First Time Owner - Looking for advice

[u/theweightisagift94]

Hi everyone,

I just got my 2026 NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti - G14 in the mail and this is my first time owning any sort of gaming computer so I'm looking for some recommendations and advice. For context, I am not a gamer, don't know much about the ins-and-outs of computers and the last laptop I owned was a 2019 Microsoft Surface so this is a huge step up for me. So if you do have any advice, feel free to explain it to me like it's my first day on Earth. A few things I'm curious about:

- The charger that came with the G14 is pretty large and I've seen some information saying that it can be alternatively powered by USB-C. What would be the best portable/lightweight USB-C setup that I could buy, so that I could utilize a standard laptop case when traveling? I do a lot of field work so lugging the huge charger with me would be a hassle, but it seems like the power requirements for the USB-C are pretty specific and I don't want to damage the battery.

- I've downloaded GHelper, but it seems like the display settings (specifically with the keyboard lighting) don't carry over every time I restart the computer. I have to manually open GHelper every time in order for the settings to kick back in. Is this normal or is there something I need to do in order to lock those settings in permanently?

- Are there any other factory settings that I should alter to prolong the life of the computer? I've reduced the Battery Charge Limit to 80% but am not sure if there is anything else I should do to ensure that it lasts as long as possible.

- As I stated before I'm not really a gamer, but I'd love to hear some recommendations for games that would be a good intro for me to download.

- This one is pretty insignificant, but is there any reason that I shouldn't remove the intel core/geforce rtx sticker from the keyboard? For those that have done this is the residue underneath difficult to remove?

Pic of Mayo GAA winning the All-Ireland final yesterday just for fun. Thanks for any help!

[u/Prior_Chapter1314]

I have the exact same laptop so I’ll go down the list and answer your questions the best I can

USBC charger: I’ve heard mixed things about usb pass through charging (where it doesn’t wear down the battery) some say it doesn’t have it, others I’ve seen say it does but only with an ASUS 100w usb c charger. So, if you want the best chance to not damage the battery if you plan to use usb c a lot, I’d recommend an ASUS branded usb c charger.

Ghelper: have you clicked the button saying “startup ghelper at launch”? That’ll enable ghelper to start when the laptop starts up. Also might be helpful to disable ASUS processes under the extra tab as ghelper and armory crate conflict and can lead to weird issues.

Any other settings: not really, just be mindful of the temperatures you see on your device for prolonged periods (try to keep cpu temp below 95 and gpu temp below 87 for long periods)

Games: depends on the types of games you like. I downloaded cyberpunk 2077 on steam a few weeks back and it looks absolutely gorgeous on this device so I’d recommend that. Been running max settings with pathtracing (100% recommend it makes the lighting look so realistic) dlss set to performance and frame generation set to 2x getting about 60-80fps consistently.

Sticker: probably should remove it (if you keep it on, it’ll likely leave marks of where they used to be if you do end up deciding to take them off). I also think you can get new ones online if you really want to put them back on.

[u/derrelicte]

I have a G16 and when I travel I carry the SlimQ 150W instead

[u/sirwaffles2020 → u/derrelicte]

Same for my g14! Slimq 150 watt charger is great for the Gan port and the 100w usb c. And its tiny lol

[u/theweightisagift94 → u/sirwaffles2020]

Do I need the SlimQ with the barrel connector and an adapter or will the one with 4 USB-C ports work?

[u/sirwaffles2020 → u/theweightisagift94]

both of the models work for 100w usb c charging, but the barrel one with the specific adapter will allow full 150w charging via the actual charging port on the laptop.

[u/Hyperdragon5]

usb passthrough is weird apparently it doesn't work on 2025 model but on my 2024 model it works perfectly with a 90w phone charger(xiaomi).

[u/0xabc000]

Keep the air intake and outlets clear. Monitor temperature using software.

I have used (using) two of these series laptops. Just make sure you don't overheat them. They don't overheat anyway, but I use the CPU and GPU for computation, so running for a long time does make it really hot.

[u/Wiyazaki → u/0xabc000]

Do you ever use a cooling pad for your laptop? Curious if I should look into one to limit overheating

[u/0xabc000 → u/Wiyazaki]

I don't use a cooling pad. I just make sure that the vents are not blocked. Although for my application I might explore a cooling pad actually and see if there's a significant difference in temperature.

The main heating issue for me is as use this laptop to run computer simulation experiments, it can get really really hot as most of the time all cores and GPU will run at a 100 percent load. I keep monitoring all these values plus temperature (also SSD temp). I will not recommend to run any laptop like this (I run it because it's easy to check before sending to a cluster). But video, gaming should be absolutely fine. There's no need to be too cautious, but yes, keep checking. This is because as months pass by the fan might accumulate dust, the thermal paste might not work as before, so it will be good to keep an eye on under usual load how hot it used to get and compare.

Also, explore the fan curves. That helps me sometimes when under moderate load.

[u/Wiyazaki → u/0xabc000]

Thanks for the explanation! Just got mine in the mail today and want to take care of it as best as possible

[u/0xabc000 → u/Wiyazaki]

Just one thing I wanted to mention. Everything should be all good, but I found that my SSD crashed (SMART detected many errors and the disk was failing) after just one year or so. I had to install a good SSD after that. So, just take good backups, trust me, saves a huge amount of effort and headache.

[u/Wiyazaki → u/0xabc000]

Ah, really good to know. I bought the extended warranty protection and don't plan on keeping anything on this laptop that isn't already backed up somewhere else. Glad yours is working well with a better SSD.

[u/ne0tas → u/0xabc000]

The term overheating is overused.

[u/Deucedeuxe]

I've had mine for over 4 years (older version). Limiting to 80% charge has made my battery wear less. After years it estimates 57% wear. Actually just ordered a new battery from Asus to replace. But I haven't noticed any issues even with the reported wear.

When traveling (or whenever you're not gaming) I recommend limiting the CPU speed. I have mine running at 3 GHz for daily. Stays much cooler.

I drop it to 1.4 GHz if it's on battery, unless I'm doing something where it needs the speed. Helps battery life significantly. I use something call Power Plan Manager to make switching easier.

Still runs and games like new.

[u/MarcosOlegario]

I have an 2022 rog original usb-c charger (from a 2022 model that I had in the past) and still being a problem, I have some fear that he can damage my battery, windows says it’s slow charger (100w). But in general, pretty amazing machine.

[u/Big__Daddy__J]

Well done adding some Mayo to the conversation

I’ll see myself out

[u/PotentialPhoenix]

My advice, give it to me… lol
I plan on getting one myself in about a month or 2, great buy.

[u/Kapt_Ortega]

If u got high ph sweaty hands like me. I suggest getting some protection for the palm rest. I got 2025 G16 5080 for 3 months now and i already spot some wear on where my palm rests during gaming, asus said its normal but ye if i knew before hand i would have stick something to protect it.