ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 review

The Intel G16 at $1,152: same creative placing, a year cheaper

The ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 pairs an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H with an RTX 4050 6GB and 32GB of RAM at $1,152, two years on. The creative axes read exactly like its 2025 sibling's: photo design 99 (top), modeling 98 (top), CAD 98 (top), with office 89 (top) and gaming 82 (high). Mobility reads 53 — 83% above the gaming-class median, top quartile — and no axis falls into the low band. The watch-out is memory: 32GB against a 64GB median.

Top-band creative axes on a mid-shelf ticket

Reliability reads 88 — 66% above the class median, top quartile — and the six-flag sheet (Overwatch, GTA V, Rainbow Six Siege recommended; Premiere Pro, Photoshop minimum; VS Code recommended) backs the placing with receipts. For a design-leaning buyer, the combination of top-band creative indices and an $1,152 ticket is the sheet's core argument; the 4050 is the entry rung of its stack, and the flags place it at recommended level without overclaiming.

Memory and format, the two named costs

Thirty-two gigabytes is half the class median and the sheet's watch-out. Portability reads 41.2 (mid) — the 16-inch format, honestly placed — while mobility 53 keeps the carry argument top-quartile for the class. Value at 70.85 (high) prices the year-old platform as fair exchange.

No depreciation anchor

No launch anchor is attached. The class rate reads 18% per year; two years in, the steepest curve is absorbed, which is why the same creative placing as the 2025 model sells for $288 less.

Where it sits against the shelf

Inside the Zephyrus G16 line, this seat and the 2025 GA605 at $1,440 carry near-identical creative readings and flag sheets — the difference is a CPU year and $288. On the wider $1,152 row, the SCAR 16/18 platform sells more GPU and more weight; this seat sells the same ticket as balance: creative top-band, carry top-quartile, no low-band axis.

Bottom line

The GU605 is the value seat of the G16 line: photo design 99, modeling and CAD 98 — all top band — with reliability 88, six green flags and a mid-band portability reading, at $1,152. The 32GB ceiling is the named concession and the 4050 is honestly placed at recommended level. For a creative buyer who prefers proven silicon to the year badge, this sheet is the strongest exchange in its line.