After updating the Asus Zenbook 14, TUF F15, the brand has now updated its popular ROG Strix Scar laptop. As we know, Asus ROG devices are aimed at gamers with high-end CPU, GPU, RGB backlight, and high refresh rate screen.
The latest ROG Strix Scar 15 is no different. Under the hood is the latest 12th generation Intel i9 chipset paired with an NVIDIA RTX 3070 GPU and a 240Hz QHD display. On top of that, the notebook has RGB all around, so you never forget that it’s a gaming laptop. But is it the best gaming laptop on the market? Let us find out in our Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 review.
Design and Build Quality
Design plays an essential role in any gaming notebook, as it helps the laptop stand out from the crowd with its gamer accents. And the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 can score in this respect. The laptop is well designed with attractive RGB accents and a glowing ROG logo on the back of the lid. There is also a thin RGB strip running underneath the notebook that looks great and enhances the overall gaming experience. With the help of the Asus Armory Crate, you can customize the notebook in many ways. This includes changing the RGB light colors, setting custom game modes, adjusting the display depending on the task, and much more. In fact, Asus has made the keyboard deck on the right side a bit transparent so that the user can quickly look at the laptop’s internal components, which is a clever party trick. But that’s not all: the company has also included special Armoud caps that can be attached to the hinge cover and look fantastic. Also, the laptop is built like a tank, and you will not have any problems with the keyboard or deck, which is always good.
At 2.3 kilograms, it’s undoubtedly a heavy laptop, but considering the specs on offer, that’s fine since the laptop will be on your desk most of the time. The I/O equipment of the laptop is also excellent. The notebook has the following ports:-.
2 USB Type-A ports 1 USB C 3.2 gen 2 port 1 Thunderbolt 4 port RJ45 LAN port HDMI 2.1 Port 3.5mm Headphone Jack
Display
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 offers a 240 Hz QHD display with a response time of 3 ms, which proved excellent during our gaming time with the laptop. Unfortunately, unlike last year, there is no 300 Hz FHD variant, but 240 Hz is still pretty smooth, and the QHD resolution is just the icing on the cake. Furthermore, the display covers 100% of the DCI-P 3 color space, which is always good. As a result, we had no issues with the screen’s color reproduction, and the 3 ms response time improved the overall gaming experience a bit more. All in all, the display is not the brightest at 300 nits, and we had some issues using the device in bright environments.
Performance
The most crucial aspect of a gaming laptop is its performance. The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 is equipped with the latest Intel Core i9-12900H, 32 GB LPDDR5 RAM, and a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU with 150 TGP for the ultimate in graphics performance. The laptop’s day-to-day performance is outstanding, and you’ll have no trouble launching multiple applications at once, working with 10-15 tabs in Firefox, and more. But then, that was to be expected considering the lush specifications. To push the laptop to its limits, we played a number of games like GTA 5, Valorant, and Overwatch on the notebook. In Valorant, the average FPS at medium graphics settings was close to 300, which is pretty smooth, and the 240Hz screen adds to the experience. In GTA 5, we reached almost 130 FPS in FHD resolution (very high graphics), and in QHD settings, the speed dropped to 100 FPS, which is pretty decent for an RTX 3070. Like the Asus Zenbook 14, we recently tested, this model also uses a fast Gen 4 SSD, resulting in super-fast trunk speeds. We also ran our standard benchmarks, and the results are as follows:
Keyboard and trackpad
With the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15, you get a great RGB keyboard because RGB improves your gameplay (pun intended). All kidding aside, the keyboard is excellent for gaming, and the keys are very smooth and have good travel. Keycap wobble is negligible, so no complaints on that front.
A decently sized trackpad is underneath the excellent keyboard that works exactly as expected. It’s smooth to use, works flawlessly, and effortlessly registers all Windows 11 gestures. In addition, the trackpad has an integrated Numpad like other Asus Creator notebooks, which some might find very helpful.
Battery Life and Charging
Generally, gaming laptops tend to have poor battery life, but the Strix Scar 15 surprised us here. The 90 Wh battery inside the laptop is quite decent for the performance on offer. It easily lasted for 3.5-4 hours with moderate use. Now, one could argue that the battery life is not good, but considering that the Strix Scar 15 is a gaming laptop, it is pretty good.
Charging speeds were also pretty decent, but the best part is that the laptop supports 100W USB power, which means you do not have to carry a heavy charging brick. Note that you will only get the best performance if you use the included 280V charger, which works via a 15A plug.
Software, Speaker and Webcam quality ft. Connectivity
The Asus ROG Strix 15 runs a pre-activated version of Windows 11, and there are no notable bugs or software issues since Windows 11 has been available for some time. For the speakers, Asus has teamed up with Harmon Kardon, and the quality of the speakers is decent at best. We would have liked them to sound a bit fuller and louder, but that is no cause for alarm.
Unfortunately, the notebook does not come with a webcam, so you’ll have to buy a separate accessory to make video calls to friends, family, colleagues, and others. In terms of connectivity, the Strix Scar 15 laptop is very good. There is support for WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, and there is also support for Asus WiFi Master Premium technology, which the manufacturer says increases WiFi range.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 Review: Verdict
With a starting price of Rs 2,32,135 (USD 2469), the Strix Scar 15 is a very premium gaming laptop, but it’s not for everyone. You should consider the Strix Scar 15 if you are a very power-hungry user who edits videos with long timelines and wants to play games with maximum graphics performance and smooth, steady FPS, and the price is not an issue. With the ROG Strix Scar 15, you get excellent performance, build quality, decent display quality, etc. All in all, if you are on a tight budget and looking for a gaming laptop, we’d recommend taking a look at the 2022 Edition of the Asus TUF F15, as during our testing this laptop performed quite well for the price.
