It wasn't long ago that the 2024 version of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 was the darling of our cheap gaming laptop deals page. Week after week, it remained in our lineup with a substantial discount, which was pretty astonishing given it was our favourite gaming laptop at the time.
Now, however, I've spotted the brand spanking new RTX 5070-equipped 2025 model down to $1,700 at Best Buy, and that's a great price for such a sleek machine.
There's one major caveat to be aware of with the new G16, so I'll get it out of the way early. When I tested the RTX 5080 version earlier this year, I found the new fan shroud means it's a bit of a noisy customer to live with day-to-day. Combined with some saw-toothed fan profiles, the little Asus likes to whizz up and down in pitch under light load, which is unfortunate.
Other than that, though, it's still a great gaming laptop in 2025. A large part of that is down to the chassis, which is remarkably slim, sleek, and professional-looking, making this one of the most portable (and work-friendly) 16-inch lappys you can currently buy.
That being said, this one comes with a 16-core (six Performance, eight Efficient) Intel CPU that's likely a big contributor to that fan noise, as it's a little behind the curve in terms of performance thanks to some thermal throttling. It's still plenty powerful enough for gaming, though, even if it likes to peg under extreme duress.
Put that hot-running chip aside for a second and check out the GPU. It's a 105 W variant of the RTX 5070 mobile, which is a decently powerful spec given just how slim this laptop feels in the hands. Combine it with the 240 Hz 1600p OLED display and some Multi Frame Generation, and this little lappy should provide a gorgeous gaming experience that puts many of its competitors in the shade.
Sure, I wish it were quieter, and I think it'd benefit from a more chilled-out CPU at its heart. Plus, some more RAM would be nice, as the 16 GB of LPDDR5X is soldered to the board, so no upgrades for you.
But honestly, it's pretty impressive you can get such a desirable, OLED-equipped, super-portable RTX 5070 lappy with this much of a discount right now. I'm seeing some real bricks with RTX 5070s and much lesser screens going for $100s more than this in the listings, and for this sort of cash, I'd still take the Asus over most of them without much thought.
1. Best overall:
Razer Blade 16 (2025)
2. Best budget:
Gigabyte G6X
3. Best 14-inch:
Razer Blade 14 (2025)
4. Best mid-range:
MSI Vector 16 HX AI
5. Best high-performance:
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10
6. Best 17-inch:
Gigabyte Aorus 17X
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