ASUS ROG GR8 II is a very exciting mini gaming PC that promises to offer a lot of power in a small central unit that rivals your gaming console. This mini PC looks great, comes in several hardware configurations, is VR Ready and fits anywhere in your home, including in your living room. And since it is designed for gamers, it features some interesting lighting effects. If you are curious about what it has to offer, read this review for the ASUS ROG GR8 II:
Unboxing the ASUS ROG GR8 II
ASUS ROG GR8 II comes in a good looking box with all the visual elements that are classic to the Republic of Gamers brand. However, you don't get a picture of this mini gaming PC or information about its hardware configuration.
Inside the box you will get the mini PC itself, the power adapter (which is quite large, typical of a gaming laptop, as you can see in the picture below), the warranty, the user manual and the quick start guide. In some markets you may also get a keyboard and a mouse. However, we didn't have them in our packaging.
Unboxing everything is very quick and easy. Looking at the ASUS ROG GR8 II for the first time is a very nice experience and you will surely enjoy how this mini PC looks.
If you want to see more about they way it looks, here's the right side cover. As you can see it has a glass triangle with mayan-inspired engravings.
On the left side you have the Republic of Gamers logo engraved.
The unboxing experience is quick and painless. You can take the ASUS ROG GR8 II out of its packaging in just a matter of seconds so that you can enjoy just how good it looks.
Hardware specifications
The ASUS ROG GR8 II is available in several configurations. First of all, we can choose between four processors: Intel Core i5 6400, Intel Core i5 7400, Intel Core i7 6700 and Intel Core i7 7700. We received the version with the best processor available: Intel Core i7 7700, which is a four-core processor, with eight execution threads, that runs at a base frequency of 3.60 GHz and can go up to 4.20 GHz in Turbo mode.
The RAM memory available varies between 8 GB and 32 GB. The Intel Core i5 versions generally come with 8GB or 16GB of RAM while the Intel Core i7 come with 16 or 32 GB. The version we received for testing had 16GB of DDR4-2400 RAM, made by Samsung. You can view its specifications in the screen capture below.
The graphics card seems to be identical to that on the ASUS VivoPC X, which we reviewed a couple of weeks ago. It is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 video card, with 3GB of GDDR5 video memory and native support for DirectX 12. You can connect up to three displays to it, simultaneously.
Storage is another variable that you need to consider. You can have an Intel SanDisk M.2 SSD drive with a capacity that varies from 128GB to 512GB or a traditional hard disk with a size that varies from 500GB to 1TB. The storage is very important for a gaming system so make sure that you buy a version with an SSD drive for maximum performance. The version we received for testing had a 256 GB SSD drive. You can see some of its characteristics in the screenshot below.
In terms of ports and connectivity, ASUS did a great job with this mini PC: you get two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1 Type A port, one USB 3.1 Type C port, 1 Ethernet port, a Kensington Lock, the power jack, one optical S/PDIF out and one audio jack. Some ports are also on the front side of the ASUS ROG GR8 II, for easy access.
ASUS brags about offering some of the best possible network connectivity options. We get the Intel Ethernet (I219-V) adapter for fast 1Gbps wired network connections and the Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 wireless network adapter, with support for the 802.11ac networking standard and 2x2 MIMO transfers. Since we are talking about a premium device, designed for gamers, we would have preferred support for 3x3 or 4x4 MIMO transfers, in-line with ASUS best wireless routers. On the upside, the two WiFi antennas of the ROG GR8 II are situated on top of the chassis for better signal transmission, and are shielded between the plastic and metal cases to prevent interference from other components. It was a pleasant surprise to see that there's also TPM 2.0 chip available, for system encryption.
One of the big things about this system is the Aura Sync RGB LED lighting. With the appropriate software, you can use twelve peripheral synchronization modes and ten different lighting effects for great customizability.
ASUS ROG GR8 II is a 4-liter mini gaming PC that competes in size with consoles like the Xbox One and the Playstation 4. It has a size of only 3.46 x 11.77 x 11.07 inches or 88 x 299 x 281.3 mm in Width, Depth and Height. Without the power adapter, this device weighs a total of 8.8 pounds or 4 kilograms, making it easy to carry to LAN parties.
If you would like to check the official specification of this mini gaming PC, go to this page: ASUS ROG GR8 II Specifications.
