![]() It isn’t as fast as a dedicated gaming laptop or desktop, and it isn’t as small and light as an Ultra Lite laptop. Let’s get to the crux of the matter: does the Flow X13 offer the best of both worlds? Does it offer a lightweight laptop and desktop gaming power in one? It does, but the process involves a number of compromises that make it less flexible than hoped. (Image credit: Asus) Asus ROG Flow X13 review: Performance and Software The touchpad is also large and was comfortable to use, and the textured design of the case provided a good spot for the wrists to rest on when typing. Dedicated buttons at the top of the keyboard control the volume, mute the microphone and kick off the ROG Armory Crate control software, which controls the GPU and other features. I found the keyboard of the Flow X13 to be comfortable to use, with a decent amount of travel to the large, LED-backlit keys. The X13 tries to get around this by using its own proprietary connector that offers more bandwidth. These always have a limitation, though: you lose a small amount of performance by squeezing all of that graphics data through a Thunderbolt cable. The idea of an external GPU (eGPU) device isn’t new: we’ve seen eGPU devices like the Razer Core (opens in new tab) that can handle a full-sized desktop graphics card and which plug into a Thunderbolt 3 port. The cable that connects the XG and laptop is also rather short: at just a foot long, the two parts have to be close to each other. That’s kind of a pain: most eGPU devices make the process simpler. ![]() The mobile app also closes any programs that are using the external GPU, which includes pretty much any program that uses graphics. You can’t just unplug the docking station and go, though: you have to first use the Asus RoG XG Mobile app to electrically disconnect the docking station, then throw the unlock switch on the top of the plug. It does charge the laptop when connected, though, so the idea is that it sits on your desk at home where you play games, then you unplug the laptop to take with you and do some work. The docking station only works when the power supply is connected, so you can’t use the external GPU away from a power socket. The XG is about the size of a paperback book and includes the GPU plus a power input, DisplayPort and HDMI outputs, gigabit Ethernet, and four more USB 3.2 ports. In technical terms, this port offers the same amount of bandwidth as a PCIe X8 port, about half of that offered by the PCIe X16 connection that a full graphics card in a desktop gaming PC uses. ![]() This is where the XG Docking Station plugs in, adding the Nvidia RTX 3080 Laptop GPU to the system. Under this elusive cover is the secret sauce that makes this laptop tick: a unique port that resembles a stretched USB-C port with a shedload more pins.
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