ASUS’s Republic of Gamers has been creating astonishing offerings over the past few years with a more streamlined, power-packed line up of gaming laptops for every gamer. This year at CES, the company is putting their best foot forward with new form factors and a refreshed design for their most popular Strix SCAR and Strix G line ups.
The new Strix SCAR line up features an updated design which features a new armour cap which looks to be replacing the keystone we’ve seen in previous versions. The armour cap also comes in multiple designs at launch. ASUS has updated the Strix SCAR design with a more subtle design language with the ports on either side. They’ve also increased the number of vents on the SCAR for better cooling.
The new Strix G Line up comes with same subtlety in design but also comes with more apparent Aura Sync lighting. It also shares the same design cues with the Strix SCAR including the new armour cap. Both laptop lineups come with ASUS NumberPad which turns the TouchPad into a fully functional NumPad when needed.
When it comes to specifications, the ROG Strix G and Strix SCAR laptops come with configurations supporting Intel’s latest 13th Generation Core processors capping out at the Core i9-13980HX. Both also come with configurations supporting the latest from NVIDIA – the RTX 40 series laptop GPUs. The ROG Strix SCAR line up has configurations supporting up to the NVIDIA RTX 4090 Laptop GPU while the ROG Strix G supports up to the RTX 4080 Laptop GPU.
When it comes to displays the ROG Strix series is gunning for firsts with both of the lineups supporting ASUS’s Nebula HDR displays. Both the Strix SCAR and Strix G series comes in two flavours – 16-inch (Strix SCAR 16; Strix G16) and 18-inch (Strix SCAR16; Strix G18). The SCAR 16 comes with options for QHD IPS panels with up to 240Hz refresh rate. The only difference between the two QHD IPS panels are colour accuracy and Pantone Validation. The larger SCAR 18 comes with an additional option for a 165Hz FHD panel which covers 100% of the sRGB gamut. The Strix G16 and G18 come with options for a 240Hz, Pantone Validated Colour accurate QHD IPS panel or an FHD panel with 165Hz refresh rate.
When it comes to memory, the Strix G comes with options with up to 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD memory with up to 32GB DDR5 RAM while the STRIX SCAR lineup comes with up to a max of 4TB (2 x 2TB) memory with up to 64GB DDR5 RAM.
Both lineups also come with option which support AMD’s latest Ryzen processors. The Strix SCAR 17 and the Strix G17 both support up to the Ryzen 9 Zen 4 processor. Together with this, the laptops also sport a smaller 17-inch display. The SCAR 17 comes with a QHD IPS panel with support for Dolby Vision HDR and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut. The Strix G17 comes with an additional option for a FHD display with 144Hz Value IPS display.
CES 2022 (Consumer Electronics Show) earlier in the year graced us with many very exciting, very interesting devices. It is also sort of a confirmation that Intel’s 12th Generation mobile CPUs are coming hot. The question we left CES with was “when are they coming?”. ASUS answered first with their ROG Zephyrus M16 and Strix G series gaming laptops.
ROG Zephyrus M16
ASUS ROG’s Zephyrus gaming laptop line-up has been the brand’s pride and joy in pushing what is possible with gaming laptops. They introduce some of the most compact large format gaming laptops available to the gaming notebook market. For 2022, they have a new one for Malaysia.
While the Zephyrus S series laptops have been an elusive one to Malaysia, the Zephyrus M series have been a popular choice for the market. The new one for 2022 is promised to be even better. The improvements go beyond just popping a 12th Generation Intel processor and updated NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs into the notebook.
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Of course, we must start with those. The ROG Zephyrus M16 packs a respectable 12th Generation Intel Core i9-12900H with a monstrous 14-cores to work with. Six performance cores on the CPU ensures that any heavy workload you need to work on with the ROG Zephyrus M16 gets chewed quickly and efficiently. You can pair that powerful CPU with an equally impressive NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (up to) for maximum attack on all the current AAA game titles. For even more performance on your games, MUX switch ensures that your games and applications get the best performance directly from the GPU when they need to.
To do the powerful hardware justice, up to 32GB (16GB + 16GB) of DDR5 RAM configuration is available on offer. For storage, you get up to 2TB in NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. There will be an extra 4th generation PCIe slot for your perusal too, in case 2TB is not enough for all your games.
The most visible update form the older Zephyrus M16 is its new display with ultra-thin bezels all around. You still get a 720p resolution webcam with IR blaster for Windows Hello, which is rather remarkable considering the bezel size. The narrow bezels contain a high-resolution 16-inch display that projects WQXGA resolution (2,560 by 1,600) at 16:10 aspect ratio. It is also Pantone validate and covers up to 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, which means you get highly accurate and vivid colours. With Dolby Vision HDR, movies and games will look extra crisp and details pop. It is a gaming display still, so it needs to be fast at 165Hz.
Like the Zephyrus that came before it, the ROG Zephyrus M16 can be charged via a USB Type-C PD charger that is also included in the box. That is not enough power to get your games up to speed though, you will need the proprietary charger for the laptop if you want to get the most out of the Zephyrus M16. There will be no HDMI 2.1 implemented here though, just a regular HDMI 2.0b port. You do get WiFi 6E capabilities on the laptop though. While WiFi 6E is not a standard offering in Malaysia just yet, it is good to know that your laptop will take it on as soon as the technology becomes available.
