ASUS ROG Strix SCAR II GL504GV Review: The Scar gets an RTX upgrade

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR II GL504GV detailed evaluate

It was only some months in the past that Asus launched the ROG Strix Scar II in India, powered by an Intel Core i7-8750H processor and Nvidia GTX 1060/GTX1070 GPUs. Then at CES, the world was launched to RTX GPUs for laptops and as soon as once more, the GPU recreation modified. Asus was fast to replace its portfolio of gaming machines and we now have the RTX model of the Strix Scar 2, the corporate’s FPS-centric gaming laptop computer. Asus tells us that they won’t discontinue the 10-series powered machine for now, permitting avid gamers to have a alternative throughout numerous value factors. Let’s discover out simply how a lot of an enchancment the RTX variant of the Scar 2 has to supply over the non-RTX one.

ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR II Specs

The ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR II GL504GV is powered by the Intel Core i7-8750H and an NVIDIA RTX 2060 6GB SKU. There’s additionally a dearer variant with the RTX 2070, which is not the Max-Q variant for anybody questioning. The evaluate unit we acquired had the beneath specs .  

ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR II GL504GV Specs
Processor	Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2 GHz
Platform	300-series
RAM FSB	2666 MHz
RAM Capability	16 GB
Display screen Dimension	15.6–inches 144 Hz
Display screen Dimension	1920×1080
GPU	Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB DDR6
SSD	Western Digital 256GB NVMe
HDD	Seagate FireCuda 1 TB
Ethernet	Realtek GbE Controller
Wi-Fi	Intel Twin Band Wi-fi-AC 9560
Audio	Realtek ALC294
Battery	4210 mAh 66 Whr @15.4v
AC Adapter	230W
Weight	2.4 Kg

Construct and Design

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 2 carries ahead the identical design as its non-RTX counterpart, sustaining consistency within the product line. We love the RGB mild strip that sits on the entrance of the laptop computer, just under the place the lid closes, and the ROG emblem on the lid, which glows. The laptop computer weighs a notable 2.4 kilograms, making it not very straightforward to lug across the machine. The laptop computer has a complete thickness of over an inch and therefore, doesn’t slot in most digicam luggage as I sadly discovered on a current worldwide journey the place the laptop computer accompanied me.

The development of the laptop computer is fairly strong, however the lid has a little bit of flex, not simply on the highest, but additionally on the hinge. Being as skinny because the show is, it’s straightforward for it to flex in case you elevate it or shut it from one edge. The hinge on which the show rests is itself very sturdy and holds the show in place with none slack.

The lid of the Scar 2 displays some flex

The level right here is, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 2 is constructed properly, with the tradeoff being a barely thick physique and the two.4 kilos of heft.

A peek beneath the hood

One of many joys of proudly owning a gaming laptop computer is realizing that when the time comes, you possibly can take the underside off and upgrade among the inside parts with a view to increase efficiency. Firms have taken totally different approaches to make this course of simpler (or more durable in some instances) and with Scar 2, the method is someplace within the center. Best upgrades are when all it’s a must to do is take off a small panel off the underside by unscrewing considered one of two screws. With this machine, nonetheless, the complete backside has to return off.

As soon as the insides are revealed, you’re greeted with a pink motherboard, and we will not assist however marvel if that is some type of a design alternative, given ROG’s unique model colors being pink and black. The 16GB of RAM is courtesy 2 8GB sticks clocked at 2666MHz. It is a massive aid because the non-RTX model of the Scar 2 that we had reviewed earlier got here with a single 16GB Stick.

This time, the Scar 2 sports activities 2x8GB RAM configuration

There’s additionally the 256GB NVMe drive that operates at PCIe x2 speeds, together with a 1TB Seagate FireCuda SSHD. The SSHD is mounted in a caddy, which is supported by a little bit bit of froth padding to stop any mishaps due to sudden motion.

The SSHD sits comfortable in its caddy

For cooling, we see a beneficiant quantity of copper warmth pipes going throughout the brand new RTX 2060 and the Intel Core i7-8750H accompanied by two 12V followers, which include a novel design that helps separate the mud from the air.

By way of upgrade and repairs, customers ought to be capable of simply exchange the RAM, SSD, HDD and even the Wi-Fi card if wanted. The audio system are additionally simply replaceable when it comes to how they’re packed into the machine, however whether or not you’ll be capable of discover replacements simply is one other difficulty altogether. The twin followers must also be simply replaceable if wanted, offered you could find spares for them as properly.

