ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 (2023) Laptop Review

Checking in for review is the much awaited 2023 update to the ROG Strix SCAR 17 gaming laptop, featuring the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX CPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. It retails for $3,499 USD which is about ₱195,000 PHP – tax included.

There’s a lot going on with this unit but perhaps what strikes me the most are its 17.3-inch QHD 240 Hz panel, the vapor chamber cooling solution and of course, the unapologetic CPU and GPU combination.

Disclosure: AMD in conjunction with ASUS, sent the ROG Strix SCAR 17 2023 for the purpose of this review. They did not ask me to say anything particular about it. Note that this is the G733PY-LL023X which is currently not available in the Philippines.

Technical Specifications

Processor
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX
Chipset	N/A
Memory
Slot	2x SO-DIMM
SDRAM	DDR5-4800 (Installed), DDR5-5200 (Max)
Speed	4800 MT/s (Installed)
Capacity	32 GB (Installed), 64 GB (Max)
Graphics
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Discrete), AMD Radeon 610M (Integrated)
Display
Size	17.3 inches
Resolution	2560 x 1440 (16:9)
Refresh Rate	240 Hz
Response Time	3 ms (GtG)
Storage
Slot	2x M.2 2280 (1x 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD Installed)
RAID	NA
USB
Standard	USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 1
Network
LAN	2.5 GbE
WLAN	Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3
Audio
DAC	N/A
ADC	N/A
Speaker	Stereo
Connectivity
USB	2x Type-A, 2x Type-C
LAN	RJ-45
Audio	3.5 mm TRRS (In/Out)
Display	DisplayPort, HDMI
Dimensions
Length	395 mm
Width	282 mm
Height	28.3 mm
Weight	3000 grams

Packaging and Accessories

Our ROG Strix SCAR 17 is a seeding unit so I cannot share my thoughts about its retail packaging.

Scope of delivery (for retail) are as follows:

• ROG Backpack
• ROG Fusion II 300 Gaming Headset
• ROG Gladius III Gaming Mouse
• 330W Power Adapter

Though I don’t have the bundled accessories at hand, the headset, mouse and the ROG Bag should be enough to get any gamers started. I expected a bit more though at its price point so check your dealers for promos and bundles.

Design, Build and Connectivity

The ROG Strix SCAR 17 2023 is not that much different compared to the last year’s model except for the added webcam and some design omissions. That includes the now non-removable ROG logo/badge, non-RGB LED lit logo and the removal of the ROG keystone. These are the most apparent of them all along with a more streamlined chassis.

The back panel has an ample amount of perforations (and gap via the rubber padding) to keep the device from choking itself. There are also a lot of custom molded parts here down to the asymmetrical rubber padding.

The left side of the laptop is devoid of any connectivity options but we have a few here from the right. There are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports on this area along with a 3.5 mm TRRS combo jack for your gaming headset.

The bulk of I/O options are situated at the back. This includes two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, an HDMI port, 2.5 GbE LAN and the power adapter port.

Opening the ROG Strix SCAR 17 reveals the massive vapor chamber enhanced cooling solution – shrouding the mainboard’s PCB. Our unit comes with 32 GB of DDR5-4800 memory (kit of two 16 GB) and a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Both SO-DIMM are removable and ASUS is generous enough to add an extra slot for yet another M.2 device. It could be installed right next to the 90 wH battery.

Maintenance and upgrades are easy, provided that you have the heart or means to pry it open. The only thing I was hoping here to see are captive screws so I think everything is still on point. Nothing major to complain I must say.

Ergonomics

The SCAR 17 is bulky, but it doesn’t mean it is no good on a desk. The first thing you’ll notice here is the pixel density, which is great due to its 2560 x 1440 resolution on a 17.3-inch panel.

The laptop also comes with a chiclet keyboard. It felt decent enough, but its compacted numpad baffles me the most. The touchpad on the other hand is just okay. Display panel also maxes out at a shallow angle but that’s acceptable for its intended use.

Essentials

Basic benchmarks suggests that the Strix SCAR 17 2023 is fast. Even faster compared to my AMD test system.

Productivity

Productivity benchmarks also checks out. This thing is really fast.

Digital Content Creation

Now digital content creation is a mixed bag of results. For an instance, everything checks out fine here with the exclusion of the photo editing benchmark (GIMP). This is attributed to the Radeon 610M which is not exactly the GPU I want to run on this exact test. I could say the same for the video editing benchmark based on HandBrake.

Gaming

CS:GO performance is great across the board which also means you are able to make use of its 240 Hz refresh rate panel at its fullest.

Cyberpunk performance is acceptable at its high settings.

GTA 5 is a piece of cake for the Scar 17.

Storage

Nothing seems out of place here.

Network

The wired 2.5 GbE network performance is actually pretty good but wireless performance is a bit middling.

 

Battery Life

Pretty middling results here but what else would you expect from a flagship gaming laptop? Better plug this in if you are going to play games all day long.

Display

Overall pretty good results we got here for the 240 Hz BOE panel. Contrast ratio and the brightness level (actually acceptable) are the weakest points here but everything else is mighty fine.

DataColor Spyder5 Elite
Gamut	100% sRGB, 91% AdobeRGB, 99% DCI-P3
Tone Response	2.2
Brightness	284 cd/m²
Contrast	790:1
Color Accuracy	1.44 ∆E
White Point	6400 K

Response Time

Now response time is pretty decent with an average visual response rating of 80.3. This nets an even better rating over the  27-incher Philips Gaming Monitor that we reviewed just last month.

 

Input Lag

Average total input lag is just over 4 ms.

Audio

Alas, audio performance is somewhat middling. I don’t find these results particularly good, especially if we are looking at the THD + Noise output for both input and output. The bottom firing speakers are also nothing to write home about. It maxes out at a generous 72 dBA yet its frequency response and distortion levels are just telling that everything audio related is just a checklist for ASUS. Oh you listen to music at 60 dBA? Thats cute, let me distort and resonate with the chassis at that level too.

Right Mark Audio Analyzer
	Headphone Out	Microphone In
Noise Level	-79.9 dBA	-67.0 dBA
Dynamic Range	80.0 dBA	67.0 dBA
THD	0.043%	0.067%
THD + Noise	-63.0 dBA	-58.4 dBA
IMD + Noise	0.056%	0.143%
Stereo crosstalk	-75.6 dB	-63.4 dB
IMD at 10 kHz	0.040%	0.143%

Temperature

Thermal output is middling, but I expected such with its powerhouse components.

It doesn’t throttle down both CPU and GPU though which is much more important for long gaming sessions.

Power

Power consumption is pretty high but then again, this is a gaming laptop with the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX and the RTX 4090 Laptop GPU inside. It also goes to show how much work the vapor chamber cooler is doing for both the CPU and GPU.

Noise

Noise output is not the best but I have definitely seen worst.

Final Thoughts

There is a lot going on with the SCAR 17 2023 but perhaps we could summarize the experience as desktop like. The laptop is just a beast when it comes to sheer gaming performance output that has been made possible by the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combined. Together with a capable 240 Hz panel and the native support for NVIDIA DLSS, you are certainly going to enjoy the latest games with fluidity in mind.

Now like many stuff, the SCAR 17 2023 is not a perfect machine. It runs hot which is acceptable for what it needs to tame inside, it is also pretty noisy at its performance and turbo profiles (again, acceptable) and it has little to no regard to its own battery life. These are somewhat fixable on your own by using a more silent profile but you will end up loosing some numbers by doing so. Audio performance though is where it really crumbled so I want ASUS to make some strides here.

In closing, the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 2023 is one, if not the apex of mobile powerhouses this side of the year.