Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023)

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023): Two-minute review

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 represents a strong contender for best gaming laptop of the year, following up the smaller Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 or dual screen Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16. 

Using the AMD-CPU-and-NVIDIA-GPU-set-up that’s become standard for the ROG brand, the latest Strix Scar 17 features a 16-core Ryzen 9 7945HX, 32GB RAM, 1TB of SSD and the option of either an RTX 4090 or 4080. In the U.S., there are two versions for both GPU options each, so you at least have some variety. The specs are more than enough to play some of the best PC games like Cyberpunk 2077 to Metro: Exodus at max settings with little effort.

It doesn’t hurt that the visual/audio presentation is fairly strong as well. The Strix Scar 17 features a lovely 17-inch 1440p display that offers a 240 refresh rate which is good enough for competitive gamers. Meanwhile, being Dolby Vision-capable ensures that HDR enhances images even further. 

Audio is even more impressive through being both Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio certified through its dual speakers. Alongside music and films sounding great, the speakers also offer 5.1.2 channel virtual surround sound which is useful for gamers looking for more situational awareness when playing Call of Duty: Warzone or Fortnite. However, the Strix Scar 17 does come with some limitations. 

The very limited battery life means users will usually need to have this plugged up regularly. Attempting to use the laptop on a plane ride and the like for tasks outside of general browsing and video content viewing can drain the Strix Scar 17 fairly quickly. 

Meanwhile, the design does have a lot of ports but lacks biometric security or a card reader for gamers leaning more toward creative software. Gamers who don’t care about creating or video conferencing on the regular, however, should be fine. Of course, the Strix Scar 17 comes at a steep price regardless of what NVIDIA GPU set-up potential purchasers use. 

That said, serious PC gamers with deep pockets who are only looking for the highest visual performance in a laptop form factor should strongly consider the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023). you won't be disappointed.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023): Price & availability

• How much does it cost? Starting at $2,899.99 / £3,099.99 / AU$5,599.99
• When is it available? It is available now
• Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia
• $2,899.99 / £3,099.99 / AU$5,599

In the United States alone, there are four configurations available for purchase through Asus’ ROG store. Both RTX 4090 and 4080 configurations come with two different storage and RAM options. 

The Strix Scar 17 is going to cost $3,499.99 at the highest config, with RTX 4090, 32GB RAM, and 2TB SSD, which can even get you solid 4K video output if you want more than the 1440p display can provide. If that’s too much, though, the somewhere in-between $2,899.99 RTX 4080 provides 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. This is good enough for 1440p with solid frame rates. 

In the UK, there are two versions available with one offering an RTX 4090 and 2TB SSD for £3,799 and 4080/1TB combo at the £3,099.99 price point. Both offer the same AMD Ryzen 9 and RAM set up. Australian buyers are only getting one AU$5,599 version featuring a RTX 4090, 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. 

• Price score: 4 / 5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023): Specs

 The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 currently comes in all configurations in the United States, two in the UK, and one in Australia, with no options to configure the models independently.

• Specs score: 4.5 / 5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023): Design

• Despite a plastic chassis, the laptop design is aesthetically bold yet sturdy
• Keyboard features per-key lighting and feels comfortable to use
• There are plenty of ports available though it would have been nice to have biometric security and SD Card

The matte-black plastic design of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 chassis gives off an all-around aggressive look. Be mindful that it also smudges pretty easily as well; especially if hands are adequately moisturized. Like the previous iteration of the gaming laptop, the display hinge is offset to make room for the speakers and rear facing ports it sits near when opened. When closed, there is plenty of customizable lighting everywhere from the light bar that slightly wraps around the bottom to the ROG logo. 

There are also plenty of ports available on the ROG Strix Scar 17 starting with the right side's two USB-A ports and 3.5 audio combo jack. Meanwhile, the rear features a HDMI 2.1 port, two USB-C ports with DisplayPort support, an ethernet jack and charge port that connects through a fairly large power brick. It would have been nice to have an SD slot considering its powerful enough to edit various content on through Adobe Suite (and there's more than enough space in the honking big chassis for it). 

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Considering the 17-inch screen size and components stuffed in the laptop, it’s pretty large and may take some maneuvering to fit inside a backpack. Though some may have an issue with the matte-black plastic, it does help keep the ROG Strix Scar 17 weighting significantly under 10 lbs.

