Monday, October 7, 2024
LaptopsWindows laptops

Asus ProArt P16 review (2024 H7606WI model, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, RTX 4070)


This is my detailed review of the 2024 Asus ProArt P16 H7606 lineup of workstation portable laptops.

In just a few words, this ProArt P16 is a slightly refined version of the 2024 Asus Zephyrus G16 chassis, in an all-black and cleaner design, and with some hardware tweaks: runs on AMD Strix Point hardware inside with up to 64 GB of RAM and RTX 4070 graphics, and comes with a 4K OLED touchscreen. All these make the ProArt P16 especially interesting as a creator laptop, with the Ryzen hardware providing a boost in performance and efficiency, with memory options not available for the Zephyrus series, and with that 4K screen.

This review is still a work in progress as I get to run all tests on this Ryzen AI 9 HX 370M configuration with RTX 4070 GeForce graphics, and gather my thoughts down below.

2024 ASUS ProArt P16 H7607 series

ASUS ProArt H7606WI, 2024 model
Display 16-inch, 16:10, glossy, touch,
OLED 4K+ 3840 x 2400 px , 60 Hz 0.2ms, 400 nits SDR, 100% DCI-P3 colors
Processor AMD Strix Point, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, 12C/24T, up to 5.1 GHz
Video Radeon 890M + Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 8GB (up to 100W with Dyn Boost)
without MUX, Advanced Optimus, or GSync
Memory 64 GB LPDDR5x-7500 (onboard)
Storage 2 TB SSD (Micron 2400) – 1x M.2 PCI 4.0 x4 slot, 1x m.2 PCIe 4.0 x 2 slot
Connectivity WiFi 7 2×2 with Bluetooth 5.4 (Mediatk MT7925 module)
Ports left: DC-in, HDMI 2.1 FRL, 1x USB-C 4.0, 1x USB-A 3.2, audio jack
right: 1x USB-A 3.2, 1x USB-C gen2 (with data, DP, PD), SD Express 7.0 card reader
Battery 90 Wh, 240 W power adapter, USB-C charging up to 100W
Size 354 mm or 13.96” (w) x 246 mm or 9.68 (d) x 14.9 – 17.3 mm or .59” – .68″ (h)
Weight from 1.85 kg (4.1 lbs),
.72 kg (1.58 lbs) for the 240W main power brick and cables, EU version
Extras clamshell format with 130-degree hinge,
clean design without any lightbar on the lid,
white backlit keyboard, 1.7 mm travel, glass touchpad with DialPad zone,
6x speakers – 10W, FHD webcam with IR,
available in Nano black

Design and ergonomics

This ProArt P16 is built on the same chassis as the 2024 Asus Zephyrus G16 models already discussed in past articles, with a couple of changes.

First off, this series comes in a sober Nano Black color, which means it’s entirely black and even the branding elements are black and nearly invisible: the ProArt logo on the lid and the writing under the display. The stickers are the only pieces of color on this chassis, and you can easily peel them of. If you like black laptops, this is as good as you can get these days.

asus proart p16 2asus proart p16 2

Just be aware that black metal surfaces smudge easily, so you’ll have to constantly wipe this clean. But even that’s not as bad as you might think, as the lid and inner deck have this smudge-free coating that does a good job fending off finger oils, so the only parts that smudge easily are the keys and the underbelly part.

Furthermore, there’s no longer a lightbar and chromed piece on the lid of this series, which bothered me aesthetically on the Zephyrus units. Instead, this lid is a one piece of black metal. Gorgeous!

exterior 1exterior 1

Then, the keyboard on this series is no longer RGB, but only white-lit. Not sure why they didn’t keep the RGB option, especially as it was only single-zone.

And finally, there’s the display. The ProArt comes with a touchscreen, so the screen part is entirely covered in glass. It also bundles a 4K panel and not the 3.2K offered with the Zephyrus models, but more on that in the next section.

