CES 2021: ASUS presents its new Strix Scar 17, the first equipped with a 360 Hz panel

In addition to its ROG Flow X13, ASUS is taking advantage of CES to present a whole new range of gaming laptops in more traditional formats. The Strix SCAR 17 and its 360 Hz screen, the fastest on the market, is the model of choice. The series is completed by a 15-inch little brother, but also two alternatives: the Strix G15 and G17, a little more affordable.

On the aesthetic level, the lines Strix SCAR and Strix G from ASUS evolve slightly, but keep the main lines of the look that we already knew, with a relatively aggressive design, embellished with RGB LEDs, but still (a little) more discreet than in the past. ASUS promises to have overhauled the dissipation system of its various devices to make it, as always, more efficient and slightly quieter (the brand mentions 3 decibels less).

As on its 2020 models, ASUS also uses liquid metal (instead of traditional thermal paste) to help the heat of the CPU / GPU duo dissipate better.

Strix SCAR 17 and 15: ASUS goes even further on the screen

If you follow the laptop news this CES 2021, you are probably starting to know the song. AMD and NVIDIA have just announced their new processors and graphics cards for laptops. But for now, we only know that the SCAR 17 and 15 will rely on new generation AMD Ryzen chips (Ryzen 5000H “Cézanne”, probably) and on NVIDIA RTX 3000 MaxQ GPU chips.

If the performance gain that these new components should allow will undoubtedly be attractive, ASUS focuses its communication mainly on the screen of the Strix SCAR 17, which takes advantage of a Full HD IPS panel, 360 Hz / 3 ms for maximum responsiveness to competitive titles. The firm explains pushing IPS technology to its limits for this 17.3-inch laptop. It will nevertheless be argued that only a tiny portion of users will benefit from this increased refreshment.

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The SCAR 15, in 15.6 inches, will be limited for its part to “only” 300 Hz (a frequency that was already found on other PCs offered at ASUS), with still 3 ms response time.

The two devices will nevertheless both offer an optional WQHD (1440p) 165 Hz / 3 ms panel covering 100% of the DCI-P3 spectrum. We will also find, in both cases, up to 64 GB of RAM (via twice 32 GB of DDR4 at 3200 MHz) and up to 2 TB of SSD (via 2 M.2 strips of 1 TB mounted in RAID). ASUS promises, finally, an optical keyboard (more responsive), a 90 Wh battery, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

The ROG Strix SCAR 17 will be available at the end of February starting at 1,899 euros, against 1,799 euros for the SCAR 15 on the same launch window.

Strix G15 and G17: always more variety for gamers

With its Strix G15 and G17, the Taiwanese manufacturer also relies on a tandem AMD Ryzen 5000H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000, but this time with a maximum of 32 GB of RAM (via twice 16 GB of DDR4 at 3200 MHz) and 512 GB or 1 TB of SSD storage (RAID configurations are also available).

With a slightly more exuberant look, both devices come close to the SCAR 15 in terms of display options. There is therefore a choice of a Full HD IPS 300 Hz panel (3 ms / 100% sRGB) or a 1440p IPS 165 Hz screen (3 ms / 100% DCI-P3). ASUS, on the other hand, ignores an optical keyboard here in favor of a more traditional mechanical solution; there is still a Wi-Fi 6 connectivity as well as a 90 Wh battery.

The ROG Strix G17 will be available at the end of February for 1,799 euros. Its little brother the G15 will arrive at the same time on the market, from 1,599 euros.

ROG Zephyrus Duo SE: the two-screen outsider is back

The end of February will also mark the return of the ROG Zephyrus Duo SE. Introduced for the first time in spring 2020, the device had moderately convinced us when we tested it, in particular, because of its prohibitive price. It makes anyway its comeback with, again, AMD Ryzen 5000H processors and an RTX 3000. Otherwise, the configuration changes little, with a main 15.6-inch IPS panel (4K 120 Hz or Full HD 300 Hz, 3 ms, PANTONE certified) and a 14.1-inch ScreedPad Plus secondary IPS display (Ultra HD or Full HD).

It will be possible to opt for a maximum of 32 GB of DDR4 at 3200 MHz and to benefit from a maximum of 1 TB of storage in M.2 SSD. We will also (unfortunately) find the same chiclet keyboard as last year. The latter then seemed to us too flat to play in optimal conditions.

The device also has a 90 Wh battery and, again, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. ASUS is not yet able to provide us with a French price for the new version of the Zephyrus Duo, but it seems to be necessary to count on a rather tidy sum.

Source: ASUS press releases / ASUS CES 2021 Briefing