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AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, 32GB DDR4-3200 and 2 TB NVMe RAID0.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080.
17.3 ", FDH, 300 Hz.
3,349 euros.
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733QS Introduction and Tech Specs
The arrival of new high-performance AMD Ryzen 5000 notebook processors together with NVIDIA RTX 30 notebook graphics has led to the launch of several top-of-the-range notebooks that, for the first time in many years, combine AMD and NVIDIA components.
In the review of the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733QS we will discover what a combination formed by an entire AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX is capable of together with the powerful RTX 3080, two of the most powerful components in the world for laptops, all in a gaming laptop that leaves superfluous questions to go to the important thing: raw performance.
These components are complemented by a 17.3 "FHD screen with 300 Hz refresh rate and FreeSync / G-Sync, 32 GB of RAM and an impressive RAID 0 of NVMe SSD with which we will be able to exceed 7 Gbps.
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733QS technical characteristics
- AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (3.3 GHz @ 4.6 GHz) 8 cores and 12 threads with Vega 8 GPU.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with 16 GB GDDR6 and 130W TDP.
- 32 GB RAM DDR4-3200.
- 17.3 inches IPS-Level FullHD (1920 x 1080) screen at 300 Hz and 3 ms.
- FreeSync and G-SYNC support.
- 2 TB NVMe SSD (2 x 1TB RAID 0)
- Optical mechanical keyboard with independent RGB key to key.
- WiFi 6 and BT 5.1 connectivity.
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet.
- 1 x USB-C 3.1 (3.2 Gen 2) with PD up to 100W, DisplayPort and G-Sync.
- 3 x USB-A 3.0 (3.2 Gen 1).
- 1 x HDMI 2.0b.
- 1 x 3.5 mm combo minijack.
- 2 x 4W speakers + 2 x 4W tweeter + microphone array.
- 90 Wh battery.
- 240W charger
- 39.5 x 28.2 x 2.75 cm
- 2.7 KG
- Price: 3,349 euros.
Design and Connectivity
With dimensions of 39.5 x 28.2 x 2.75 cm and 2.7 kg in weight, the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 is not an ultra-thin or compact laptop, however, considering that it is one of the most powerful offerings of the company, yes which shows a size, especially the thickness, more content than we could expect in a notebook of this performance.
However, its almost 2.8 cm thick and its clear orientation to performance over size, together with a very characteristic design, reminds us of some of the pioneering ASUS gaming laptops, such as those ASUS Gaming series G1S and G2S or the legendary ASUS G73.
The ASUS ROG logo predominates on the outer cover, with a mirror finish and an RGB lighting system that we will see later. Part of the case is finished with small embossed perforations that continue down the bottom, just next to the corner where ASUS has introduced curious magnetic plates that allow you to change the finish between metallic gray, silver and semi-transparent.
In addition to the three included, ASUS offers the 3D models to customize.
It is a purely "gaming" design that does not seek to go unnoticed, but does not forget smooth lines without too much fanfare, which gives an appearance that the design has been specially cared for.
The rear part, between the two large air nozzles, integrates a USB 3.0, a USB-c 3.1 with support for 100W power and displayport output with G-Sync (connection with the RTX 3080), in addition to an HDMI (Connection with the Vega 8) and a full Gigabit Ethernet RJ45. Although it can be powered by USB-C at 100W, the SCAR 17 incorporates an input for its external 240W power supply.
On the left side, in the semi-transparent housing, we have two USB-A 3.0 and a combo minijack connector for microphone or headphones, or both. It is striking that in a laptop with so much free size, we do not have a card reader or an extra USB-C or USB.
In fact, in the right loop there is absolutely no connectivity option, only space for the ROG Keystone, a curious system for loading configurations or accessing a hidden partition.
That small port that we can see in the semitransparent area of the inner casing, is where the ROG Keystone is placed and fixed by means of a system of magnets.
It is a small piece of plastic that is integrated into a rubber keychain and that is placed in that port to load a profile personalized by the user with lighting effects or launching apps. It can also be used to restore the system or access a hidden partition on the system.
