Why Chinese AI company DeepSeek is spooking investors on U.S. tech
Major U.S. tech stocks, including Nvidia, Oracle and Broadcom, plummeted Monday after Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek unveiled a new system that it says can compete against OpenAI's ChatGPT model at a much lower cost.
The stock of chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom plunged about 17%, while the stock price for Oracle declined 14%. The tech sell-off brought the broader stock market down with it. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 1.5% and the tech-focused Nasdaq 100 sank 3%.
'Companies are worried that DeepSeek will crush the profit capabilities of U.S. AI giants,' said Ray Wang, chief executive of Constellation Research, a research and advisory firm in Silicon Valley.
Despite its market-moving clout, DeepSeek is hardly a household name in the U.S. Here's a primer.
DeepSeek is a Chinese startup that develops open-source AI models, similar to ChatGPT, which helped bring generative artificial intelligence to the mainstream.
Its mobile app surged to the top of Apple's download charts in the U.S. after its release in early January. The DeepSeek mobile app was downloaded 1.6 million times by Jan. 25 and ranked No. 1 in iPhone app stores in Australia, Canada, China, Singapore, the U.S. and the United Kingdom, according to data from market tracker App Figures.
The app distinguishes itself from other chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT by articulating its reasoning before delivering a response to a prompt. The company claims its latest model, DeepSeek-R1, offers performance on par with OpenAI's latest system, and lets individuals interested in developing chatbots on the technology build on its software.
DeepSeek caught the attention of Silicon Valley by saying it could compete with OpenAI at lower costs. DeepSeek said it needed only roughly 2,000 specialized computer chips from Nvidia to train its chatbots, according to the New York Times. U.S. companies, by comparison, use supercomputers with as many as 16,000 chips and sometimes more, the newspaper reported.
Hedge fund manager Liang Wenfeng founded DeepSeek in 2023. Liang co-founded the hedge fund High-Flyer with college friends in 2015 shortly after graduating, according to the Wall Street Journal.
On Monday, Nvidia lost roughly $600 billion in market value, the biggest single day drop for a company in U.S. history, according to CNBC.
Investors worry that if DeepSeek can build a model that requires fewer chips, that would reduce the demand for the types of semiconductors Nvidia and other firms supply. It also could reduce the competitive edge of U.S. tech giants that have invested billions in AI technology.
Washington has banned the export of high-end technologies such as graphics processing unit semiconductors (or GPUs, which are crucial for AI technology) to China, in a bid to stall the country's advances. But DeepSeek's progress suggests Chinese AI engineers have worked their way around the restrictions, focusing on greater efficiency with limited resources.
'The DeepSeek model is ... very impressive, especially since DeepSeek had to navigate strict chip restrictions from the U.S.,' wrote Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives in a Monday research note. 'It remains to be seen if DeepSeek found a way to work around these chip restrictions rules and what chips they ultimately used, as there will be many skeptics around this issue given the information is coming from China.'
The U.S. is still a major leader in the artificial intelligence sector, capturing 68% of the global venture capital funding in AI companies in the third quarter of last year, according to CB Insights. The Silicon Valley geographic area took up roughly half that amount.
Some of the leaders in the space including San Francisco-based startups such as ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as blue chip tech giants including Google's parent company, Alphabet, and Meta. Alphabet's stock fell 4% on Monday, while Meta's rose slightly.
Some analysts were skeptical about the veracity of DeepSeek and what the model can actually accomplish. After all, other companies probably would try to match DeepSeek's savings.
'What DeepSeek showed is that there are lots of efficiency gains that every AI company can achieve,' Wang said. 'However, we haven't verified if this is true or not and what problems are being solved.'
He said China is a 'strong competitor,' but 'the psychological operations warfare as we saw today is more powerful than what they really can deliver.'
Trump has emphasized the importance of America being a leader in AI technology and innovation.
After Trump started his second term as president, he rescinded an executive order signed by President Biden in 2023 that required AI companies to share their safety test results with the U.S. government.
Although some people in the tech industry applauded Biden's executive order as a way of establishing guardrails and guidelines for AI companies, others expressed concern that it could stifle innovation. Trump while a candidate warned that Biden's policies, including that executive order, weren't working.
On Monday, David Sacks, Trump's White House AI and crypto czar, said DeepSeek has shown the AI race will be very competitive.
'President Trump was right to rescind the Biden EO, which hamstrung American AI companies without asking whether China would do the same. (Obviously not.),' Sacks wrote Monday on social media platform X. 'I'm confident in the U.S. but we can't be complacent.'
Trump last week announced that OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank are committing $100 billion to an initiative called the Stargate project, with plans to invest $500 billion in AI infrastructure over the next four years. Trump said it would help create more than 100,000 U.S. jobs.