Using the ASUS ROG GR8 II
One of the main selling points of the ASUS ROG GR8 II is its Aurora lighting system. The system works well and it is generally interesting. Some of the default lighting modes are quite kitschy and flashy, while others look great. One of these lighting modes is especially useful because it lights up based on how hot the system gets, giving you visual cues that you have played for too long and you should take a break.
Another important concern for people that buy mini PCs is their noise level. ASUS brags about the low idle noise of only 23.8 dB. We can confirm that this is the case. When you don't use it, or when you perform light computing tasks like browsing the web or standard Office work that doesn't stress the graphics card, ASUS ROG GR8 II is a very silent PC. You can barely hear it. However, things change considerably when under full load. After playing demanding games for an hour or so, at high quality settings, you will hear the fans quite loudly.
Luckily, temperatures are within normal intervals for gaming systems, even though we are dealing with a mini PC that's packed with powerful hardware. To keep things cool, ASUS has created two separate chambers for the processor and the graphics card, which you can see below.
In the picture below you can see the vents through which the air is pulled into cool the graphics card. They are on the bottom ASUS ROG GR8 II, alongside the rubber feet that allow it to remain stable on just about any surface.
Another important factor for gamers is upgradeability. In order to keep things this small, ASUS had to create a custom motherboard and the video card is soldered onto it. Therefore, you can't really upgrade this system. The only thing you can do is add or change the M.2 SSD drive. This is disappointing for gamers and a sacrifice they have to accept if they want a small form factor like this one.
The operating system installed on the ASUS ROG GR8 II is Windows 10 Home and it works great. This PC can handle gaming, VR, office work and all kinds of multimedia activities. We would have preferred to have the option to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro, so that we could enjoy the benefits of system encryption and control over Windows Updates but most gamers will be happy with Windows 10 Home. We played games like Doom and The Witcher 3 on high quality settings, at Full HD resolution and we had no issues. Our gaming sessions were fluent, without any hiccups.
ASUS ROG GR8 II impressed us with its small size, good looks, illumination system and very good performance. It's a great performer in modern-day computer games and VR experiences. It's only major downside is the noise it makes when under full load for long periods of time.
Go to the next page in our review to learn more about the apps bundled with ASUS ROG GR8 II, its performance in benchmarks, and our final verdict.
Apps bundled with the ASUS ROG GR8 II
All PCs and laptops sold by OEMs come with some bundled software. Some OEMs include more while include less. Unfortunately, ASUS GR8 II comes with a lot of bundled apps. First of all, we have modern apps installed. The list includes the following apps:
- Netflix - the Windows app for the popular movie streaming service.
- Candy Crush Soda Saga - one of the latest games in the Candy Crush Saga. We find it ironic that this casual game is generally ignored by hardcore gamers, while ASUS GR8 II is a system designed for games.
- March of Empires - a multi-player online strategy game with cartoonish graphics.
- Keeper Password Manager - an app that allows you to safely store and generate passwords.
- Microsoft Solitaire Collection - Microsoft's latest version of Solitaire. Again, it is a game for casual gamers and not the audience intended for this PC.
- Minecraft Windows 10 Edition - Minecraft needs no introduction.
- Twitter - the universal Windows app (UWP) for the popular social network.
Luckily, all these apps can be easily uninstalled with just a few clicks. ASUS has also bundled several desktop apps:
- ASUS Command - a control panel for other ASUS apps and settings. You can also use it to update the BIOS.
- AURA - an app with which you can create your own lightning effects or use predefined effects. The app offers all the customization you need. However, it is not that easy to configure and we couldn't figure out how to turn off the lighting when the system is shut down. We appreciated the Temperature preset which dynamically lights the system based on its internal temperature. Therefore it is easy to figure out when you have stressed the system too much and you should take a break.
- GameFirst IV - a networking monitoring tool that helps you analyze network traffic and prioritize games that connect to the network or the internet.
- Kaspersky Anti-Virus for ASUS - We are very happy to see that ASUS has stopped bundling McAfee. Kaspersky is a proper antivirus which offers very effective protection. This version works for one year and we recommend keeping it.
- Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016 - a free 30-days trial of Microsoft Office.
- PC Cleanup - A Windows tool that you can use to save some storage space by cleaning browsing data or system items like shortcuts to recent documents. There are many similar apps, including in Windows, which tend to be better at this job.
- RAMCache II - copies the most frequently used data from the disk to the RAM cache where it can be processed faster, and then automatically writes it back to the disk - thus accelerating the computer overall performance with a minimized risk of data loss.
