ROG Strix SCAR 17 (2023) is the new flagship line of gaming laptops from ASUS. The updated SCAR 17 (2023) was first presented at CES 2023, where it was well received by the public. Finally, we had the opportunity to take a closer look at this model, which is what we are going to do now. The laptop under review is the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733PY-LL020X with a top-of-the-line configuration based on the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX processor and RTX 4090 graphics card.
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Detailed characteristics of the model
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX Mobile Processor (16-core/32-thread, 64MB L3 cache, up to 5.4 GHz max boost) Dragon Range (Zen 4)
- Graphics adapter: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 for ROG Boost laptops: 2090 MHz at 175 W (2040 MHz Boost Clock + 50 MHz OC, 150 W + 25 W Dynamic Boost) 16 GB GDDR6
- RAM: 32 GB, Samsung DDR5 4800 MHz, Dual-Channel, 40-39-39-77 (2×16 GB DDR5-4800)
- Data storage: 2 TB, Samsung MZVL22T0HBLB-00B00, PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 Performance SSD
- Display: NE173QHM-NZ2, 17.3 inches, WQHD (2560×1440) 16:9, IPS, 240 Hz
- Sound card: AMD Zen – Audio Processor – HD Audio Controller
- Motherboard: ASUS G733PY, AMD Promontory/Bixby FCH
- Network and communications: RealTek Semiconductor RTL8125 Gaming 2.5GbE Family Ethernet Controller / MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E MT7922 (RZ616) 160MHz Wireless LAN Card / Bluetooth 5.2
- Interfaces: 1×3.5mm combo audio jack / 1×HDMI 2.1 FRL / 2×USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A / 1×USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, DisplayPort support, Power Delivery, G-SYNC / 1×2.5G LAN / 1×USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, DisplayPort support, G-SYNC
- Battery: 90 Wh, 4S1P, 4-cell. Li-ion
- Power supply: Main universal power supply 330 W (Output: 20 VDC, 16.5 A, input: 100~240 V, 50/60 Hz). Additional power supply TYPE-C 100 W (Output: 20 V DC, 5 A, input: 100~240 V, 50/60 Hz)
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 39.5×28.2×2.34~2.83 cm
- Weight: 3.0 kg
- Camera: 720p HD
- Operating system: Windows 11 Pro
- Backlight: Aura Sync Light Bar is compatible with Aura Sync
- Additionally included: ROG backpack, ROG Gladius III Mouse P514, TYPE-C power supply
Positioning and price
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733PY-LL020X is positioned as a premium gaming laptop. Its high-performance components are designed to provide comfortable gaming at high – maximum graphics settings in any gaming application at WQHD and 4K resolution, as well as to easily cope with most tasks, such as video editing or working in resource-intensive applications.
The price of the laptop at the time of writing is about $4850.
Package contents
The SCAR EDITION kit comes in a large branded box. Inside, in separate cells, there is a smaller box with a laptop and a plastic backpack. Let’s list the main contents of the kit:
- ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) G733 G733PY-LL020X
- ROG backpack
- ROG Gladius III Mouse P514
- Main power supply 330 W
- TYPE-C 100W compact power supply
- Quick start guide
- Warranty card
- Promotional materials about the MyASUS app
Build, design and features
The main material is matte perforated aluminium with a soft-touch coating. The assembly is of high quality: the keyboard does not bend during use, no backlash or creaks are heard. The display can be easily opened with one hand and closed with the same easy effect. There is a backlit ROG logo on the top of the monitor.
The laptop’s individuality is enhanced by the sporty Armor Cap decorative covers.
Externally, the case is complemented by icons and a cutout at the bottom of the panel that looks interesting from any angle. On the front edge of the computer, there is an RGB backlight panel that syncs with the keyboard and other ASUS devices via Aura Sync.
The main ports are located on the back of the laptop:
- Combination USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C/DisplayPort connector
- Combination USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C/DisplayPort/power connector
- HDMI 2.1 output port
- LAN connector
- Power input
Additional ports are located on the left side:
- 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectors
- Headphone, headset or microphone jack
It should be noted here that while using the laptop, we encountered the fact that two USB connectors are not enough. If you need to connect additional accessories and other devices, you’ll have to disconnect something to make room.
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The front of the laptop looks like this:
- At the top of the display are an array of microphones, a camera, a camera indicator and the display panel itself
- In the lower part, you can see the device status indicators, the power button, the keyboard with a numeric keypad (100%) and the touch panel (touchpad)
The notebook weighs 3 kg and measures 39.5×28.2×2.34~2.83 cm. Its sturdy materials and relatively small dimensions make it easy to take with you to work or on a trip. Especially given that it comes with a handy backpack designed specifically for transporting it.
