Asus updated its Strix gaming laptops, the ROG Strix G and the esports focused ROG Strix Scar III and Hero III with Intel’s 9th Gen Core CPUs and graphics cards from Nvidia. Pricing and availability for the Scar and Here were not immediately disclosed, but the Strix G series will be released on April 23 starting at $999.
The Scar and Hero are identical except for some aesthetics. The Scar is gunmetal grey with a carbon fiber pattern inside, and the Hero is black with what Asus calls a “cyber-text pattern.”
Additionally, the Scar and Hero both have a “Keystone,” a small, magnetic NFC device that can remember your lighting settings and unlock an encrypted partition on the drive.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Asus ROG Strix Hero III / Scar III | Asus ROG Strix G531 and G731 |
| CPU | Up to Intel Core i9-9980H | Up to Intel Core i7-9750H |
| GPU | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 |
| RAM | Up to 32GB DDR4-2666 | Up to 32GB DDR4-2666 |
| Storage | Up to 1 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD, Up to 1 TB SSHD | Up to 1 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD, Up to 1 TB SSHD |
| Display | 15.6-inch, FHD, up to 240 Hz17.3-inch, FHD, up to 144 Hz | 15.6-inch, FHD, up to 144 Hz17.3-inch, FHD, up to 144 Hz |
| Size | 15-inch: 360 x 275 x 24.9 mm / 14.2 x 10.8 x 1 inches17-inch: 399.7 x 293.4 x 26.2 mm / 15.7 x 11.6 x 1 inches | 15-inch: 360 x 275 x 24.9 mm / 14.2 x 10.8 x 1 inches17-inch: 399.7 x 293.4 x 26.2 mm / 15.7 x 11.6 x 1 inches |
| Weight | 15-inch: 2.6 kg / 5.7 pounds17-inch: 2.9 kg / 6.4 pounds | 15-inch: 2.4 kg / 5.3 pounds17-inch: 2.9 kg / 6.4 pounds |
The Strix G531 and G731 are similar on a cosmetic level, but lack the keystone. All three have wraparound RGB underlighting for more immersion, if that’s your thing.
I question the Keystone’s utility (in a hands-on I had a lot of fun mindlessly snapping it to and from the laptop), though it may be more useful in households where multiple users share a machine.
All of the devices have 15.6 and 17.3-inch options up to 144 Hz, and the Scar and Hero also have 15.6-inch options with 240 Hz panels. The G-series goes up to the Core i7-9750H, while the Scar and Hero can be equipped with up to an i9-9980H. All of the laptops will have options up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 GPU.
We’ll see how Asus’ faster panels and Intel’s speedier chips fare in these esports machines when they show up in our lab.
Image Credits: Tom's Hardware
