AMD’s new Zen 4 mobile chip has the most math power in a gaming laptop. That makes this Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 one of the most powerful gaming laptops I’ve ever tested. However, it takes some of the shine away as we can’t shake the feeling that his AMD machine still appears to be Tier 2 in the eyes of the manufacturer.
To be fair, these new AMD chips aren’t just relegated to less popular form factors, they’re still in the excellent Zephyrus G14 machines.
These systems feature the ROG Nebula Display, which ASUS has been using in some of our favorite laptops, but we couldn’t find a comparable large-screen version in this 17-inch machine. is definitely disappointing. Compared to the excellent screen that comes with the ROG Zephyrus M16, the Scar 17’s display looks a little dull and a little tired.
Also, the whole machine feels like it doesn’t have the quality I’m used to in other Asus laptops I’ve seen recently. (opens in new tab).I mean, trackpads historically suck in gaming notebooks, but this one sucks painfully poor. And fingerprints, oh my God, fingerprints. The matte finish might look nice out of the box, but in fact, after 10 minutes of he’s using it, it’s permanently smudged by your skin’s natural oils.
Strix Scar 17 Specs
But that’s where the sadness ends, because otherwise this would be a truly impressive gaming laptop and a ridiculous MSI Titan. (opens in new tab) looks even more stupid. Asus is nearly $2,000 cheaper and beats Asus in virtually every metric that matters.
It’s the most affordable RTX 4090 machine I’ve seen in this generation, so in some ways being a low profile from a laptop standpoint ultimately helps this AMD-powered system. It may be. It’s also one of the best performing RTX 4090 machines I’ve seen so far, a double whammy that makes it difficult to recommend others.
The downside is whether you want a 17-inch form factor. These are big old laptops, after all. That being said, however, a high-end GPU-equipped notebook in this category will likely be plugged into your desk rather than lugged around on the train, coffee shop, etc. Or in the park. Or in other places where people like to be seen writing about doing important work in public.
And despite the 90Wh battery, it doesn’t last long away from the wall outlet, so you’ll always have to plug it in. If you’re gaming, think of your battery as a sort of uninterruptible power supply, rather than something you rely on for long periods of time.
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As always with gaming notebooks, the key spec is the CPU/GPU combination. We’ve already ranted about the mobile RTX 4090 and denounced the fallacy of the RTX 4080 name. (opens in new tab) Despite the thin look, mobile AMD CPUs are the big new feature here.
This is AMD’s latest Zen 4 architecture brought to the laptop realm and it’s very special with the competing Intel 13th Gen chips used in the comparison system. sometimes from afar. It’s a 16-core, 32-thread processing monster, but so far it hasn’t burned out within the confines of this surprisingly small chassis.
The chip has a nominal clock speed of just 2.5 GHz with a boost clock of 5.4 GHz. In my testing, I’ve definitely seen the chip ramp up to that level during single-core loads, so this is indeed a reliable boost as well. A highly multithreaded load yielded a normal 4.7 GHz, which is no small feat. Again, we’re talking about 16. full Zen 4 CPU cores here.
The most powerful Intel mobile chip we’ve seen so far is the Core i9 13980HX in the Asus Strix Scar 16. (opens in new tab), is the smaller brother of this machine. It’s a 24-core processor with 32 threads, but remember Intel combined 8 Performance cores with 16 of his Efficient cores to hit its threading goal. And it shows in the CPU benchmarks as well.
system performance
But if Nvidia graphics cards are better supported by AMD processors, that might show up in the gaming numbers as well. Except for things like the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, this isn’t usually a situation we’re used to. (opens in new tab) However, there are some examples where the Scar 17’s 175W RTX 4090 outperforms the same GPU in almost every other machine.
game performance
However, most of the time, the extra space inside the monster MSI Titan gives it a performance boost, and I never want to lay eyes on that machine again.
Yes, thanks to AMD’s new Dragon Range Zen 4 processor, it’s the most powerful gaming laptop I’ve ever tested that I could actually hold up to, but it’s the laptop I really want to use. can’t say i want to have myself. New AMD chips are definitely better, but better processing silicon doesn’t tell the whole story of a performance notebook.
Ergonomics are still very important and how you feel when you actually use your machine every day has a big impact on how much you enjoy your experience with it. That’s where laptops can really differentiate in such a crowded market.
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I’m used to the gorgeous Nebula displays that Asus puts in other laptops, so the big screen is a bit disappointing, but perhaps the price was prohibitive. 1440p panels are not badis responsive and has a 240Hz refresh rate, but it doesn’t feel particularly bright or vivid, whether on desktop or gaming.
If you can keep the price down, I can accept it. What I can’t forgive is that after nearly a thousand letters writing this review, my forearms are now really sore. The distinct edge on the front of the laptop isn’t as sharp as the Blade chassis, but it digs in quite a bit.
And oh, I really like that trackpad. It goes back and forth between being too responsive and being too responsive. I’m trying to use two-finger scrolling to navigate webpages and documents, but it’s so light it always registers the press.
It also likes to have its own opinion heard. I’m not talking about the speakers, which are fine drivers for laptops, but the noise of the system’s cooling arrays. It’s effective, and the CPU is well below what competing Intel chips have achieved. But it sure sucks when you do that.
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If so please buy…
✅ You need the most powerful gaming laptop: The combination of AMD’s latest Ryzen mobile chip and Nvidia’s RTX 4090 makes this a true frame rate-spitting monster machine.
✅ If desktop replacement is required: A large 17-inch screen and 1440p resolution gives you plenty of room to work without taking up the same space as a full desktop + monitor setup.
Please do not buy if…
❌ If you want longer battery life: With just 55 minutes of gaming time, the battery life is among the worst I’ve tested.
❌ Ergonomics are key for you: The typing experience isn’t great due to the pronounced edges of the chassis that dig into your forearms.Also, the trackpad terrible.
❌ You like a quiet life: It gets noisy.
It’s not just for rendering tasks or when you’re thrashing in a game. Fans spin very loudly when I’m downloading something or trying to figure out when to interrupt a Windows Update reboot. It’s really distracting and completely fails the patented Ridley Train embarrassment test. It’s not comfortable sitting there in public with Scar 17 roaring. My European sensibilities do not allow it.
Still, I can recall many irrevocably negative experiences with MSI Titan machines. It’s an uncomfortably heavy and noisy machine, but it still offers as little performance as this Asus Scar 17 can. So, while the ergonomics of this big ROG laptop don’t appeal to me, the raw performance definitely does.
It’s also my first taste of AMD’s new laptop processor, and it’s sure to please my techie palate. The Red Team is currently working on his mobile chip, harnessing the power of this Ryzen 9 7945HX and the efficiency and performance of the Z1 Extreme (née Ryzen 7 7840U) to rival the excellent ROG Ally. (opens in new tab) handheld gaming pc.
That’s why I want to get an Asus Zephyrus G14 with an AMD chip. Because while the Scar 17’s price and performance are a bit tempting, and it sits at the top of the mobile tech tree, it still feels a little lukewarm in hands-on use.
