Steam Deck has opened the port to PC Gaming its handle and, from its debut, it was cool when it came to a competitor of high fascia, magari based on its Windows, che non fose Aya Neo; I have thought of ASUS to respond with the new ROG Ally (available in pre-order at 799 euro), equipped with Windows 11 and AMD Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme chipthe latter present in the testament model.
Technical features
Rispect to Linux (its cui if based on SteamOS di Steam Deck), Windows 11 has a huge advantage in the field of gaming: If I can, I will install practically everything and games, without any emulation. Il software Armory Crate SE sviluppato da ASUS para migliorare l’interazione con Ally è ben fatto, ma migliorabile e non al livello di SteamOS.
Il Ryzen Z1 Extreme is produced with i 4nm TSMC and based on its Zen 4 architecture, equipped with 8 core / 16 thread and frequency up to 5.1GHz. fruit one RDNA 3 integrated graphics with 12 Compute Units operating at 2.7GHzabbinated to 4GB of VRAM. Similar to the Ryzen 7 7840U presented every day, but the difference between the last two and the TDP range is very wide, ranging from 9W to 30W.
Ryzen Z1 Extreme is definitely one of the best performers of the chip Aerith di Steam Deck, a 4 core / 8 thread at 7nm based on its Zen 2 architecture with a graphic share basato su RDNA 2e with 8 Compute Units. ROG Ally also has one of the best Steam Decks: it is bright, with Full HD resolution and 120Hz upgrading frequency.
Abbinati al chip AMD troviamo 16GB of DDR5 RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 40Wh battery (La stessa capacità di quella di Steam Deck).
Services nei giochi
In a synthetic test with Geekbench 6, the new Ryzen Z1 Extreme appears to have the fastest APU speed from the Steam Deck. ROG Ally has a total of 2,468 points in single core and 11,041 points in multi-core, scores vastly higher than those of the Valve console, which sign up to 1,212 points in single-core and 4,233 points in multi-core. Ma noteremo la stessa differenceenza nei giochi? Scopriamolo.
Before passing the test, it is necessary to do a premessa. The SoC of Steam Deck operates between i 4W and i 15W ed è progettato per offerre le stesse performance sia a battery che collegato all’alimentazione; ROG Ally has operated in a different manner on several occasions, for which reason we testate it in due modi: the battery, using the “Performance” modality and connected to the current dam, using the “Turbo” modality, absorbs the most energy. Precisely, the “turbo” mode can also be activated when Ally is powered by the battery, but obviously, it will significantly reduce autonomy.
We also indicated it in the graphics, but we also recorded it in the text: Steam Deck has a screen with 1200×800 resolution, which cannot be set to Ally, where it can only be displayed at 720p and 1080p.
In the test of Shadow of the Tomb Raider (DX12, detailed medi) ROG Ally in modalità Performance ranked i 47 FPS medi, only 4 in più di Steam Deck, which is signed at 43 FPS. In Turbo mode, the difference is definitely higher and Ally reaches 64 FPS on average, guaranteeing a great gaming experience. At Full HD resolution Ally gets an average 32 FPS and an average 40 FPS.
To test Cyberpunk 2077 we used the Steam Deck preset, which sull’omonimo PC slowed down at 37 FPS. Also in this case, ROG Ally in Performance mode drops a similar result (40 FPS), while in Turbo mode it reaches 55 FPS average. A Full HD resolution will perform if it is between 26 FPS and 35 FPS.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Vulkan, minimum details) sees the Steam Deck and Ally on merit, given the difference of only 1 FPS in favor of the Steam Deck. The Turbo mode supports 60 FPS, while in Full HD Red Dead Redemption 2 continues to play in Full HD also in Performance mode, where it slows down to 30 FPS. At 1080p in Turbo mode, we recorded invece 40 FPS average.
Civilization VI: Gathering Storm has reported some problem on ROG Ally in 720p, which is why the graphic shows the result only in 1080p. Steam Deck reaches 33 FPS at 1200×800 resolution, practically this is the result of ROG Ally in Performance mode in Full HD (32 FPS). The Turbo mode allows me to shoot at 43 FPS average.
For Borderlands 3 we will definitely use DirectX 11 and media graphic settings. However, it did show the highest speed of the Steam Deck, obtaining 50 FPS (720, Performance modality) against 45 FPS, while in Turbo mode it slowed to 59 FPS. At Full HD resolution, we respectively obtained 36 FPS and 44 FPS.
The last test is Forza Horizon 5, where we have several settings on high graphics. Qui ROG Ally is very fast on Steam Deck and in 720p slow and 54 FPS in Performance mode and 72 FPS measured in Turbo mode, while in Full HD it reaches respectively 43 FPS and 58 FPS. Steam Deck if signed inveces at 41 FPS.
Always in the gaming environment, a great advantage of ROG All and its Steam Deck is that, using Windows as an operating system, there have been no problems with the game in streaming. There are no problems with Xbox streaming or with NVIDIA GeForce Now, which allows high FPS gaming even with high graphics settings, which is impossible to do locally given the extreme power of the Z1 Extreme chip.
