ASUS - Gaming Laptop - 15.6" 144 Hz IPS-type - Intel Core i7-8750H - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 - 16 GB RAM - 512 GB SSD - RGB Keyboard - Windows 10 - ROG Strix Scar II (GL504GW-DS74)

Pros: + Incredible value + Extremely fast + Extremely lightweight + Extremely thin + Good battery life for a laptop with this power + Comfortable keyboard for a 15.6" laptop + Not a ton of bloatware + Incredible 144hz 1080p screen with a very fast response time

Cons: - Loud fans - Gets VERY hot (CPU hits 100c under load) - Only single channel memory - Very "gamer" look and style - McAfee Live Safe and Asus Bloatware - Shipped OS and driver updates somewhat old - No NumLuck indicator - Battery shipped with 3% wear - Low quality web cam - Only 438GB useable on 512GB SSD - Not GSync or FreeSync compatible (yet)

Overall Review: I've spent a few weeks with the ROG Strix Scar II, and I've got to say - I love it. I'm used to a pretty high spec Alienware 17 R3 as my main laptop (work, gaming, etc.) and this thing blows it out of the water in every category. It's faster, lighter, thinner, has a better battery, crushes even more desktops when it comes to gaming performance... all at a price that comes in at least $500 cheaper than it's nearest competitor. Sure, there are a few things I don't like about it... it looks very "gamer," but you can customize pretty much everything about it via Asus apps - set all the LED's to a single color, blue, white, red, whatever you prefer - or go as crazy as you like with rolling rainbows or pulsing "heartbeats." It gets REALLY hot - I'm talking hitting the edge of the thermal envelope of CPU with some cores hitting 100c under a few hours of load (even during an hour of gaming). That said - the fans and thermal throttling keep the temps that high, but no higher - and don't really limit the performance of the laptop very much, if at all. I only had to remove two pieces of bloatware - McAfee Live Safe and Asus Giftbox... neither really served much of a purpose, other than eating up valuable SSD space. Some users complained about the Asus GameFirst software chewing up CPU, but I didn't run into any problems with it at any time. There's no numlock indicator on the keyboard, so you're going to have to flip a coin as to whether or not numlock is on or off... not hard to figure it out, but considering the caps lock key had a red LED on it to indicate it's on, you'd think Asus could have done the same treatment for the numlock key. The UEFI BIOS is very clean, but offers little in the way of customization. Still, it's nice to have that available to run BIOS updates and see hardware information prior to loading your OS up. Keep in mind, you need to be VERY quick to get into the BIOS, and you do so by pressing F12 (little different than most machines where it's delete, F1 or F2). There's not much more to say about this laptop. It really does it all, and does it all in a very compact and portable package. At this point, it's replaced my Alienware 17 R3. Compared to my desktop, it's blowing away my GTX1080 in pretty much every way. If this laptop had a 4K screen, I have full confidence it'd be able to hit 60 FPS in pretty much everything you could throw at it. The laptop only ships with a single 16GB stick of DDR4, so it runs in single channel mode. You can easily add another stick of 16GB DDR4 for under $100 that will net about another 10% increase in FPS in most games, as well as system performance, once it runs in dual channel mode. I'd also suggest dropping in a 1TB 2.5" HDD or SSD in the included drive bay. The 512GB M.2 SSD that comes with it is definitely fast, but you're going to run out of space pretty quickly. Luckily, you can pull the back panel off and get full access all components via a handful of screws. I don't give out a lot of 5/5 Egg scores - but the Asus ROG Strix Scar II easily scores a 5 out of 5 Egg score. I couldn't find enough issues with the machine to deduct an Egg. The heat produced by this thing is definitely a concern, but I've read you can re-paste the CPU and GPU with some better paste and drop those temps down pretty readily. Keep in mind, that does void your warranty - so unless you're getting performance issues from overheating (which I was NOT encountering!), you should hold off on doing that. Here are some benchmark scores to consider (all run on Windows 10 1809 fully updated and nVidia driver version 425.31): 3DMark (ROG Strix Scar II 1080p) 30619 Sky Diver 14237 Fire Strike 6809 Time Spy 3DMark (i7 4820k, GTX1080, 1080p) 28305 Sky Diver 13970 Fire Strike 6274 Time Spy 3DMark (Alienware 17 R3, i7 6820HK, GTX980M, 1080p) 22713 Sky Diver 8289 Fire Strike 3042 Time Spy Unigine Supposition FPS: 76.07 Score: 10170 Min FPS: 61.74 Max FPS: 95.45 Render: DirectX Mode: 1080P HIGH Fullscreen Unigine Valley FPS: 114.1 Score: 4774 Min FPS: 25.9 Max FPS: 167.4 Render: Direct3D11 Mode: 1920x1080 fullscreen Preset: Custom Quality: High