Bloomberg contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Alienware 16 Area-51 is one of the cheapest RTX 5080 gaming laptops — and it's near-perfect
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. I wouldn't call any RTX 50-series gaming laptop cheap, but Alienware, of all brands, comes knocking with its flagship Area-51 at an alluring price point for all of its premium qualities. For a whopping $3,249 (yes, that's competitive in this market [insert cry GIF here]), the Alienware 16 Area-51 packs a punch with its Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, supported by a bright 16-inch display, a punchy mechanical keyboard, and solid audio. While its flaws are limited, they're still flaws. The battery life could be better, the display could be OLED, and the touchpad isn't tall enough. However, its pros make a strong case for the Alienware 16 Area-51 as one of the best gaming laptops, and it looks like a straight-up spaceship. But let's see if it's right for you. Alienware 16 Area-51 Price $2,849 starting ($3,249 reviewed) CPU Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB) RAM 32GB DDR5, 6400MT/s Storage 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD Display 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz, IPS display Battery 4:10 (1:50 gaming) Dimensions 14.37 x 11.41 x 0.85~1.12 inches Weight 7.13 pounds Click to view full benchmark test results Alienware 16 Area-51 Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) 20,498 Handbrake conversion (Lower is better) 1.58 25GB File Transfer Test (Lower is better) 23.36 25GB File Transfer Test (SSD speed) 1,149 Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit) 92.9 Gaming Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit, 95 comfort threshold) 118.7 Battery life (Higher is better) 4.1 PCMark 10 Gaming Battery life (higher is better) 1.5 Display brightness (Higher is better) 516 sRGB color gamut (Higher is better) 115% DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better) 81.6% Color accuracy (Lower is better) 0.21 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra (Higher is better) 14,073 3DMark Time Spy Extreme (Higher is better) 10,558 Assassin's Creed: Mirage (1080p, fps) 149 Black Myth: Wukong (Cinematic, 1080p, fps) 58 Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, fps) 62.94 Far Cry 6 (1080p, fps) 121 Monster Hunter Wilds (1080p, fps) 82.82 Red Dead Redemption II (Ultra, 1080p, fps) 117 Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, fps) 183 Forget about a new car; you need that down payment for the Alienware 16 Area-51. The model we reviewed costs $3,249 and is outfitted with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GPU, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz, LED display, and CherryMX mechanical keyboard. You can start at $2,849, dropping to an RTX 5070 Ti, upgrading to a 2TB SSD, and ditching the mechanical keyboard. However, I don't recommend this model. If you're already paying close to $3K, you might as well get the better-performing RTX 5080. There's also the RTX 5090 model, which costs $3,649. It also comes with 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. The biggest issue I have with the configurations is that there are no display options outside of upgrading the webcam (which costs the same price between them, so you should get the 4K model). It would have been nice to see an OLED variant, especially since the color in this LED panel is lacking (but I'll delve into that more later). Overall, the Alienware 16 Area-51 is expensive, but surprisingly, it's more affordable than other RTX 50 series gaming laptops we've seen on the market. Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 This thing looks like it's about to blast the thrusters and head to outer space. I am in love with this design. It's been said before, even I have said it, but damn does this thing look like it's about to blast the thrusters and head to outer space. From the curved edges to the sci-fi-esque vents, the Alienware 16 Area-51 stays true to its namesake. I'll admit, however, I'm not a fan of the Liquid Teal color; it just doesn't look nice. I would've preferred white or another lighter color. Despite that, the black on the hinge contrasts quite well with it, and opening up the lid activates the RGB light bar embedded within the hinge, producing an aurora-esque diffused light. It looks pretty sick. (The Alienware logo lights up, too.) The interior gives off a similar vibe thanks to the numerous vents surrounding the keyboard, not to mention the RGB lighting in the keyboard, touchpad, and fans at the top of the deck. It's straight up Christmas in here. The bezels on the display are relatively thin, with the webcam on top, but I'm disappointed that there isn't a privacy shutter. Another slick design feature is the underside — it features a glass window into the internals with the RGB-lit fans. Despite the Alienware 16 Area-51 resembling a spaceship, it's tough to call it portable at 7.13 pounds and 14.37 x 11.41 x 0.85~1.12 inches. Here's how it compares: HP Omen Max 16: 5.92 pounds, 14.04 x 10.59 x 0.9~0.98 inches Razer Blade 16 (2025): 4.6 pounds, 13.98 x 9.86 x 0.59~0.69 inches Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 (RTX 5080): 5.5 pounds, 14.05 x 10 x 0.91~1.18 inches Image 1 of 3 Image 2 of 3 Image 3 of 3 To maintain its spaceship aesthetic, most of the ports on the Alienware 16 Area-51 are located on the back, with the exception of the SD card slot and headphone jack on the left. Overall, you should have everything you need here. 