ROG Strix Scar 17, review

What was unthinkable a few years ago is reality today. It is very common to see laptops that far exceed , sometimes triple, the power of a “classic” desktop, and one of the clearest examples of “how can all that power fit in there?” We find it in the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 , in its 2023 version. A tremendous laptop, in all possible meanings of the word, and that has been my faithful gaming and work companion during these two months. A laptop with an RTX 4090 and an AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX capable of taming any game, yes, but also a system with above-optimal cooling. Let’s go with your analysis.

So pretty that I justify the party of LEDs in its design

I usually have a maxim: if I can avoid LEDs or abusive design and “gaming style”, the better. Unlike that Razer Blade 14 laptop , with an impeccable design, beautiful as well as sober, ASUS is committed to a more marked aesthetic , and you don’t know how I have eaten my words. Apart from the prominent rear part, just below the screen and where the laptop’s dual air ventilation is located, the Taiwanese brand is betting on a concept with two screen-printed slits that run along the keyboard and the back of the screen. with success

PROCESSOR	AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX
GRAPHIC CARD	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (16GB VRAM)
SCREEN	17.3 inches WQHD (2560 x 1440) G-Sync
RESPONSE TIME	3ms
RAM	32GB x 2 DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM (expandable to 64GB)
STORAGE	2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe
CONNECTIONS	1x HDMI 2.1 FRL 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort™ support / Power Delivery / G-SYNC 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort™ / G-SYNC support 1 2.5G LAN port
WEBCAM	720P HD Camera
BATTERY	90Wh
WEIGHT	3kg
PRICE	2,999 euros

Far from being something minor, we are talking about a characteristic element of the ROG that gains strength in this laptop, and I think its “festival of lights” helps considerably. Apart from the backlit ROG logo on the back, the company uses a lower lighting system that, without being completely sober, as it is noticeable like few laptops I have seen, represents added value to an impeccable aesthetic. Almost like those two-mile vehicles with their inferior neon lights , the ASUS laptop seems to want to say “hold me, I’ll fly away.” Without a doubt, just because of how beautiful it is, the Taiwanese have managed to beat me.

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 2023 G733PY-LL002 AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX/32GB/1TB SSD/RTX 4090/17.3″

RRP at PcComponentes — € 3,479.00

*Some prices may have changed since the last review

Of course, not everything is good on the aesthetic side and although it looks phenomenal, it presents problems for a super premium product like this. The construction, although good, is made of plastic and may be disappointing for some, especially considering its price, with some flex around the keyboard deck, a keyboard that itself is nothing to write home about, and a considerable weight of 3 kilograms , making it less portable for frequent transportation and more desktop PC. Something that I wouldn’t consider a problem in itself if it weren’t for its battery.

We know that a PC like this needs to be connected to the power to play, but the battery of the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is, to say the least, disappointing. We are talking about about 4 hours of continuous use without playing, while with more exhaustive use (without playing as well), we may be at 3 hours and 45 minutes . Even reaching just two and a half hours of autonomy in video playback , which limits its portability and makes it a less attractive option than the competition. Above all, something poor considering the large size of the laptop.

A “pants” that excuses its size

With certain gaming laptops I usually leave aside the use of their native screen and take the opportunity to connect it to any of my monitors. It is not something I do because I have a “mania” for these panels, but because they have rarely given me enough excuses to play natively; rarely like now.

The 17-inch screen with QHD resolution, that is, 2560 x 1440p and an IPS construction offers quality as expected, but it even feels like being in front of a PC with an even larger screen. Either because of the screen’s good use of space , limiting the chassis to a minimum, or because of its construction, with a good peak brightness of 347 cd, well above others like the Razer laptop mentioned above. Even its 240 Hz refresh rate and just 3ms response time make playing Apex Legends on a tremendous “screen” a joy. Of course, and although it excels with a color reproduction of 99.9% of the sRGB range, its contrast ratio of 1000:1 makes dark sequences become somewhat grayish .

Above average cooling

Playing on a laptop means being at the mercy of the temperature it handles and how tolerant we are with it. I have tested several laptops in this time and apart from that Medion Erazer “The Beast” that boasted external liquid cooling, the ROG Strix Scar 17 boasts one of the best cooling that I have been able to test.

We are talking about a system powered by an RTX 4090 that, whether you like it or not, is going to consume like nothing, but ASUS knows how to take advantage of a liquid metal system and copper heatsinks that cover most of the internal system and reduce the temperature with three flat fans that expel air. This, in purely data terms, translates to a temperature of around 85 degrees Celsius for the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, according to Hardware Info gauges, but with minimal impact on the user experience.

Unrivaled performance

In terms of performance, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 offers almost unparalleled performance, with a high-end CPU and GPU that make it an ideal choice for enthusiasts, especially thanks to the X3D of its processor. Of course, it should be noted that the latter, although it is focused on getting the most out of gaming , it must be said that in terms of video editing or rendering, it is somewhat behind contemporary Intel.

GOD OF WAR	91FPS
GOD OF WAR (DLSS ENABLED)	120FPS
SPIDER-MAN RESMATERED	100FPS
SPIDER-MAN RESMATERED (DLSS ENABLED)	115FPS
CYBERPUNK 2077	80FPS
CYBERPUNK 2077 (DLSS ON)	100FPS
CYBERPUNK 2077 (DLSS ON + PATH TRACING)	55FPS
RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2	104FPS
ALAN WAKE 2	74FPS
ALAN WAKE 2 (DLSS ON)	92FPS
ALAN WAKE 2 (DLSS ON + PATH TRACING)	75FPS
APEX LEGENDS	133FPS
HELLDIVERS 2 (NATIVE RESOLUTION)	91FPS
BALDUR’S GATE 3	96FPS
BALDUR’S GATE 3 (DLSS ON)	145FPS

Of course, with an RTX 4090 any game works well within clearly acceptable parameters, and by acceptable I mean games without DLSS. Baldur’s Gate 3 , Red Dead Redemption 2 or the most competitive ones like Apex Legends run above 100 FPS with high graphic settings. If we start to “stretch the gum” of the latest generation of NVIDIA, we are going to need some support.

Games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Alan Wake 2 with Ray Tracing require DLSS, but even this can be set to Quality so as not to notice the resolution cut as much. Of course, and although the RTX 4090 knows how to make the most of path tracing , its concept of a graphics card in mobile version, with a reduced TDP, or consumption, means that we will not be able to get all of its juice. The two wonders of the generation mentioned above work at a somewhat unstable 60 FPS, with drops to 50 FPS in the most crowded situations, and with DLSS activated in Quality . Of course, playing CD Projekt’s RPG at that frame rate and with that graphic quality makes the small frame drops laughable.

Is the ASUS ROG worth using as your main PC?

ASUS’ 2023 model, this ROG Strix Scar 17, has hit the market with a focus on power, taking advantage of the latest in technology from both AMD and Nvidia. It offers premium gaming performance , along with an impressive display and solid connectivity. However, its build quality and battery life may not live up to expectations for some users, especially considering its high price. Despite its strengths, it is difficult to ignore alternatives such as the same previous generation of ASUS, which offers similar performance at a more attractive price and which you can find on Amazon at a price of 2,799 euros .