Pros: Top of the line specs, short of an I9, it has it all Perfect Display, not a single pixel out of place Plenty of ports. USB 3.1/Type C, HDMI and a Mini-display port + an SD card reader Excellent Temperature Control, I never raised an eyebrow Minimal, but still annoying anti-virus bloatware complete with annoying pop ups Dedicated key for system parameter control software, which is well appointed with controls, including overclocking, It also support an App for IOs or Android. The IPhone App was awkward and needs some work, but it works. For gamers, it has the expected flamboyant cosmetic lighting effects, which of course, are fully configurable A 512GB Kingston M2 in this configuration and room for a second SATA/ssd drive. The drive appears to be an OEM, the only site I could find information on this drive had indicated a poor benchmark compared to the industry leaders. Measured 1500 mbs reads using disk mark. Boot time is under 5 seconds from bios bleep to desktop. Plenty good. One 16GB Samsung memory stick M471A2K43CB1-CTD installed, one open slot for an easy upgrade. I’d advise using a matched pair for best performance and reliability

Cons: Priced as expected for high end gaming machine, but an excellent value for a competition gaming system Some places can get warmer than expected One year Warranty, at this price I’d strongly suggest an extend warranty. Look into what kind of warranty extension some major credit cards give you on this sort of purchase. Worth the research. The webcam if offset to the right side. Don't know how I feel about this. Mine is always covered with tape. Might be an issue for some of you that use video calling.

Overall Review: Included in the box was the specialty adapter with screws for a second HD, be careful not to toss it. Also included was a Klingon style “sculpture”, a strange “perk”, the sharp edges could send the careless for stitches. Keep it far far away from little children. It looks like a shank you’d find in a Klingon Prison I found the default setting for the video refresh rate was set to 60hz, I quickly upped it to 144hz I played thru COD Infinity war at fully maxed out graphic settings. Held a steady 120 FPS rate even thru complex scenes. The exhaust air temps were steady at 132f, while the palm rests stayed comfortable at 78f. Very potent cooling system, the fans are quite loud at full power. I expected that after reviewing an Asus i5 system with the same anti-dust cooling system. The exceptionally great sounding speaker system more than made up for it. Best laptop speakers _ever_. I had no problems with the Bluetooth connection; I did see the “restart for audio” prompt once or twice as mentioned in a previous review. Watching a streaming movie was enjoyable, with more than enough wifi bandwidth to be copying a 20GB video file with no stuttering. My AC router ran at my full ISP speed for downloads I don't have a Wave 2 router at this time The power brick, complete with ROG logo reached a surface of temp of 132f during my COD play. Keep if off of the “good furniture”, or suffer the wrath of your significant other. The power brick addressed a pet peeve of mine. It’s dropped the typical triple-8 laptop power a/c cord for a standard PC cord. I’m not keen on the 90 degree power plug, I can see that causing damage if snagged, while a straight in cord would simply pull out. Clearly this is an area that needs help. I noticed an off site review where the power jack had actually melted, I assume as the result of some damage. Still I checked the temp of that while running, no problems, a cool 82f, even when the brick was at 132f. Being that I am a bit older than your average gamer, esthetics aren’t all that important to me but it’s worth mention that they are fully configurable and look great. An important thing for me was the return of a pair of touch pad mouse buttons. I’m old school that way. Great ASUS gaming keyboard with silent short throw 20m stroke rated keys. Highlighted movement keys. The marketing is a bit strong for the “military look” of the Strix II, but if intimidating somebody with your rig is something that matters to you, this ordinance with its 2070 8gb video and weaponized looks says you are “a player to contend with”. I wouldn’t want to be sitting across from this at a gaming party unless I was similarly equipped. Needless to say, it’s got a nice finish all around. I could easily run up a $1500 bill buying similar high end components and monitor for a desktop rig so I’ll give the Strix Scar II a FIVE egg rating. It can handle anything you throw at is, books over a 1500mbs data transfer rate on its Kingston M2 SSD, fantastic screen, light weight and a one year Asus protection plan (register for it) You get a mulligan for a single major event, like dropping it, or spilling something on it during the one year warranty and overall a pleasing package dedicated to the gaming segment. Be sure to check every review of Strix Scar II, as always there is far more to discuss then space permits. I’ll be sure to update this review as time wears on. It’s a whole lot of performance, for a whole lot of money, so no doubt you don’t want any surprises after plunking down on this gaming laptop. Do your due diligence soldier. Nobody likes surprises.

