In CapCut (which comes installed), the dial can be used for zoom, frame-by-frame stepping in a videoclip, and other adjustment functions. Adobe app support is also broad and preconfigured, but all of these functions can be adjusted by the user in the ProArt Creator Hub settings software. Outside of an app, the DialPad also lets you quickly adjust system volume and brightness without having to take your hand off the touchpad.

A bevy of software is bundled with the unit. In addition to CapCut, it’s preloaded with Nvidia Studio Suite, Asus StoryCube (a file-management assistant), and Asus MuseTree (streamlining the creative process). It’s also a Copilot+ PC, so you have access to all of Microsoft’s AI tools. I tested all of these functions and found them to be worthwhile additions—though none are absolutely game-changing.

All told, I really loved working with the ProArt 16 and was sad to have to box it up at the end of my week of testing. But I realize I’ve perhaps left you hanging. I mentioned at the start that there was one negative with the laptop, and it might well be a deal-breaker. It’s the price of the thing. At $4,000, this is the costliest laptop I’ve tested since reviewing the insane $5,000 HP Spectre Foldable two years ago, and that hardly even counts.

A better comparison is probably pitting the ProArt against the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro, which has similar levels of performance and costs around $3,500 these days in its top-tier configuration. Both are exceptional systems, though today I’d have to give the edge to the ProArt based on its sheer power and discrete GPU.

I know there are people out there who have the budget for these kinds of laptops, and if you do, you know who you are—but even I have to say that I’m tempted by the raw power and surprising sophistication of this machine. The bottom line is that if you need the absolute best performance you can get in a Windows laptop today, look no further. This is it.