Small-form-factor gaming PCs usually tone down efficiency subsequent to bigger towers, however not the Asus ROG G22CH. Amazingly, our $2,499.99 take a look at unit packs a liquid-cooled Intel Core i9-13900KF processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card in its compact chassis, a combo simply potent sufficient for enjoying as we speak’s video games. It additionally appears nice doing so in its premium metallic case.
It would not, nevertheless, sound pretty much as good because it appears. The second this method is turned on, the followers change into very noticeable as they work laborious to chill highly effective elements in a small chassis.
That makes the ROG G22CH a gaming PC with trade-offs: Energy and a small footprint are nice, however the GPU and radiator run loud to make all of it come collectively.
Asus ROG G22CH Specs
Processor | Intel Core i9-13900KF |
Motherboard | Intel B760 (proprietary) |
Reminiscence | 32GB DDR5-4800 (2x 16GB SODIMM) |
Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 (12GB GDDR6X, 2,475 MHz increase clock) |
Storage | 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD |
Networking | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211, Bluetooth 5.2 |
Entrance Ports | 3.5 mm headphone/microphone, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C |
Rear Ports | 1x RJ45 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, 1x HDMI 2.0a, 3x audio jacks, 2x USB 2.0 Sort-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Sort-A |
Energy Provide | 600 watts, flex ATX 80 Plus Gold |
Cooling | Proprietary CPU liquid cooling |
Working System | Home windows 11 Residence |
Dimensions (WxDxH) | 4.53 x 12.72 x 11.30 inches (115 x 323 x 287 mm) |
Worth as Configured | $2,499.99 |
Design of the Asus ROG G22CH
The Asus ROG G22CH is compact and feels actually premium. Transporting this all-metal system system isn’t laborious, although there are not any handholds. The entrance panel has a clear look, with a blacked-out Republic of Avid gamers emblem at heart and RGB mild strips operating down the vertical strains on both facet.
At 4.53 x 12.72 x 11.30 inches, the ROG G22CH is bigger than the Xbox Sequence X (5.9 x 5.9 x 11.8 inches), however it has barely much less quantity than the Sony Ps 5 (15.4 x 4.1 x 10.2 inches). It’s simply smaller than mid-tower desktops just like the Maingear MG-1 (19 x 16.88 x 8.13 inches).
The G22CH can solely be oriented upright for airflow causes. Rubber toes line its underside; the system’s bottom-heavy weight makes it troublesome to tip over by chance.
Each facet doorways are perforated for air consumption. The graphics card is simply seen behind the left door. A refined RGB strip below the cardboard provides additional gamer fashion.
In the meantime, the RGB-backlit CPU waterblock is seen behind the right-hand door.
Liquid-cooled G22CH fashions, just like the one we have now for overview, additionally ship with an extra see-through plastic proper panel switching the perforated panel out for it requires disassembling the door. On this mannequin, the CPU liquid cooling radiator sits below the highest panel, with two followers pushing air via it. The airflow is correctly directed upward and away from you.
Asus features a USB keyboard and mouse with the G22CH, each plastic and missing creature comforts. They appear to be they belong in an workplace, not on a desk with a gaming rig.
The included membrane keyboard will get the job achieved for emails, although it lacks precision for gaming or velocity typing. Its solely actual characteristic is a pair of flip-out toes to vary the angle. In the meantime, the optical mouse has three buttons. The scroll wheel is barely notched however it scrolls stiffly, and heart clicks require irregular quantities of stress. Little doubt, in the event you’re spending this a lot for a gaming desktop, you’ll need to get one thing higher.
Ports and Upgradeability on the Asus ROG G22CH
The G22CH’s top-panel connections are made up of 1 3.5 mm headphone/microphone jack, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-A, and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C port. (The highest panel is eliminated on this picture, exposing the liquid cooling radiator.)
Rear connections are restricted – particularly relating to USB. You get a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, three audio jacks, two USB 2.0 Sort-A, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Sort-A ports. The motherboard’s HDMI port is nonfunctional as a result of the Core i9-13900KF processor lacks onboard graphics. For video, the GeForce RTX 4070 has the same old one HDMI and three DisplayPort outputs.
The G22CH has built-in Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth, however be sure you screw within the included antenna if you need any important wi-fi vary. It could have been good to see USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 or USB 4 again right here, particularly since none will be added due as the only real PCIe enlargement slot is uesd by the graphics card. However there are a minimum of three quicker USB ports up entrance, supplying you with a complete of seven.
As for upgrades, Asus’ promo video reveals the swap on the rear of the G22CH that releases its high panel, which slides ahead and permits the facet panels to raise away. What it doesn’t present is that the swap is locked by a screw that’s hidden behind a rubber piece, simply subsequent to it. We nonetheless had problem getting our unit open after eradicating the screw. In case you’re having hassle opening your unit, contact Asus assist earlier than making an attempt any quantity of drive.
