Asus ROG Strix Scar review: Lightning-fast gaming laptop

Asus ROG Strix with compelling technology

The latest processors from Intel and NVIDIA are installed in the Asus ROG Strix Scar G733ZW: The Intel Core i9 12900HK represents the current spearhead of the processor world and delivers previously unattainable performance for laptops. The NVIDIA GeForce 3070 Ti portable card, which has also been available since early 2022, delivers almost as much gaming power as its older brother, the GeForce 3080, which is often installed in expensive hardware. Here is a quick overview of all the important technical data:

• Screen: 17.3 inches, 2560 x 1440 (WQHD)
• Refresh rate: 240 Hz
• Processor: Intel Core i9 12900HK with 8 cores, 4.6GHz
• RAM: 32GB DDR5-4800MHz
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
• Storage: 2048 GB

Stylish Asus gaming laptop with a semi-transparent look

This is visual Asus ROG Strix is ​​clearly recognizable as a gaming laptop thanks to its powerful lighting effects: a luminous keyboard, underlights and subtle logo backlighting on the back of the screen make all the difference in a boring desktop computer.

The chassis of this gaming laptop is well made thanks to a durable combination of high quality aluminum and plastic. Only the interior does not quite match the overall impression. Plus, the keyboard produces a little after a bit of pressing and a little squeaking. This is due to the transparent plastic top, which gives a visually great view of the inner workings. However, plastic obviously should not result in a device priced at 2,999 euros.

All the connections necessary for 2022 can be found on the left and back of the case: a mix of classic and modern USB ports (2x USB-A 3.2, 2x USB-C 3.2) lined up alongside HDMI 2.1 and a LAN connection turned on.

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Asus ROG gaming performance in the test: sometimes faster, sometimes slower

How smooth and detailed games appear on your screen is largely determined by a small component: the graphics chip. An all-new “GeForce 3070 Ti” is installed in Asus’ new ROG Strix, which is said to save about 10-20 percent (%) more power than the standard 3070. This proved true in testing:

The games used in our gaming laptop test are graphically impressive and even make the latest chipsets sweat. What’s even more impressive is that the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 runs close to 41 frames per second even with the highly demanding 4K resolution. In games or less demanding games that are optimized for performance by the manufacturer, such as “Fortnite” or “Doom Eternal,” it was over 100fps.

Even more impressive is the fast speed of the hard disk, which sets absolute records in the laptop segment: it reads and writes at a speed of up to 7 GB per second. When loading games, they run at 556 megabytes per second – and with one of the lowest access times of just 55 newtons (Ns). This ensures fast load times in games and prevents sudden stuttering and interruptions during the game.

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Asus screen: smooth 240Hz, high resolution

The rule of thumb: the higher the resolution, the fewer frames per second it can display. The image vibrates to the human eye at values ​​less than 60 frames per second. With a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, the Asus ROG Strix Scar offers the perfect compromise between very grainy Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) and 4K resolution (3,480 x 2,560), which is still very complex. For many graphics chips. Thus, the integrated GeForce 3070 Ti runs 100fps smoothly in many games – if you reduce the quality settings in the game, it is often more.

The monitor itself even runs a record-breaking 240 frames per second (240 Hz), which is rarely reached. Even with low resolutions, such high frequencies are possible only with older and less graphically demanding games. The screen’s color accuracy is good, if not perfect, but the brightness is at a decent level at 381 nits (cd/m2), but it just can’t keep up with the Razer.

Asus memory and network under test

If you love to play multiplayer games, you need a very stable internet connection, otherwise there will be delays deciding between winning and losing in an emergency. Fortunately, the Asus ROG Strix Scar G733ZW does not make any mistakes: if the network cable is connected to the LAN port on the back, the laptop is supplied with up to 1001 megabytes (Mbit). Still 489Mbps over the very stable Wi-Fi 6 connection. There were no dropouts in daily practice when playing Fortnite or “Grand Theft Auto Online” – a stable, latency-free connection is especially important here.

Notice: For Wi-Fi 6, you also need a similar modern router that also supports this new WLAN standard.

Connecting your gaming laptop to wireless accessories such as gaming headsets or gamepads via the new Bluetooth 5.2 standard also works without delay. The outages or delays that occur with older Bluetooth standards rarely occur here.

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Asus ROG Strix with high power consumption

Typical of gaming laptops, the Asus ROG Strix also runs out after 1 hour of gaming. While on the go, mobile gamers should always look for a power outlet. Asus lasted for 3 hours and 35 minutes when watching movies and working. The maximum power consumption is as high as 260W under full gaming load. For simple office work, all chips switch to economy mode and together only draw 40 watts from the socket.

Conclusion