The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 is the spearhead of the Republic of Gamers range. This version is equipped with an Intel Core i9-12900H processor with Alder Lake architecture. While the GPU is entrusted to Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3070 Ti.
Presentation The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 is a portable PC model designed primarily/ notebook gaming for gamers looking for the best in technology without compromising on performance. A showcase for the Taiwanese manufacturer. This model also gives it the opportunity to prove its know-how with some exclusive features. Such as the ROG Keystone, an NFC key that is inserted on the right of the keyboard and allows you to personalize the PC, or even to access a hidden partition.
Construction The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
The ROG Strix Scar 17 is far from being a model of sobriety. From the hood, its membership in the Republic Of Gamers is well highlighted. In plastic, it sports the famous backlit ROG eye. The most attentive will also have noticed the selective varnish strip adorned with the ROG logo, which crosses the hood diagonally.
Opening the screen reveals a two-tone piano with an opaque black side and another transparent. Apart from the “wow” effect of the discovery, its usefulness is nil: no real component is visible, not even a rotating fan. The coating of the piano suffers from the absence of anti-fingerprint treatment, the slightest pressure on it leaving marks that are difficult to clean. Cleaning is also complicated and often leaves traces.
Keyboard
The RGB backlit keyboard provides a pleasant typing with a good response. It has a full numeric keypad and five macro keys on its top. It is obviously possible to customize the backlight with the Armory Crate software – the possibilities offered are such that you could spend the afternoon there.
Like the keyboard, the large touchpad offers a smooth glide and the various Windows gestures are well taken into account. On the far right on the right edge, a location is provided for the ROG Keystone (in red with the ROG logo). This is a key equipped with an NFC chip that allows you to link an ROG account in order to find its personalization profiles (ventilation, backlighting, etc.). and to set up a storage space only visible when the key is present.
Connectivity
The connectivity of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 goes to the essentials with two USB 3.2 ports and a jack on the left side. Behind the screen, between the two vents, are two USB-C ports, an HDMI port and an RJ45 socket to the 2.5G standard.
Access to these ports is also quite painful, because there is no indication on the chassis to indicate their presence. We also regret the absence of a memory card reader, a webcam and, to a lesser extent, a fingerprint reader to unlock the session. However, there is plenty of space on this 17-inch chassis.
The wireless connection is ensured, not by an Intel chip as we could have believed, but a MediaTek version. The MT7922, also used at AMD under the name RZ616, manages wifi 6E at 2400 Mb/s and Bluetooth 5.2.
Cooling
In terms of cooling, Asus has provided the ROG Strix Scar 17 with two fans, four radiators, four heat pipes and liquid metal type thermal paste to maximize heat exchange.
Thermal imaging does not reveal anything alarming for a laptop dedicated to gaming. On the keyboard, the temperatures recorded are even rather low with just under 41 ° C at the hottest point. The ZQSD keys oscillate around 35°C, while the rest of the keyboard stays perfectly cool.
The dedicated CPU vents are the hottest after our gaming session with almost 58°C behind the screen and 55.8°C on the left side. The vents on the right for the GPU are 10°C cooler.
Noise pollution amounts to 50.5 dB in Turbo mode. Suffice to say that the neighbors will be quite annoyed after about fifteen minutes of play. Using Performance mode in Armory Crate reduces the perceived sound level by two (47.1 dB), while Silent mode does not exceed 37 .1dB.
The level of performance will be impacted by the cooling mode. Thus, we obtain 82 fps under Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in Turbo mode, the Performance mode allowing 74 fps, while the Silent mode will “only” offer 60 fps.
Performance The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
To animate its ROG Strix Scar 17, Asus has teamed up with Intel and therefore integrates a Core i9-12900H with Alder Lake hybrid architecture, 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics card. Let’s go back to the processor.
Which therefore has six high-performance cores (P-Cores), hyperthreaded and clocked at 2.5 GHz with a boost of 5 GHz, and eight low-power cores (E-Cores) at 1.8 GHz with a boost of 3.8GHz. During an encoding, we noted an average frequency of 3.61 GHz for the P-Cores and 2.79 GHz. For the E-Cores with respective maximum frequencies of 4.92 GHz and 3.79 GHz.