Each sq. millimeter of the G22CH’s power-packed inside is used for one thing. The RGB-lit CPU waterblock is essentially the most distinguished characteristic behind the fitting door.
Two M.2 2280 slots are all this desktop presents for storage enlargement, a not surprising compromise on a tower this measurement. The slot on the left fringe of the motherboard is occupied and coated by a heatsink, with the M.2 2230 wi-fi card simply above it. The opposite slot is on the fitting edge and is empty. Two laptop-style DDR5 SODIMM slots are subsequent to it.
The Asus Twin GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card is simply 10.51 inches lengthy, however nonetheless dominates the fitting half of the chassis. It connects to a riser and doesn’t have any RGB lights. The 600-watt flex ATX energy provide is tucked beneath it.
What’s not upgradeable on this tower? For one, the motherboard is proprietary, and being primarily based on the B760 chipset, it doesn’t enable overclocking regardless of the inclusion of an unlocked Intel Okay-series CPU. (Which isn’t an enormous deal, as little will be gained from overclocking the Core i9-13900KF, anyway.) The CPU’s liquid-cooling resolution additionally seems proprietary. As famous, this desktop additionally lacks obtainable enlargement slots.
Gaming and Graphics Efficiency on the Asus ROG G22CH
We’re testing the ROG G22CH with a Core i9-13900KF processor, Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics, and 32GB of RAM.
Taking part in Cyberpunk 2077 at a 3840 x 2160 decision utilizing the Ray Tracing: Medium element preset with DLSS body era turned on, I noticed 65 – 70 frames per second indoors and 59 – 65 fps roaming the streets with a lot of NPCs strolling by. Disabling it resulted in a ten – 15 fps hit. Bumping the element preset to Ray Tracing Extremely proved too demanding; I noticed sub-30 fps even indoors.
Fan noise is a major problem for the G22CH. The 2 followers on the CPU radiator are responsible, as their small diameter means they have to spin comparatively quick to create airflow. They’ve a continuing drone and by no means shut off (until the system is off). Gaming or taxing the CPU dramatically spiked the fan noise, and it was clearly audible throughout my front room. I discovered gaming subsequent to this desktop with out closed or noise-cancelling earphones to be inconceivable as a result of the noise was that distracting. There aren’t some other case followers within the system, so the radiator and the followers on the GPU have quite a lot of heavy lifting to do.
Noise apart, few small-form-factor methods come near the extent of efficiency within the G22CH, so we’re evaluating it to a number of mid-tower desktops. The Alienware Aurora R16 begins it off with a Core i7-13700F and a GeForce RTX 4070 for $1,899.99 as we reviewed it. It’s adopted by the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 ($3,349.99) packing a Core i9-13900KF like our Asus, however a significantly quicker GeForce RTX 4080. The final machine is the beforehand talked about Maingear MG-1 ($1,249), a budget-friendly choice with a Core i5-13400F and an RTX 4060.
In Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest element preset), the G22CH sparred with the Alienware, producing barely increased 1080p framerates (172 versus 161 fps) however performing about the identical at 4K (55 versus 54 fps). The RTX 4060 Maingear fell effectively behind (as anticipated for a less expensive machine with a weaker GPU), with simply 30 fps at 4K, whereas the Legion’s RTX 4080 propelled it to 93 fps at 4K, clearly placing it in a special league than the RTX 4070 within the G22CH and the Alienware.
The story appeared comparable in Grand Theft Auto V (Very Excessive), with little distinction between the G22CH and the Alienware at each resolutions. It’s notable that the Alienware’s Core i7 F-class CPU isn’t almost as highly effective because the G22CH’s Core i9 KF chip, in order that factors to the GeForce RTX 4070 as being the limiting consider each methods.
Subsequent, Far Cry 6 (Extremely) noticed the G22CH taking a transparent lead over the Alienware at 1080p (131 versus 108 fps) and matching the Lenovo Legion, suggesting that decision is CPU-limited. The variations narrowed out at 4K, the place the G22CH confirmed a bonus of 1 fps over the Alienware (64 versus 63 fps).
Within the always-demanding Purple Useless Redemption 2 (Medium), the G22CH did advantageous at 1080p (114 fps) however struggled at 4K (34 fps), the place even the Legion didn’t hit the 60 fps mark. (It hit 57 fps.)
In our final sport, Borderlands 3 (utilizing the sport’s “Badass” element preset), the G22CH sailed alongside at 152 fps at 1080p however dropped to 53 fps at 4K. The Alienware largely stored tempo as we noticed within the different video games.