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) 1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) 2x Thunderbolt 5 ports (for configurations with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and above) 1x HDMI 2.1 1x SD-card slot 1x 3.5mm headphone jack If you really need more ports, check out our best USB Type-C hubs and best laptop docking stations pages. I didn't expect the Alienware 16 Area-51 to offer great battery life I didn't expect the Alienware 16 Area-51 to offer great battery life, considering how much of a chunky monkey it is, but I'm still a bit disappointed. On the Laptop Mag battery test, which sets the laptop to continuously surf the web over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the Alienware 16 Area-51 lasted 4 hours and 10 minutes. That's not bad per se, but the Aorus Master lasted a whole hour longer, and the Razer Blade lasted over three hours longer. There's a similar trend on the PCMark 10 Gaming battery life test, where the Area-51 lasted 1 hour and 50 minutes, while the Razer Blade and Aorus Master lasted 40 to 60 minutes longer, respectively. Click to view chart data in table format Alienware 16 Area-51 HP Omen Max 16 Razer Blade 16 (2025) Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Battery life (Higher is better) 4.1 3.2 7.22 5.02 PCMark 10 Gaming Battery life (higher is better) 1.5 1.24 2.28 2.54 Displays designed for video games are precious to me Displays designed for video games are precious to me, and if I'm paying over $3K for a gaming laptop, it better be pretty. Unfortunately, the Alienware 16 Area-51's 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz, LED display falls a bit short. It's plenty bright, more than its competition, and nearly as bright as the M4 MacBook Pros. However, the color is severely lacking for the price, and that's likely due to the LED panel, whereas its top rivals use OLED. I hopped into an expedition in Elden Ring Nightreign and bodied those nightmare Flame Chariots. While their flames were bright, and everything looked lively, the lack of boldness took me out of it a little. I think the issue is that the LED panel feels like I'm looking at a screen, whereas OLED feels like looking through a window. I'll say this, however: I didn't have any trouble navigating the shadowy mines. I watched the trailer for the currently bombing Lilo & Stitch film, and the night shots were clear, which is nice because I didn't need to squint. And although the day shots were really bright, those Hawaiian waters didn't look as bold as I wanted them to. According to our colorimeter, the Area-51 doesn't meet the 100% DCI-P3 color coverage that Dell claims it does (falling to 81.6%). However, it does break its claimed 500-nit display brightness. Click to view chart data in table format. Alienware 16 Area-51 HP Omen Max 16 Razer Blade 16 (2025) Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Display brightness (Higher is better) 516 363 372 378 sRGB color gamut (Higher is better) 115% 199.7 204% 114% DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better) 81.6% 141.4 144.6% 81.0% Color accuracy (Lower is better) 0.21 0.31 0.3 0.23 Nothing is more satisfying than a mechanical keyboard in a gaming laptop. Nothing is more satisfying than a mechanical keyboard in a gaming laptop. It still feels like a dream that laptops like the Alienware 16 Area-51 are rocking a CherryMX mechanical keyboard. This baby is clicky and punchy; bodying fools in Marvel Rivals felt as smooth as ever. I knocked out 83 words per minute on the typing test, which is above my usual 81-wpm average. Moving to each key felt effortless, thanks to that mechanical bounce. The 4.4 x 2.5-inch touchpad is not only colorful, but it's also glass, so it's silky smooth to the touch. It also features a mid-depth, sharp click, which is satisfying to navigate with. My only gripe is that I wish the touchpad were taller because it makes it more challenging to select a wide area. the Alienware 16 Area-51's top and bottom-firing speakers made me feel like I jumped right into the thick of combat. With two tweeters (treble) and two woofers (bass), the Alienware 16 Area-51's top and bottom-firing speakers made me feel like I jumped right into the thick of combat. Although the music performance could have been better. Dashing across Limveld in Nightreign, oppressive but present strings played in the background while the Depraved Perfumer tried to murder me. I dodged and sliced through them, and got that satisfying slash sound effect when I made impact. When I popped my ultimate ability off, it sounded a bit more muted than I would've liked, but the overall environmental sound effects played well together. It got occasionally muddy when larger bosses started chomping at me. Jumping into my long-lasting hyperfixation, I listened to 'Wouldn't You Like' from Epic: The Musical. The stringed instruments sounded gentle and full, and when Hermes came in, I enjoyed his soft vocals, but I realized they were maybe a bit too soft. The vocals didn't hit the crispness I expected. While I could distinguish most of the instruments from one another, there was some muddiness, and the percussion got snuffed a bit. But overall, it's a strong set of speakers compared with the mediocrity we usually find in even the most expensive gaming laptops. You adjust the audio via Dolby Access, with presets for Game (which I used for gaming), Music (used for music), Movie, Voice, and Dynamic (which I experimented with but wasn't a fan of). This monster doesn't need to worry about slimming down for portability's sake, so it even crushes RTX 5090 gaming laptops on some tests. Packed into the Area-51's thick chassis is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU with 16GB of VRAM. This monster doesn't need to worry about slimming down for portability's sake, so it even crushes RTX 5090 gaming laptops on some tests. Trying our luck with the Gaping Jaw again, my comrades and I leapt into its chaotic purple lightning storms, and the Area-51 easily maxed out the cap at 60 frames per second on max settings