All these aside, the ergonomics and overall feel of this laptop are identical to the Zephyrus units. Premium and sturdy build quality, friendly edges, sturdy hinges and plenty of ports on the sides. However, the screen only opens back to 130 degrees, due to how the cooling is designed with radiators on the rear edge of the laptop, underneath the hinge covers.

As for ports, there’s everything you would want here, including a full-size HDMI, USB-C and USB-A ports, an audio jack, and an SD card reader. USB-C ports are placed on both sides of the chassis, with the one on the left being USB 4.0. Both support charging, but for full performance, you’ll need to use the bundled main charger that comes with a proprietary plug at the back of the left edge.

Overall, this is one of the most beautiful laptops on the market, a design as clean as it gets and mostly practical, except for the display not being able to fold back flat to 180 degrees.

I for one love the all-black theme and how everything is much cleaner here than on the Zephyrus models, but at the same time, this all-black approach might not be for everyone.

Keyboard and touchpad

The ProArt P16 offers an excellent keyboard and a huge glass touchpad with a DialPad area, a common particularity of Asus creator models.

The keyboard is once more identical to the ones on the Zephyrus G16, with a minimalist layout and plenty of space at the right and left sides, with punctured grills for speakers. This is an excellent keyboard that provides good feedback and and types accurately and quietly.

As a side note, the keycaps are black and they also smudge fairly easily. I’ve included a picture of how my unit unit looked after a few days of use.

The keys are backlit, with white-only LEDs (or if there’s a way to change the color, I couldn’t figure it out in the settings). The lights are plenty bright and uniform enough on this unit. They also activate with a swipe over the touchpad once they time out.

keyboard touchpad 1keyboard touchpad 1

The touchpad is a huge glass surface that works well with general use, swipes, gestures, and taps. Palm rejection is fine as well, although if you use the laptop on the lap, the minuscule front lip can get annoying, as clothes will constantly create ghost touches on this touchpad. An example of shape over function where a smaller touchpad with a margin at the front would have worked better.

Despite its size, the glass surface feels very sturdy and doesn’t rattle with taps. Physical clicks in the corners are also smooth and quiet.

The top-left corner of this touchpad can act as a customizable Dial Pad, a virtual rotary dial that can be used fa various actions in Windows and some apps. It’s mostly meant for tunning fine settings in Photoshop or Premiere, such as changing the size of a brush and so on, and while I mostly find it a gimmick, it is perhaps useful to some.

As for biometrics, there’s no finger sensor on this laptop, but you do get an IR camera at the top of the display, with Windows Hello support.

Beautiful 120Hz 16-inch OLED display

There’s only an OLED touch display option on this ProArt series, so no matte IPS or mini LED or anything else.

It’s a 4K+ 16-inch Lumina OLED panel, with a digitizer layer and a layer of protective glass on top of the panel.

Now, because this implementation is touch and includes a digitizer layer, it does show some graininess on solid colors, especially noticeable on white backgrounds when browsing and editing documents. However, the grain is not nearly as noticeable on 2024 OLEDs as on older OLED touch panel, to the point where you might not even notice it at all unless told about it.

This aside, this panel is a sharp OLED, with 4+K pixel resolution, beautiful colors, and perfect blacks and contrast. It’s not that bright, though, at just under 400 nits sustained brightness, which means you might struggle with the laptop in very bright environments or outdoors, especially when also accounting for the glare and reflections of the glossy glass layer.

Finally, I will also mention that as an OLED, this offers nearly instantaneous response times, but at the same time this particular panel is only 60 Hz refresh rate. Paired with the high resolution, this panel is not a proper option for gaming, especially when compared to the 3K 165Hz panel available on the Zephyrus models. This ProArt isn’t meant for gaming anyway, but still. As far as I can tell, the panel doesn’t support GSync either, unlike the display on the Zephyrus options.

Anyway, here’s what we got in our tests, with an X-Rite i1 Display Pro sensor:

  • Panel HardwareID: Samsung SDC415D(ATNA60YV02-0);
  • Coverage: 100% sRGB, 97.2% Adobe RGB, 99.6% DCI-P3;
  • Type: 10-bit with HDR500, 120 Hz;
  • Measured gamma: 2.20;
  • Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 384.35 cd/m2 on power;
  • Min brightness in the middle of the screen:
  • Contrast at max brightness: 1:1;
  • White point: 6400 K;
  • Black on max brightness: 0 cd/m2;
  • PWM: Yes, to be discussed.

