The best 2-in-1 laptop of CES 2022 could be a gaming revelation

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The best ii-in-1 laptop of CES 2021 could be a gaming revelation

(Image credit: Asus)

CES 2021 has been a virtual event for the near part, every bit then information technology wasn't flush with vast amounts of hyper-futuristic or bizarre tech to try out. Simply that's given run-of-the-mill hardware similar gaming laptops the hazard to shine. And information technology was the Asus ROG Menstruum X13 that actually caught my center.

In fact, it caught the centre of the rest of Tom'south Guide, as well, as it won All-time of Bear witness in the Tom's Guide CES 2021 Awards. And this was for good reason, every bit the Period X13 is a 2-in-ane ultraportable that comes with the potential for Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics power.

• Where to purchase Nvidia RTX 3080: Latest stock updates
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• Plus: Everything yous need to know from AMD at CES 2021

That might sound baroque, only the Menstruum X13 achieves this through a custom connection to a compact external graphics bill of fare that houses Nvidia's mighty 4K gaming GPU. And so the Menses X13 tin can exist a relatively unassuming laptop by day, a tablet for viewing videos on your commute and and so a gaming powerhouse when you become home.

And I want one. Like, really want ane.

(Image credit: Asus)

The full ROG Flow X13 bundle includes the laptop with AMD'south new Ryzen ix 5980HS processor, up to 32GB of LPDDR4X RAM, up to a 1TB SSD and a GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card, as well every bit the external GPU and a GeForce RTX 3080 in a custom package. And that'due south ready to toll $3,000.

Now stop laughing in the back, seasoned PC gamers, I know you tin get a powerful desktop PC for $ane,500 to $2,000. And even if you can't notice where to buy the Nvidia RTX 3080, at that place's a whole slew of gaming laptops with the mobile versions of the GPU coming out shortly, for around $2,000.

So a 3-grand uppercut to my banking concern balance might seem like madness. But hear me out.

2-in-1 ultraportable GeForce power

For a get-go, I don't have a decent thirteen-inch ultraportable, let alone one with a GTX 1650 and a 120Hz refresh rate display. So the Period X13 has that going for it, especially as it looks rather corking and doesn't scream "I'yard a gaming automobile."

There are also precious few 2-in-1 laptops that have dedicated graphics in an ultraportable frame. And the new RTX 3080 laptops we've seen so far certainly don't pull 2-in-1 duties, or sport a 13-inch frame.

Y'all might contend that for $3,000, I could get a powerful gaming desktop and a solid ultraportable. But for my use instance, where I similar to practice as much as possible with equally little clutter as possible, the Menses X13 scratches a particular crawling.

To analyze, I demand to explain my current work and gaming setup. When I'm in work style, bringing you readers hot tech news, I employ an HP Spectre x360 15. It's a rather attractive 2-in-1 laptop, with a decent specification and an impressive 4K display, though information technology's a piddling bulky.

Work and play — all on one slim machine

As I need to work on 2 screens, I have the Spectre x360 folded back into its portrait mode and sitting below my monitor. I so employ a wired gaming mouse and the rather fantabulous wireless Microsoft Surface keyboard; I'm a huge fan of the tactile feel of Surface device keys.

Simply when the working mean solar day is over, I unplug the mouse and push back the 2-in-i brandish so it fits beneath my monitor stand. I then break out my gaming keyboard and plug the mouse into my gaming desktop, which sits unceremoniously beneath my desk.

My current work and gaming setup is crying out for the Asus ROG Catamenia X13 (Image credit: Futurity)

This setup is reasonably neat and ways I don't need to take a gaming PC whirring away, gobbling up ability, when I only need to do bones computing tasks. But it'southward not exactly elegant. I also live in a small East London flat, so I've not got a lot of space to play with. Fifty-fifty on the floor, my PC still chews up foursquare footage.

Now, if I had the ROG Menses X13 I could do away with my desktop. It's a decent machine, merely doesn't accept the specs to compete with the latest Ryzen 5000 CPUs or the new GeForce RTX thirty-series graphics. And gaming after work wouldn't involve unplugging peripherals and repositioning my laptop. I could simply shut off Slack and go straight to gaming with the external RTX 3080 prepare for a graphics conditioning.

However, the Flow X13 promises more than than removing a minute or two of laptop acrobatics from my life. Permit's say I want to go and enjoy a flake of light gaming on the get, or given the current U.M. coronavirus lockdown, on my sofa, or in bed. The solid specs inside the Catamenia X13 will facilitate that.

I'g lucky plenty to accept both the PS5 and Xbox Series 10, and then I'yard well provisioned for the latest in console gaming. But I have a solid selection of Steam games and quite like the idea of running them on my 4K Goggle box, which is something my desktop struggles with.

Doing this with the ROG Flow X13 looks to be as elementary as connecting the external GPU to my TV and and so using the laptop with an Xbox Wireless Controller to play a whole range of Steam games.

When going on vacation or piece of work trips get safe again,  the ROG Period X13 looks set to be a portable games machine with more power than a PS5. Carrying the laptop and external GPU looks like it would be a lot easier to carry than a PS5.

And different a gaming laptop, being able to pop the Flow X13 into its tent or portrait mode, so gaming with a Bluetooth controller, looks prepare to exist a much more relaxing mode to game subsequently a busy 24-hour interval at, say, CES 2022.

Of course, $iii,000 is a lot of money, even for a device that looks like it'll handle piece of work and play with ease, also every bit the bits in-between. And I'd demand to give the ROG Menses X13 a proper get rather than salivating over it from the other side of the Atlantic.

Nevertheless, while CES 2021 showed off a lot of appealing gaming laptops, including the slim MSI Stealth 15M and the neat-looking Acer Trion 300 SE, it's the Asus ROG Menses X13 that my mind keeps coming back to when I take the desire to punish my savings account.

I hope this device encourages other laptop makers to get creative with how they can make gaming machines more modular. Desktop PC gaming isn't going anywhere but for those of u.s.a. who are low on infinite, but who want to see Cyberpunk 2077 actually run well, more tech like the Catamenia X13 is very welcome.

Roland Moore-Colyer is U.Thousand. Editor at Tom's Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes well-nigh gaming, phones, laptops and other $.25 of hardware; he's also got an interest in cars. When non at his desk Roland tin can be establish wandering around London, often with a await of curiosity on his face up.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/opinion/the-best-2-in-1-laptop-of-ces-2021-could-be-a-gaming-revelation

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