Giant 12V followers for optimum airflow

Keyboard, Trackpad, I/O

One in all my favorite issues concerning the  Asus ROG Strix Scar 2 is the keyboard, which additionally comes with a compact num-pad on the facet. The keyboard itself affords RGB backlighting with 4 zones and a bunch of results out there within the Aura console. The keys themselves supply a 1.8mm of journey and curvature of 0.25mm. The curvature is barely noticeable to the attention, however when your fingers strike the keys, you’re feeling it mate completely together with your fingers. The WASD keys are clear on the Scar 2, giving it a devoted fps-gamer really feel. Whereas the keyboard itself is nice for gaming, it additionally serves as an ideal device for typing, with its tender key presses and low actuation level. The devoted quantity keys, a key to mute the microphone and one to deliver up the Asus Armory Crate software program are undoubtedly an ideal factor to have.

The keyboard options RGB lighting in 4 zones

The trackpad on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 2 makes use of Home windows’ precision drivers and has two distinct left and proper click on keys. The benefit of this sort of click on setup is that they’ll each be used collectively whereas gaming, within the uncommon case that you end up with out an exterior mouse. By itself, the trackpad affords glorious response for many use instances, however naturally, is just not beneficial for aggressive gaming.

Devoted quantity and Armory Crate keys are useful

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 2 additionally affords a really beneficiant number of ports, very best for lots of various sorts of customers. By way of USB, there are a complete of three USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, two on the left and one on the correct. There’s additionally a USB Sort-C port that operates at 5Gbps. Together with an HDMI 2.0 port, the Scar 2 additionally hosts a Mini Displayport 1.2 connector which is able to driving displays with a decision of 4K @ 60Hz. Reducing the decision on the exterior show permits for body charges as excessive as 144Hz (at 1080p). On the correct facet, you can find the trusty previous SD Card slot as properly.

Show

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 2 sports activities a Full HD panel able to 144Hz refresh fee and a response time of 3ms. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 on board this machine isn’t highly effective sufficient to push most video games to this body fee at excessive graphics settings. Nevertheless, in case you tone down the graphics on some video games, you could find your self having fun with greater body charges. We’ll talk about this within the efficiency part for specifics. the show additionally sports activities extraordinarily slim bezels, one thing we love.

The IPS show is alleged to supply one hundred pc sRGB color copy, however we have been solely in a position to obtain 98 p.c protection as revealed by our Spyder color calibration device.  What was a little bit shocking, nonetheless, was discovering some very sturdy mild bleed on the corners of the show when there’s a pitch black picture on the display. The mild bleed, fortunately, doesn’t have any presence when there may be content material taking part in on the display, whether or not its video games, watching motion pictures and even a lot as searching the net.

The IPS panel is a good addition and a number of gaming laptops are beginning to use this. This stems from corporations lastly realizing that inventive professionals are simply as more likely to decide up gaming laptops as avid gamers. Since creativity instruments require equal, if no more energy than even probably the most demanding of video games, the one factor that was lacking was a colour-accurate show. With an IPS panel on board, photographers, indie-filmmakers and even colouring artists have at their disposal the right device for his or her job.

 

Efficiency

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 2 has a reasonably normal configuration for gaming laptops, that’s, an 8^th technology Intel Core i7-8750H mated with 16GB of RAM. The differentiator right here is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, which is meant to supply some fascinating efficiency enhancements. We’re going to measure the efficiency of the machine throughout three parameters; artificial benchmarks, gaming efficiency and photograph & video render assessments.

Artificial Efficiency

On condition that the brand new Strix 2 comes with the identical {hardware} as that on the non-RTX variant, we didn’t count on an enormous variance in numbers. Surprisingly, among the benchmark numbers have been notably greater on the RTX model of the Strix 2 than its 10-series counterpart. Under is a comparative graph for 3DMark’s numerous benchmarks displaying the efficiency delta between not simply the 2 Strix 2 variants, but additionally the Alienware M15 which we reviewed a couple of weeks in the past.

There’s an fascinating realization available right here. Protecting the processor and RAM the identical, the change within the GPU does present a notable distinction in numbers, even in artificial benchmarks. The RTX 2070-powered Alienware outperforms the 2060-powered Strix 2, which scores greater numbers throughout the board compared to the GTX 1060 powered Strix 2.

Gaming Efficiency

Relating to gaming, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 2 affords a alternative of efficiency. Bear with me as I stroll you guys via what I imply. With the brand new RTX GPUs, Nvidia has opened up doorways for an entire new variety visible constancy. Whereas that is nice for desktops, the place in case your GPU isn’t pushing sufficient frames, you possibly can all the time simply upgrade it, so long as you bought the cash, it is not nice for a laptop computer. With a laptop computer, you’re principally in a dedicated relationship with the CPU-GPU combo the minute you pull the set off on any laptop computer. With an RTX-powered laptop computer, you possibly can select between greater body charges or visible constancy, as you will notice within the numbers beneath.

We examined the laptop computer with a variety of fashionable, modern-day gaming titles at their highest and 1-less-than-highest graphical settings. For the sake of consistency and readability, we consult with them as Extremely and Excessive graphical settings in our charts. We measured the numbers with RTX turned off, and for video games that assist the characteristic, we examined with each RTX and DLSS turned on as properly.