- Sonic Studio III and Sonic Radar III - desktop apps that allow you to manage the soundcard, the sound effects and to visually represent sound activities in games, according to their position.
- WebStorage - ASUS' cloud storage service. It offers only 5 GB of free space.
Some of the desktop apps that are bundled by ASUS can be very useful while others are not. Try them out and decided which you want to keep.
Performance in benchmarks
We started by evaluating how fast this mini PC boots, using BootRacer. As you can see below, ASUS ROG GR8 II starts, on average, in 26 seconds, which is fast but not the fastest you can get with modern-day M.2 SSD drives.
We wanted to see was how the ASUS ROG GR8 II does in usual home computing activities like browsing the internet, writing and editing documents, creating spreadsheets, making video calls, editing pictures, and playing a casual game from time to time. To get a performance score for all of that, we used PCMark 8 and ran its Home accelerated tests. The total score of 5407 points confirms that this system is able to handle any kind of office work you throw at it, with plenty of ease.
Next, we ran the latest version of 3DMark. ASUS ROG GR8 II scored higher than ASUS VivoPC X in all tests: Time Spy (4016 points), Fire Strike (10 547 points), Sky Diver (28 498 points) and Cloud Gate (29 818 points). The results show that this computer is capable of running modern games in Full HD and high quality settings, without any issues.
ASUS markets this console-like computer as ready for VR experiences. To check if that's true, we also ran the latest benchmark from Unigine. It's called SuperPosition, and it's a benchmark that is designed to assess the performance of a computer in Virtual Reality.
The ASUS ROG GR8 II got the maximum score of 10000 points and the Ready verdict in the VR Optimum benchmark for Oculus Rift.
The next thing we tested was the Intel SanDisk M.2 SSD drive, using CrystalDiskMark. As you can see below, this drive is fast for normal SSD standards. However, other M.2 SSD drives can deliver 600 MB/s or more in read speeds.
We also tested the cooling system and we installed and ran FurMark. After half an hour of stressing the video card, it didn't get hotter than 165.2 degrees Fahrenheit or 74 degrees Celsius. This is a very good result for a mini PC with air cooling.
Lastly, we wanted to see how fast the WiFi network card is on the ASUS ROG GR8 II. We mentioned earlier in this review that it is an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 network adapter, with support for the 802.11ac networking standard and 2x2 MIMO transfers. Gaming laptops are starting to use 3x3 MIMO which tends to be even faster and we were hoping to see this also on the ASUS ROG GR8 II. Unfortunately this isn't the case and, if you have a fast internet connection like ours (which peaks at 1000 Mpbs), you won't get more than 300 Mbps in transfer speed.
The benchmarks that we ran show that ASUS ROG GR8 II is a top-notch mini gaming PC that is able to outperform consoles in games. Whether you want to play games in high quality and Full HD, or you want to experience Virtual Reality, ASUS ROG GR8 II can handle it.
Pros and cons
This mini gaming PC has many good things going for it:
- It is about the size of a gaming console and it looks great
- It offers some interesting lighting effects which most gamers will enjoy
- It is a powerful gaming PC, capable of running any modern video game at high or ultra image quality settings and Full HD resolutions
- It's VR ready and it performs well in Virtual Reality experiences
- It is very silent when you are not performing demanding tasks
- Great connectivity options for everything you need. There's nothing missing for a modern-day gamer
- It has a built-in 802.11ac capable wireless card, so you're not forced to use Ethernet cables to connect it to the internet
- It is easy to carry
- It comes in multiple configurations and at different price ranges
There are also some downsides to consider:
- It can get very loud under full load for long periods of time
- The M.2 SSD drive and the wireless network card could be even faster
- You can upgrade only the SSD drive
Verdict
ASUS ROG GR8 II is a great-looking mini gaming PC that will beat in performance any modern-day console. It comes in several hardware configurations to match different budgets and it offers great connectivity options. The lighting effects are interesting and some of them look great. Real-life performance is top-notch, as long as you don't expect 4K gaming at very high quality settings. If you are OK with Full HD, then ASUS ROG GR8 II is a great performer that won't let you down in any game. If you are interested in Virtual Reality experiences, this PC is ready to perform at optimal levels. It's not perfect but it's very close to perfection and we think that any gamer will enjoy using for a long time.
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