at native resolution. Up against the RTX 5080 in the Aorus Master and the RTX 5090 in the Razer Blade and Omen Max, the Area-51 either matched or took the crown on three major gaming benchmarks. So the Area-51 is better than the rest at playing Assassin's Creed Mirage, Black Myth: Wukong, and Far Cry 6. While the Area-51 may not have taken the lead on the rest of the gaming benchmarks, it got pretty darn close across the board. You won't be disappointed with this level of performance. And keep in mind that our benchmarks don't account for DLSS 4, so if you want to get into multi-frame generation magic, you can expect a significant increase in frames. Click to view chart data in table format. Alienware 16 Area-51 HP Omen Max 16 Razer Blade 16 (2025) Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra (Higher is better) 14,073 12,734 14,024 13,695 3DMark Time Spy Extreme (Higher is better) 10,558 10,100 10,770 10,097 Assassin's Creed: Mirage (1080p, fps) 149 137 120 145 Black Myth: Wukong (Cinematic, 1080p, fps) 58 51 58 52 Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, fps) 62.94 58.04 65.83 61.52 Far Cry 6 (1080p, fps) 121 109 97 120 Monster Hunter Wilds (1080p, fps) 82.82 76.55 70.86 85.67 Red Dead Redemption II (Ultra, 1080p, fps) 117 86.9164 Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, fps) 183 175 166 185 The Alienware 16 Area-51 absolutely dominated its competition Don't think Alienware forgot about overall performance. The Area-51 is toting the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor with 32GB of RAM, and it's one heck of a powerhouse. It didn't flinch when I opened a couple dozen Google Chrome tabs and a handful of YouTube videos while Nightreign downloaded in the background. The Alienware 16 Area-51 absolutely dominated its competition on the Geekbench 6 overall performance test and our HandBrake benchmark, which requires it to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. However, the Area-51 lagged a bit behind on SSD speeds, coming in third on our 25GB file transfer test, but since it's above 1 GBps, it should be good for most things. Now, even though the Area-51 is rocking fans all over the place, it still gets a bit spicy while gaming. We clocked it at 118.7 degrees Fahrenheit between the F8 and F9 keys, which is way above our 95-degree comfort threshold. Yet, it might be safe to sit it in your lap. How? The underside only reached 93.1 degrees. However, I'd proceed with caution since the underside features a glass window, which might burn if it gets too hot. Click to view chart data in table format. Alienware 16 Area-51 HP Omen Max 16 Razer Blade 16 (2025) Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) 20,498 19,822 16,025 19,175 Handbrake conversion (Lower is better) 1.58 2.54 3.12 2.18 25GB File Transfer Test (Lower is better) 23.36 19.2 15.52 40.4 25GB File Transfer Test (SSD speed) 1,149 1,395 1,730 665 Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit) 92.9 88.6 97.9 94.3 Gaming Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit, 95 comfort threshold) 118.7 105.8 125.8 116.8 With an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, the Area-51 supports an NPU with 13 peak TOPS (trillion operations per second). With that, you can access your usual Copilot software, like Windows Studio Effects, Cocreate, and Live Captions. Apart from potential performance gain, there isn't any Dell or Alienware-branded software with unique AI capabilities. Like most laptop webcams, even the Alienware 16 Area-51's 4K shooter isn't great. Despite that, the webcam handles colors decently well. My blue shirt and the ensemble of colorful outfits of the My Hero Academia crew behind me popped in the image. However, its resolution didn't keep my face and hair from looking fuzzy. And the poor contrast overexposed the window and ceiling. If you plan on streaming, I recommend checking out one of the best webcams. The software you'll be using the most will be the Alienware Command Center, which features settings for performance, keyboard and chassis lighting, game aggregation, and a quick link to the Dolby Access app. There's also Dell SupportAssist, which handles your drivers, hardware scans, and warranty. The Area-51 comes with a one-year limited warranty. The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a near-perfect gaming laptop The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a near-perfect gaming laptop, boasting incredible performance, a bright 16-inch display, a great keyboard, strong speakers, and a beautiful design. But its display can't beat OLED, and we've seen much better battery life numbers elsewhere. A gaming laptop that supports both an OLED panel and significantly better battery life is the Razer Blade 16, although you'll need to pay about $1,000 more to get it. I'll pray to Cthulhu for an OLED variant of the Alienware 16 Area-51 in the future, although right now, this gaming laptop is easily one of the best we've seen this year, and its price point makes it all the more compelling.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
I played 'Dune: Awakening' on an RTX 5090 gaming laptop — I got up to 257 fps, but there was one big problem
