Should I keep my open-box ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 or return it while I still can?
I recently bought an open-box ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 and I’m still within the return window. After taxes, I paid about $2,100.
Specs:
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
RTX 5070 Ti
32GB RAM
1TB SSD
14-inch portable gaming/creator laptop
I’m going back to school for engineering, so my main reason for buying it was to have something portable but powerful enough for CAD, MATLAB, engineering software, multitasking, and hopefully something that can last me several years. On paper, this seems like a really strong fit.
The other reason I bought it was gaming. I wanted one machine that could handle school and also let me play modern titles. The performance is great, but I’ve noticed it gets pretty hot when playing the games I actually want to play. I know that’s expected to some degree with thin gaming laptops, but it has me second-guessing whether this is the right setup long-term.
Now I’m torn between two options:
Keep the G14 because it was a good open-box deal, it’s powerful, portable, and should serve me well for engineering school.
Return it and instead get a more basic/non-gaming laptop for school, then buy a gaming console separately for gaming.
For people who own the G14 or similar thin gaming laptops, would you keep this at around $2,100 after tax, especially as an open-box deal? Or would you return it and separate school/work from gaming?
I’m especially interested in hearing from people who use their laptop for engineering, CAD, school, and gaming. Is the heat just something you manage with settings, cooling modes, and a laptop stand, or is it a sign that I should rethink the setup while I still can?