Asus ROG Strix SCAR 15/17 review

Asus was one of the first manufacturers to offer laptops capable of hosting tenth generation Intel microprocessors. The latest Asus ROG Strix Scar 15/17 is part of this very recent vintage. Unlike the last Asus Zephyrus Duo, it promises uncompromising mobility to the most competitive players. In addition, it brings with its “electro-punk” lighting a significant touch of style. But at at least 2,499 euros, does it remain as attractive as it performs?

Technical sheet

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Design & Ergonomics

After steampunk and cyberpunk, Asus presents electro-punk. The body of this ROG Strix SCAR is certainly heavy for a modern laptop but it is splendid. A thin electroluminescent border surrounds it to constantly emit colored light. The color, loaded with bright pink notes, contrasts well with the dark metallic edges of the machine. This bright light, emitted downwards so as not to blind the user, offers a real atmosphere at each work or play session, very inspired by the neon-clad universe of Blade Runner and others Cyberpunk 2077. The same chromatic atmosphere is also felt with the keyboard backlight – and its little hidden bonus. This backlight works according to an “aura” system already configured: rainbow of colors or blood red characteristic of Republic of Gamers, fixed or pulsation lighting, etc. The Fn functions of the directional arrows make it possible to switch from one to the other very easily. In addition, thanks to the manufacturer’s software, Armory Crate, the backlight is customizable and adjustable with Asus ROG accessories such as a helmet or a mouse. Even the touch pad delights us, both in form and content. Its top right corner hides the mention “Num Lk” which shows, after a short press, a glowing numeric keypad. Very precise, the stratagem is ingenious and practical. It also does not cause untimely appearances of the touch pad. In addition, its coating slides smoothly to the touch. Finally, the keyboard layout is very nice. The keys are well spaced, but not too much so as not to end up with cramps at the end of a game of FPS.

As for the screen, its chassis with ultra-thin borders allows it to occupy 81.5% of the surface according to Asus. The 15.6 inch IPS panel has an efficient resolution and a wonderful definition. The colors shine and the contrasts are pronounced. The lower ridge, slightly hollowed out, brings a subtle touch of additional style (and allows you to wedge a pen on the rear suction vents thus discovered!). However, this desire to cover as much usable and visible surface forces Asus to sacrifice a possible webcam. A detail for some but it will surely be of size for all mobile streamers that target, in part, the device. Otherwise, its exceptional refresh rate, at 300 Hz for 3 ms, does not quite keep – or rather, too – its promises. The back of the screen, stamped with a sparkling ROG logo, keeps the slightest fingerprint, barely moist from the first use. For once, this detail will not delight anyone. Finally, in terms of connectivity, we will also regret the choice of positioning the charger port in the center, at the back of the keyboard, rather than on one of the sides. Otherwise, the user could have gained several crucial centimeters and thus not have to let their charger hang down.

Performance in practice

A 1 TB SSD, 16 GB of RAM, a latest generation Intel microprocessor, a state-of-the-art NVIDIA GPU and an unbeatable screen: all this, in the end, for not having successfully played any game! As a reminder, the Asus ROG Strix SCAR 15/17 is above all intended for “competitive high-flying players”, to provide them with a nomadic solution without compromising on performance. So we had at heart to test the device with a variety of video games: the demo of Forza Horizon 4, Jurassic World Evolution, Doom (2016) and For Honor. For each of them, the graphics (in ultra-high parameters) and the colors are magnificent. For each of them, the fluidity really went through the window. Loading the main menu on Doom is surprisingly slow. Once in play, this essential FPS – whose refresh rate at 300 Hz should make movements more fluid than the water itself – is heavy and winded. The sequences of “glory kills” are jerky and chaining them sometimes amounts to visual torture. Same thing, to a lesser extent, for the racing game and the dinosaur park management game. In the latter in particular, regular (and necessary) zooms and dezooms on the map, buildings or large lizards are cruelly lacking in fluidity and make immersion completely obsolete. But the most shocking experience, given the promises of the machine, was yet to come. With WiFi 6, connected to fiber optics, the Asus ROG Strix SCAR should have had no trouble satisfying us in an online multiplayer experience on a game like For Honor. If the connection element remained without burr, the laptop’s monstrous refresh rate has literally prevented us from playing! At the start of each game, we were disconnected manu militari for a “Refresh rate too low” (proof below). After going through the settings to position it from 300.18 (detected by the Ubisoft game) at 60 Hz, same observation. Is the Asus ROG Strix SCAR’s mastodontic display frequency so high that it becomes undetectable from four such recent games? The mystery remains whole and, nevertheless, prevented us from playing.

Apart from the video game practice (for which it was designed), this Asus is doing admirably well. The beautiful quality of its screen makes any streaming session delightful. Its resolution even makes it possible to read a video in 8K (this one, more exactly) without effort. In addition, audio level, its Smart Amp technology seems to work effectively with its speakers to provide real sound comfort. Creative software (such as the editing program in “open-source”, OpenShot) are not left out either. Only the really intensive multi-task (namely, a web page with several tabs, one with a YouTube video being played in addition to the installation of a video game in the background) makes this mission more difficult.

Be careful, however, not to ask too much of ROG Strix SCAR. Like most gaming laptops, its autonomy is very low and varies too strongly depending on the situation. In game, the machine estimates itself to confer only 46 minutes of time against 81% of full battery. Conversely, only to surf the web, 100% battery is equivalent to just over two hours of autonomy. Faced with this fluctuating and often weak autonomy, here too we regret the presence of a removable battery in order to leave the machine on the sector without fear of toasting it. In addition, the fans of this computer may also surprise you. Their alternating method of sucking in fresh air from the top and exhaling hot air from the sides allows him to never come close to the hot temperatures of some of his colleagues. On the other hand, they sometimes prove to be very noisy at times often unexpected – in particular, after, and not during, the downloading of a game. So much so that the computer resembles, by ear, a real wind tunnel. Ironically, this Asus seems to warn us of its noisy side at each start: whether the “mute” function is activated or not, the appearance of the ROG logo will always emit a sound. Not very discreet for those who do not live alone and would like to engage in a nocturnal video game session. In short, like Gimli and his Dwarf brothers, he is a sprinter: he is very efficient, but runs out of steam very quickly and lets people know.

Finally, for experts and real e-competitors, this Asus ROG Strix SCAR comes with a Keystone II (above). This magnetic device clips into a notch on the right side of the device and automatically launches the Armory Crate software. It allows you to save a specific configuration (visual and technical) in order to switch at any time from casual use to intensive and competitive use.

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Asus ROG Strix SCAR 15 G532L review gallery