Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D Review

Verdict

Revolutionary stacked 3D V-Cache makes the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D even quicker in Triple-A video games however the fundamental design is beginning to look dated alongside the brand new Asus ROG Scar Strix 18 fashions.

Introduction

The ROG Strix Scar 17X3D comes with a brand new variant of AMD’s Ryzen 9 7945HX Dragon Vary processor known as the 7945HX3D. The 7945HX3D makes use of what AMD calls “3D V-Cache Expertise” to double the quantity of L3 cache from 64MB to 128MB in comparison with the standard 7945HX. Let’s put it to the check.

The 3D V-Cache packaging know-how stacks extra cache layers on prime of the CPU, which implies you possibly can enhance the CPU’s reminiscence with out rising the scale of the die or shrinking the logic circuits.

Within the case of AMD’s 16-core Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, solely one of many 2 blocks of 8 cores will get the extra stacked L3 3D V-Cache as a result of it has a unfavourable influence on clock pace. The 8 cores within the non-3D block run on the identical 5.4Ghz enhance clock because the 7945HX, however AMD hasn’t launched particulars of the decrease most enhance clock for the 3D V-Cache block.

This design ought to present extra flexibility, permitting purposes that profit from the extra cache and purposes that profit from greater core clock speeds to run quicker. This then needs to be the most effective cell gaming CPU on the earth.

Design and Keyboard

• Identical fundamental design because the 2021 and 2022 fashions
• Chiclet keyboard is stable and effectively laid out
• Styling is kind of subdued for a Strix machine

The brand new Strix Scar 17 X3D is similar to the Strix Scar 17 I reviewed again in Could. It nonetheless weighs 3 kg and measures up at 395 x 282 x 28.3mm, which is identical because the 2022 and 2021 fashions. That is nonetheless primarily a 2022 Strix Scar SE with revised silicon.

The age of the design to at least one aspect, it’s nonetheless a stable machine constituted of aluminium and high-quality plastic with just one actual fault: fingerprints present up badly on the keyboard deck.

The association of the I/O ports is identical, with two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports on the left aspect and two Sort-C ports (each USB 3.2 Gen 2 spec with DisplayPort video output), HDMI 2.0 and a couple of.5G LAN ports together with the DC-in and three.5mm audio jacks on the again. I would favor information ports on each side for the Sort-A ports to be additional aside. 

The keyboard is a well-recognized chiclet affair with 2mm of journey. It’s a stable affair for effectively suited to severe gaming, although it might’t match the mechanical keyboards fitted to the Medion Erazer Beast X40 or MSI Titan GT77.

The format is typical ROG which implies it’s each complete and expansive although it’s a must to tolerate diminished–measurement cursor and keypad keys. 5 devoted (and programmable) hotkeys give fast entry to options equivalent to the amount, fan pace and the Armoury Crate software. The stylised key-cap graphics are a matter of style, however they’re clear sufficient.

The RGB lighting is restricted to a stable color or considered one of twelve preset patterns utilizing solely the Armoury Crate management panel. You may arrange a per-key lighting association, nevertheless it’s removed from simple. The trackpad measures 130 x 77mm, is completely responsive and has a crisp click-action.

Getting contained in the Strix Scar 17 requires care as a result of a ribbon cable connects the lights within the entrance and aspect of the bottom to the motherboard. As soon as inside, you possibly can simply entry the 2 SODIMM RAM slots, wi-fi card and two SSD slots.

The 720p webcam is a crude and drab affair, missing Home windows Good day IR facial recognition. In actual fact, there isn’t a biometric safety of any kind, which given the asking worth, is taking the proverbial.

Asus makes no claims concerning the quantity of recycled materials within the ROG Strix Scar 17, however the packaging is freed from plastic derivatives.

Show and Sound

• 240Hz 2,560 x 1,440 IPS show
• Large color gamut protection
• Good movement dealing with

The show is a stable performer with a peak brightness of 348cd/m2 and a good distinction ratio of 1102:1. There’s loads of color accessible with gamut coverages of 99.9% sRGB, 98.2% DCI-P3 and 84% AdobeRGB whereas color accuracy is appropriate with a Delta E of two.8 vs. the sRGB profile. 

It’s been my expertise that the ROG Nebula shows fitted to the brand new Scar Strix 16 and 18 laptops are extra colour-accurate.

In purely gaming–associated phrases, the display ticks all the precise bins. A 240Hz refresh charge and 3ms response time with overdrive retains ghosting to a minimal, there’s help for Nvidia’s G–Sync adaptive sync know-how, and also you get Superior Optimus which acts as a MUX change with out the palaver of getting to reboot.