The panel comes pre-calibrated out of the box and is uniform in color and luminosity. Plus, since this is an OLED panel, you don’t have to concern yourself with light bleeding or blooming or other such inconveniences. If interested, this article goes indepth over the OLED panel technology available in laptops.

You do have to account for flickering on OLED notebooks, but even that is less of an issue on Asus devices if you use the flicker-free OLED Screen dimming option available in the myAsus app instead of adjusting the brightness with the regular controls available in Windows. Not as convenient, but definitely recommended when using the laptop at night in dim environments.

Hardware and performance – AMD Strix Point Ryzen processor, GeForce RTX 4070 dGPU

Our test model is a top-specced configuration of the 2024 Asus ProArt P16 lineup, code name M7606WI, with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and AMD Radeon 890M integrated graphics, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 dedicated graphics, 64 GB of DDR5-7500 memory, and a middling 2 TB gen4 SSD.

Disclaimer: This unit was sent over for review by Asus. I tested it with the software available as of late-July 2024 (BIOS 307, MyAsus 4.0.16.0 app, AMD Adrenaline 24.10.18.08 drivers, Nvidia Studio 556.05 drivers). This is the launch-day software package, so things might change as the laptop matures over the next weeks and months. I plan to update the article where needed.

amd 1amd 1

Spec-wise, this series is based on AMD’s Ryzen AI Strix Point hardware platform paired with Nvidia RTX 4000 graphics.

Our configuration is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, a hybrid design with 12 Cores and 24 Threads. This is a new CPU architecture with 4 Performance Zen5 Cores and 8 Efficiency Zen5c Cores, all with Hyper-Threading. On top of that, this is the highest-tier Ryzen AI processor of this generation, and it runs at up to 80W sustained in this chassis ProArt P16.

For the GPU, these ProArt P16 models are available in several RTX 4000 configurations, from 4050 to 4070, all mid-powered Max-Q designs. There’s no 4080/4090 option, which remain exclusive to the Intel-based Zephyrus G16 models. Furthermore, there’s no MUX here or Advanced Optimus, and only regular Hybrid Optimus is offered – to be confirmed.

For the RAM, the series is available in either 16, 32 or 64 GB configurations, with LPDDR5x-7500 memory. The RAM is soldered on all models, thus non-upgradable. 64 GB options are only offered for some of the RTX 4070 configurations, while the other versions top at 32 GB.

For storage, there are two M.2 2280 PCIe gen4 slots on this series, and our sample comes preconfigured with a Micron 2400 drive. This is an OK mid-tier drive, but I was expecting a higher-tier SSD on this sort of laptop – perhaps the retail models ship with something faster.

Getting to the components requires you to remove a few Torx screws, all easily accessible. Be aware that these screws are of different sizes, so make sure you put them back in their right place. I’ll also add that there’s no pop-up screw on this model, unlike on other ROGs, so you’ll need a plastic card to pry open the back panel.

Inside, everything is packed up efficiently, and you get access to the cooling module, the SSDs and WiFi module, the battery and the speakers.

internals 1internals 1

Specs aside, Asus offer their standard power profiles in the ProArt Creator Hub control app: Whisper, Standard, Performance, and Manual, with various power settings and fan profiles between them, summarized in the following table.

Whisper Standard Performance Manual
CPU only, SPL/SPPT TDP 45/60W 50/70W 80/80W 80/80W
GPU only, max TGP 45W 80W 100W 100W
Crossload
Max GPU TDP + GPU TGP
D-Notify ~95W, 30 + 65W ~120W, 35 + 85W ~120W, 35 + 85W
Noise at head-level, tested ~35 dBA ~40 dBA ~45 dBA ~48 dBA

Before we jump to the performance section, here’s how this laptop handles everyday use and multitasking on the Whisper profile, unplugged from the wall.

