The Asus Zephyrus GM 501GS Rog Gaming Laptops is a thin and light gaming laptop with outstanding gaming capabilities. A great selection of ports means you can use it for on-the-go gaming, and the upgradable memory is there too for those who need it. And let’s not forget about the absolutely fantastic, tear-resistant screen! It’s definitely one of the top-rated gaming laptops which you can move around with.
Why We Like It – Asus Rog Zephyrus M GM501GS
The Asus Rog Zephyrus M GM501GS is a powerful and not too expensive gaming laptop that will offer you supreme performance thanks to the Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce 1070 GPU. AMD with the 16 GB of RAM, you can bet the laptop will be able to push through whatever you decide to throw at it.
- Great Gaming Performance
- Great Selection of Ports
- Upgradable Memory
- Poor Battery Life
Power/Performance
The Asus Rog Zephyrus M GM501GS embraces the Nvidia GeForce 1070 GPU over the more traditional Nvidia 1080 Max Q GPU coupled with an Intel Core i7 processor, same as the MSI GS65 Stealth, and an impressive 16 GB of RAM. The computer should have no problem keeping up with your gaming experience despite the lower-end graphics card. If you do want a high end one though, check out the Acer Predator Triton 500 RTX 2060.
Related: Another impressive gaming laptop that offers 16 GB of RAM is found on our Asus Rog strix Scar III review.
Battery
Battery life is not one of the strengths of the Asus Rog Zephyrus M GM501GS. Clocking in at just shy of three hours, it pales in comparison to many, many other gaming laptops in its class. For example, the Gigabyte Aero 15 gets about eight and half hours of battery life, still shy of the 10-hour average of this level of gaming laptops, but it still lasts more than five hours compared to the Asus.
Related: Read the Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701 review to learn about a model that will last up to 5 hours.
Ports/Expandability
If you need a USB 3.1 Type-A port, the Asus Rog Zephyrus M has three on the left and one on the right, so it has you covered. The left side also has an HDMI port, a headphone jack, and a power jack. The right features a Thunderbolt 3 port and a secure lock slot. Want another example of great port selection? See this laptop’s cousin, the Asus Rog Zephyrus S Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop.
Build Quality
The laptop is made out of brushed aluminum and comes in a beautiful color Asus calls Black Titanium. This iteration of the Zephyrus is somewhat thicker and heavier, weighing approximately 5 pounds, but that is still much lighter than a lot of other laptops in its class. But one of the best things about the laptop that we haven’t seen in others is the upgradable memory.
Value
The monitor on the Asus Rog Zephyrus M GM501GS is just made for gaming. Featuring an IPS Panel with Nvidia G Sync Technology and a 144Hz refresh rate, gamers will encounter virtually no screen tearing. The audio quality is a bit of a personal choice. Where the Stealth offers clear highs and mids, the Zephyrus offers bassy lows pulsate and really tries to push the sound through the room.
Asus Rog Zephyrus M GM501GS Wrap Up
The Asus Rog Zephyrus M GM501GS is so close to being a near-perfect mid-level gaming laptop, but the absolutely abysmal battery life is what holds it back. Normally, I would say to take a break, and that anything more than four hours of continuous gaming is gratuitous (just my opinion), but even I think barely being able to crack three hours is much too short.