The performance index of the Core i9-12900H is 176, far ahead of the Ryzen 9 5900HX. Core i9-11980HK which have an index close to 140 depending on the laptop in which they are integrated. Note, however, that the score of the Core i9-12900H could have been higher if the cooling system managed to keep the temperature of the Core i9 cores below 100°C. Beyond this temperature, the processor reduces its frequency and therefore performance. We were thus able to observe drops in framerate in game when the processor sporadically drops to 399 MHz.
Games The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
ROG Strix Scar 17 features the latest GPU announced by Nvidia , the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. The version selected by Asus claims a maximum TGP of 150 W; it is therefore the most efficient version of this GPU.
Thus equipped, the ROG Strix Scar 17 obtains a performance index of 195. Slightly lower than the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro equipped with a GeForce RTX 3070 (140 W). The explanation is to be found on the side of the processor, which lowers its frequency. A phenomenon particularly visible in Call Of Duty and Cyberpunk 2077. Dragging with it the frequency of the GPU, even in the most performance (and therefore ventilation) mode. high offered by the Asus Armory Crate software (Turbo mode).
Full HD Definition Screen
With a Full HD definition and all the settings pushed to the maximum, our range of games runs at around 90 fps without raytracing. Activating the latter drastically drops the number of frames per second, so you have to activate DLSS to go above the 60 fps mark in compatible games.
In 2560 x 1440 px – the native definition of our ROG Strix Scar 17 panel. With rasterized rendering, the number of images per second displayed is around 60 fps, a good point. Only Cyberpunk 2077 gets an average framerate of 39 fps. Enabling raytracing makes Cyberpunk 2077, Metro EE, and The Medium barely playable. Therefore, the activation of DLSS will be necessary to enjoy these games.
Screen The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
The ROG Scar 17 is equipped with an IPS panel displaying 2560 x 1440 px and able to reach a refresh rate of 240 Hz. Asus also offers a Full HD version which reaches 360 Hz . If you play competitive games online, we recommend this 360 Hz version. As for fans of the latest AAA games, the version we tested seems more appropriate.
The WQHD panel selected by Asus obtains a delta E of 1.8, well below 3 where the colorimetric drifts begin to be visible. The color temperature also comes close to the theoretical ideal of 6500 K (6574 K measured). The contrast is on the other hand a little weak with 1104:1 readings with the probe. Nothing alarming, but the blacks will draw a little on the grays.
The brightness is 304 cd / m², a sufficient value for indoor use, knowing that the panel has a good anti-reflective treatment (reflectance measured at 17.8%). Finally, an essential point for a laptop dedicated to gaming, the responsiveness of the panel was measured at 9 ms. Which places the ROG Scar 17 among the most valiant in our database.
Audio The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
Asus has given its ROG Scar 17 four speakers: two under the screen and facing the user. These act as tweeters and two others placed under the chassis at the front. Which act as woofers. Listening, the sound volume is more than enough to enjoy its films and series, the stereo being well marked.
The headphone output provides an output level strong enough to handle high impedance headphones. The distortion and crosstalk measurement does not reveal any anomalies. However, we regret a somewhat weak dynamic which could annoy sound professionals.
Mobility / Autonomy The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
The measurements of the Strix Scar 17 are 39 x 28 cm for 2.83 cm at its thickest point. We are far from the gaming laptops that we knew a few years ago with thicknesses exceeding 4 cm. Its weight of 2.9 kg also places it in the average of 17.3-inch gaming laptops . It is therefore quite possible to transport the ROG Strix Scar 17 in a suitable backpack.
Asus has equipped the Scar 17 with a 90 Wh battery. A substantial capacity, but which does not make it possible to last the day. In video playback with the screen set to 200 cd / m², the Scar 17 allowed us to watch our favorite series for 6 h 40 min (Netflix under Chrome).
Conclusion The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 offers a high-flying configuration with its 12th Gen Intel Core i9 processor and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. Its properly calibrated and responsive screen allows you to fully enjoy video games, with or without raytracing activated. However, the quality of the plastics is not up to the performance. Nor is the cooling system which, unfortunately, struggles to cool the assembly, limiting the capabilities of the assembly.