A rarity in times of expensive memory: Vivobook 16 with 32 GB RAM costs 21,990 CZK on Alza

Since last October, RAM prices have more than doubled, and retailers expect 8 GB RAM to return to cheaper notebooks. This makes the ASUS Vivobook 16, which now costs 21,990 CZK on Alza with 32 GB RAM, stand out even more. It is among the cheapest notebooks with such memory you can buy now, and the 15,000 CZK discount is real according to Hlídač shopů – most of the time it was sold for 36,990 CZK.

Quick summary:
✅ What it’s for: working with dozens of tabs, large spreadsheets, virtual machines, or local AI models where 16 GB is not enough.
⚠️ Weaker points: the display with 300 nits brightness and paler colors. The processor’s “7” in the name is also a bit misleading.
💡 For 21,990 CZK you get 32 GB RAM, a numeric keypad, and a 70Wh battery; the USB-C charger is purchased separately.

Memory, where manufacturers are cutting costs this year

For a typical office notebook, 32 GB sounds like a luxury. However, the difference becomes apparent when you have a browser with thirty tabs, Teams, a large Excel spreadsheet, plus photo editing or a virtual machine. A notebook with 16 GB will start swapping data to disk and slow down; here, there’s a reserve for years to come. Large memory is also useful for language models run directly on the computer.

Ryzen AI 7, which is more like a five

The AMD Ryzen AI 7 445 processor has six cores and twelve threads – two more powerful Zen 5 up to 4.6 GHz and four more efficient Zen 5c. The performance is sufficient for office work, web browsing, video, and photos. However, Notebookcheck found in its tests that it is essentially a rebranded last year’s Ryzen AI 5 340 and its computational performance is roughly on par with the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V. The “7” in the name thus promises a bit more than the chip delivers.

The integrated Radeon 840M graphics can run older and less demanding games at low details, but it’s not enough for new releases. The neural processing unit with 50 TOPS performance meets Microsoft’s requirements for Copilot+ PCs.

Where ASUS cut corners

The biggest compromise is the display. The 16-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 1,920 × 1,200 pixels has, according to ASUS, a brightness of 300 nits and 45% NTSC coverage. This is sufficient for texts and spreadsheets, but the colors are noticeably paler, and by a window in summer, you’ll be cranking the brightness to maximum. At least the surface is matte.

The charger is missing from the box. The notebook charges via USB-C, and ASUS expects a 68W adapter for it; a weaker 45W charger will charge it more slowly. Anyone who doesn’t have a USB-C charger with Power Delivery and around 65W of power at home will have to factor in a few hundred extra crowns.

The rest of the features match the price: a backlit keyboard with a numeric keypad, Wi-Fi 6, HDMI, USB-A and USB-C, a 70Wh battery, and a weight of 1.88 kg. Upon registration with ASUS, you get one year of accidental damage protection, plus one month of Adobe Creative Cloud and three months of GoPro Premium+.

Most memory for the least money

The Vivobook 16 is for someone who wants a notebook for years and knows that 16 GB will soon be insufficient. The display and processor are mid-range, but the memory is not. For those primarily concerned with image quality for photos and movies, the smaller Vivobook S14 with an OLED display is better; it’s currently six thousand CZK cheaper but only has 16 GB RAM and a weaker processor. The ASUS Vivobook 16 with 32 GB RAM costs 21,990 CZK on Alza.

How much RAM does your notebook have, and is it enough for you?