Thus, when entering it, the system will turn on a light and a sound will be heard at the same time that the profile is loaded.
In the ROG software it is possible to configure the Keystone action and associate the user's ASUS account with it. It is possible to make a program start automatically, although when testing it the application closed due to an error. It also gives access to a small hidden partition with the possibility of encryption.
RGB lighting is not lacking in the ROG Strix SCAR 17. The entire keyboard has independent key-by-key lighting, and the notebook itself integrates different lighting zones in different zones.
Under the screen, for example, there is a strip of ARGB LEDs that project the lighting against the bottom.
A large strip of LEDs is located on the edge in the front area and extends to both sides.
Even the ROG logo on the back has RGB lighting and syncs with the other zones.
When opening the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 we find a typical layout, with a full keyboard that includes a numeric area on the right and a trackpad aligned with the space key. the keyboard is integrated into a housing whose upper left corner is semi-transparent.
The 17-inch screen has hardly any frames in the upper and lateral areas, although at the bottom it is more marked. It is striking that ASUS has decided to scratch the webcam on a laptop worth more than 3,300 euros, something incomprehensible that, unfortunately, is not the first time we see. No matter how game-oriented it may be, whoever buys a laptop of this power and price, does so possibly with many more uses in mind than the merely recreational one.
We now turn to the lower part, with openings for the air inlet and an area with a rubberized finish to prevent it from slipping, along with phrases such as "back on Top" that show the intentions of this team.
Accessing the interior is simple, simply remove the standard star screws, and remove the cover.
Inside the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 from 2021 we can see an oversized cooling system responsible for dissipating the heat of the RTX 3080 and the Ryzen 9 5900HX. A total of 7 heatpipes interlock to cool from the processor to the GPU, including VRM and GDDR6 memory.
The case lighting system uses two cables that go together, you have to be careful when opening it.
As for DDR4 memory, we have two 16GB modules and the system supports up to 64GB. They are So-DIMM at 3,200 MHz, so it is very easy to change them if they fall short.
The NVMe SSDs go in pairs in this team, with two 1 TB models running in RAID 0 and in M.2 format, easily replaceable.
Under one of them we find the different sockets of WiFi 6 antennas.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The SCAR 17 keyboard is mechanical-optical, that is, it combines a mechanical spring system together with an optical detection system that allows it to combine the typical mechanical activation click in a more contained size.
Personally, the touch that is achieved and the tactile response have been very satisfactory to me, it is not the same touch as that of a mechanical desktop keyboard, but it stays in the middle and typing or playing is something very comfortable on this keyboard, even so, users accustomed to typical membrane keyboards may find it somewhat disconcerting at first.
The keyboard layout is Spanish, with a hybrid between ANSI with the addition of the major / minor key and "ç" located above the enter.
At the top we have buttons for volume, mute, activate ventilation mode or to open the armory crate, the ASUS management software.
The trackpad works without problems, it is made in one piece, with support for touch or physical clicks, and we have not noticed any problems in its operation.
Display and calibration
Although the SCAR 17 has different models with various resolutions and frequencies, the model we have in hand in this review is the 1920 x 1080 pixel Full HD screen accompanied by a 300 Hz refresh rate.
This HZ rate is accompanied by adaptive sync that allows, with both the integrated graphics (freesync) and the dedicated (g-sync), to use the synchronization between FPS and HZ thanks to the possibility of switching between dedicated / integrated automatically or manual.
Brightness and Contrast
The panel is matte, which avoids certain glare that could disturb, and shows a fairly uniform illumination without light leaks.
It achieves maximum brightness levels that are around 350 cd / m², with a minimum of 0.398 cd / m² in black, (100% brightness) which shows us a contrast ratio of 879: 1 close to 1000: 1 that usually offer this type of panels.
- Maximum brightness: 349.80 cd / m²
- Minimum brightness (black): 0.398 cd / m²
- Contrast Ratio: 879: 1
Color coverage
Color coverage is around 100% of the promised sRGB with a volume of 111.7% of that gamut. As for DCI-P3 and Adobe-RGB, it covers 79 and 76% respectively. They are quite good values for a gaming laptop and being the highest range of ASUS we did not expect less either.
