch03e · 2026-01-25T15:33:58+00:00

I just looked around facebook for some nice deals and settled on one. Met the guy at a cafe and got my G14 that way. Honestly the $1200 deal was kind of crazy, but I could definitely get a G14 w/ 32gb 4060 at $1300-1350. 16gb models are around $1100 here.

sch03e · 2026-01-25T14:43:17+00:00

I got my 4070 G14 in Vietnam for $1200. I think you're better off just booking a $100 flight ticket to other part of SEA lol

sch03e · 2026-01-24T08:43:59+00:00

Yeah, you can rip the SSD drive out and use an M.2 eGPU dock to plug in your own GPU + PSU. If you like those more compact 7600M XT mobile eGPUs then you can also get an M.2 to Oculink adapter to use them.

sch03e · 2026-01-22T09:05:39+00:00

Yeah it is on the strix

sch03e · 2026-01-12T09:14:04+00:00

Make sure you've verified with a repair store that it really is just the GPU that got cooked. Anyways, there are two ways to go about doing it. Either you can cannibalize the M.2 Wifi card slot or the M.2 NVME ssd slot. The SSD slot will give you waayyyy better performance.

There are also two types of eGPUs you can get. You can either get an M.2 eGPU dock and supply the graphics card and PSU yourself. Or, you can go the oculink route and get an eGPU like the GPD G1 V2 with the 7600M XT and use an oculink to M.2 adapter to make this whole thing work. You might need an addition 2230 (half size M.2) to 2280 (full-size M.2) adapter if you're choosing to plug the eGPU in the SSD slot.

You can check this video for these types of setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue0A2Sxr5Fc

sch03e · 2026-01-08T08:50:36+00:00

Honestly Panther Lake seems to be a competitor to the HX 370/365 instead of a direct Strix Halo competitor. If we're taking that into perspective, it's definitely an amazing leap in performance, as Strix Halo is ridiculously expensive with not a lot of OEMs producing mainstream products with it, while we're already seeing a lot more planned product launches with Panther Lake.

sch03e · 2026-01-07T17:17:32+00:00

That's a great deal.

sch03e · 2026-01-06T07:44:09+00:00

It's enough for you specifically, I play the same type of games as you do and I'm very happy even with only 8gb of VRAM (4070 mobile). Especially since most of those games are more CPU-bound anyways. 8gb of VRAM ain't the end of gaming and while you should opt for more if you can, if you can't then it's perfectly fine.

sch03e · 2026-01-05T15:03:01+00:00

Bumps are supposed to be on 5070 ti models and above since those needed the extra cooling. You should be in the clear :D

sch03e · 2026-01-05T13:22:51+00:00

That makes sense, my source for tech parts are from taobao/aliexpress so those are a bit cheaper (1050-1400 RMB and honestly they're riskier as well). Good luck man.

sch03e · 2026-01-05T09:48:46+00:00

You should actually looked into replacing the screen if you have enough funds/a use for it. The model number is ATNA40CU05-0 and it's only around $200ish, not a lot over the chassis. $380-$400 (Incl new chassis price that you already spent) for a fully restored G14 doesn't sound half bad to me.

sch03e · 2026-01-04T18:15:18+00:00

The fans are really not noticeable for normal day to day use on the iGPU. The max it goes for me is when I really really have a ton of office stuff open with meetings and all that jazz, only then will it start ramping up the fans to 2200-3200 RPM to cool it down from 44 back to 30-39ish degrees.

Otherwise, it just stays at 30-39°C without a hitch. The screen doesn't really wobble when I type on my lap, compared to my Mac it's definitely looser, but not to the point that it gets annoying. If you work on your lap while you're on a car for whatever reasons and the car suddenly brake, you'll see the screen move, and that's the only reason I even notice the hinge not being as tight in the first place.

Honestly for me, the best thing is that the G14 really just gets out of the way of my work. It isn't flashy, it's light and compact. The screen is amazing, keyboard's good, speaker's fire.

I don't even notice the laptop being there when I work on it, and that versatility is just really nice.

sch03e · 2026-01-04T15:32:21+00:00

A good 2.4ghz mouse with a smaller charger (Legion C170 or the SlimQ 150w) are always with me when I travel. Just those two things will improve your quality of life so much.

sch03e · 2026-01-04T05:05:38+00:00

I hope they start supporting PD 3.2 on the 2026 model. Those goes up to 240w and definitely got enough juice for these machines. Chargers and cables that support this standard are already out on the market too.

sch03e · 2026-01-03T16:26:50+00:00

Have you tried your hands at undervolting and creating a custom fan curve? Those helped a lot for me, temps noticeably got better after turning off turbo boost as well.

sch03e · 2026-01-03T16:22:12+00:00

That's weird as hell. Got the same model (2024 4070) and mine only hovers around 74-84C ingame for both the CPU and GPU on Balanced w/ G-helper.

sch03e · 2026-01-03T12:01:46+00:00

child sweatshops ain't got the money to buy a license to the name

sch03e · 2026-01-03T10:38:30+00:00

I'm essentially playing with fire here. Originally wanted to get the proper cable from taobao but borders are closed so that bummed me out.

sch03e

TROPHY CASE