ASUS ROG G22CH, performance and stability

Some gaming desktop computers adopt a different design route, such as ASUS ROG G22CH. This compact gaming PC packs powerful hardware components like a 13th-generation Intel Core i9 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 40-series graphics cards, but it squeezes it all into less than half the space of a typical ATX case. As a result, this system is more expensive and less performant than larger builds using similar parts, such as the NZXT Player: Three or the iBuyPower Gaming RDY Y40BG202. Whether on a desktop or in a home theater where space is limited, the ASUS ROG G22CH offers a pretty capable gaming and work platform that's also capable of fitting into tight spaces. It is an ideal choice.

Design: 10L of Muscle

The ASUS ROG G22CH may be small, but it doesn’t lack for variety. You'll find a variety of configurations, and the product starts at $1,399. While all options include Intel's 13th generation processors, ranging from the Core i5-13400F to the Core i9-13900KF (an iGPU-less version of the Intel Core i9-13900K), the included graphics cards actually go back one generation to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 On the low end. Maximum configurations include the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, specifically the dual-fan model that can run through a single 8-pin connector. Memory ranges from 8GB to 32GB DDR5 (on SO-DIMMs, rather than full-size memory modules), and storage comes in the form of a 512GB or 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. All configurations come with a 600-watt 80 Gold power supply for virtually no upgrade overhead.

Our test configuration was the top-spec G22CH-DB978, which costs $2,499 and includes a Core i9-13900KF, RTX 4070, 1TB of storage, and 32GB of RAM. This model and the G22CH-DB779 come with liquid-cooled CPUs, while the rest of the configurations are air-cooled.

The ASUS ROG G22CH is an impressively compact gaming computer measuring just 10 liters. It's less than a foot tall, about 4.5 inches wide, and 12.75 inches long from front to back. It's barely bigger than a couple of desktop speakers. Despite its small size, it weighs a staggering 18.5 pounds—that's a dense piece of gaming hardware.

Its casing is a sleek metal assembly with mesh ventilation on one side and a dark plastic panel on top covering the CPU. The system layout separates the graphics card from the CPU, connects them with a special circuit board, and places them on opposite sides of the B760 motherboard so that the graphics card's fans can draw fresh air from outside the case. Most of the air from the thin radiator at the top of the case is sucked directly out of the graphics card exhaust vents by the noisy fan.

The compact size does have some drawbacks, namely port selection. The system has a total of six USB-A ports and a USB-C connector. Four of the ports are located on the back and are divided into USB 2.0 and USB 3.2 Gen 1. There are three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports on the top of the case – two Type A ports and one Type C port. In this age of Thunderbolt 4 and USB4, the port variety is disappointing, especially since this is a system that relies heavily on fast external storage. The system says it has an available SATA III port inside for anyone who wants to add an additional internal SSD, but I could neither find a connector nor see enough room inside for a 2.5-inch drive. You'll find a free M.2 slot, though.

The desktop also includes a Gigabit Ethernet jack, an HDMI 2.0 port on the motherboard, 3 audio jacks on the back, and 1 audio combo jack on the front. The card has a more comprehensive port array, with a total of four ports, three DisplayPorts and one HDMI.

If you don't plan to rely on Ethernet, you can also use Wi-Fi 6E for a fast wireless connection. This can be a boon if you have a really strong network, as Gigabit Ethernet is a bit older than the increasingly common 2.5GbE.

With the system's compact interior and thorough cable management, you'll find there's very little room for adjustment. It might be possible to upgrade the graphics card since there is an extra 6 2-pin connector available, but that would be a tough process and would be a squeeze on anything other than a compact dual-fan card. It's helpful that Asus uses tool-less latches to allow access to the case, but once inside, you'll find there's not much to do without a few tools and more disassembly than simply sliding off a few panels.

Despite the squeeze, Asus has hidden some of the case RGB lighting, with a few zones along the PCIe riser card and two light bars on the front of the case.

The system is very clean software-wise, with hardly any extra apps preloaded except for MyAsus and Armory Crate, which are required utilities for tweaking hardware performance. You'll also find Aura Creator, which allows for some advanced customization of case lighting and individual zone controls on the timeline, just like you'd see in a video editor. It's a little tricky to use, but it offers more granular control than Armory Crate.

Test ASUS ROG G22CH: Strict restrictions bring fierce competition

In the desktop market, compact size is at a premium, and ASUS ROG G22CH packs high-performance hardware while being as small as possible . That puts it at the high end of the market, at $2,499. By opting for a larger chassis, options like the NZXT Player: Three ($2,449 as tested) and the iBuyPower Gaming RDY Y40BG202 (starts at $1,049; $2,549 as tested) are available at similar prices but pack an RTX 4070 inside Ti, but both are fine. Also selected is the Intel Core i7-13700KF.

The Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 (starts at $2,429; $3,349 as tested) with the same CPU and RTX 4080 is $850 more, but is frequently discounted. Finally, the Dell XPS Desktop (8960) (starts at $2,749.99; $3,209.99 as tested), with an RTX 4080 and Intel Core i7-13700KF inside, offers a similar opportunity for those who can save up for a fancier graphics card.

Productivity and Content Creation Tests

We run the same general productivity benchmarks on mobile and desktop systems. Our first test is UL's PCMark 10, which simulates a variety of real-world productivity and office workflows to measure overall system performance, and also includes a storage subtest for the main drive.

Our other three benchmarks focus on the CPU, using all available cores and threads to evaluate a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. Maxon's Cinebench R23 uses the company's Cinema 4D engine to render complex scenes, while Primate Labs' Geekbench 5.4 Pro emulates popular applications ranging from PDF rendering to speech recognition to machine learning. Finally, we converted the 12-minute video clip from 4K resolution to 1080p resolution (the shorter the better) using the open source video transcoder HandBrake 1.4.

Finally, we ran workstation maker Puget Systems' PugetBench for Photoshop, which uses Creative Cloud version 22 of Adobe's famous image editor to evaluate PC performance for content creation and multimedia applications. It is an automation extension that can perform a variety of regular and GPU-accelerated Photoshop tasks, from opening, rotating, resizing, and saving images to applying masks, gradient fills, and filters.

The ASUS ROG G22CH has a powerful CPU, but we've seen it run pretty hot, with the system only having a modest heatsink and a pair of small fans (80mm it seems) to keep it cool. Not only did this limitation prevent it from keeping up with the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8, which ran the same CPU, but it also caused the system to score lower than three systems running the lower-tier Core i7-13700KF.

Asus offers fast storage, but again we see the NZXT and iBuyPower looking to be stronger values, with their storage leading the way and performance rarely trailing the Asus too far. Even DDR5 memory offers no advantage over the NZXT system's DDR4 RAM.

There's no denying that the Asus ROG G22CH is a powerful machine, but the truth is, it doesn't perform well due to its size, and you'll need to pay extra for the privilege. This is not the ideal system if your priority is CPU performance. As we'll explore below, if your priority is GPU performance, you'll probably be just as well served if you drop the CPU tier down to a Core i7 configuration.

Graphics and Gaming Tests

For gaming desktops, we run synthetic and real-world gaming benchmarks. The former includes two DirectX 12 game simulations from UL 3DMark: the more modest Night Raid (for systems with integrated graphics) and the more demanding Time Spy (for gaming platforms with discrete GPUs). We then ran two OpenGL exercises rendered off-screen by the cross-platform GPU benchmark GFXBench 5, which allows for different native display resolutions; more frames per second (fps) means better performance.

Our real game benchmarks are those built into F1 2021, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Rainbow Six Siege. These three represent simulation, open-world action-adventure, and competitive/esport shooter respectively. We ran Valhalla and Siege twice each at Ultra quality (1080p and 4K), while F1 2021 only ran at 4K, with or without AMD and Nvidia's performance-boosting FSR and DLSS features turned on.

The ASUS ROG G22CH doesn't have much of an advantage in the synthetic GPU benchmark against the other four systems running high-end GPUs. It lagged as demand on the GPU increased, although its CPU helped it close the gap in some less GPU-intensive tasks, such as 3DMark's Night Raid and GFXBench 5.0's Car Chase 1080p Offscreen. The GPU's shortcoming here seems to be entirely due to its lower rating, as 3DMark's Port Royal stress test showed consistent performance across 20 runs, suggesting that the GPU's cooling remains consistent even in a small chassis.

In our real-world gaming benchmarks, we see the Asus ROG G22CH make a case for its CPU. In the 1080p test, where more load is shifted to the CPU, we see it more successfully maintain a smaller performance gap with other systems, but as 1440p and 4K put more and more demands on the GPU, the RTX 4070 becomes even more outstanding. The bottleneck is serious and the performance gap widens. In these more poignant scenarios, value-conscious gamers would be better off saving some money and opting for a Core i7 configuration.

While 1080p performance may suggest that the Asus ROG G22CH has a place among esports systems, consider that both NZXT and iBuyPower systems in Rainbow Six Siege delivered 19% to 37% better frames for roughly the same price. Despite the increase in numbers, it remains largely uncompetitive. While the Asus ROG G22CH may be about 25% cheaper than systems like the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8, its performance was an average of 31% lower in our real-world benchmark tests. It's a similar story compared to the Dell XPS desktop (8960).

In reality, in order to use a smaller machine, you choose a CPU that doesn't reach its full potential and a GPU that's at a level below your budget.

Conclusion: Small Design Comes at a Price

The Asus ROG G22CH doesn’t perform as well as a $2,500 gaming computer should. That's because it comes with a CPU that oscillates between underworking and thermally constrained, and a graphics card that's lower grade than you'd deserve for the price. While its performance lags the competition by 10 to 50 percent, it takes up less than a quarter of the space of systems like the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8. This system isn't for budget-conscious gamers, but it could be ideal for space-conscious shoppers.

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