Once opened, the same wonderful RGB keyboard with per-key lighting remains as beautiful to look at as ever. This includes the five customizable macro keys that by default handle volume, mic on/off switch and fan speed among others. It doesn’t matter if it's browsing the web and sending emails or gaming, keystrokes on the mechanical feel pretty good. 

The lack of security features like a fingerprint scanner or webcam shutter feels behind-the-times, though. Gamers will need a separate mouse to play genres including shooters and RTS but general cursor movement on the touchpad is smooth.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023): Performance

• General gaming performance is as fantastic as ever
• Image and audio accentuates gaming performance
• Weak webcam makes video conferencing a hassle

General computing tasks allow the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) to show off its relatively quiet nature and ability to stay cool on your lap. When it's gaming time, the laptop handles 1440p gaming without much problems. The ROG Strix Scar 17 really goes to work on modern titles with the ability to play big AAA games at max settings with respectable frame rates. 

There isn’t a better example than Cyberpunk 2077 which can play at 144 fps at ultra settings. Adding ray-tracing will slow that performance quite a bit, but thanks to the RTX GPU’s ability to perform DLSS upscaling, it can take ray-traced frame rates to respectable numbers. 

Other games from Forza Horizon 5 to Metro:Exodus perform just as well.  When it comes to more competitive leaning games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, motion performance is more than fine and input lag is nearly non-existent. Helps that the display itself provides crisp and clear image quality as well. 

This also makes the ROG Strix Scar 17 a great option for creatives. During our test of Handbrake 1.6, it encoded a roughly 12 minute 4K video to 1080p in about two minutes and 47 seconds. This means that users of Photoshop and Premiere Pro can get some quick export times. Add Dolby Vision into the mix and compatible video content looks phenomenal too. 

Speaker quality is great as well with punchy volume, solid bass and overall clarity. They also feature virtual surround sound and Dolby Atmos for compatible games alongside video content. Some gamers may feel more comfortable gaming on headphones but the internal speakers are good enough. 

One of the weaker elements in the ROG Strix Scar 17 is the 720p webcam. Beyond being really terrible in low light conditions, it’s fairly no frills. Individuals who are looking to stream, it’ll probably be best to invest in one of the best webcams for external use.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023): Battery

• General computing task usage is around four hours.
• Battery takes a little under two hours to charge.

Like many gaming laptops using the latest and most powerful CPU and GPU combinations, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) features a fairly lackluster battery life. 

Thankfully, it’s good enough for four solid hours of general computing usage, according to my testing, so the battery should last long enough for a bi-coastal trip if watching video content or web browsing. 

Doing anything beyond that like attempting to play any game with heft to it like Forza Horizon 5 without being plugged in is going to wear down the battery life fairly quickly, unfortunately, but you knew that coming in. Gaming on a gaming laptop just isn't something you can effectively do on battery power. 

The Strix Scar 17 does make the most out of its 90WHr battery, however, with a full recharge via its large power brick taking just a couple of hours.  

• Battery score: 2.5 / 5

Should you buy the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023)?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023): Also consider

If the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) has you considering other options, here are two more gaming laptops to consider...

Lenovo Legion 7i Pro
Value wise, the Lenovo Legion 7i Pro offers performance and a design that’s nearly as good as the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 but is a little less.

Read our full Lenovo Legion 7i Pro review  

MSI GT77 Titan (2023)
Honestly, if you're looking for the absolute best and money is no object, then look no further than the GT77 Titan. This beast of a machine is prohibitively expensive, but it's performance is as good as it gets.

Read our full MSI GT77 Titan (2023) review

How I tested the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023)

• I tested the gaming laptop for a little over a week
• I played various games including Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 5, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Bright Memory: Infinite
• I used other apps used included Google Chrome alongside Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 was tested for a little over a week, split between general computing, creative suites, and plenty of games. Games played including Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5 among others. 

Those titles were played at full 1440p resolution at max settings, while several photos for this review were edited on Photoshop and a sample 1080p video file was exported through Premiere Pro. Between those times, I browsed the web through Google Chrome and opened several dozen tabs.

I've been testing and reviewing gaming laptops for several years now, and as a professional photographer, among other creative pursuits, I know my way around Adobe Creative Cloud apps and what kind of performance to expect from a high quality laptop with hardware this powerful.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed May 2023