To top it all off, the Windows 11 laptop packs four speakers for maximum immersive experience without the need of additional external hardware. Two of the speakers are 2W dual-force woofers equipped with Smart Amp Technology to ensure deep, detailed low-end frequency delivery. The other two are 2W tweeters for crisp and clean mid and trebles.
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ROG Strix G Series (G15 & G17)
The ROG Zephyrus M16, as impressive as they are, could be a little rich. While you want a do-it-all laptop, the Zephyrus M16 might still be a little out of reach with prices starting from MYR 8,099. You can consider the ROG Strix G series that starts from MYR 5,399 in that case.
You can choose between a 15-inch display (G15) or a 17-inch display (G17) for the Strix. Underneath the iconic shell is a brand-new AMD Ryzen 6000 series mobile CPU with Zen 3+ architecture, a minor update from the highly acclaimed Zen 3 architecture that should mean more performance out of the processors. Specifically, you get an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H mobile CPU with eight high-performance cores with up to 4.7GHz of clock speed (boost). The mobile CPU comes with an integrated AMD Radeon graphics. But integrated GPU is never enough for gaming and high-performance computing. You get to pick up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU for when you need the extra performance in gaming. Of course, MUX switch comes to the Strix G series of laptops.
Source: ASUS
Memory wise there are a few configurations you can choose from with the ROG Strix G series. You can spec your G15 with up to 16GB of DDR5 on-board RAM with an additional slot for upgrade, in combination with up to 1TB of 4th Generation PCIe NVMe SSD also with an additional slot for an extra SSD. The G17 gets a 16GB RAM configuration in combination with up to a 1TB SSD.
Just as we mentioned earlier, you get to choose between to work with a 15.6-inch display or a 17.3-inch display with the Strix G series. For the smaller G15 variant, you can opt for a very speedy 300Hz 3ms response time Full HD IPS display that also boasts up to 100% in sRGB colour gamut coverage. Or you can go for a faster display from the G17’s Full HD display at 360Hz. The 17.3-inch display from the G17 boasts only 62.5% coverage of the sRGB colour gamut though.
No matter the choice of display size though, the ROG Strix G series comes with WiFi 6E as standard. Like its predecessors as well, the new 2022 variants of the ROG Strix G series can be charged via its USB Type-C port using an included PD charger in the box. Again, you want to use the proprietary charger when you want to get the most out of the laptop.
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Prices and Availability
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 will be available March 2022 onward in two configurations. One comes with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU at MYR 11,499. The other configuration is also the most powerful one with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti at MYR 16,499. There will be a more budget conscious option available with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU available in April onward for MYR 8,099.
The ROG Strix G series, as mentioned, will be available in two sizes – 15-inch and 17-inch. The Strix G15 will be available March 2022 onward. For now, only the G15 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, 8GB RAM + 512GB storage will be available for MYR 5,399. There is a special edition Electro Pink variant of the G15 available as well for MYR 5,599. The Strix G15 with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB RAM + 1TB storage will be available on a later date alongside the Strix G17. There are no confirmed pricing for those yet too.
For more information on the ROG Zephyrus M16 and ROG Strix G series for 2022, you can visit ASUS’ ROG website.
AMD announced a slew of items at their COMPUTEX 2021 keynote. One of the many things that they announced was the AMD Advantage Design framework. In this framework, AMD has outlined certain criteria which they believe will provide gamers with the best experience. One of the hallmark criteria is the utilisation of AMD’s Ryzen Mobile processors together with their newly announced Radeon RX6000M graphics processors. The new combination allows the new laptops to take advantage of smart access memory and smart shift among other optimisations that come with using a complete AMD setup.
ASUS is one of the first partners that are jumping on the AMD Advantage bandwagon with two new editions of its popular ROG Strix G line up. The new ROG Strix G15 and G17 come with AMD’s most powerful Ryzen 9 5900HX processor paired with the newly announced Radeon RX 6800M. The new GPU brings along with it AMD’s new RDNA 2 architecture which has been packing performance. It also brings AMD’s newly announced FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) which allows light to be simulated more realistically allowing for more immersive gaming.
The laptops come with up to 32GB of high performance DDR4-3200 RAM and up to 1TB NVMe SSD memory. The Strix G Advantage edition also comes with an additional M.2 slot that allows users to add more memory should the need arise. Their performance is matched with ASUS’s implementation of Liquid Metal thermal compound and the new Intelligent Cooling. The cooling system allows for better airflow without the increased noise.
Like other Strix G laptops, the ROG Strix G Advantage Edition laptops come display options for any gamer. Users can choose from options with 300Hz refresh rate, WQHD resolution with high colour accuracy. To complete the package, it comes with twin Smart Amp speakers that fire sound directly from behind the keyboard. These speakers are Dolby Atmos certified and can produce 5.1.2 channel surround sound.
Pricing & Availability
The ASUS ROG Strix G Advantage edition will be making its way to the market in the third quarter of 2021. No pricing has been announced just yet.
ASUS has no plans at this time to bring the ROG Strix G Advantage edition to Malaysia.
