I had the chance to check out my first 13th Gen Intel CPU-RTX 40-series GPU laptop earlier this year, and it blew my mind. With this latest hardware array and DLSS 3 support for specific games, it is now possible to play the latest video games at incredibly high frame rates without compromising graphics quality or requiring the entire desktop to be at your feet . But that was the 2023 ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 experience, so how does the 2023 ASUS ROG Strix Scar compare?
The short answer is…well. The latest leap in laptop hardware should not be underestimated, dramatically reducing the distance between desktops and laptops. I’ll cover some numbers to prove it later, but before we do, let’s talk about the design and shape of the latest Strix Scar – which is clearly geared towards gamers first.
While this laptop doesn’t have an immediately eye-catching chassis design, the large air vents, RGB capabilities, and bulk all make it clear that this device is for dedicated gamers. It’s heavy, and even uses translucent materials, allowing you to peek at some of the elements inside, but at the same time, it’s not overly proportioned, and there are no weird accents and additions designed to make it look futuristic- Like many gaming laptops before it. No, this is clearly a gaming laptop in appearance, but only because it has the features it needs to have to make it deliver great performance. Namely the numerous and obvious vents.
Strix Scar saves a lot of space thanks to its thin display, which takes up about a quarter of the entire chassis width. Running at QHD quality (1440p), up to 240Hz, with HDR compatibility, 3ms response time, 100% DCI-P3 coverage, all on a 16″ display, this is a monitor that rivals the best of them all Comparable monitors. It’s a monster in practice, which is a perfect fit for the device, as DLSS 3 really does allow you to push every part of it to the limit. With the ultra-thin bezels being so thin that the webcam resides in the prominent notch, every part of the display feels as though it’s in use.
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But anyway, let’s get back to the actual performance side. With a 13th Gen Intel i9-13980HX CPU, RTX 4080 GPU, and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, you might have guessed that the fps numbers the Strix Scar manages to achieve are impressive, and if you did assume that, you’d be right.
Atomic Heart:
- Minimum quality: 230 frames per second
- Super high quality: 135 frames per second
- Ultra Quality with DLSS 3 enabled: 218 fps
Jurassic World Evolution 2:
- Minimum quality: 225 frames per second
- Super high quality: 140 frames per second
- Ultra Quality with DLSS 3 enabled: 207 fps
Marvel Spider-Man:
- Minimum quality: 157 frames per second
- Super high quality: 86 frames per second
- Ultra Quality with DLSS 3 enabled: 139 fps
Mars:
- Minimum quality: 152 frames per second
- Super high quality: 118 frames per second
Roller Coaster Planet:
- Minimum quality: 150 frames per second
- Super high quality: 96 frames per second
Gone Days:
- Minimum quality: 180 frames per second
- Super high quality: 122 frames per second
Dirt 5:
- Minimum quality: 170 frames per second
- Super high quality: 92 frames per second
In general, the fps drop in games played at the lowest graphics quality to Ultra is around 40%, which drops to around 10% when you enable DLSS 3. That’s why having a monitor that can run at up to 240Hz while still having QHD enabled is pretty much a must-have for DLSS 3 products, because you can actually have the best of both worlds, which has been a dream for a long time.
The problem with laptops (and PCs in general) is that when you want to push them to the limit, you get a lot of fan noise as they struggle to dissipate the heat generated by these bulky components. While the Strix Scar is another downside in this regard, noise isn’t significantly worse than most other laptops I’ve tested, which is a huge plus considering performance. This level of success can be credited to the Tri-Fan and liquid metal cooling solutions, which seem to do a good job of keeping the laptop’s cooling at a reasonable level. If you do intend to game without headphones, you’ll need the full power of the Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker system, however, while the noise isn’t intense by gaming laptop standards, it’s still overwhelming .
Asus’ Armory Crate software is at least very informative for those who want to fiddle with the settings and check what the Strix Scar’s elements are doing when they’re in use, and it’s the number one way to change the RGB effects that grace the logo on the laptop’s lid , backlit keyboard and bright bar on the base. Stack it with some connectivity options (and I mean few, as there are eight ports – including the power port – four dedicated to USB-A and USB-C, one for HDMI and one for Ethernet , one for the 3.5mm audio jack), a 90Wh battery that should get you through the day assuming you don’t want to game on the go, and you get a laptop that can do pretty much anything you need it to.
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Now this level of usability does mean that the cost of the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) is an arm and a leg, around £3300, but that’s a price when you think about how much a desktop with similar components will set you back It’s less of a problem. If you want the best possible gaming experience on the go, and you’re not worried about price range, you can’t go wrong with the latest Strix Scar model.