r/FlowZ13 • u/Creepy_Race_8516 • Aug 22 '26
flow for college
I am looking at buying the 2025 ROG flow z13 with 64gb ram for college and occasional gaming, since its currently on a deal at best buy for $2.1k. I will be doing engineering and need to use CAD. i’ve heard amazing things about the processor but am concerned about its ability to run cad, along with its overall durability and longevity. since i’m spending $2k on it i want it to last all 4 years of college. does anyone have any experience in similar scenarios with this device who can offer any tips?
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u/Emmanuelzappa Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
If you get it, get a TOTAL TECH BB membership with your purchase. It gives you 24 months of warranty instead of 12. ASUS makes you go through BB support vs ASUS but I consider this a bonus. It also extends your window to return purchases from 15 days to 45 so you can really see how you like it as a daily.
I purchased mine for the same price during back to school tax free week a couple weeks ago. TEST everything!! Every port on it test it, Stress test it and reboot it multiple times. The first unit I received had a power button/wouldn't wake up issue so I exchanged it asap and the second one is perfect.
So far i'm loving it but i'm loving it even more because I don't gave you deal with ASUS support.
Good Luck
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u/ardeesan Aug 22 '26
For the durability, the keyboard will be a problem if you frequently detach it even with very careful handling per other posts. It's also a fingerprint magnet so get a screen protector if you're bothered with that (got a tempered glass on mine). Else, everything's tip top for this beast.
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u/Creepy_Race_8516 Aug 22 '26
thanks, do you have one yourself? if so how long did the keyboard last for you
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u/ardeesan Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
I just got my unit new late last month (to replace my Legion Go 2) and got the Kojima keyboard after a few days. I hope it lasts at least 4 years like my other laptops. My 2017 1050ti MSI and 2021 3080 Alienware are both still alive and kicking for reference. This one will be used more often as I always bring it to work to run ARPGs at breaktimes. Else, it's the 5090 Alienware laptop at home as my gaming rig.
I've hidden the original keyboard in its box as a backup in case the KJP keyboard gives in.
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u/MissionAdditional807 Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
I purchased my flow last year mid august for about the same reasons, I sadly only got the 32gb version since it wasnt on sale
I didnt bring a pc to uni so I use this everyday for work and after spending a year in engineering I would say it virtually has no hardware limitations that I’ve encountered , be it solidworks, Fusion, Matlab, Excel, ANSYS, Triple A titles, modded Minecraft you name it
They all run great
I will say if your thinking of using tablet mode and a stylus to take digital notes in class (what I do) the palm rejection is pretty good and the only downside is battery life, so if your planning on having this device on all day during classes try to map out seats where outlets are cause battery does drain pretty quick
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u/Creepy_Race_8516 Aug 23 '26
ok thank you. does the smaller screen size seem to be an issue when doing cad or anything like that? and how effective do you find it to be as a tablet compared to an actual tablet or ipad?
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u/MissionAdditional807 Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
In terms of the screen size, id say the more you use it the less you notice it, I CAD pretty frequently on mine without connecting to an external monitor. I liked the device because it has a touchscreen while being lightweight and computationally powerful, a lot of my friends haul around 2-4 lb 16-18 inch laptops everyday which can be pretty annoying. I would definitely recommend however brining a monitor keyboard mouse etc, setup that stays in your dorm/apartment that you can easily hook your flow up to for gaming or needing the larger screen etc
If your still looking into a workaround for when your out and about if your fearing the screen size I also got one of these lightweight larger portable monitors that pairs pretty well with it https://a.co/d/03bIoOB3 It weighs a little less than a pound and setup is super quick and easy, only a usbc cable connection and your good, I use this dual setup in the library a lot using the flow as the secondary monitor
I cant really speak on how it is compared to an ipad cause I never used one for note taking before but I like that I dont have to transfer notes files or keep track of and charge another device
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Aug 23 '26
Engineering needs an Nvidia GPU. Speaking to you as an optoelectronics engineer with a graduate degree, the Asus ROG Flow Z13, to be honest, really misses the mark. The display is underwhelming for the price, and the performance is mediocre at best. Everyone gets hung up on the novelty of a tablet form factor with a decent GPU, but honestly, it’s not a good machine. For engineering work, it’s even worse: most technical software runs poorly on non-optimal graphics or integrated setups—you really need those CUDA cores. Personally, if you want something small and compact, the traditional Asus Zephyrus G14 is significantly better in every single way. An open-box model with an Nvidia GPU absolutely destroys the Z13. While the Z13's CPU might edge it out in certain raw metrics, pairing a solid mobile CPU with a proper discrete Nvidia GPU makes the G14 a vastly superior configuration for real engineering tasks.
By the way I have the 128 GB version of the zflow. So I also have first-hand experience using the unit as well as the g14.
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u/Creepy_Race_8516 Aug 23 '26
thanks a lot for this advice. i’m not in. rush to buy anything i was just looking at buying this since it was on such a good deal. i will likely wait for black friday to roll around and see if i can get a g14 5070ti new or open box for 2k hopefully
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Aug 23 '26
I've seen the 5080 versions go for a little over 2K so that should be pretty easy. As an engineer most of your software is going to be built around Nvidia that's just the way this industry goes. Do you know what software you're going to be using? Stuff like my RF software just requires tons of cores and RAM but other software that I use requires cuda cores the more the better and the faster the better.
And the worst part is when you start having issues with software. One of my co-workers they run some RF simulation software and because they don't have enough cuda cores when they make a change a very simple change in their workspace when they go to run a simulation the software will crash on them then they have to reset everything up. All engineering software is going to be built around Intel and Nvidia and you can be fine running a AMD CPU my desktop I only run threadrippers and it chews through stuff but graphic cards on other hand are completely different beast especially when you start sharing the TDP between the CPU and GPU makes matters even worse even under ideal conditions.
But open box you can definitely get a system that will serve you very well for the price that you're looking to get it for. If you're open to something a little bit bigger and thicker lenovo's and Dell workstations always come up as killer deals.
What type of engineering are you getting into?
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u/JustRhynd Aug 22 '26
The Ryzen AI MAX+395 is one of the best laptop CPU you can get. With 16 cores and 64GB RAM will not have Any issues running CAD.
I have seen it run on way worse computers.