Keyboard and touchpad
Scar 17 has an island keyboard with a standard WASD layout. The Shift and Enter keys are elongated. The arrows and the number pad are slightly smaller. Control hotkeys (sound, backlight) are present and can be individually configured in Armoury Crate.
The keyboard uses a special Overstroke technology, thanks to which the key is triggered before it is fully pressed, which increases the speed and responsiveness of control in games and simple work tasks. The declared resource is more than 20 million keystrokes.
The keyboard backlight is customisable with Armoury Crate. It is also possible to assign an individual colour to each key separately, which provides unlimited scope for personalisation.
The touchpad of Scar 17 is large and sensitive. There were no problems with its use or discomfort in normal everyday work tasks. The only point is that for gaming applications, it is better to disable the touchpad so that you don’t constantly touch it with your hand. This can be easily configured using profiles in Armoury Crate.
ROG STRIX SCAR 17 display
The Strix SCAR 17 laptop is equipped with an NE173QHM-NZ2 IPS screen. Its size is 17.3 inches with a WQHD resolution (2560×1440) and 16:9 aspect ratio. The screen refresh rate is 240 Hz and the response time is 3 ms. The monitor supports Dolby Vision HDR and Adaptive-Sync, which enable realistic, rich colours. G-Sync technology ensures smooth gameplay without jitter or tearing. The matte display does not glare in bright light.
During the entire testing period, we didn’t notice any ghosting effects on the image, which indicates a good response of the matrix. We also note that there were practically no backlights in the tested model, there are no problems with backlight leakage. The viewing angles of the tested display are also excellent, the image is also visible at an angle, there are no colour distortions.
Performance
The ROG Strix SCAR 17 (2023) is currently ASUS’s highest-performing laptop. It’s powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics chip, next-generation DDR5 RAM with a total of 32GB, and a fast 2TB NVMe SSD. More information about the components can be found in the summaries below:
Let’s take a closer look at each component and proceed to their direct testing. Before testing, the general Turbo profile was selected in the proprietary Armoury Crate application, and the graphics chip was additionally set to Ultimate mode. Also, the latest NVIDIA drivers version 532.03 were installed for the video card at the time of writing.
Processor
The AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX (Dragon Range, Zen 4) is one of the most productive mobile processors available today. 16 cores, 32 threads, 64 MB of level 3 cache. Maximum clock speed in boost up to 5.4 GHz. The maximum claimed TDP is up to 65 W. The processor also has a built-in video core in the form of AMD Radeon 610M.
The benchmarks selected for the tests were: Cinebench R15, Cinebench R20, Cinebench R23, Perfomance Test CPU Mark, Blender, Geekbench 6 and a certain set of AIDA64 Extreme benchmarks (FP32 Ray-Trace, FPU Julia, CPU SHA3, CPU Queen, FPU SinJulia, FPU Mandel, CPU AES, CPU ZLilb, FP64 Ray-Trace, CPU PhotoWorxx).
Cinebench test results:
Performance Test CPU Mark test results:
Blender test results:
Geekbench 6 test results:
AIDA64 test results:
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Graphics chip
The graphics in SCAR 17 (2023) are powered by a mobile NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 with 16 GB of video memory and a maximum TGP of up to 175 watts. The frequency of the video processor is 2090 MHz, the frequency of the memory is 2275 MHz. The ROG Boost factory overclocking technology is 2090 MHz at 175 W (2040 MHz Boost Clock + 50 MHz OC, 150 W + 25 W Dynamic Boost). This is now the top-end graphics card that can be used in mobile solutions.
For the tests of the graphics chip, we chose: 3DMark, Blender, Performance Test 3D Graphics Mark, V-Ray 5.
3DMark test results:
Blender GPU test results:
Performance Test 3D Graphics Mark test results:
Test results of V-Ray 5:
RAM
In this model, the RAM is represented by Samsung DDR5 chips with a clock frequency of 4800 MHz and 40-39-39-77 timings with a total capacity of 32 GB. Both slots are occupied by 2×16 GB, respectively, in dual-channel mode. Internal AIDA64 Extreme benchmarks were used to test read, write, copy, and latency speeds:
Data storage
This setup includes a 2TB Samsung MZVL22T0HBLB-00B00 drive. For testing, we’ll use the classic CrystalDiskMark (Default and NVMe SSD mode) and ASS SSD Benchmark.
General performance tests
For the sake of completeness, we’ll also run general performance tests such as PCMark 10, CrossMark and AIDA64 Cache & Memory Benchmark.
Testing ROG STRIX SCAR 17 in games
ROG Strix SCAR 17 (2023) is the ultimate solution for today’s demanding games, so let’s get right to the testing. We will test at the maximum graphics quality settings with Ray Tracing and DLSS enabled, set to the Quality preset, with a resolution of 2560×1440. We will also test games that produce unsatisfactory performance or are simply of interest for an extended test at other settings (high, medium, Ray Tracing disabled). Performance benchmarks and frame rate (FPS) will be performed using MSI Afterburner.