Performance and benchmarks

On to more demanding loads, we start by testing the CPU’s performance by running the Cinebench R15 test for 15+ times in a loop, with a 1-2 seconds delay between each run.

The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor runs stably at 80W of power for the entire test, with temperatures of in the low to mid 90s and scores of ~3500 points. The fans spin at ~45 dBA at head level in this mode.

There’s also the option of using the Manual profile and bumping the fans to 100% rpms. With the fans at max and the back of the laptop raised up to facilitate better airflow into the fans, this mode translates into a notable noise increase (48 dBA) and lower internal temperatures, but somehow the scores are also a little lower the on the standard Performance mode.

Switching over to the Standard profile translates in the CPU stabilizing at ~50W, with temperatures in the low-80s and the fans spinning quieter at ~40 dB at head-level. The system power limits the CPU on this profile, and the performance drops about 10% compared to the top profiles.

On Whisper mode, the CPU stabilizes around 45W, with barely audible fans (sub 35 dB) and temperatures still in the low-80s C. The CPU scores around 3100 points in the Cinebench test on this profile, which is about 85-90% of the performance of the top profiles.

Finally, the CPU runs at ~45 W of power on battery use, on the Performance profile. Details below.

cinebench1 proartp16cinebench1 proartp16

To put these findings in perspective, here’s how this AMD Ryzen AI 9 370 implementation fares against other modern platforms in this test.

It’s faster then the Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9 implementations in the Zephyrus G16, faster than older Core i9 processors, and much faster than existing Ryzen 9 implementations. At the same time, it’s still no match for Core HX or Ryzen HX platforms, but that’s no surprise, since those are different chips meant for high-performance laptops.

cinebench2 proartp16cinebench2 proartp16

We then went ahead and further verified our findings with the more taxing Cinebench R23 loop test and Blender – Classroom, which resulted in similar findings to what we explained above (80W for Manual and Performance, 50W for Standard, 45W for Whisper).

We also ran the 3DMark CPU test on the Performance profile.

Finally, we ran our combined CPU+GPU stress tests on this notebook. 3DMark stress runs the same test for 20 times in a loop and looks for performance variation and degradation over time. This review unit easily passed the test with the laptop flat on the desk. We’ll further discuss this in the Gaming section below.

Next, we ran the entire suite of tests and benchmarks, on the Performance profile with the GPU set on the Standard mode (MS Hybrid, regular Optimus), and with the screen set at the native 4K+ resolution.

Here’s what we got:

  • 3DMark 13 – CPU profile: max – 10324, 16 – 9924, 8 – 7227, 4 – 3837, 2 – 2030, 1 – 1146;
  • 3DMark 13 – Fire Strike (DX11): 25988 (Graphics – 29562, Physics – 30339, Combined – 12235);
  • 3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX): 7244;
  • 3DMark 13 – Time Spy (DX12): 11591 (Graphics – 11697, CPU – 11027);
  • 3DMark 13 – Speed Way (DX12 Ultimate): 2916;
  • 3DMark 13 – Steel Nomad (DX12 Ultimate): 2630;
  • Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 6722;
  • Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 22200;
  • PCMark 10: 7671 (Essentials – 10044, Productivity – 9683, Digital Content Creation – 12595);
  • GeekBench 6.2.2 64-bit: Multi-core: 14652, Single-Core: 2844;
  • CineBench R15 (best run): CPU 3504 cb, CPU Single Core 304 cb;
  • CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 9203 cb, CPU Single Core 795 cb;
  • CineBench R23: CPU 23256 cb (best single run), CPU 23475 cb (10 min run), CPU Single Core 2047 cb;
  • CineBench 2024: GPU 11313 pts, CPU 1207 pts (best single run), CPU 1211 pts (10 min run), CPU Single Core 115 pts;
  • x265 HD Benchmark 64-bit: 19.71 s.

