BERLIN – The Asus GX700, showed off at IFA 2015, ushers in a feature never before seen in a gaming laptop: water cooling. The idea behind this innovation? When you combine fast processing and a full 4K display with long gaming sessions, heat often ensues. But water can protect your skin and your machine.
Asus announced the GX700, as well as another powerful laptop, the G752, at IFA in Berlin. The two new systems are similar, in that they run Windows 10, contain powerful Intel processors and Nvidia graphics cards, and make use of a new physical design that filters out dust while keeping the laptops ventilated.
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I saw both laptops and both looked like they lived up to the company's claims. Both laptops were warm (but not hot) to the touch, even while running The Witcher 3 at what appeared to be UHD resolutions. The 17-inch GX700's water cooler is a large attachable system. The G752 doesn't run as cool, but also doesn't take up nearly as much space.
The G752 will feature a 6th-generation Intel CPU and the latest Nvidia GTX 900M Series graphic. It will come with a new Asus Republic of Gaming (ROG) color scheme with Armor Titanium and Plasma Copper accents. The GX700 will also come with the new color scheme. It will be powered by an overclockable 6th-generation Intel K-SKU processor with Nvidia graphics.
The two laptops feature responsive keyboards with red backlighting and 30-key rollover capabilities. (Anything past a ten-key rollover tends to be a boon for games that involve lots of rapid button presses, like League of Legends or StarCraft II.) While it's not quite as good as having a mechanical keyboard, it also keeps the systems relatively light and thin.
Asus touted the systems' new designs, which are a bit more aggressive and stylish than previous models from the company. The rear ventilation is all fins and angles, resembling the exhaust port from a Mad Max roadster more than a traditional laptop fan. Whether this looks aggressively adolescent or incredibly appealing is up to individual tastes, although it seems to keep the systems cool, which is the most important thing.
Both the GX700 and G752 will vary in pricing and release date depending on region, and Asus will provide more information on both as they near launch. Water cooling has generally worked well on full-size desktops, and we'll be interested to see whether it's worth the bulky attachment on a portable device. Stay tuned for a full review.