Color tests and calibration
The serial calibration of the SCAR 17 shows fairly balanced values in green and blue, but with red quite attenuated in the gray scale, which tends to bluish the tones somewhat. The color temperature, in fact, is above 7500K. They are not particularly bad values considering what is generally seen, but they are not optimal either.
The average DeltaE is 4.27 points, something that is corrected considerably with a small quick calibration down to 0.42 points
| Uncalibrated Delta E | DeltaE after Calibration | |
|---|---|---|
| sRGB | 4.27 | 0.41 |
We leave you with the reports and series tests and after calibration:
Color tests vs SRGB - UNCALIBRATED
Color tests vs SRGB - AFTER CALIBRATION
Autonomy
The 90 Wh of battery that the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has has to power the Ryzen 9 5900HX with 45W of TDP and the RTX 3080 with 130W of TDP, so although it is a considerable capacity, it is not a laptop from which we expect a outstanding autonomy.
However, with full screen brightness and balanced mode, the Scar 17 has managed to run PCMark 10's Modern Office test battery for almost 5 hours, with 4 hours and 51 minutes total. With a more moderate use in more conservative energy plans and lowering the brightness, you can get about 6 and a half hours of autonomy.
performance
The RTX 3080 works in this equipment with a boost frequency of 1,860 MHz and a consumption measured in GPU-Z that exceeds the maximum of 130W it is configured for. It is not, therefore, the Max-Q model, but there would still be some margin up to the maximum 150W that NVIDIA allows for this card.
This model has 6,144 CUDA Cores and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, being the most powerful graphics card for laptops in the world.
It is accompanied by the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 HX, a Zen 3 architecture processor with 8 cores, 16 threads and a frequency ranging from 3.3 GHz to 4.6 GHz. In this laptop it is configured with a maximum TDP of 54W from 45W as standard, and with an SPPT of 80W when using Boost.
All tests have been carried out in turbo mode, ASUS mode where the ventilation works at a higher RPM range. The laptop also allows adding manual ventilation profiles and offsets to overclock the graphics or CPU.
ASUS has implemented the dedicated / integrated GPU control system that allows you to configure manually when using one or the other, without the need to restart the PC, or leave it in automatic mode. Externally, the HDMI output uses the integrated GPU, while the USB-C can use the RTX 3080 even with G-Sync. We could already test the system in the company's Flow x13 , and in this case its operation is as follows:
- IGPU Mode Off: The RTX 3080 is the graphic that works at all times.
- IGPU mode On: Only the integrated graphics is used, the dedicated one disappears even from the device manager.
- Automatic iGPU mode: The integrated one is generally used and the dedicated one is activated if necessary
The performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX in the different tests places it as one of the most powerful notebook processors of the moment. Interestingly, its lower-power sibling, the Ryzen 9 5980HS, manages to outperform it in both multicore and single core performance, possibly due to better chip selection and higher boost speeds.
As for the RTX 3080, it is the most powerful laptop graphics that has passed through our laboratory, leaving behind graphics like the RTX 2080 of the last generation by a wide margin.
Special mention also for the two NVMe SSDs in RAID 0 , which manage to exceed 7000 MB / s of reading and reach 6,000 MB / s of sequential writing.
Multi-Core CPU Performance Test
Cinebench R23 MP
Cinebench R20 MP
Cinebench R15 MP
GeekBench 5 Multi Core
1-Core CPU Performance Test
Cinebench R23 SP
Cinebench R20 SP
Cinebench R15 SP
GeekBench 5 Single Core
Graphics Card Performance Test
3DMark FireStrike
3DMark TimeSpy DX12
3DMark Port Royale Raytracing
GeekBench 5 OpenCL
GeekBench 5 Vulkan
Other performance tests and games
PCMark 10
Design and Creators Test - SPECViewPerf13
The Division 2
CrystalDiskMark SSD
Temperatures and noise
In Performance mode the sound level of the Scar 17 is quite contained in general use, the noise of the fans being clearly noticeable when required, but without being especially scandalous. In turbo mode the fans increase the maximum RPM more and, therefore, the noise also increases. Keep in mind that the 5900HX and especially the RTX 3080 are components with a fairly high TDP
Externally, during the battery of tests, the keyboard temperatures have been around 29-37 degrees, with maximum points at the air outlet of 46 ºC. Taking into account all the performance that it is capable of developing, they are quite contained temperatures.