Be aware that the G22CH is on the market with the Core i7-13700F and the RTX 4070, and primarily based on what we noticed from the Alienware Aurora, it wouldn’t lose a lot gaming efficiency versus our Core i9-13900KF mannequin. See the Configurations part for particulars.
We additionally stress take a look at methods by operating the Metro Exodus benchmark 15 occasions utilizing RTX settings at a 1920 x 1080 decision, which simulates about half an hour of gaming. The G22CH averaged 106.34 fps, with runs ranging between 105.42 and 106.88 fps. The minimal variance is an indication of secure thermal efficiency. In the course of the take a look at, the Core i9-13900KF’s Efficiency cores averaged 4.8 GHz, the E-cores reached 3.75 GHz, and the CPU package deal temperature was 72.3 levels Celsius. In the meantime, the GeForce RTX 4070’s common clock was 2,586 MHz and its core temperature measured 59.7 C.
Productiveness Efficiency on the Asus ROG G22CH
Our ROG G22CH overview mannequin has a Core i9-13900KF processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD. That is an especially highly effective PC and is greater than usable for content material creation, together with 4K video modifying.
Within the cross-platform Geekbench 6, the G22CH’s single-core rating of two,866 was virtually similar to that of the Lenovo Legion (2,870 factors), although it misplaced to the Legion in multi-core (17,163 versus 18,156 factors). The Alienware’s Core i7-13700F scored surprisingly shut, with 2,529 factors in single-core and 16,687 factors in multi-core. It is doable that the ROG’s small cooler is not in a position to convey out one of the best within the G22CH’s Core i9.
The file switch take a look at was one other shut name for the G22CH; with 1,274.62 MBps, it virtually beat the Alienware’s 1,286.01 MBps. The Lenovo trailed with 1,152.26 MBps and the Maingear was in a distant final place with 489.65 MBps.
The G22CH was simply off the tempo set by the Legion in our final take a look at, Handbrake video transcoding. The Asus system completed in 2 minutes and 35 seconds versus 2 minutes and 18 seconds for the Legion. The Alienware was effectively again (3:52) and the Maingear’s finances Core i5 introduced up the rear.
Software program and Guarantee on the Asus ROG G22CH
Asus consists of a number of of its personal apps on the G22CH, beginning with Armoury Crate. I discovered this app considerably complicated at first – the symbols on the navigation bar down the left edge weren’t apparent sufficient to me.The app’s System part is most helpful because it supplies lighting management for the G22CH’s numerous RGB elements. The Aura Creator app will be launched from right here for additional tinkering with lighting results.
The MyAsus app is the opposite vital Asus app, offering entry to assist and system updates.
What shouldn’t have been on this tower is a 30-day trial of McAfee, which I promptly eliminated. Spotify was additionally put in, although most different Home windows 11 freebies have been hyperlinks to the Microsoft retailer.
Asus covers the G22CH with a one-year guarantee.
Asus ROG G22CH Configurations
Asus ROG G22CH configurations begin at $1,399.99, with a Core i5-13400F, a GeForce RTX 3060 12GB graphics card, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
Mid-tier fashions bump the CPU to a Core i7-13700F with both an RTX 3060 Ti ($1,699.99) or an RTX 4070 ($1,899.99). Be aware all “F” CPU fashions are air cooled; liquid-cooled fashions with extra highly effective “KF” CPUs begin at $2,199.99 with a Core i7-13700KF and an RTX 4070. The $2,499.99 mannequin we reviewed upgrades the CPU to a Core i9-13900KF.
The G22CH’s pricing is on the excessive facet. It definitely can command some premium for its small measurement, however $2,499.99 for the mannequin we reviewed is nonetheless steep; discovering an RTX 4070 mid-tower on Newegg, Amazon, or Greatest Purchase for effectively below $2,000 wasn’t laborious. Fashions with Core KF chips hovered round $2,000 – $2,100.
Backside Line
The Asus ROG G22CH excites on paper, packing a liquid-cooled Core i9-13900KF and a GeForce RTX 4070 regardless of being about one-third the dimensions of a typical mid-tower gaming desktop. It proved an distinctive performer and sparred with a lot bigger towers in our gaming and productiveness exams. We additionally appreciated the standard and magnificence of its metallic case.
. The most important draw back is fan noise. The system becoms very loud, to the purpose of distraction below load. It’s a real disgrace, as with Corsair not producing its One sequence desktops, the G22CH is among the valuable few small-form-factor desktops providing huge tower efficiency. Sadly, the fan noise successfully necessitates a headset subsequent to it.. For gaming with the fewest compromises, it nonetheless seems a mid-tower is the best way to go.
However if you need one thing smaller than a mid-tower and might cope with the decibels, the ROG continues to be a stable performer.
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