The ASUS ROG Strix G18 offers top-of-the-line performance and is more geared towards intensive tasks such as gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering software, thanks to its powerful processor and high-end graphics card. It has a larger screen and high refresh rates, making it less portable and with a heavier weight to carry. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, on the other hand, is more affordable, lightweight, with a smaller, touch-enabled screen, and offers better battery life. It's suitable for general use like web browsing, document editing, and casual media consumption, but it won't handle heavy-duty tasks as well as the ASUS. Consider what you’ll primarily use the laptop for and how much you value portability and battery life versus performance in demanding applications. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Strix G18
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Best in class speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
8.3/10
7.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
422.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
5.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 outperforms the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use with a more powerful CPU, more RAM, higher screen resolution, and better speaker quality, but it's heavier and less portable with poorer battery life. On the other hand, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is more portable with an excellent portability score and has a touchscreen, although it falls short in performance and screen size for multitasking or demanding applications.
Gaming and AI
8.7/10
6.0/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is better for gaming and 3D tasks due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 240 Hz, providing smoother visuals and the ability to handle graphics-intensive applications effectively. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has an integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics solution and a standard 60 Hz screen refresh rate, which means it offers fair performance for less demanding gaming and 3D work.
Engineering and Design
8.9/10
6.5/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 excels in engineering and design tasks with a more powerful CPU, ample RAM, and a high-end GPU, suited for demanding software, plus its larger, high-quality screen offers precise color representation and clarity. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, while more portable, provides fair performance for general use with a modest processor, less RAM, and an integrated GPU, but its smaller, lower-resolution screen is less ideal for detailed design work.
Content Creation
8.6/10
7.1/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.1/10
7.0/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.7/10
6.9/10
18.0in
SIZE
12.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
422.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 offers high resolution and brightness, making it a strong choice for general tasks and visually demanding engineering and design work due to its wide color gamut coverage. However, its lower refresh rate compared to gaming-specific models may detract from the smooth visuals critical in fast-paced gaming and 3D applications. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, while offering sufficient resolution and adequate brightness for day-to-day use and clear color representation for design tasks, falls short for gaming and 3D, primarily because of its modest refresh rate.
Portability
Poor
Excellent
18.0in
SIZE
12.4in
6.6 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,299
$565
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 has a price of $2,299 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $565.
"With the ROG Strix G18, Asus has made an almost consistently good debut in the still quite new 18-inch laptop segment. The base unit case shows a few signs of weakness in the area of stability and is something which has an effect on the perceived quality of the input devices (the chassis tends to rattle a bit). Nevertheless, thanks to generous port features (incl. Thunderbolt 4), a striking design, and extensive lighting (keyboard, LED strip on the front), gamers get a fitting gaming platform."
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Strix G18 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
101,595
Recommendations made
22,013
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.