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Hold my spice, I'm jumping into Dune: Awakening to see if Nvidia's wild DLSS 4 claims are true, and what better device to test it on than an RTX 5090 gaming laptop? If you ever wanted an MMO survival base-building game set on Arrakis, that's exactly what you're getting. While we did get Dune: Spice Wars in 2022, Dune: Awakening is a more definitive debut for the Dune franchise simply because its genre is more popular. I played Dune: Awakening on an HP Omen Max 16 outfitted with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 24GB GPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz, OLED display. Here's how it ran. Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 I spent more time with the character creator than I care to admit, but I quickly sped through the tutorial so I could get to the online portion of the game. I drank some water, crafted a knife, and made some bandages. You know, the usual. Then I got into some knife fights where I learned how to dodge and parry, which I had no idea was a thing in this game, but now I am invested in the combat system. Fair warning, controller players — Dune: Awakening is not friendly to us. Everything from the radial wheel to the menus themselves feels like they are designed for a keyboard and mouse. Pulling up a wheel to select your quick items takes so much longer and breaks the flow of combat compared with a simple numbered button click. And the menu replicates a mouse experience except with the analog stick, and that… is slow. I hope the controller experience on console is better because the PC experience had my patience evaporating like it was left out in the desert. As far as the graphics go, I crash landed into the player-infested desert with everything cranked up to Ultra (apart from the experimental features) at a 2560 x 1600 resolution, which applies to all of the following tests below. If you remember, Dune: Awakening was among Nvidia's featured DLSS 4 titles when the RTX 50-series launched, with promises of wildly high frame rates. For those unaware, DLSS 4 is a super sampling technology that boosts visuals and performance. I have a love/hate relationship with it after my experiences in Doom: The Dark Ages and Monster Hunter Wilds, and that's because of Multi-Frame Generation. It's a technology that replicates frames with AI based on the true frames rendered on your GPU. This isn't a perfect technology, and I'll go into why later. But first, I turned off all of that. Starting raw, with no DLSS, I set the upscaler to TAA. At max settings, this got me an average of 60 frames per second while I shot my way through a bandit camp just to pilfer some scrap. That's a pretty strong opening. If you don't want to touch Nvidia's dark magic, you'll be perfectly fine with an RTX 5090. However, I enjoy playing with the DLSS 4 upscaler set to DLAA, as it uses the native resolution and enhances the visuals. It can be a little more taxing, but when I started mining for copper ore, the RTX 5090 managed a solid 63 fps. Again, that's pretty solid. This got my hopes pretty high for frame generation. Maybe I'd get the wild numbers that Nvidia claimed. And I did… but there was a catch. So whether I was avoiding the sandworm, sand storm, or trying my best to build a base that didn't look like a cookie cutter stone box, the frame generation had some trouble. But first, let's talk about performance. With DLAA, I first turned on 2x Frame Generation (FG) and then 4x Multi-Frame Generation (MFG). With FG, the RTX 5090 jumped to 88 fps while I tried my best to parry and stab an annoying bandit near my base. That's not as high of a jump as I expected. But when I flipped the switch to MFG, I got a whopping 144 fps. If you're just interested in high performance play, then you'll want to set DLSS to Ultra Performance. With no frame generation, I got 144 fps when I used my freaky Bene Gesserit compel ability on a nearby enemy. When I started dissecting a broken Ornithopter, the RTX 5090 managed 156 fps on FG. And then, when I had to outrun the sun itself because my skin was practically on fire, I got up to a wild 257 fps. Awesome, right? Wrong. You see, I noticed straight from the tutorial that Multi-Frame Generation was an issue. As I said, DLSS 4 isn't magic. The generated frames you're getting aren't perfect, so you may see some artifacts, like a pixelated asset, just for a moment. Some games hide this well, but Dune: Awakening is not one of them. Just from moving the camera around, I noticed the foliage around me become distorted. Even the ground looked like it had a hard time keeping up, with little blotches in the sand appearing. Unfortunately, this isn't the magical performance we saw in those RTX 50-series trailers. If you absolutely need the frame generation because you're on a lower spec 50-series rig, do it. But I'd avoid it for now, at least until either Nvidia or Dune: Awakening gives us an update. But overall, if you're interested in getting one of the best gaming laptops, you can expect some spicy performance without all the DLSS 4 magic. Settings Frames per second TAA 60 fps DLSS: DLAA 63 fps DLSS: DLAA, FG (2x) 88 fps DLSS: DLAA, MFG (4x) 144 fps DLSS: Ultra Performance 114 fps DLSS: Ultra Performance, FG (2x) 156 fps DLSS: Ultra Performance, MFG (4x) 257 fps
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
This Asus ROG Strix G16 is the most powerful, affordable gaming laptop I've seen yet
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Asus ROG Strix G16 (G614FR) brings something to the table that we haven't seen yet in this generation of gaming laptops, and it gave me high hopes as I booted it up for the first time. Powered by AMD's X3D variant CPU, it promises boosted gaming performance thanks to the company's clever 3D caching tech. You may not care about the how, but you will care about the results, and when the Strix G16 testing emerged from our labs, we were pleased to see its strong overall performance and solid Nvidia RTX 5070Ti graphics. The best gaming laptops have to deliver excellent performance, but it can't stop there, and the Strix has plenty more to back it up with a bouncy keyboard, ports aplenty, and a bright and reasonably vibrant IPS display. If you've been paying attention to the early RTX 50 series gaming laptops, you're waiting for the other shoe to drop, with a price tag north of $3,000. While the Strix isn't cheap, starting at $2,399, it's a value among