TechRadar Verdict
Asus ROG Strix SCAR II features the latest NVIDIA graphics which will be able to run most graphics-intensive titles for the remainder of the year and then some. The Full HD display with a high 144Hz refresh rate makes for a smooth gaming experience, as a gaming laptop would warrant.
Pros
- +
Snazzy looks
- +
Display with 144Hz refresh rate
- +
NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics
Cons
- -
Odd camera placement
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With NVIDIA announcing their next generation RTX graphics card, it was inevitable for gaming laptop manufacturers to come out with upgraded products. Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Asus has upgraded its Republic of Gamers (ROG) lineup with NVIDIA RTX graphics suite.
We got our hands on the mid-range Asus ROG Strix SCAR II gaming laptop and even though there’s no striking change on the outside, we flexed its muscles and here’s what we found out.
Price and availability
The Asus ROG Strix SCAR II GL504GV has been launched in India and is priced at Rs 1,64,990. There’s a second variant, the GL504GW which has 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 graphics and 512GB SSD. It retails for Rs 2,09,990.
As for the availability, the upgraded ROG Strix SCAR II is available on Amazon India, Flipkart and with offline retailers of Asus laptops.
Design and Display
Built for FPS gaming, the Strix SCAR II has a design language that picks up a thing or two from the world of action titles. There are two distinct patterns on the lid which has a brushed aluminum finish. Through the Trapezoid-cut on the bottom of the lid, one can notice the camouflage pattern that graces the keyboard deck. The lid is designed in such a way so as to allow for efficient heat dissipation unlike some of the other laptops where the lid blocks the air vents.
Asus has designed the Strix SCAR II in a way that is definitely appealing to gamers. Like with gaming laptops, SCAR II isn’t very portable. It’s got a certain heft, weighs around 2.4kg and is around an inch thick. For the kind of power it packs in, it is certainly bearable but there’s a 230W power adapter that comes along for the ride as well. It is also not often for gamers to modify their gaming setup regularly which is why there’s no mobility involved. It is only the point of contention for users who are on the go and will be required to take this laptop with them.
There has been a considerable amount of effort that has gone behind the design of the keyboard base of the laptop. The carbon fiber pattern on the base has an overlay of camouflage pattern and the whole thing has a soft-touch feel which is also smudge-proof. The keyboard sides are a bit raised which creates a space between the lid and the base when the lid is closed.
Gaming products feel unfinished without the presence of some snazzy RGB lighting and so on the SCAR II, the ROG logo on the lid, the colour bar on the front edge and the keyboard are all areas which can be customized with different effects. The Armoury Crate utility has an option to control the colours via Aura Sync lighting.
One of the striking features about the Strix SCAR II is the 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS panel having a refresh rate of 144Hz. The SCAR II features extremely narrow bezels on three sides and has a thick chin which also houses the camera. It’s a strange decision to go with the kind of offset camera placement that Asus has gone with on the Strix SCAR II, but then again, the camera has never been one of its strong suites.
The IPS panel is anti-glare, is bright and has decent sunlight legibility. In our regular setup which has lots of natural light, the display was bright and vivid. Being non-glare, there was little-to-no-reflection when viewing the screen. The panel reproduces colours accurately and we played several titles that had different visual settings without any issues.
Asus claims that the SCAR II has 2.33cm narrower bezels than the first SCAR gaming laptop. The high refresh rate and 3ms response time negates most of the in-game motion blur. The thick chin beneath the display is the only thing that might put off some users but once you fire up a game, the chin doesn’t feel too obstructive.
Overall, the soft-touch carbon fiber finish on the base, the brushed metal finish on the lid and the RGB lighting make the SCAR II one good-looking gaming machine.