Internally, the maximum temperature that we have managed to measure for the Ryzen 9 5900HS is 86 degrees, with the RTX 3080 reaching 82 ° C when both work at the same time.
The maximum temperature that the Ryzen 9 5900HX has reached when it "rolls" alone without load on the RTX 3080 has been 85 ° C after 10 minutes running Cinebench R23 in multicore, turbo mode.
Being used to gaming equipment with CPU temperatures of more than 95ºC, the ASUS ROG SCAR 17 has shown excellent thermal management, something that the very complete cooling system and the use of liquid metal thermal paste help.
Analysis and Conclusion
The ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733QS has shown excellent performance in virtually all of our tests. This team takes up the essence of the most advanced gaming laptops, combining high-performance components such as the Ryzen 9 5900HX and the RTX 3080 , and accompanying it with other elements designed to play as its 300 Hz screen or its mechanical-optical keyboard that results has given.
The 32 GB of DDR4-3,200 RAM or the 2 TB of RAID 0 of the NVMe SSD with more than 7 GB / s of sequential speed are luxurious companions for these components, and all this in a body with a size contained to some extent. It is not an ultrabook nor does it pretend to be as you can see at 2.75cm thick, but the slim bezel display design allows it to deliver superlative performance in a size that is not over the top.
The gaming aesthetic is very present, with RGB lighting in each corner, the ROG logo prevailing and some more curious elements that are really useful such as the small interchangeable covers in the corner, or the keychain with the "ROG keystone", but yes "gaming" products boast of something, it is precisely those things.
Connectivity is covered with WiFi 6, BT 5.1, Gigabit Ethernet, multi - purpose USB-C , HDMI and USB-A, although there are significant shortcomings. For example, it is hardly justifiable that a computer that costs 3,349 euros comes without a webcam, not only that, it should have one with a certain quality and not the typical HD that many computers integrate. As we have already mentioned, even if it is a game-oriented team, who spends so much money on a laptop of these features, possibly wants to use it for more things, and the camera is something that even the most basic models integrate.
On the other hand, there is only one USB-C 3.1, and the two USB-A that complete it are 3.0. One of the sides could have been used, which do not have any port beyond that of the keystone, to add some more connector and even a card reader, which does not integrate either. Likewise, MCAfee bloatware is completely expendable.
The sound is a point of the equipment that has surprised us , its 4 speakers, two of them for bass, emit a very powerful sound without distortions, which is even startling the first time we turn on the equipment and makes that characteristic sound during the post.
If the Ryzen 4000 had already shown excellent performance, the adoption of Zen 3 in these Ryzen 5000 has meant an even higher leap in performance to such an extent that manufacturers are finally including these processors in the top of the range equipment.
This ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733QS is an excellent example of what can be achieved today by combining a high-performance processor like the Ryzen 9 5900HX with the most powerful GPU of the moment, the NVIDIA RTX 3080, a laptop that manages to leave behind in performance even to high performance desktop computers.
Pure and hard performance without concessions, the very essence of what a gaming laptop should be beyond designs, lights or slogans, and we can find all that in this team. For all these reasons , the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733QS has claimed its place on the throne of the best laptop that has passed through our laboratories and, without a doubt, it deserves that title on its own merits.
Pros
- Impressive performance of the RTX 3080 and Ryzen 9 5900HX
- 300Hz display with G-SYNC and FreeSync
- 2TB NVMe SSD in RAID 0 at over 7GB / s
- Responsive mechanical-optical keyboard
- Powerful and clear sound
- Quality construction and finishes
- Ease of replacement of components such as SSDs and RAM
Cons
- No webcam or card reader
- Annoying McAfee bloatware
- Considerable price
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