its competitors, and upgrades aren't prohibitively expensive either. So, is the Asus ROG Strix G16 (G614FR) one of the best gaming laptops of this generation? Let's find out. Price: $2,399 starting, $2,499 as configured CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D GPU: Nvidia RTX 5070Ti with 12GB VRAM RAM: 32GB Storage: 1TB Display: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz, IPS Battery (HH:MM): 5:22 Dimensions: 13.94 x 10.39 x 0.89~1.20 inches Weight: 5.51 pounds Click to view full benchmark test results Asus ROG Strix G16 (G614FR) Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) 20,113 Handbrake conversion (Lower is better) 2:17 25GB File Transfer Test (Lower is better) 14.1 25GB File Transfer Test (SSD speed) 1,904 Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit) 100.8 Gaming Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit, 95 comfort threshold) 127.1 Battery life (Higher is better) 05:22 PCMark 10 Gaming Battery life (higher is better) 01:22 Display brightness (Higher is better) 449 sRGB color gamut (Higher is better) 112.5% DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better) 79.7% Color accuracy (Lower is better) 0.4 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra (Higher is better) 10,794 3DMark Time Spy Extreme (Higher is better) 8,577 Assassin's Creed: Mirage (1080p, fps) 132 Black Myth: Wukong (Cinematic, 1080p, fps) 53 Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, fps) 53.75 Far Cry 6 (1080p, fps) 143 Monster Hunter Wilds (1080p, fps) 69.23 Red Dead Redemption II (Ultra, 1080p, fps) 51.697 Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, fps) 151 Asus has multiple configurations of the Strix G16 available this year. From Intel to AMD models, with both new and older chipset variations, there is a Strix G16 that can suit your budget. But if you're looking for the Strix G16 (G14FR), there are two main configuration options, and they're not too different in price. The starting configuration costs $2,399 and gets you an AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX processor with an Nvidia RTX 5070Ti GPU with 12GB of VRAM, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16-inch, 2560x1600, 240Hz, IPS display. Upgrading to the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D processor variant jumps the price up to $2,499. Our review configuration comes with the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D processor and upgraded memory to 32GB for a total of $2,499. Essentially getting the RAM upgrade for free. The Asus ROG Strix G16 is a thick, high-end gaming laptop with the aesthetics to match. While the Strix G16 doesn't have the wild AniMeVision cover panel LEDs of the Strix Scar models, but it does have a flashy RGB lightbar below the keyboard deck, and full RGB on the keyboard. The top panel and keyboard deck feature classic Republic of Gamers branding, including a darkened ROG logo and 'For those who dare' tagline on the top cover and ROG badging along the top of the keyboard deck. Outside of the aesthetics, the ROG Strix G16 is a bit on the chunky side, which, from a thermal perspective, is ideal for getting the best performance out of its hardware, but it makes it less portable than thinner 16-inch gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 16 (2025). Measuring 3.94 x 10.39 x 0.89~1.20 inches and weighing 5.51 pounds, the Strix G16 edges into that desktop replacement class of laptops, though it still maintains the portability of a 16-inch laptop chassis. So it can fit into most laptop backpacks for transport to your next in-person gaming session. While the Strix G16 isn't the lightest or thinnest 16-inch gaming laptop we've reviewed, it fits nicely in the same size range as other 16-inch gaming laptops like: Alienware 16 Area-51: 14.37 x 11.41 x 0.85~1.12 inches, 7.13 pounds Gigabyte Aorus Master 16: 14.05 x 10 x 0.91~1.18 inches, 5.5 pounds Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 9: 14.08 x 10.33 x 0.69 inches, 5.1 pounds Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 Asus has made sure to include plenty of ports on the Strix G16, which should be more than enough for all your gaming accessories: 1x USB 4 Type-C (DisplayPort, Power Delivery, Nvidia G-Sync) 1x USB 4 Type-C (DisplayPort, Nvidia G-Sync) 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A 1x HDMI 2.1 FRL 1x RJ45 ethernet 1x audio combo jack This should be enough ports for most people, though streamers may still want to invest in one of the best laptop docking stations or USB-C hubs to connect additional monitors, a professional webcam, a studio microphone, or a Stream Deck in addition to any gaming accessories. Thanks to Nvidia's investment in its BatteryBoost tech, the Strix G16 lasts a bit longer than previous generations while gaming. As we usually see with high-powered gaming laptops, the Strix G16 isn't a threat to the laptops with the best battery life, but it does last long enough for you to work on battery power before needing to find an outlet. I didn't have much hope the Strix G16 would last more than a handful of hours when unplugged, at best. Just going about my usual workday meant I needed to hunt down a charger after just over three and a half hours of writing and video call meetings. The Strix G16 lasted just 5 hours and 22 minutes on the Laptop Mag web surfing test, which is about what I expected from my hands-on testing. Thanks to Nvidia's investment in its BatteryBoost tech, the Strix G16 lasts a bit longer than previous generations while gaming. The Strix managed to survive for 1 hour and 22 minutes on the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, which is more competitive compared to other 50-series laptops, like the Alienware Area-51 compared to its 40-series counterparts. Click to view chart data in table format Asus