And here are some workstation benchmarks, on the same Performance profile:

  • Blender 3.4.1 – BMW scene – CPU Compute: 1m 33s;
  • Blender 3.4.1 – BMW scene – GPU Compute: 17.34s (CUDA), 8.64 (Optix);
  • Blender 3.4.1 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 3m 52s;
  • Blender 3.4.1 – Classroom scene – GPU Compute: 33.41s (CUDA), 18.34s (Optix);
  • Blender 3.6.5 – BMW scene – CPU Compute: 1m 39s;
  • Blender 3.6.5 – BMW scene – GPU Compute: 16.91s (CUDA), 8.62 (Optix);
  • Blender 3.6.6 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 3m 55s;
  • Blender 3.6.5 – Classroom scene – GPU Compute: 31.89s (CUDA), 17.89s (Optix);
  • PugetBench – DaVinci Resolve: – points;
  • PugetBench – Adobe After Effects: tbu;
  • PugetBench – Adobe Photoshop: tbu;
  • PugetBench – Adobe Premiere: tbu;
  • SPECviewperf 2020 – 3DSMax: 97.89;
  • SPECviewperf 2020 – Catia: 66.76;
  • SPECviewperf 2020 – Creo: 108.73;
  • SPECviewperf 2020 – Energy: 42.48;
  • SPECviewperf 2020 – Maya: 377.70;
  • SPECviewperf 2020 – Medical: 39.44;
  • SPECviewperf 2020 – SNX: 23.70;
  • SPECviewperf 2020 – SW: 268.90.
  • V-Ray Benchmark: 16398- CPU, 1290- CUDA, 1806 – RTX.

The CPU performance of this Ryzen 9 AI platform is impressive, both single and multi-core scores being notably faster than on previous Ryzen platforms or existing Intel Core Ultra 7 and Ultra 9 implementations in similar devices. Sure, Core HX platforms with the extra cores and higher clocks speeds are still faster in all tests, but those are rarely implemented in portable designs such as this ProArt.

On the GPU side, this ProArt P16 is more or less on par to the RTX 4070 Zephyrus G16. The RTX GPUs on these devices are max-q implementations and run at 80-90W tops in most loads, yet that’s still enough power to allow them to provide about 90% of their capacity in full-power designs that go up to 140W TGP. Things would be different for 4080/4090 chips, but since the ProArt P16 only comes with 4050/4060/4070 graphics, you’re getting here 90-95% of the performance of a full-size laptop with a similar GPU, but running at higher power.

So all in all, this AMD Ryzen AI + RTX 4070 offers plenty of punch for a compact and lightweight sub 2 kilo laptop. As long as you don’t really need the best possible sustained CPU performance, which you’d only get with Core HX and Ryzen HX hardware today, this is going to be a very compelling combo for most users.

Whisper Mode – still fast, and much quieter at sub 35 dBA

This ProArt laptop runs at around 45 dB on the Performance profile, which is quieter than the Zephyrus G16 on its Turbo mode, but still plenty audible. Thus, if you’re willing to sacrifice the performance to some extent in order to keep the fans quieter, the Whisper profile should especially be of interest.

Here’s how this 2024 ProArt performs on the Whisper profile, which limits the fans to around 35 dB at head level.

  • 3DMark 13 – CPU profile: max – 9678, 16 – 9306, 8 – 6884, 4 – 3795, 2 – 2060, 1 – 1143;
  • 3DMark 13 – Fire Strike (DX11): 21658 (Graphics – 24286, Physics – 29310, Combined – 9832);
  • 3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX): 5257;
  • 3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 8959 (Graphics – 8697, CPU – 10808);
  • Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 4794;
  • CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 8266 cb, CPU Single Core 789 cb;
  • Blender 3.41 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 4m 10s.

The CPU performance is still excellent even in this mode, despite the fact that the CPU ends up power limited at around 45W TDP, compared to the 80W setting on Performance mode. Still, the AMD platform scales excellently at lower power and still delivers about 90% of the scores measured on Performance. That’s impressive!

On the GPU side, the performance drop is 15-25% between loads, as the GPU ends up running at about half the TGP on Performance mode. We’ll discuss more about this aspect in the Gaming section further down.

