Leading The Charge For 2021 Gaming Notebooks
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15 (G533)
The 2021 version of the Strix Scar 15 (model G533) just got a whole lot more powerful. You now have a choice of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 as well as AMD Ryzen 9 5000 series mobile processors to pick from. Our review unit came decked out with a GeForce RTX 3080 with 16GB VRAM, Ryzen 9 5900HX and a 300Hz 15.6-inch FHD 1080p display.
It’s fair to say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and not many will agree that the ROG Strix Scar 15—with its shamelessly loud RGB lights—is easy on a layman’s eyes. But you know what? I kind of like its unbashful gaming charm. It’s certainly a big leap in design aesthetics over the old ROG “Mayan-inspired” designs. The notebook’s build is largely plastic in construction, but the lid is clad in cold metal and the keyboard deck has a lovely silken satin finish. Overall, it’s a very solid build all around and what I would have come to expect from an ROG gaming notebook.
It’s fairly chunky too, weighing in at 2.3kg, though it must be said that the new Strix Scar is still noticeably smaller than last year’s model. The 240W power adapter is also a rather hefty 768g, bringing a total combined carrying weight of just over 3kg. As such, the ROG Strix Scar 15 is really more suitable as a desktop replacement.
A special mention must go to the Scar 15’s excellent RGB-backlit keyboard. In what I think is a first for the ROG Strix Scar family, this year’s model comes with optical-mechanical key switches, giving everything a lovely
tactile feel. Each key also has loads of travel, making them just as pleasurable for typing up long documents for work as they are for playing games.
It also comes with per-key customisation and an LED RGB light bar stretching around the front edge of the laptop that can be set to match it. There’s even a short RGB strip set into the underside of the display, shining down on the vents at the rear of the notebook. If you’re an RGB freak, you’ll adore this Scar 15 to bits.
On the touchpad side, ASUS has made it 85% larger than previous Strix Scar model and is a glass pad coated in matte finish. One potential issue with such a large trackpad that edges a little too close to the keyboard (under the “Space” key) is the possibility of it getting in the way of one’s palm when typing, resulting in annoying accidental clicks or swipes. I faced no such issues, but your mileage might vary.
Connectivity is substantial and quite standard fare for a 2021 gaming notebook. There’s a pair of USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports on the left edge, and a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 at the rear alongside another USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, plus a Gigabit Ethernet socket, one HDMI 2.0b port and the system’s DC power input. For wireless connectivity, there’s Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. There’s no built-in webcam due to the ultra-thin display bezel but ASUS has bundled in an external USB camera as part of the standard package – and it’s way superior to your run of the mill built-in webcam.
I’ve reviewed many ROG gaming notebooks, and one thing that’s always consistent across these notebooks is the quality of the display. The G533 variant here, comes with a 300Hz/3ms panel. This is one heck of a speedy display. Peak brightness level, low black level and colour performance are topnotch too.
There’s no HDR support though, and the biggest bummer here is that the display only supports FHD 1080p. A more sensible 1440p panel option is available in other markets, but unfortunately not in Singapore.
In our gaming benchmarks, the Strix Scar 15 pretty much ate up any
CONCLUSION
THE 2021 STRIX SCAR 15 ISN’T SUBTLE AND HOLDS NOTHING BACK, THIS WILL BE THE GAMING NOTEBOOK TO BEAT.
thing we threw at it. A RTX 3080 is a lot of excess power to play games at 1080p, and if specs-friendly games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or League of Legends are the only games you play all the time, then the Strix Scar 15 is obviously an overkill.
Performance when running on battery leaves much to be desired for the Strix Scar 15, though this seems compensated by a superior battery life. It’s actually not such a bad thing because overall, battery life was actually pretty good for a gaming notebook. It certainly helps that the Strix Scar 15 comes with a large 90Wh battery.
I’ve reviewed plenty of ROG gaming notebooks and the new Strix Scar 15 is essentially the embodiment of what the Strix series means in the ROG family: gaming notebooks built for the best, raw, gaming experience. Of course, these also comes with a few tradeoffs, such as its very heavy $4,798 price tag. Then there’s the astoundingly mind-boggling choice to only bring the 1080p display to Singapore.