ROG Strix G16 (G614FR) Alienware 16 Area-51 Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 9 Battery life (Higher is better) 05:22 04:10 05:02 03:01 PCMark 10 Gaming Battery life (higher is better) 01:22 01:51 02:54 00:47 Our Strix G16 (G614FR) review unit features a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz matte IPS panel. Thanks to the Strix's matte panel, it's relatively glare-proof, which is ideal for gaming, so you don't need to worry about missing your next shot because of a poorly placed lamp. In order to test the Strix G16's display, I booted up Avowed to see how well the Strix's IPS panel handles the Fort Northreach beach with its broad color palette. While our lab testing indicated the display wasn't super vibrant, I had no complaints about how well the Strix handled the corals along the shipwrecked shoreline, with bright, crisp reds and oranges bursting against the storm gray skies in a stunning contrast. Our lab testing rated the Strix G16 at 79.7% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut, with an average peak brightness of 449 nits, which is bright and vibrant enough for most games. While the Strix doesn't have all the high-contrast benefits of an OLED or MiniLED display panel, its IPS-level LCD does have Pantone Validation for color, and supports Dolby HDR so it's far from a disappointment. Click to view chart data in table format. Asus ROG Strix G16 (G614FR) Alienware 16 Area-51 Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 9 Display brightness (Higher is better) 449 516 378 478 sRGB color gamut (Higher is better) 112.5% 115.2% 114.3% 115.2% DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better) 79.7% 81.6% 81.0% 81.6% Color accuracy (Lower is better) 0.4 0.2 0.23 0.3 The Asus ROG laptops tend to have good keyboards, and the Strix G16 is no exception. The Asus ROG laptops tend to have good keyboards, and the Strix G16 is no exception. While it is a Chiclet style keyboard, the Strix G16's keys have a nice bounce to them and don't feel mushy, with a satisfying level of key travel to each press, so you don't bottom out your fingers on the keyboard. Chiclet keyboards also tend to be quieter than mechanical switches, which can save your raid team from hearing each individual keysmash during tense encounters. On the advanced typing test, I averaged 86 words per minute (wpm) on the Strix's Chiclet keyboard, which is just below my average of 88 wpm on the Apple MacBook Pro 14. Asus has centered the touchpad on the keyboard deck, rather than on the space bar, which I prefer from an aesthetic point of view. And since the Strix's touchpad is on the large side, measuring 5.4 x 3.4 inches, it's got enough crossover with the spacebar that you shouldn't have any kind of learning curve. The touchpad offers a smooth feel with just the right amount of resistance for precise control. The very top of the touchpad isn't clickable, though you can click just a half-inch down from the top edge, which isn't too bad. Then again, I rarely click the top-half of a touchpad, so I didn't notice it much in my day-to-day use of the Strix. The volume wasn't too explosive, but it was more than enough for some solid gaming immersion. Asus equipped the ROG Strix G16 with a dual-speaker system with Smart Amplifier Technology, to get more volume out of fewer speakers. The sound system also boasts Dolby Atmos tuning, though the Strix's Hi-Res audio certification is applicable for headphones so you might want to invest in a quality pair of the best headphones or an external sound system rather than rely on the built-in audio. That said, the Strix's audio is crisp. I was easily able to discern the individual string instruments that make up the orchestra behind Avowed's title theme with perfect clarity. The volume wasn't too explosive, but it was more than enough for some solid gaming immersion. Though that also depends a bit on the game. Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is notorious for having a very high default volume, and I ended up having to drop the volume below 45 percent to keep the audio at a sensible level while still covering the sound of the Strix's cooling system. Boasting desktop-quality performance, the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D processor is more than sufficient for just about any task. As for all-around performance, the Strix features AMD's most powerful gaming CPU for this generation, the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D 'Fire Range' chip. Boasting desktop-quality performance, the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D processor is more than sufficient for just about any task. As for my hands-on testing, nothing I threw at the Strix really made the fans kick on. From e-mail and spreadsheet management with 20+ Chrome tabs open to Photoshop object selection, I had no hangups of slowdowns with the Strix G16. With its powerful Ryzen 9 and RTX 5070 Ti combo, the Strix is capable of handling any photo or video editing you might need, and it can also double as a solid choice for handling your STEM data sets if you need to use it for any engineering classes. Once the fans do kick on, the Strix G16 can be a bit loud, but not to the same level as the MSI Raider 18 HX. But those fans are needed, as the Strix runs hot under pressure. While gaming, the Strix G16 hit a peak temperature of 127.1 degrees Fahrenheit near the F4 key while the center of the keyboard hit 92.8 degrees, which means you'll want to be careful of your fingertips during long gaming sessions. Click to view chart data in table format. Asus ROG Strix G16 (G614FR) Alienware 16 Area-51 Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 9 Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) 20,113 20,498 19,175 17,261 Handbrake conversion (Lower is better) 2:17 02:00 2:18 03:08 25GB