There’s also a Standard mode available, in which case the fans run at about 40 dBA and the components end up performing in between. However, given how well this ProArt scores on Whisper mode, I’d favor this profile for those situations where low noise is imperative.

Gaming performance

While this ProArt P16 isn’t a gaming laptop, given the high-res display and the fact that it runs on Nvidia Studio drivers, it can nonetheless still game.

Hence,  I ran our standard set of gaming tests on it, and the results are down below.

Asus ROG ProArt P16,
Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 +
RTX 4070 Laptop 80-100W
4K+ Performance,
Optimized dGPU
QHD+ Performance,
Optimized dGPU
QHD+ Standard,
Optimized dGPU
QHD+ Whisper,
Optimized dGPU
Cyberpunk 2077
(DX 12, Ultra Preset, RTX OFF)
28 fps (20 fps – 1% low) 52 fps (34 fps – 1% low) 48 fps (34 fps – 1% low) 38 fps (30 fps – 1% low)
Far Cry 6
(DX 12, Ultra Preset, TAA)
insufficient VRAM 80 fps (63 fps – 1% low) 65 fps (42 fps – 1% low) 58 fps (36 fps – 1% low)
Horizon Forbidden West
(DX 12, Very High Preset, TAA)
44 fps (28 fps – 1% low) 62 fps (44 fps – 1% low) 60 fps (42 fps – 1% low) 52 fps (40 fps – 1% low)
Red Dead Redemption 2
(DX 12, Ultra Optimized, TAA)
insufficient VRAM 79 fps (54 fps – 1% low) 71 fps (48 fps – 1% low) 57 fps (42 fps – 1% low)
Resident Evil 4
(DX 12, Prioritize Graphics, TAA)
42 fps (30 fps – 1% low) 77 fps (35 fps – 1% low) 70 fps (38 fps – 1% low) 52 fps (36 fps – 1% low)
Shadow of Tomb Raider
(DX 12, Highest Preset, TAA)
48 fps (40 fps – 1% low) 90 fps (68 fps – 1% low) 79 fps (62 fps – 1% low) 62 fps (54 fps – 1% low)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (v4.04)
(DX 12, Ultra Preset, TAAU)
50 fps (38 fps – 1% low) 92 fps (60 fps – 1% low) 87 fps (58 fps – 1% low) 72 fps (52 fps – 1% low)
  • Cyberpunk, Horizon FW, Witcher 3 – recorded with Fraps/in-game FPS counter in campaign mode;
  • Far Cry 6, Red Dead Redemption 2, Tomb Raider – recorded with the included Benchmark utilities;
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 Optimized profile based on these settings.

4K resolution is a tough nut in some of the more modern titles, where the RTX 4070 hits a vRAM limitation. Older games, however, run alright even at 4K, although you’ll want to trim down the graphics settings a bit for 60+ fps. However, all these modern games run perfectly fine at QHD+ resolution and Ultra settings.

Compared to the Core Ultra 7 + RTX 4070 configuration of the Zephyrus G16, the results measured on this ProArt P16 laptop are a little lower, and that’s mostly because there’s a MUX with Advanced Optimus and dGPU mode on the G16 and there’s only Hybrid Optimus on the ProArt. At the same time, I’ll also mention that the ProArt runs a little quieter and warmer at matching-tier profiles than the Zephyrus G16, although it’s been a while since I tested the G16 and the profiles setup might have changed for that as well in the meantime.

With that out of the way, let’s go over some performance and temperature logs.

The Performance mode ramps up the fans to levels of ~45 dB with the laptop sitting on the desk. The CPU runs at around 78-85 degrees Celsius, and the GPU averages around 78-80C. These are fairly high temperatures, but both are lower than on the Zephyrus G16 tested before, despite the fans running quieter.

I do recommend placing the laptop on a stand for better airflow underneath the chassis and into the fans. On Performance mode, this helps shed 3-8 degrees C of the CPU and GPU across the tested titles, with both running in the 70s C.

