Asus ROG Strix Scar II Gaming Laptop Review

GL504GV Model, RTX 2060 Inside

Today we’re looking at the Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL504GV, a gaming pc with an extended product name; however, some modern hardware interior, such as GeForce RTX 2060 pictures. Having already reviewed the RTX 2060 in the element, today we’re specializing in what the overall laptop package affords.

Like many different refreshed RTX laptops, there hasn’t been a significant trade to the layout on the Asus ROG Strix or maximum of the internal hardware. Previously I reviewed the 15-inch Scar II, which came with both a GTX 1060 or GTX 1070; even as now, you may get an RTX 2060 or RTX 2070, albeit at unique fee points. Our evaluation unit is the GL504GV that packs the RTX 2060 priced at $1,seven-hundred.

Other hardware is essentially unchanged from the previous technology. The same Intel Hexa-center Core i7-8750H is used, 16GB of DDR4 reminiscence and a 15.6-inch 1080p 144Hz IPS display. The primary storage alternatives had been bumped up a tier throughout the board, so in which the base version was given a 128GB SSD, that’s now up to 256GB, and so forth. Our evaluating unit and the primary option available on Newegg and Amazon comes with a 512GB PCIe SSD.

In phrases of layout, apart from the brushed aluminum lid, most of the pc uses plastic, with a tender contact coating carried out around the keyboard. This peaceful contact location has a carbon fiber design, with half of-of it getting a camo print. We’d, in all likelihood, prefer if the camo wasn’t there, but Asus loves to do this form of component.

Yes, there’s RGB, too. You get a strip alongside the front edge of the computer, plus the off-middle Asus ROG emblem on the lid, each controllable through Asus’ Aura software. The front RGB strip is without delay linked to the four regions RGB keyboard backlighting, you don’t get consistent with-key RGB right here, but the simple four sector effect is nice enough. The keyboard has a chunk of a spongy tactile response; it’s now not as clicky as I’d select; however, travel distance is the first-rate, plus you get a Numpad, and none of the keys are truncated to fit that in. The trackpad is remarkable, and we like the inclusion of two separate clicks on buttons.

Like loads of gaming laptops these days, a slender bezel around the 15-inch display keeps the laptop’s footprint pretty compact, even though there’s still a sizable bezel underneath the show. Unfortunately, Asus has gone with probable the worst webcam placement viable, offset and low below the show, if the webcam is at all a challenge for you, of course.

The chassis is your regular mid-tier alternative: it’s now not a narrow and light machine just like the Asus Zephyrus, but it’s not an overweight beast like the large boy Asus fashions. It clocks in at 26mm thick and five. Three lbs, so it’s transportable without moving into the thin class that comes at a better charge. The foremost drawback for portability could be the smaller sixty-two Wh battery, versus close to a hundred Wh you get with systems just like the Gigabyte Aero 15.

I/O is very stable. Three USB 3.1 Type-A ports, two gen one and one gen 2, plus a USB three.Two gen two type-C port (there’s no Thunderbolt). You additionally get HDMI 2.0b, mini DisplayPort 1.2, Ethernet, an SD card slot, and a three.5mm audio jack. Internal connectivity comes inside the shape of an Intel 802.11ac 2×2 Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth 5. Zero blend solution.

Before speaking about overall performance, there are some notes to be made. The first is regarding Asus’ software program suite, the Armoury Crate. There’s some general stuff in there. However, the critical aspect is the fan profiles: Windows, Silent, Balanced, and Turbo, plus a guide mode. For recreation testing, we used the balanced method because we couldn’t spot any difference in performance between that and Turbo. For productivity apps, we used the Turbo mode; it’s louder; however, it increases the CPU’s power restriction, which for long workloads like video encoding caused a slight overall performance boom.