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Review: ASUS ROG Strix SCAR Edition

ASUS has been churning out one powerful gaming laptop after the other for years now. The company’s ROG (Republic of Gamers) series is very well known in the international gaming circuit. The latest to roll out of their factory is the new ROG Strix SCAR Edition.

This one is a 17-inch gaming laptop that comes packed in a fairly compact body and is not as heavy as some of the gaming laptops on the market. The ROG Strix SCAR Edition has been built for those looking for a capable machine to compete in FPS titles such as Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch.

The laptop accompanies a 144Hz IPS-level LCD with support for NVIDIA’s G-Sync technology. Under the hood, the laptop runs on an Intel Core i7-8750H processor running at a clock speed of 2.20-GHz. You also get 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD and a 1TB HDD. The laptop weighs 2.5-kgs.

The ROG Strix SCAR Edition derives its graphics power from an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 with a dedicated 8GB of memory that enables the laptop to deliver gaming with all the eye-candy cranked up without dropping a single frame.

In terms of connectivity, this one’s got it all covered. You get four USB-A 3.1, one USB-C, HDMI 2.0, one mDP 1.2, one LAN, one SD card reader, one mic/headphone, and a Kensington Lock. The overall theme of the laptop’s design is quite good for a gaming laptop. It features a Gunmetal Gray colour scheme.

ASUS has used plastic for the inner deck, with a carbon-fibre-like finishing. While the edges, bottom and bezels around the display are made from rougher plastic, the outer lid gets a brushed aluminium cover. You also get a chromed ROG logo on the hood, which is not backlit.

The keyboard is backlit, though, with RGB LEDs split into four different zones that can be customized using the preinstalled AURA software. They can’t be controlled individually though. The keyboard also gets n-key rollover and the keys are supposedly guaranteed for 20 million presses, which twice as much than standard laptop keyboards.

On top of the keyboard, you get all the status LEDs, along with the always-on Power button. You will also notice an air-intake grill, right above the keyboard, which is used to suck air from both the top and the bottom and expel it through the grills on the back edge.

In terms of cooling, ASUS uses dual fans for independent CPU and GPU cooling. These are 12V fans for stronger airflow and improved efficiency, in addition to the custom high-performance, heat-pipe cooling system build into the laptop.

The ASUS ROG Strix SCAR Edition is an able gaming machine. The combination of the Intel Core i7-8750H processors and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 does not disappoint you when it comes to the overall performance. The gaming laptop is also powerful enough to run virtual reality experiences and photo/video editing programs.

We played Overwatch, League of Legends and Battlegrounds and we were astounded by the overall graphics performance of the Strix SCAR Edition. For example, the performance in Overwatch usually hovered around 60 frames-per-second, which is quite a feat.

Battery life is something that ASUS needs to work upon. In our PC Mark 8 tests, we clocked a battery life of around 1 hour. Remember, PC Mark 8 cycles through a series of power-hungry tasks that mimics everyday usage of a gaming laptop. In the real world, the Strix SCAR Edition should be able to offer around 2.5 hours of continuous battery life for your gaming sessions.

At a starting price tag of AED 8499, the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR Edition might sound a bit expensive. However, this is one able gaming machine that packs in very good looking design and build quality, an excellent set of specs and good performance to boot. If you have the money, the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR Edition is a well-round gaming powerhouse.

Price: AED 8499

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Chris Fernando

Chris N. Fernando is an experienced media professional with over two decades of journalistic experience. He is the Editor of Arabian Reseller magazine, the authoritative guide to the regional IT industry. Follow him on Twitter (@chris508) and Instagram (@chris2508).

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