ASUS ExpertBook 14" P5405CSA-DH76 Misty Gray 2024 Review

The ASUS ExpertBook P5 is a razor-sharp 14-inch AI laptop with a 144Hz 2.5K display and 32GB of RAM, tailor-made for productivity and portability. Gaming performance is abysmal, so it's strictly a work machine. At Newegg's $1,350 price, it's a solid deal; at higher prices, you're better off with a MacBook or a discrete-GPU Windows alternative. Just don't expect it to run anything more demanding than a YouTube tab spree.

ASUS is leaning hard into the AI PC wave with the ExpertBook P5, and honestly, it makes sense for a machine built for business folks who live in Outlook and spreadsheets. The whole Copilot+ integration is front and center here, along with a respectable Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and a generous 32GB of RAM. But what really grabs you is the 14-inch 2.5K display running at 144Hz in a chassis that weighs just 2.84 pounds. That's a spec sheet you'd expect on a premium ultrabook, and ASUS is aiming it squarely at compact productivity.

This thing is clearly not for everyone. Our best-use scores paint a straightforward picture: it's a powerhouse for anyone who values portability (88.3/100 for compact) and a decent media experience (84.4 for entertainment), with enough oomph for students (81.8). Gaming though, lands at a dismal 22.9, so if you're looking to frag anything beyond Minesweeper, you're in the wrong aisle. The integrated Intel Arc 140V graphics may have 16GB of shared memory, but that's like putting racing stripes on a minivan—it looks interesting on paper but doesn't change the vehicle underneath.

We see this as a deliberate tool for on-the-go professionals who need a bright, color-accurate screen, a full array of ports, and the latest AI gimmicks that'll probably be genuinely useful in a year or two. The all-metal build feels sturdy, and the fingerprint sensor plus Windows Hello IR camera give it a proper business laptop security checklist. It's the rare Windows machine that can sit in a boardroom without embarrassment and then slip into a backpack without chiropractor visits.

The Core Ultra 7 258V sits in the 62nd percentile across our laptop database, which translates to strong but not spectacular number-crunching. For everyday office work, browser-heavy research, and video calls, it's more than adequate. The real star here is the 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM at 8448 MHz, which rockets into the 92nd percentile. That means you can have half of Chrome's extensions, a dozen PDFs, and a handful of Excel files open without the system breaking a sweat. The 1TB SSD is also no slouch, landing in the 81st percentile for storage speed, so boot-ups and file transfers feel snappy.

Where this laptop gets interesting is the AI Boost NPU, rated for 47 TOPS. That gives Windows 11's Copilot+ features like Recall and Live Captions some real local horsepower, and while the software is still rolling out, the hardware is ready. The Arc 140V integrated graphics chug along at a 64th percentile, which is enough for smooth UI rendering and light photo touch-ups but will choke on anything beyond casual e-sports titles. If you're editing 4K video or doing 3D rendering, this isn't your machine—the integrated GPU just doesn't have the muscle.

The price on this thing is a rollercoaster. Across vendors, it ranges from a sensible $1,350 to an absurd $44,378 courtesy of some third-party seller who seems to have mistaken it for a gold-plated server. At the low end, specifically from Newegg, you're getting a premium ultrabook with a high-refresh display and 32GB of RAM for a very competitive price. That's a solid deal if you need the port selection and AI readiness.

Once you drift north of $1,500, the value starts to look shaky. For that money, an Apple MacBook Pro with an M-series chip will give you better performance per watt, dramatically better battery life, and a brighter display. Or a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i will absolutely crush it in GPU-heavy tasks. The ExpertBook P5 makes sense only if you snag it near that floor price and you don't need discrete graphics.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro (even with an M3 or rumored M5 chip), the ASUS loses on raw CPU and GPU efficiency, and the display can't match the Mac's peak HDR brightness. But the ExpertBook fights back with that 144Hz refresh rate and a port selection that Apple can only dream of—Ethernet and USB-A without dongles is a practical win. The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro offers an AMOLED screen with deeper blacks and likely better battery life from its Snapdragon X Elite, though its integrated graphics won't be much better for gaming and its port selection is thinner.

On the Windows side, the MSI Prestige series often includes discrete GPU options at similar weights, making it a better fit for light creative work. The HP ZBook Ultra G1a is the workstation brute of this group, with enterprise-grade reliability and ISV certifications, but it's heavier and usually pricier. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is a pure gaming powerhouse in comparison, but at the cost of nearly doubling the weight and dropping the business-focused security features. So the trade-offs are clear: ASUS gives you a balance of portability, ports, and a sweet screen, but sacrifices any semblance of gaming or workstation-class durability.

If your evenings involve Steam libraries or you need GPU muscle for CUDA-based work, this laptop will disappoint you every time. The integrated Arc graphics simply aren't built for gaming or heavy compute tasks—our scoring puts gaming performance in the dumpster. You'd be much happier with a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, which offers a dedicated RTX GPU and a higher-refresh display for gaming, though you'll trade away the slim build.

Anyone who spends hours outdoors or in bright cafes should also skip it. The 400-nit matte screen is fine inside, but it struggles against direct sunlight. The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro with its brighter AMOLED panel or the MacBook Pro's 1,000-nit sustained brightness would be far better picks. And if reliability is your top concern, the ZBook Ultra G1a from HP carries a much stronger reputation and better warranty options.

For the business traveler who camps in spreadsheets and wants a laptop that won't wreck their shoulder, the ExpertBook P5 is a joy. That 144Hz panel makes scrolling buttery smooth, and the port selection means you can walk into any conference room without a bag of adapters. At around $1,350, it's a genuinely smart buy for a Windows ultrabook that can handle AI features as they mature.

If you have creative hobbies or game after hours, look elsewhere. The integrated graphics will leave you frustrated, and the battery—while marketed as all-day—likely won't survive a full workday of heavy use with that high-res 144Hz screen. A refurbished MacBook Pro or a Lenovo Legion with a discrete GPU would serve you much better without breaking the bank.