After having already analyzed ROG Ally in terms of general performance, let’s delve into the thermal part, understanding how the portable console behaves with the four energy profiles. Below you will therefore find information and results regarding our tests, while on the Tom’s Hardware YouTube channel you can find the video counterpart, in which we show you the actual tests.
In a previous article we saw how the console manages to remain silent at any time; however, one thing is to remain silent and cool and, therefore, to have a dissipation system capable of dissipating heat without requiring the fans to spin too fast causing a lot of noise, another thing is, instead, to be silent reaching high temperatures that negatively affect ergonomics.
The four energy profiles
ROG Ally allows you to set three different energy profiles, plus a fourth which is a sort of high-performance variant. In “silent” mode the console consumes up to 9 watts, in performance mode it consumes 15, in Turbo mode it consumes 30.
With the charger plugged in, which activates Turbo mode by default, it goes beyond 30 watts, settling between 40 and 50 Watts depending on the load. In any case, whether it is a consumption of 40 or 50 watts, this does not affect the maximum temperature – only the battery. In this situation we have seen the temperature stabilize at 95 degrees, while the console lowered the frequency, it throttled and, therefore, reduced performance. In short, whether it is a consumption of 40 or more watts, the situation regarding the temperature reached does not change.
How we did the test
We carried out the test like this: for each energy mode we put the CPU under maximum load; we waited five minutes for it to stabilize in terms of temperature, and then analyzed the various parts of the console with a thermal imaging camera. We focused particularly on the analog area, front and back, as well as having taken a look at the lower part of the console, since it is the one that comes into contact in case we decide to use it by resting it on our legs or on our stomach, based on our position.
Temperature reached with the different profiles
Silent profile
With silent profile, the lateral parts arrive around 26/27 degrees, with the area of the digital directional pad reaching almost 30 degrees. The same situation concerns the right handle, with the area of the keys, the innermost ones, a couple of degrees hotter than the area where the ROG Ally is held.
Behind it is very cool, in the lower part, while in the upper area of the vents it reaches 36/37 degrees (this is the area where the hot air comes out). Finally, the rear handle is around 25/26 degrees, therefore even lower than the front area.
Performance profile
With the performance profile we see that the front grips are slightly warmer, around 27/27.5 degrees, the button area slightly exceeds 30 degrees, while the digital pad also reaches 32 degrees.
Behind we come to 40/42 degrees in the upper area of the vents, while behind it it remains practically unchanged: in the area where the handle is held, the temperature rises by about half a degree more, around 26/26.5 degrees.
Turbo profile
With the Turbo profile the grips reach around 27/28 degrees, with the directional pad that slightly exceeds 30 degrees, and we find the same situation in the right grip. Behind, however, we are always between 26 and 27 degrees.
Turbo profile with charger
With the Turbo profile and the battery charger connected, the front area of the grip reaches 29/30 degrees, while the digital pad even a few degrees more, starting to get a little annoying. The right area is a little cooler, around 28 degrees or so, with the keys around 30 degrees. Behind the temperature remains very low, around 26/27 degrees, while in the upper area it goes over 40.
Temperature summary
| Profile | Front handles | Rear handles | Directional pad / front keys |
| Silent | 26 – 27 °C | 25-26°C | 30°C |
| Performance | 27 – 27.5 °C | 26 – 26.5°C | 30.5°C |
| Turbo | 27 – 28°C | 27°C | 30.5°C |
| Turbo with charger | 29 – 30 °C | 27°C | 31.5°C |
Verdict
The result of ROG Ally’s heat management tests, thankfully, they are excellent, with some caveats. These place the platform under maximum load, so it is possible that in real game conditions we have more fluctuating loads and consequently even better situations.
The good news is that the area where the console is held, behind, always remains very coolregardless of the energy profile. Even in Turbo with charger, in fact, we are around 26/27 degrees.
In front, however, the situation changes more based on the energy profile: we started from 26 degrees in silent mode and exceeded 30 degrees in Turbo mode with cable connected.
Around 30 degrees in the worst situation, where we hold the console, are fine. They cannot be defined as “hot”: even with hands that are very sensitive to heat, even if you feel that there is a little heat, you do not perceive the need to stop.
A little more annoying is the use of the buttons and the digital pad: perhaps the latter is precisely the biggest flaw, if we want to see it that way, given that the hand, if used, tends to remain quite fixed on the surface. But even here we are talking about 31/32 degrees, nothing to make a scandal, far from it. And the analog joysticks, as well as the back buttons, are practically immune to any heating.
In conclusion, therefore, you may not like Ally for a thousand reasons, given that the community is a bit divided, but it is objective that Asus’ work on the dissipation system, in terms of temperature, overheating of the body and noise is truly excellent, at the point from want this performance for any console present and future.