You could also opt for the Manual profile which allows customizing the power setting and fan profiles. For testing, I’ve pushed all the fans to 100% rpms, bumped the laptop on a raiser stand, and further overclocked the GPU to +150Mhz Core +200 Mhz Memory. These settings translate in louder fans at around 48 dbA, but with minimal impact on the temperatures or the framerates.

Now, if you’re willing to sacrifice the framerates to some extent and get a quieter gaming experience, the Standard and Whisper profiles are worth pursuing.

On Standard mode the framerates take a 10-15% dip as the GPU runs at 65W TGP, and the fans spin quieter at 40 dBA.

Here are the logs for Performance mode with the laptop flat on the desk. CPU and GPU run in the mid to high 70s C, with no sort of throttling.

And here are the logs for Performance mode with the laptop raised up on the stand. Once more, both the CPU and the GPU run cooler in this case, in the very low 70s C.

The Whisper profile limits the fans to 35 dBA, but also further limits the CPU and GPU power. Despite that, most games are still running smoothly even on this mode, and close to around 60 fps. Hence, unlike on the Zephyrus G16 reviewed earlier in the year, Whisper mode is perfectly usable on this laptop.

Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and others

While there are two different internal designs available for the 2024 Zephyrus G16 chassis, this ProArt P16 model is only offered in the version with a tri-fan cooling module with an array of heatpipes, since there’s no 4080/4090 version available for this series (which gets the vapor-chamber cooling on the G16).

cooling 1cooling 1

Somehow this cooling module works well here, although I found it somewhat lacking in the Intel G16 model tested a while ago. Perhaps that’s a result of the AMD platform running cooler or of the extra software tweaks released in the meantime, but this laptop is perfectly usable in all conditions and in all modes.

Sure, the CPU and GPU still run hot on Performance with the laptop flat on the desk and I still recommend placing this on a raiser stand to facilitate better flow of fresh air into the fans. That helps lower internal and external temperatures significantly.

As far as noise levels go, expect 48 dBA on Manual with max-fans, ~45 dBA on Performance, ~40 dBA of Standard, and sub 35 dBA on the Whisper profile. I haven’t noticed any coil whining on this unit, but that’s no guarantee you won’t on yours.

As far as the outer case temperatures go, a hotspot develops in the top-middle part of the chassis, above the keyboard. It reaches low 50s C. However, the areas that you’ll come in contact with, around the WASD keys and the arrows keys, keep cooler at sub 40 C, and even the middle of the keyboard doesn’t warm up past 45 C, so the laptop doesn’t feel uncomfortable to the touch even with long sustained gaming or work sessions.

temps proartp16 gaming perftemps proartp16 gaming perf temps proartp16 gaming standardtemps proartp16 gaming standard

*Gaming – Whisper – playing Cyberpunk for 30 minutes, fans at ~35 dB
*Gaming – Performance, on desk – playing Cyberpunk for 30 minutes, fans at ~45 dB

Gaming aside, this laptop runs cooly with everyday use, with the case rarely going over 40 C in the warmest spot.

Whisper mode implements Asus’s 0dB Technology that allows the fans to completely switch off as long as the hardware stays under 50 C. That rarely happens with the laptop plugged-in, but it does on battery power, and that means the fans keep idle most fo the time. Once more, this is am improvement from the Intel-based Zephyrus G16 tested earlier in the year.

temps proartp16 dailytemps proartp16 daily

*Daily Use – streaming Netflix in EDGE for 30 minutes, Silent profile,  fans at ~0 dB

For connectivity, there’s Wireless 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 on this unit. This sample performed well on wi-fi with my setup, although I don’t have a WiFi 7 capable router yet to properly test it out.

The audio quality here is spectacular, arguably among the best you’ll get on any laptop today. Two main speakers fire on the bottom, and extra tweeters fire through the grills that flank the keyboard, and the sound coming out is punchy and rich for laptop speakers.

Finally, there’s a camera at the top of the screen, flanked by microphones. It’s a n OKish FHD shooter, backed up by IR functionality with support for Windows Hello.

