Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL504GV review: Excellent gaming performance, great sound

India’s gaming market has seen a paradigm shift in recent months. There has been an increase in the supply of content and devices, coupled with the mushrooming of tournaments, helping the ecosystem grow and thrive. Asus is trying to encash on increased video games enhancement among users and has now brought in the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Strix Scar II to India.

This top-of-the-line gaming laptop, though priced Rs 164,990, is esports-ready. It boasts a super-smooth 144Hz display, is light enough to double up like a regular laptop, run on 8th-gen Core i7 8750H, has 16GB DDR4 and Nvidia RTX 2060 6GB GPU that’s equipped to handle most games in Full HD at 60fps.

I used the ROG Strix Scar II for a week and here is what I think about the gaming laptop.

Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL504GV specifications: Intel 8th-gen Core i7 8750H|16GB DDR4 RAM|Nvidia RTX 2060 6GB RAM GPU|15.6-inch FHD 144Hz display| 256GB SSD + 1TB SSHD| Windows 10|Gigabit Wi-Fi|Bluetooth 5.0

Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL504GV price in India: Start from Rs 164,990

Asus ROG Strix Scar II review: Design and build

A good look at the Strix Scar II and it’s evident the machine is designed for die-hard geeks and gamers. The Strix Scar II is solid and its chassis is durable. The lid has a brushed aluminum finish found on many previous ROG-branded laptops. Oh, there’s a ROG logo on the lid that changes. That’s not all. You will find Asus’ RGB lighting on the keyboard as well as on the LED strip down at the bottom part of the chassis.

Despite being mostly plastic, there is no flex to the lid or keyboard. It weighs in at 2.4kg, which isn’t razor thin, but at least I was able to fit the machine in my backpack.

What I really liked about the Strix Scar II is how thin the bezel is and that’s a good thing. The slim bezels are an added advantage as games look more immersive. But I didn’t like the bottom bezel at all and the placement of the webcam at the bottom right corner makes video chats awkward.

The Strix Scar II has all the basic ports. You will find a USB-C Gen 2 port and two USB 3.1 ports, an HDMI output, Ethernet, headphone jack and Mini DisplayPort on the left side, and a USB 3.1 port and an SD card reader on the right side.

Asus ROG Strix Scar II review: Display and speakers

The 15.6-inch display supports Full HD (1080p) IPS-type panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time, which means you will get super-smooth gameplay when you push beyond 60FPS (frames per second).

Colours appeared to be accurate, and I usually find the display perfect for first-person shooting (fps) games or any games for that matter. I played PUBG, Fortnite and Far Cry 5 on the machine, and all three games feel smooth on the 15.6-inch display.

The dual side-firing speakers sound great on the laptop. They offer clear sound, something you would expect from a gaming laptop that costs over Rs 150,000.

Asus ROG Strix Scar II review: Keyboard and touchpad

The traditional-style keyboard with well-spaced keys feels good to type on. It offers deep 1.8 millimeters of travel, which I would say is more than decent. This is one of the best keyboards on gaming laptops I have used in a while.

The keyboard is also RGB backlit and you can customise four different sections of the keyboard in any colour you want. You will also find a dedicated key to launch the ROG Gaming Center, and the W, A, S and D keys are all transparent. The touchpad feels smooth and precise. Windows 10 gestures worked well, too.

Asus ROG Strix Scar II review: Performance, battery

The Strix Scar II uses an 8th-gen Core i7 8750H with Nvidia RTX 2060 6GB GPU. The CPU was supported by 16GB DDR RAM and 256GB of SSD + 1TB SSHD storage.

There’s little this gaming machine can’t handle. While I am not a hardcore PC gamer, I did play a lot of games including PUBG and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, for instance, is a demanding game and it’s capable of pushing the GPU to the max.

After a long gaming session, the Strix Scar II does get hot, which is normal for a gaming laptop. Still, Asus has done a good job to keep the system cool.

Most modern gaming laptops have mediocre battery life and Asus’ ROG Strix Scar II is no different. In my regular usage which includes browsing, watching YouTube and editing docs, I got roughly four hours on a single charge. However, the battery tanks when you start playing games on it.

Should I buy the Asus ROG Strix Scar II?

Sure, the ROG Strix Scar II is expensive but you are getting the future-proof machine. This is a great gaming laptop with a brilliant 140 Hz display, an RTX 2060 inside, lightweight design and powerful internals. For someone who travels a lot and is keen to buy a top-tier gaming laptop, Asus ROG Strix Scar II is worth investing in.