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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
A hot novelty of a high-profile saga. At the start, the game had serious optimisation problems, so it is of great interest for the test. The first launch with Epic graphics settings, Ray Tracing is ON, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 technology instead of DLSS, Quality preset, 2560×1440 resolution.
The average FPS was around 65 frames, which is quite good. But the game was accompanied by constant friezes when the camera was rotated, and after restarting, the friezes completely disappeared.
For fun, we tried to disable Ray Tracing, the increase in average FPS was about 20 frames, but the minimum and maximum remained at the same level, which is quite strange. Otherwise, we can say that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor plays comfortably on our test subject.
The Last Of Us Part I
The PC port has been significantly improved in terms of graphics and technology in general. Compared to the console version, we can say that the game has changed and looks great. And what about the optimisation? Let’s check it out! We set the resolution to 2560×1440, the graphics quality to Ultra, everything that can be turned on from the effects – turn it on, DLSS is set to Quality.
The average gaming FPS is around 65-90 frames, which can be considered an excellent indicator, given that everything is cranked to the maximum. If you play around with the settings and sacrifice a little graphics (which at this resolution will be visually imperceptible), this indicator can be further improved.
Dead Space (2023)
A remake of the cult horror film released in early 2023. It should be noted that the original looks good to this day. So what new things have been added to the remake and how does it play on our hardware? Let’s see. The settings are all on Ultra, DLSS on Quality, and the resolution is 2560×1440.
Most of the time, the average game FPS is around 100+ frames. There are some drops during transitions between locations, but they are not significant. Verdict: the game plays great, and the updated game looks stunning!
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Resident Evil Village
The game is not new and does not have high system requirements in terms of technical specifications. But it has a well implemented HDR, which our display fully supports. So we decided to take it for a test. The resolution is 2560×1440, all graphics are maxed out, FidelityFX Super Resolution 1.0 – Ultra quality. The scene for testing is the first battle in the village.
The game delivers an average of 120 FPS outdoors during dynamic battle scenes. Indoors, for example, in Dimitrescu Castle, the average FPS will be much higher (approximately 150+ frames).
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Next Gen
An updated version of the cult RPG from CD Projekt RED. Among the new features: general improvement of graphics and effects, addition of support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.1 and NVIDIA DLSS 3, global lighting updates. All settings are on the Ultra+ preset, 2560×1440 resolution, NVIDIA HairWorks is turned on to maximum.
We get an average FPS of 120+ frames, which is very good. The graphics are pleasing to the eye, especially the updated lighting. If you reduce or completely disable the unnecessary HairWorks, the FPS will be even higher.
Hogwarts Legacy
Another new product released this year. Beautiful graphics and Ray Tracing technology are in place, so let’s take it for a test. Graphics settings are set to Ultra, resolution is 2560×1440, NVIDIA DLSS is set to Quality, Ray Tracing is enabled and also set to Quality.
We get a steady average FPS of 120+ frames, and the game runs perfectly. In Hogwarts itself, there may be drops of up to 75 frames, but this is not critical.
Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition
In the updated version of Metro Exodus, lighting and special effects have been improved, and real-time raytracing is used. The system requirements have also increased, so the Enhanced Edition had to be tested on our configuration. Resolution 2560×1440, quality on Ultra, Ray Tracing on Ultra, NVIDIA DLSS on Quality, HairWorks enabled.
The average FPS is about 70-95 frames, at some moments it exceeds 100+. The re-release looks great and plays perfectly on our system.
Cyberpunk 2077
No hardware test is complete without the sensational Cyberpunk 2077. We’re not going to make an exception, especially since the game is of great technical interest to us. Resolution 2560×1440, Ray Tracing graphics: Overdrive, additional graphics and effects settings on “High” or “Ultra”, NVIDIA DLSS on “Auto”.
First, we ran the game’s internal benchmark, with an average FPS of 81 frames, which is not bad. But we can’t rely on the internal benchmark alone, so we test the performance in real gameplay ourselves.
In real gameplay, we get an average FPS of about 70-90 frames, which is a good result considering the maximum settings. By the way, we have DLSS set to “Auto”, and if you switch to “Quality”, the FPS drops to 30-35 frames, which can already be considered uncomfortable for PC gaming. The verdict: our test subject copes with Cyverpunk 2077 perfectly.
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Crysis Remastered
The first Crysis was always famous for its “good optimisation”, and the remaster was no exception, so we just couldn’t pass this project by. During the first launch, the game told us that Ray Tracing and DLSS would not work, even though we had the latest driver for the video card and the components fully supported these technologies. The solution turned out to be simple: we disabled AMD’s integrated graphics through the Device Manager and everything worked as expected.
