Packing the power in the newest ROG Strix Scar 15 G532L-WAZ085T – a review

The ROG Strix Scar 15 is one of the latest laptops to receive a refresh, getting additional tweaks from the previous year’s model, along with a design change both inside and outside for a neater look, and better control in regards to the RGB elements. Performance wise, this 15-inch laptop is definitely one of the greatest out there, which unfortunately still comes with some drawbacks. Nevertheless, this is one of the sleekest designs that we’ve gotten the pleasure to have in our hands yet, with much thanks to ASUS ROG for providing us the review model!

Beauty out of the box

With a design done in collaboration with BMW Designworks Group, the ROG Strix Scar 15 has a fierce yet low profile style, perfect for both work and gaming. The futuristic patterns grace the deck, the hidden scissor-door hinges stabilizes the display that is bordered with slim bezels which will suit the audience at large. For the full RGB light show, turn on the Aura Sync for the keyboard and the light bar on the bottom. The Docking ROG Keystone further brings about a transformation, in interacting with the hardware and the software.

From the top, the smoke grey coloured top feels very smooth to the touch, nor does it leave very visible prints. the profile looks very thin as this Scar 15 is a mere 36(W) x 27.5(D) x 2.5 (H) cm, alongside the super narrow bezels providing a 81.5% screen-to-body ratio for an incredible viewing experience be it for games or films.

The upgrade with a new generation

This refresh is optimized to give up to triple digit frame rates: ROG Boost takes that GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Max-P GPU up to 1380MHz at 115W in Turbo mode for smooth and fast gameplay. The 10th generation Intel Core CPU is paired with a DDR4-3200 up to 32GB RAM to blaze through the intensive work and game loads. Not just that, the two RAID 0 SSD M.2 NVMe boots up all your programs with great speed, with space for a third SSD for expansion and easy transport of your entire library of programs at any time.

You’re pretty much assured for a great time with those AAA titles or for esports needs with the aforementioned GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Max-P GPU, to fully utilize the 300Hz / 3ms screen. The combination of Turing CUDA, RT and Tensor technologies allows for that amazing real time rendering for shadows, lighting and effects in games, and not forgetting doing the heavy lifting for content creation work, be it 3D modelling or deep learning.

Well, we can let the benchmarks speak for themselves!

3D Mark

PC Mark 10, PC Mark 10 Extended

User Benchmark

VR MARK ORANGE ROOM

FFXV Benchmark

CINEBENCH

The game experience

The 300Hz / 3ms panel allows you to play at a speed enjoyed by esports professionals. After all, with high refresh rate means everything loads in as quickly as you need them to be, and 3ms response time reduces the possibility of blurs in your most hectic moments: two key requirements to ensure victory – besides  personal skill, of course! As a whole, all the games we tried out have all performed excellently at their maximum settings, more so when Turbo mode is on.

The power does come with the general caveats when it comes to gaming laptops  like these: the fan is really loud as it tries to cool down the laptop at maximum performance, so it drowns out your game if you don’t have a headset on, nor does the battery last very long, so plugging in your charger is essentially a given. So, let’s get into the games themselves.

Hyper Scape: 

Remnant from the Ashes:

• It was available for free via the Epic Game Store, so might s well give it a spin
• FPS ranges from 90 to 200
• The graphics are wonderful and all displayed perfectly, and as a bonus doesn’t especially heat up the laptop

Horizon Zero Dawn:

• This benchmarking may not be completely accurate due to trying it out during the time many were complaining about the performance of the port
• fortunately for us, there were hardly if at all, any drastic performance drops, and the game runs smooth as butter. the fan is still pretty noisy unfortunately

What of the keyboard and connectivity?

The keyboard for the Strix Scar 15 is nice and comfy with enough room for the ol’ fingers, though it could have had a further expansion as there’s no dedicated numpad. instead, it’s a digital one that shares the space with the touchpad that lights up in red. The entire keyboard itself has a per-key RGB lighting and with Aura Sync, you can adjust the lightshow accordingly to your other accessories, dim or light according to your preference.

The top left side of the keyboard has 5 dedicated shortcut keys for raising and lowering volume, muting the mic, fan control and the Armoury Crate access. Moving on to connectivity, you get Ultrafast Intel Wi-Fi 6 with Gig + (802.11ax) and Wi-Fi 6 (Gig +) so you’ll get the best connection anytime even when it’s crowded. ROG RangeBoost completes the Wi-Fi 6 package, picking the best pair among internal antennas based on your location to minimize dead spots and increase range up to 30%.

Plug in and play with your accessories that you need with Gen 2 through USB 3.2 Type-C  with DisplayPort 1.4,G-SYNC monitor, 3 ports of USB Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 nd HDMI 2.0b for attaching up to a 4K monitor or 60Hz TV. These ports are hardly disruptive too, with only a few USB ports and audio jack on the left, with most – including the charging port – moved to the back.

Last but not least is the Keystone II, offering a new way of personalization for your machine and extra security. This physical NFC key slips in just nicely into the chassis, adding a smooth accent along the trim. When plugged in, the Keystone opens up access to personalization options, for quick launching of chosen programs or games, reveals the hidden Shadow Drive for those really private stuff and many more.

What of the audio and cooling?

The speakers are off to the side and Smart Amp technology adjusts the audio output in real time to ensure it’s w ithin thermal limits and prevents any damage from distortion. As such, it has a much higher output potential  and you can enjoy hearing every single detail when you turn up the volume without needing to worry.

Thanks to ROG’s Intelligent Cooling philosophy, they’ve combined features and settings to ensure the best performance in every occasion. The liquid metal compound and external ventilation actually reduces the noise level compared to the previous generation and you can optimize it even further with the ROG Armoury Crate in conjunction with ROG Boost.

There are several preset modes for the fan:

• Silent
• Performance
• Turbo
• Manual

The only downside  is really the loud fan when it comes to Turbo mode.

Verdict

The display is really one of the best things for this laptop, with the colours, brightness all popping out be it film or games with perfect colour balance, without tiring out the eyes. The light bar is also one for the aesthetics, and while beautiful, it doesn’t especially stand out too blindingly, with a matte finishing.

While the keyboard is reaally nice to use, but personally it still seems a little lacking, maybe because it feels small compared to what ROG has done before. And of course, the fan is really loud, especially if you have it on Turbo.

Other than those relatively minor gripes, it’s still an amazing laptop through and through, and the refresh is absolutely worth it.

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