File Transfer Test (Lower is better) 14.1 23.36 40.4 15.75 25GB File Transfer Test (SSD speed) 1,904 1,150 665 1,705 Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit) 100.8 92.9 94.3 89 Gaming Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit, 95 comfort threshold) 127.1 118.7 116.8 100 The ROG Strix G16 is a 280W system, so it can drive plenty of power... The ROG Strix G16 is a 280W system, so it can drive plenty of power to its onboard AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D processor and Nvidia RTX 5070Ti GPU, which offers a smooth, solid gaming experience, especially at the Strix's max resolution of 1600p. The Strix G16 gets framerates well above 100 fps at 1080p resolution on games like Assassin's Creed Mirage, Borderlands 3, and DiRT 5. More demanding titles like Black Myth: Wukong and Cyberpunk 2077 will see those frame rates drop to 53 fps. With the Strix's RTX 5070Ti GPU, you can also enable software upscaling like DLSS 4 and frame generation, which can offer a smoother experience with poorly optimized games like Avowed and Monster Hunter Wilds. This is especially useful if you're gaming at max resolution, or if you use the Strix to power a high-res gaming monitor With DLSS 4 enabled at max 1600p resolution and the Ultra graphics presets, I was easily able to keep a stable 85 fps in Doom: The Dark Ages. That rate jumped up to 187 fps with frame generation enabled. While 85 fps is certainly playable, it's nowhere near as smooth as 187 fps. I saw similar improvements in Avowed, going from 70 fps at 1600p on Epic settings with only DLSS 4 to 114 fps with frame generation also toggled on. Without either, the game was hitting about 43 fps in terms of just pure Silicon performance. Of course, if you plan to play a lot of competitive games where super sampling tech like DLSS 4 or FSR can be problematic, dropping your game resolution down to 1200 or 1080p will get you better framerates, as will opting for more mid-range graphics presets. Click to view chart data in table format. Asus ROG Strix G16 (G614FR) Alienware 16 Area-51 Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 9 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra (Higher is better) 10,794 14,073 13,695 6,423 3DMark Time Spy Extreme (Higher is better) 8,577 10,558 10,097 5,526 Assassin's Creed: Mirage (1080p, fps) 132 149 145 98 Black Myth: Wukong (Cinematic, 1080p, fps) 53 58 52 Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, fps) 53.75 62.94 61.52 34.51 Far Cry 6 (1080p, fps) 143 121 120 96 Monster Hunter Wilds (1080p, fps) 69.23 82.82 85.67 Red Dead Redemption II (Ultra, 1080p, fps) 51.697 78.348 41.806 Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, fps) 151 183 185 162 As the Strix G16 features an AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D CPU rather than a Ryzen AI 300 series processor, it doesn't meet the requirements for Microsoft's Copilot+ suite of AI features. In fact, the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D doesn't have an integrated NPU at all, so any AI you run off the Strix G16 will be using either the CPU or GPU to run the workload. That doesn't mean the Strix G16 can't run AI. It has access to Nvidia's various RTX AI features like ChatRTX and RTX Remix with its 50-series GPU after all. But it does mean the Strix won't bother you with a chatbot unless you go out of your way to install one. The ROG Strix G16 features a 1080p webcam, so it's suitable for Windows Hello sign-in, and can handle the occasional video call or virtual meeting. The camera feed is, as usual, on the dim and grainy side, with a tendency to drop a pink cast over skin tones, but it's far from the worst we've seen. Most colors appear as they should on the webcam feed, just darker than I'd prefer. If you plan to use the Strix for a lot of video calls or streaming, we'd recommend using one of the best webcams instead of the onboard camera. The Strix G16 comes with Windows 11 Home installed, which includes a number of standard Windows apps already installed, like Microsoft Copilot, Office 365, and the Xbox App. Asus has included the ArmouryCrate app to control your power profiles and settings and the MyAsus App for more general controls. Asus has also pre-installed the ROG Aura software for controlling your RGB customization, and the Aura Wallpaper Generator to create custom desktop backgrounds. The number of pre-installed Windows applications is constantly growing, and Asus has installed a decent chunk of proprietary software. Between Microsoft, AMD, Nvidia, and Asus there are a lot of programs pre-installed. Most are utility-based, however, so this doesn't really count as bloatware, but it's far from a clean Windows installation. The Strix includes a 1-year service warranty. The ROG Strix G16 is the kind of gaming laptop that makes you wonder why other gaming laptops even bother. The ROG Strix G16 is the kind of gaming laptop that makes you wonder why other gaming laptops even bother. Sure, we've seen stronger performance from some of the other gaming laptops this gen, but many of those were nearly twice the price of the ROG Strix G16. While the Alienware 16 Area-51 is our most affordable RTX 5080 laptop, it's still a good $500 more expensive than the Strix G16. And the Strix weighs two pounds less, making it a much better choice if you need to travel with your gaming laptop occasionally. Of course, if portability is your key requirement and you've got the cash to spare, then the Razer Blade 16 (2025) is still the way to go. After all, the Blade 16 is ultra-lightweight and sports a more powerful GPU, up to the Nvidia RTX 5090. And it gets far better battery life than the Alienware or the Strix. But if you're looking for the best balance of performance, price, and portability, it's hard to do better than the ROG Strix G16 (G614FR).