We have to say that Crysis Remastered upset us a bit with its performance, so we decided to test the game on 4 graphics presets at once: Can it run Crysis, Very High, High, Medium.
- Can it run Crysis: average FPS 55-65 with up to 25-30 frames of drops
- Very High: average FPS 70 frames with drops of up to 37 frames
- High: average FPS 86 frames with up to 47 frames of drops
- Medium: average FPS of 170 frames with up to 102 frames of drops.
In principle, the game runs fine on Very High or High settings, and the difference in graphics is almost imperceptible visually. But there are still places where the FPS drops significantly, and the video card load at these moments drops significantly. Switching DLSS to Balance or Performance mode doesn’t help the situation much, adding only 5-7 frames, but the visuals are already noticeably affected. Conclusion: the optimisation in Crysis Remastered is rather mediocre.
Summary
The ROG Strix SCAR 17 (2023) coped with almost all the games selected for the test perfectly. Yes, we did not get the coveted 240 FPS in any game, but once again, the testing was carried out in 2K resolution with maximum graphics settings. In the vast majority of games, the laptop delivered more than comfortable FPS.
Cooling and noise levels
The powerful, high-performance components in the Strix SCAR 17 require efficient cooling. That’s why this laptop model uses Thermal Grizzly’s Conductonaut Extreme for the CPU and GPU. This is a liquid metal thermal interface that can maintain temperatures up to 15°C lower than conventional thermal paste. It contains indium and gallium, which help to make the thermal conductivity of the material 17 times higher than that of classic thermal grease.
The Arc Flow Fan has been redesigned with blades that are only 0.2 mm thick at the base and slightly flared towards the end. This solution has effectively reduced noise levels. Passive cooling is implemented through 0dB Ambient Cooling. The technology makes the laptop quiet under light loads, such as when working or watching a film. Four radiators with 218 thin (0.1 mm) fins ensure smoother airflow and actively remove heat from the system. The laptop is protected from dust by a special filter that traps small particles and helps keep the device’s “main organs” from clogging.
Enhanced heat transfer is provided by four warm air vents and a special evaporation chamber with a 43.3% coverage area. The ROG Intelligent Cooling system is responsible for the main cooling of the device. It allows the graphics card and CPU to be overclocked to higher frequencies for a long time, while the frames remain stable and smooth even during long gaming sessions.
The noise level in Performance mode does not exceed 40 dB (this level is approximately equal to the sound of a normal voice). In heavy gaming applications, the noise from the cooling system rises to about 50-54 dB, which can be considered the norm for a high-performance gaming laptop.
The maximum temperature of the processor under load was 94°C, and the video chip was 82°C. No problems with throttling were detected during the entire testing period.
Under load, most of the keyboard remains cool, and there is no discomfort for the hand working on the keyboard. Most of the heating goes to the back of the laptop case, which is farther away from the user.
The verdict: Scar 17 (2023) is in perfect order with cooling.
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Battery life and power consumption
The ROG Strix SCAR 17 is equipped with a built-in 90 Wh Li-ion battery that can hold a charge for up to 8-9 hours. This allows you to watch videos, listen to music or work. The laptop comes with a compact USB Type-C adapter with a capacity of up to 100W. It is convenient to take it with you when travelling so as not to overload yourself with the main 330W adapter.
Sound
Dolby Atmos speakers deliver an original and deep sound experience. The Hi-Res format reproduces authentic sounds without distortion. The laptop is equipped with intelligent amplification and noise cancellation technology that filters out any extraneous noise from the incoming and outgoing audio signal. This means that nothing will distract players from the gameplay while chatting or making a call. The device is equipped with 5.1.2-channel speakers that provide surround and realistic sound in games, while listening to music and other audio content. I liked the sound quality of Scar 17 (2023), you can feel the surround sound and pronounced bass.
Communication
The laptop has an RJ45 port that supports a 2.5G Ethernet network interface. There is also a Wi-Fi 6E wireless module, which is currently the most advanced. It provides a stable and fast Internet connection. There is a Bluetooth 5.2 module for pairing with peripherals.
Conclusions
ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR 17 G733PY-LL020X is a premium gaming laptop, the flagship in its line, and the experience is only positive. Its beautiful design, high-quality build, modern display, and excellent performance will make it a must-have for every gamer. With this laptop, you can play modern games without any compromises in graphics and performance.
Is it worth buying ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR 17? Let’s just say that if you need a top-of-the-line laptop for gaming and work and don’t want to bother with assembling a desktop (or you simply don’t need one), then it is definitely worth it, it fully justifies its cost. Otherwise, you can build a similar desktop PC for the same amount of money and you will not be limited in power at all. For example: the mobile RTX 4090 (150-175W) can lag behind the desktop version (450W) in performance by 30-80%, depending on the resolution and the application under test.
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