Asus ROG Lifts Curtain Ultra Slim G501 Laptop with 4K Display, Nvidia GeForce GTX 960

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Slim and sexy, but is it fast enough?

Typically when a graphics company announces a new GPU, as Nvidia did yesterday with its GeForce GTX 960M and 950M additions, hardware partners follow suit with systems build around the parts. And so it goes, as today Asus Republic of Gamers (ROG) unveiled the G501, a thin and light 15.6-inch gaming laptop with a 4K Ultra High Definition resolution powered by the GTX 960M.
As a mid-range GPU in Nvidia's GeForce GTX 900M Series, I'm not sure the GTX 960M packs enough punch to drive a comfortable gaming experience at 4K (3840x2160; 282 pixels per inch), though I'll reserve judgement until the benchmarks provide a definitive answer. If not, there's always the option of dialing down the resolution and/or display settings. Since there are other benefits to a 4K display, doing so while gaming wouldn't necessarily defeat the purpose, though it's certainly something to consider.
Both the GTX 950M and 960M were designed specifically for slim systems like the G501. In this instance, the G501 measures just 0.81 inches thick and weighs 4.54 pounds. Part of that is due to the lightweight aluminum construction. It also sports red bezel accents for added visual appeal, along with a red-backlit keyboard with 1.6mm of key travel and marked WASD cursor keys.
Cooling chores are handed by two fans and copper heat pipes. The CPU and GPU are independently cooled based on each one's demands, resulting in a cool and quiet laptop.
Rounding out the feature-set is an Intel Core i7 4720HQ processor, 16GB of DDR3 RAM, 512GB PCI-E x4 solid state drive, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, SD card reader, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, Thunderbolt, headphone/mic combo port, 96Wh battery, and Windows 8.1 64-bit.
The Asus ROG G501 will begin shipping in April for $1,999.
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