Battery life

There’s a 90Wh battery inside this laptop, just like in the ROG models.

Here’s what we got on our review unit in terms of battery life, with the laptop on the Standard GPU mode and the screen set at a brightness of around 120 nits (~50% brightness).

  • 14 W (~6 h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Whisper Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;
  • 12 W (~7 h of use) – 4K fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Whisper Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;
  • 12.5 W (~7 h of use) – Netflix 4K HDR fullscreen in Edge, Whisper Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;
  • 15-20 W (~4-5 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Whisper Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;
  • 85 W (~1 h of use) – Gaming – Witcher 3, Standard Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON, no fps limit.

These are alright runtimes, but not that great compared to the Intel Meteor Lake Zephyrus G16 models, and definitely nowhere near the Ryzen AI 9 implementation in the Zenbook S 16. Sure, the 4K screen takes its toll, but I’d still expect better efficiency, especially with streaming and light use. So take these findings with a lump of salt for now.

This RTX 4070 configuration of the 2024 ProArt P16 comes with a 240W power brick, mid-sized by today’s standards. The battery fully charges from 10% in about 2 hours.

A particularity of this series is the square-shaped proprietary plug, which replaces the round plug used on other Asus models.

USB-C charging is supported as well, up to 100W. You won’t be able to use the laptop on Performance/Manual while plugged in via USB-C, but PD is enough for everyday multitasking and occasional heavier workloads on the Standard profile.

Price and availability- 2024 Asus ProArt P16

The 2024 Asus ProArt P16 is listed in some markets at the time of this article.

The variant reviewed here, the ProArt P16 H7606WI, with a Ryzen AI 9 processor, RTX 4070 dGPU, 32 GB of RAM, 2 TB SSD, is listed at 2299 USD in the US and 2999 EUR here in Europe.

The ProArt P16 H7606Wv with the same specs but an RTX 4060 dGPU and a 1 TB SSD is listed for 1899 USD in the US and 2400 EUR here in Europe. Nice to see 32 GB of RAM bundled with the 4060 model as well.

Other configurations should be offered as well. I’m not yet seeing the 64 GB RAM model that we have here, not the base-level models with RTX 4050 graphics.

Follow this link for updated configurations and prices in your region at the time you’re reading this article. Buying from our affiliate links helps support our work.

Final thoughts- 2024 Asus ProArt P16 review

This Asus ProArt P16 series is spectacular in its segment of compact and lightweight performance all-purpose laptops.

In most ways, this is a refinement of an already solid Zephyrus G16 series, but with AMD hardware inside and the all-black design that makes it look unique among its peers and highly professional and acceptable for even the stricter of office and school environments.

The transition towards a 4K 60 Hz touch display over the 3K 165Hz panel on the Zephyrus G16 is debatable. The 3K OLED is far more versatile, and not just for games, and runs more efficiently as well.

Furthermore, replacing the RGB keyboard with a white-only variation isn’t ideal either, but both are acceptable quirks for an otherwise excellent all-around device. Hence, the P16 earns our recommendation in this class.

Too bad Asus don’t offer variants with RTX 4080/4090 graphics and the vapor-chamber cooling, for those that would need a beefier GPU. As it is, this ProArt series is not as fast as some of the other options available out there in devices such as the Razer Blade 16 or even the top-specced Zephyrus G16 models, and that could push some potential buyers away. But if you don’t need the fastest CPU and GPU on your device, this is a solid option to consider.

That wraps up my time with this Asus ProArt P16 H7606 series. Let me know what you think about it in the comments section down below.

asus proart p16 1asus proart p16 1

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Author at Ultrabookreview.comAuthor at Ultrabookreview.com

Review by: Andrei Girbea

Andrei Girbea is a Writer and Editor-in-Chief here at Ultrabookreview.com. I write about mobile technology, laptops and computers in general. I’ve been doing it for more than 15 years now. I’m a techie with a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering. I mostly write reviews and thorough guides here on the site, with some occasional columns and first-impression articles.



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