Most quantity is probably not something out of the extraordinary at 72.3dB(A), however the sound the stereo audio system produce is sweet, with ample bass and good excessive–frequency replica.

Efficiency

• New 3D V cache delivers spectacular gaming efficiency                         
• Runs cool and quiet for a hardcore gaming laptop computer

The X3D incarnation of the Strix Scar 17 makes use of the identical 175W Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU because the common mannequin, so does the flamboyant 3D cache CPU make it run video games any quicker? In a phrase, sure. 

As we’ve modified our testing methodology right here at Trusted Evaluations since I reviewed the Strix Scar 17, I’ve targeted on the elevated efficiency of the brand new X3D mannequin vs. the usual Dragon Vary machine, which, as we already know, is a really potent gaming platform.

For a direct comparability, I ran three Triple-A gaming benchmarks at 2,560 x 1,440 with ray tracing maxed out and element ranges set to the very best attainable with no DLSS upscaling. 

On the X3D machine, Metro Exodus ran at 71fps in comparison with 63fps on the usual 7945HX mannequin. Cyberpunk 2077 ran at 48fps in comparison with 35fps, whereas Returnal ran at 101fps in comparison with 80fps. 

These body charges had been noticed underneath essentially the most demanding settings attainable, the kind normally reserved for highly effective desktop gaming PCs, not laptops. As you possibly can see from the benchmark scores within the desk, these titles will all run two or 3 times as quick for those who forgo ray tracing, drop the decision to Full HD or engager DLSS.

Much less demanding titles like Horizon Zero Daybreak don’t should be dialled again to hit a three-figure body charge, averaging 175fps in comparison with 153fps from the 7945HX, at display native decision with the very best element settings.

These are some fairly spectacular will increase and are all broadly consistent with the 15% common efficiency bounce AMD reckons the additional L3 cache would ship although the development can range relying on a recreation’s potential to utilise the 3D V-Cache.

It’s not all excellent news, although. Each the Cinebench R23 multicore and PCMark 10 benchmarks scored 5% decrease than the usual Dragon Vary mannequin. Presumably, the decrease clock pace on one of many core blocks offset the good thing about the 3D cache. 

The distinction is bordering on irrelevant as a result of each variations of the Strix Scar 17 are amongst the quickest laptops I’ve ever examined. I’m very happy to commerce off a 5% drop in productiveness efficiency for a 15% enhance in gaming pace.

The 1TB SK Hynix SSD confirmed quicker sequential learn speeds however slower write speeds than the usual mannequin at 7.4GB/sec and a couple of.6GB/sec, respectively. The identical 6Ghz MediaTek MT7922 card and a RealTek 2.5GbE LAN controller deal with communications.

Software program

• Armory Crate is a really complete CP
• Some easy duties are unnecessarily advanced
• Common ranges of bloat

Asus ROG’s Armory Crate management panel is without doubt one of the most intensive management panels of its kind. In addition to managing the efficiency ranges of the laptop computer and the fundamental lighting system, it’s also possible to use it to arrange energetic wallpapers and handle your recreation library.  

My beef with Armory Crate is that you might want to use the Aura Creator app (additionally preinstalled) and the Aura Sync function to create your personal lighting eventualities, even right down to easy issues like simply having the WASD keys lit. Such fundamental operations needs to be a lot simpler to execute.

Bloat ranges are about common with a McAfee anti-virus suite preinstalled together with Begin menu hyperlinks for the likes of WhatsApp, Netflix, Spotify and Instagram. Eradicating these is the work of moments.

Battery Life

• New CPU has no unfavourable influence on effectivity
• Cool and quiet for an RTX 4090 laptop computer

The 2023 Strix Scar 17 carried out effectively within the PCMark 10 Workplace productiveness battery check operating for six hours and 12 minutes earlier than the 90Wh battery gave up the ghost. The X3D carried out a lot the identical, operating for six hours and 5 minutes. This implies that the brand new processor has a minimal impact on the general effectivity.

Once more replicating the 7945HX mannequin, the X3D proved an impressively quiet and funky efficiency even when operating in Turbo mode underneath a heavy load. Most exterior temperatures by no means jumped above 37°, and fan noise by no means grew to become annoying, peaking at 54dB(A).

With reference to noise, I’ve learn some customers complaining of coil whine when operating video games, however this wasn’t one thing I skilled.

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