Extremely Settings

With the video games set to their most  demanding setting, we famous that Metro: Exodus was nearly playable at an common body fee of 41fps. That is undoubtedly consistent with how we anticipated the sport to reply, given its brutal calls for on any gaming system. Shifting to extra beneficial titles like Battlefield V, we averaged a really playable 60fps. What we did discover, nonetheless, have been occasional frame-drops, not essentially remoted to situations of heavy on-screen motion. Titles like Doom, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Apex Legends and even Crysis 3 managed to keep up fairly spectacular body charges as properly. You possibly can see the entire common body charges within the chart beneath.

Excessive Settings

Bumping issues all the way down to one-lower-than-highest, we noticed diversified enhancements in body charges. In some instances, the soar was barely noticeable (Metro: Exodus), however in some instances like, Doom and Apex Legends, we noticed the numbers breach the century mark. This leads us to consider that the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 may push some video games to the 144Hz mark, offered you’re prepared to commerce off the visuals.

Turning on Nvidia’s RTX

Now coming to the large characteristic of the brand new Scar 2, the RTX capabilities of the GPU. We examined the laptop computer on Battlefield V and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, RTX and DLSS turned on. Do observe that RTX for various video games is at present enabled just for particular visible features. For Battlefield V, it is enabled for reflections, for Metro: Exodus, its World Illumination (lighting & shadows) and for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, its just for shadows. No matter would be the case, turning RTX on will considerably affect body fee supply, which is why Nvidia additionally created Deep Studying Tremendous Sampling or DLSS to compensate. Under are our findings, in comparison with the non-RTX body charges.

Picture and Video modifying

As I had talked about earlier, the gaming laptop computer producers are quick realizing that the inventive trade is simply as profitable a target market for them as avid gamers. We run our render take a look at in three batches, one by rendering 50 photographs, second by rendering 100 photographs and third by rendering 500 photographs. All photographs in query have been shot on a Nikon D800 with a decision of 36 megapixels and are in RAW format. We evaluate the render instances of the Scar 2 with these of the Alienware M15, which comes powered by an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070, the affect of which exhibits within the render instances.

For video modifying, we used Adobe Premiere Professional and located that the laptop computer was simply in a position to deal with 4K and 1080p edits. Utilizing native 4K and 1080p timelines and no proxies, we discovered that playback of 4K footage was a little bit uneven within the preview window, particularly when you apply LUT profiles. With the preview high quality at 50 p.c, issues are clean. You could possibly, nonetheless, actually pace up your workflow through the use of proxies.

Thermals

What’s a given with gaming laptop computer with any type of first rate {hardware} is warmth. Asus has been making a giant deal about their cooling tech for a couple of years now and on the Scar 2, we will considerably see why. Whereas gaming, the WASD keys stay extremely cool, due to the actual fact that there’s a 12V fan just below the keys, pulling in chilly air. The laptop computer exhausts scorching air from the again and the correct facet. Whereas we didn’t expertise any type of heat-related throttling, we did expertise important discomfort whereas gaming.

The exhaust vent on the correct facet of the laptop computer made utilizing an exterior mouse fairly uncomfortable. Taking part in any recreation previous 5 minutes ends in an exhaust temperature of about 61 levels, and all of that warmth will hit your proper hand as you progress the mouse round. The solely strategy to not be impacted by that is to have your mouse positioned atleast 6-7 inches away from the correct facet, one thing that many customers might discover unnatural.

Battery

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 2 sports activities an honest sized battery, primarily a 66Whr slab of lithium. On PCMark 8’s inventive take a look at, we clocked a run-time of three hours and 48 minutes, which is not so much however is first rate for a gaming laptop computer. In fact, in case you have been to recreation on the Scar 2 whereas it was not plugged in, count on the battery life to drop quick, together with the efficiency. This is because of the truth that when the machine is on battery energy, it switches over to Intel graphics. Nevertheless, if you wish to simply do fundamental day-to-day issues like watching some movies or engaged on paperwork and shows, the efficiency must be nice, though, hold an eye on the battery indicator anyway.

Backside Line

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 2 RTX version is just about the identical laptop computer when it comes to its construct and design that we reviewed earlier, however there may be one main distinction: the GPU. We see that the RTX 2060 powered Scar 2 outperforms the non-RTX model of the laptop computer throughout each benchmark by anyplace between 15 and 30 p.c. Even when gaming, if you’d like the thrill of real-time ray tracing, you possibly can all the time simply flip it on in supported video games and get playable body charges, or you possibly can flip it off and luxuriate in even greater fps. In some video games, you possibly can even get 100+ fps, relying on the graphics settings. What Asus has executed with the Scar 2 collection is offered choices for customers throughout a wider value vary and the RTX 2060 variant falls very a lot consistent with the efficiency we anticipated from it.