Display quality
As of this opening, ROG Ally has a clear Steam Deck. It has a dimension of 7 pollici with 16:9 aspect ratio, with resolution Full HD and 120Hz upgrading frequency; In contrast, Steam Deck offers the steepest diagonal but slightly smaller at height, with a ratio of 16:10, while resolution and refresh rate are definitely lower, starting at 1280×800 pixels and 60Hz.
Also Luminosity and reproduction of differing colors and balance are heavily in favor of ROG Ally. Dai test, ROG Ally has a coverage of it DCI-P3 space of 76.9%, of sRGB of 108.6% and a luminosity of 465 Nit; Steam Deck returns if signed at 169.7 Nit, while the spaces are colored they are respectively covered at 48.5% and 68.5%. The result is a result that definitely improves your ROG Ally, with vivid and beautiful green colors. The più high luminosity allows you to have a greater visibility outside, also obviously negatively affects the autonomy of the device.
temperature
Obviously we had stress on ROG Ally to verify the operating frequency and the high temperature. For the sake of it, we took this little step in the Metro Exodus benchmark, setting a resolution of 720p and a solid graphic quality; The various iterations of the benchmark have not resulted in consistent data, with an average of 77.7 FPS and a minimum of 37.23 FPS.
HWInfo has an average CPU frequency of 1.98GHz, while the integrated graphics has operated at 1.17GHz. During the test, the CPU was almost completely cool, registering an average temperature of 58.65°C, while the integrative graph was found to be 55.88°C. Saving the data means that the integrated graphics card will occasionally go into thermal throttling, while the CPU is not affected by the problem.
Autonomy
The 40Wh battery of ROG Ally offers a long battery life, so be prepared to always have the cartoon in your hand. Test with Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Red Dead Redemption 2, with Ally in Performance mode, screen brightness at 50%, 720p resolution and locked framerate at 60 FPS, have not registered a battery life of around two hours. Much depends on the settings used and from the game, but in general, we can say that the media always has its value.
As if it is powered, the 120Hz update frequency heavily influences its autonomy. Giocando a Rocket League, con impostazioni predefinite, resolution 720p e luminosità poco subto il 50%, no siamo riusciti adare oltre i 90 minuti.
If you turn the game for two hours, you can add some accorgimenti, like different RGB presenti, you will have the best possible brightness of the screen and sacrifice the framerate, blocking it at 30 FPS.
In the PCMark 10 Gaming benchmark, ROG Ally does spend 1 hour and 43 minutes, a result practically identical to that of Steam Deck with Windows (the test is not available for Linux), which lasts 1 hour and 40.
ROG Ally uses the same Steam Deck heat dissipation system: it sucks the air from the retro and the foam from the grill on the top. The design works and the console does not heat up to the point of being annoying to have in hand, not for a long period of play.
As the pot is visible from immagini termiche, the heat is located in the center of the device, far away from the control positions on the side, where the thermochamber registers a temperature of around 26°C; Per darvi un’idea, è più bassa di quella che si registera su buona parte dei trackpad dei computer portatili. Le griglie superiori dove comes expulsa la aria toccano i 47°C e sono, come predictable, i punti più caldi.
In Performance mode, the fans are silent, unlike how much it hits with the Steam Deck. The Turbo mode, generating più dissipate heat, makes ROG Ally più noisy, but it is unbearable or excessive.
Aggiornabilita
Mounting ROG Ally is simple, enough to glide the six viti post sul retro and clip the post clip along the board with the only instrument that if you use also for your smartphone (or for Steam Deck).
The internal ROG Ally is extremely dense, but the SSD M.2-2230 does not have the black plastic protection in the center. It is possible to replace it with a più capiente in a very simple manner, since it is not necessary to handle the dissipator, unlike the amount of access with Steam Deck.
Conclusioni
ROG Ally is forse the concurrent spring of the Steam Deck, merit of the price that, seppur più alto, risulta comunque contenuto confronting what di Aya Neo e similar – obviously confronting it with the Steam Deck più expensive, that if avvicina in termini di caratteristiche . The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip offers excellent performance, similar to what was expected by the Steam Deck in Performance mode (most commonly superior), but definitely better when Turbo mode is activated.
Also the management of the heat is ben fatta and it is not a problem when it is playing. The only neo from ROG Ally sows this battery, which offers a short autonomy and which almost obliges you to play with the collegated power supply if you use the Turbo mode for a while.
An other interesting element in favor of ROG Ally is not mentioned in terms of compatibility with XG Mobile, an external video schedule designed by ROG (and compatible with some of its products) that promises to greatly increase performance in “docked” mode, when yes Buddy ROG Ally to the current and to the TV. We did not have a second way to test it, but its performance is in line with what you saw when we used it with its first generation of XG Mobile, ROG Ally might be the definitive solution for those who are playing in portable mode but, all the time, now Un’experienza di alto livello anche sulla TV, no doversi affidare a una console ou a secondo PC.
Ci siamo limitati, in this review, ad analizzare i dati tecnici oggettivi, rilevabili dai vari testo che vi abbiamo mostrato. Nei prossimi giorni vi parleremo meglio dell’ergonomia d’uso, di quanto sia i pregi, sia i difetti misurati, influenzino l’uso nella vita reale. C’è ancora tempo prima dell’arrivo di Ally, and se non seven super appassionati che hanno già fatto il pre-order, potete prendervi qualche giorno in più per valutare si tratti di una scelta giusta per voi, o no.
