Review: ROG Strix SCAR 17 SE (2022)

ROG’s Strix SCAR is a trusted name for gaming laptops since it offers top-notch design, build quality, and strong internal specifications. This time as well, the new ROG Strix SCAR 17 SE (2022) packs in a new top-of-the-line Intel 12th Gen Core i9 HX series of processors, along with a blockbuster specs sheet.

Under the hood, the laptop is powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12950HX processor running at a clock speed of 2.3-GHz. Powerful graphics are churned out by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti with 175W max TGP and MUX Switch. You also get up to 64GB of DDR5 memory and up to 2TB + 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD storage.

Upon lifting the lid of the laptop, you are greeted by a 17.3-inch WQHD anti-glare display that offers a resolution of 2560-by-1440 pixels. You also get an aspect ratio of 16:9, support for 100% of DCI-P3 colours, a refresh rate of 240Hz, and a response time of 3ms. There is also support for Adaptive-Sync and Dolby Vision HDR.

In terms of I/O ports, you get plenty. There’s one 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, one HDMI 2.1, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort with power delivery and support for G-SYNC. You also get one RJ45 LAN port and one Thunderbolt 4 supporting DisplayPort.

The laptop also packs in a backlit chiclet keyboard that supports per-key RGB that can be customised using Aura Sync, and it also comes with a nice Touchpad. Wireless connectivity supported includes Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax with dual band) and Bluetooth 5.2.

The ROG Strix SCAR 17 SE also uses Thermal Grizzly’s Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal on both the CPU and GPU to cool down efficiently. Heat dissipation is also faster and more efficient with ROC’s very own vapour chamber design, which greatly increases surface area compared to traditional heat pipe systems.

Inside the box, along with the laptop and charger, you also get a bunch of customisable Armor Caps. These allow you to add extra personalisation to the gaming laptop. You can even 3D print your own Armor Cap using the downloadable templates that ROG offers.

Audio is handled by four smart amp speakers. These support Dolby Atmos and High-Res Audio, offer 5.1.2 virtual surround sound, and two-way AI noise cancellation for the built-in mic. The laptop is also surrounded on the edges by RGB LEDs, the lighting style of which can be customised using Aura Sync.

The keyboard layout is one of the best on the Strix SCAR 17 SE. The function keys up top are spaced properly for fewer misses, while the directional arrows are a bit enlarged when compared with other gaming laptops out there in the market. There are also five dedicated hotkeys that give quick access to features such as volume, mic mute, and Armoury Crate. The laptop is powered by a 90Wh battery that offers around 6 hours of use on a single charge, which is pretty good for a gaming laptop with top-notch specs.

The overall performance of the laptop is brilliant. On Geekbench 5.4, the ROG Strix SCAR 17 SE clocked a single-core score of 1872, while on the multi-core test, it scored 14816 points. In our Handbrake test, the ROG Strix SCAR 17 SE was able to convert a 4K video to 1080p, in about 4 minutes and 27 seconds, which is very good. Playing games and watching video content on the ROG Strix SCAR 17 SE’s outstanding display was an excellent experience.

The ROG Strix SCAR 17 SE (2022) is priced at AED 17,499, which means it’s not a laptop for everyone. However, if you are a gamer or even a content creator who needs a high-end laptop with very good specifications, excellent performance, and an outstanding display, the ROG Strix SCAR 17 SE (2022) should definitely be one of your top choices.

Price: AED 17,499