Asus has been delivering capable gaming devices that keeps their ROG devices ahead of competition. The Strix Scar 17 (2023) is power packed with with the pair of AMD’s Ryzen 9 7945HX and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 chipsets. We tested the device to see how it performs, and here’s what we experienced.
Unboxing and design
The Strix Scar 17 comes in a hefty box that houses the 17-inch device and a massive 330W AC adapter. The device has an old-school gaming laptop look, and weighs three kgs. The laptop has RGB lighting not just in the keyboard, but also at the bottom. And if that was not enough of showing off, the light-up ROG logo emblazoned on the lid left added more oomph.
This a hefty laptop (15.55” x 11.10” x 0.92” dimensions) is cumbersome to carry around for on-the-move users as the device barely fits into a backpack. With other necessary gadgets, and the laptop’s charger, one’s backpack will get heavy, particularly during longer commutes.
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 has RGB lighting not just in the keyboard, but also at the bottom. | Photo Credit: Nabeel Ahmed
Ports are located at the back of the device, with two USB-A and the 3.5mm audio port on the left. There are also two USB-C (supporting USB4), an HDMI, an ethernet, and a power ports.
Though the body of the device is made with plastic materials, Asus has done a fine job of ensuring it does not look cheap. The materials are high quality and show no signs of creaking at the hinge.
The only problem we had with the device was the lack of ports on the right-hand side as it would have made it easier to access plug points. Granted, the device will spend a lot of time sitting on a table due to its sheer size and battery life (more on that later), so one can come to terms with the port location situation easily.
Performance
The twin AMD’s Ryzen 9 7945HX and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 chipsets make this laptop a gaming beast when it comes performance.
The device blazes through AAA titles without breaking a sweat despite the games being set to their highest settings. We played Call of Duty, Batman Arkham and other titles that demand high compute and graphic power, and the device handled them at ease.
In prolonged gaming sessions, with the turbo settings on, the cooling fans got noisy and were not easy to ignore. However, we did not notice any drop in performance.
The 17.3-inch WQHD (with 2560 x 1440 resolution), and 16:9 aspect ratio is spot on. The display has a response time of 3ms with a 240Hz refresh rate, that makes it a pleasure to use for both gaming, as well as video content consumption.
The display is supported by a 2-speaker system with smart amplifier technology that makes it plenty loud. It was only when used in loud outdoor environments that we needed headsets, otherwise the speakers on the device are more than capable of ensuring a good user experience.
Our review unit came with 32 GB RAM and 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD, expandable up to 4 TB.
Ports are located at the back of the device, with two USB-A and the 3.5mm audio port on the left. There are also two USB-C (supporting USB4), an HDMI, an ethernet, and a power ports. | Photo Credit: Nabeel Ahmed
In other day to day tasks the device was a breeze to use, blazing through all the tasks easily. However, the performance experience mentioned thus far is when the device is plugged in to the charger. Once the device is unplugged, we noticed a marked slowdown in performance; even normal tasks like switching between multiple tabs on Chrome with Microsoft Word and Excel running in the background was slow.
For wireless connectivity the device gets Wi-Fi 6E and 2*2 + Bluetooth 5.3 Wireless Card. We did not face any problems with either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth reception when using the device.
Battery
The unit is comes with a 90WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion battery, which lasts about two hours of gaming. If used for normal day-to-day tasks, this gaming beast gets two more hours. Overall, the battery performance was decent, when compared to other gaming devices. But laptop performs best when its plugged in.
Keyboard and touchpad
While performance is the backbone of the Strix Scar 17, its keyboard and touchpad are the crown jewels. The backlit chiclet keyboard is a pleasure to use, with the RGB lights only adding to the flair. The keys have good space between them with good travel and great feedback. We did not face any problems using the keyboard for gaming or when typing out long articles.
While performance is the backbone of the Strix Scar 17, its keyboard and touchpad are the crown jewels. | Photo Credit: Nabeel Ahmed
The touchpad is also a pleasure to use. It has an almost matte texture to it that makes it easy to use. The touchpad is located off center towards the left, leaving ample room to maneuver through games and UI.
Verdict
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) is flashy despite looking like an old-school gaming device. It scores well on performance and user touch points. The battery remains its weakest link in an otherwise great experience and the device impresses in other areas. Priced at ₹ 2,69,990.00, the ROG Strix Scar 17 is a great device for people looking for raw performance. The device is pricey when compared to other gaming laptops in the competition, but it justifies the price tag with its gaming performance and classic gaming rig styling.
