Asus ROG Chimera: a monster laptop that will make noise

Presentation

Asus has already shown on several occasions its ability to offer gamers quality laptops, in particular through its Republic of Gamers (ROG) range. With the Chimera, the Taiwanese manufacturer synthesizes its know-how in an uncompromising configuration.

With such a PC, Asus does not seek to shake up the market. Sold at a gold price, the Chimera only targets a niche of wealthy gamers and is used above all to bandage muscles in the face of competition. It remains to be seen if said competition is relegated far behind, which we will see right away ...

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Construction

A monster is a real monster that Asus offers us with its Chimera. A racing beast, but also a design behemoth. The Chimera does not do in finesse. Never. At no time. All the design elements of this laptop have been thought to evoke power, a bit like the huge American trucks.

A mixture of plastic and aluminum, the chassis of the Chimera is not lacey and has very aggressive angular lines. Lines specific to gaming PCs that Asus already uses in its ROG range, embellished with RGB LEDs on the keyboard as well as on the hood logo. A hood which is also relatively sober compared to the rest of the machine. The backlit chiclet keyboard is very pleasant, its feel approaching that of a mechanical keyboard. It is also one of the big strengths of the design of this PC. We will also note a very solid hinge which is not likely to give way when time passes.

The connectors spoil the user by offering a full range of ports: a USB Type-C port, 4 USB 3.0 ports, a DisplayPort, an HDMI, a 3.5 mm jack port and an Ethernet connector. The proprietary power port is quite impressive.

Such a machine obviously gives off heat. An inevitable warmth, but ultimately controlled, because concentrated on the huge air outlets placed at the back and on the sides. After running the PC for an hour on the Metro Last Light benchmark, the temperature rose to 64 ° C in the back, which is not really annoying. On the other hand, the air released on the right of the PC, therefore where the hand of the user who has possibly connected a mouse is located, reaches 48 ° C. Pity.

If the heating is controlled, Asus could not do much against the noise. Such a configuration necessarily emits noise. We thus measured 45 dB in play, and even up to 51 dB when the fans are in overboost mode. A noise which has the merit of being diffuse and not too unpleasant, but annoying for people located next to the user.

It should also be noted that the PC has a fairly high power consumption. Indeed, in play, our Chimera reaches a consumption of 205 watts. During office use, it does not exceed 29 watts, while it consumes only 0.5 watts when it is in standby.

Last important point, this laptop can easily evolve over the years. Asus has provided a small hatch which opens by removing a simple screw and which gives access to the SSD, the hard disk as well as the RAM.

It is indeed an impression of power that emerges from the design of this Chimera. A Chimera that was designed to be a monster of power and the designers followed this guideline to the letter. If this look will appeal to gamers eager for LEDs and aggressive lines, it will however discourage those who are looking for a more sober laptop.

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Screen

The Asus ROG Chimera has a 17.3 inch screen in Full HD (1920 x 1080 px). Its main argument is to have a refresh rate of 144 Hz as well as the Nvida G-Sync technology for a fluidity to any test. It is also the first laptop gamer to offer such a panel.

delta color E = 3.5 gamma 3 temperature 7489K

A slab which, even if it does not excel, is more than correct. The average temperature is quite high, since it rises to 7,489 K (far from the norm: 6,500 K) and therefore turns blue. The Delta E is good (3.5), a guarantee of faithful colors. Same thing for the maximum brightness which reaches 313 cd / m². The contrast is also very satisfactory (1090: 1).

The remanence rate of 12 ms is also very correct, without however excelling. Add to that a refresh rate at 144 Hz that is really pleasant in game, and we get a very good quality screen.

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Performances

It's no surprise, the Chimera ranks among the top laptops in terms of power. It is equipped with an Intel Core i7-7820HK processor (7th generation Kaby Lake) clocked at 2.8 GHz. The processor is supported by 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, 512 GB of SSD as well as a GeForce GTX 1080.

In this configuration, the Chimera reaches the score of 151 on our test index. It is simply the best score of our panel, just after the SHS Computer P870KM-G. An excellent score, therefore, which shows that Asus was able to deliver the power it promised.

A result which impresses, but which hardly surprises at the sight of the extremely solid characteristics. The Chimera therefore makes it possible to do advanced office automation without worry, by running photo or editing software to perfection.

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Games

Equipped with a GeForce GTX 1080, the Chimera obviously does not disappoint in video games. A veritable war machine, it reaches a score of 131 on our test index. If he is not on the first step of the podium of our panel, he still climbs into the top 5.

In game, the Chimera excels. Thus, all games launched in Full HD (native definition of the screen) run at least 60 frames per second with graphics in maximum quality. We noted 98 fps on The Witcher 3 (Hairwoks x4), 97 fps on Rise of the Tomb Raider (FXXA on), 84 fps on Metro Last Light, and 114 fps on Star Wars Battlefront 2 Remarkable results.

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Mobility / Autonomy

The Chimera is far from being a laptop designed to be carried everywhere with you. With its 4.7 kg (power not included!), It ranks more in the category of portable PCs than laptops. It will only be moved occasionally and never very far from an electrical outlet.

Because, not surprisingly, the autonomy of the Chimera is not fabulous. During our autonomy test (video playback on Netflix in Chrome, brightness at 200 cd / m² and headphones connected), it only lasted 3:28. A low score, but consistent with that of a very powerful and large screen laptop.

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Audio

The speakers of Chimera fulfill their contract without shining. The only surprise comes from their power, above average in this segment.

As for the headphone output, it is very good. With a power that will support all the helmets on the market, it never disappoints, despite a crosstalk that barely reaches the acceptable average.

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Conclusion

A real powerhouse, the Chimera keeps its promises of a very high-end PC for playing. Asus delivers its leading figure in mobile gaming here. However, we will have to accept to do with the counterparts of this kind of powerful laptop, namely the low autonomy and the operating noise.

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