Pros: I must start out with wow. As soon as I opened the box, I knew I was looking at a well packaged, cool Laptop. It’s perfect size for carrying with you and loaded with features that Asus has put together to have a winner choice for any use and ready for any gamer to love. The case feels very well made and the LED lighting on the rear of the lid, on the front edge and the color options for the keyboard to make it yours. There is a special button to open Armoury Crate Software that is loaded with options and information about your laptop. A nice program that makes it fun to own this ROG STRIX SCAR II series Laptop. Asus is known as a leader in Laptop design, PC’s and a whole lot more. I’ve used several Asus products over the years and keep coming back to them, it just hard to beat an Asus product. The WSAD keys are defined along with gaming short stroke keys to make your key kits responsive to win and comfortable to use. When you look at the specs, you see a smartly Packaged Laptop with killer specs and equipment choices to include Intel GEFORCE RTX GRAPHICS card, 144Hz 3ms responsive ESPORTS-READY Display. This is BATTLE-DRESSED in design and function. The Fan system is amazing, from a quiet 35DB to a Performance Cooling 52DB. The Multi RANGEBOOST Wi-Fi Antenna does give an exceptional steady connection that holds longer away then most I’ve experienced. Being able to setup the Keyboard to your Gaming specs, makes your gameplay easier. Nice connections on the side of this Laptop offers plenty of options, including an SD Card reader. I’m sure all the ROG Series Laptops are awesome and this one is right in the pile of what you want and need. And for general use, it will satisfy both uses.

Cons: None..

Overall Review: I have now used this Asus ROG Laptop for almost a month, using it for all my needs, loading it with my stuff and Gaming for hours on end. The Touchpad is easy to use, but for Gaming I attached a Mouse and Headphones. Not one time did this let me down. At first I was wondering why it felt slow, but that’s because it was in a mode to extend Battery life and I was just looking at my mail or web surfing. But once I fired up a game, bam off we go with the Intel Core i7-8750H bringing up the power, GeForce RTX 2070 Graphics card along with the blazing speed of the display and happy, happy. I have been excited using this model and I’ve used many over time. Even have been feeling proud to have this ROG Laptop. Ever feel like mine, mine don’t even think of using mine? Well I’m not that selfish, but I have been feeling like, keep your hands off my awesome Laptop. I love the LED on the cover and across the front along with the do it my way keyboard. Easy to save different setups for choosing how you want everything at that moment. I feel like I want to scream, STOP, you’ve found what you’re looking for. It’s worth every penny as you look across models and think about your long-term investment. And this will hold up to your expectations and I’m betting you will be as excited as I am using it. I have made it over 8hrs using it for whatever and although I plug in at home, I never felt like I couldn’t keep playing on the go. I didn’t have any Cons because this ROG model had no cons at all, not one. In testing/Reviewing I always like to put it thru the paces and time to see how it holds up, not just I got it turned it on and wrote something. I not saying others do, but I do want you to know, that I have played hours upon hours of gaming and that it’s just as good with general use. If it was a Laptop that I felt was a bad investment, I would say so. In this awesome Laptop’s concern, I say buy it. There is a return policy, but I bet you don’t use it. This an I recommend purchasing!

Pros: -Great performance -look really good -Well built -Price

Cons: -Backlight bleed, a lot of it, can't play any game with dark scene because its too anoying... I refund my unit till newegg told me they did'nt see any bleed during my rma process... lol -Noise -Single Channel Memory

Pros: - j'ai pus tester Metro exodus et le jeux est tres fluide - tres bon refroidissement du pc - tres beau designe générale.

Cons: ventilation un peu bruillant lors d'utulisation de gros jeux, mais vue la chaleur qu'ils doit éliminer c'est comprenable.

Pros: -Powerful. -Not too hot or too loud. -Lighting effects look nice.

Cons: -Camo print looks more like dust or dirt. -Webcam placed in odd position and close to fans, making Skyping while gaming require headset. -Audio by default is set up for headphones causing a confusing low volume in games when using the speakers.

Overall Review: I'm pleased that this laptop is more powerful than I expected. It handles every game I've thrown at it and runs them better than my desktop. It doesn't seem to run very hot and the fan noise doesn't bother me much at all. Here's a tip: if you're getting a low volume in games with the speakers then turn off the enhancements in Sonic Studio 3, it's set up for headphones by default. Also, add another stick of RAM to get dual channel speeds because it comes with only one 16gb stick. So far I'm very happy with this purchase.

Pros: It was awesome when it was working,

Cons: I cannot play my games after 2 months. It went to the service center twice and they did not fixed it. They keep on pushing its a driver issue, which I think is not because they did not fixed the issue and same problem. Asus and there partners are helpful(no question about it), but they are not fixing the problem lols... They keep on pumping on a flat tire that has holes.

Overall Review: I loved it before gave it a 5 star now its 1 star for me. I could say support are techie but not geeks, who could really help or know your gaming problems or test it with games. Like I said "They keep on pumping on a flat tire that has holes."

Pros: -was able to run ark in max setting which was my main goal, not the best optimize game either -rgb -thin screen bezels -ribbon cable for the sata 3 storage drive was a huge plus -switchable graphics conserves battery, doesnt do well for benchmarks tho unless u disable the 8750h. -bios is easy to interpret but found some settings to not be present. -even tho the fans were loud as heck, the laptop stayed very cool to the touch, didnt feel any discomfort at all. -very light, compared to my acer predator g9 -upgrading was very easy

Cons: -webcam placement -fans are so loud it sounds like you work at an aircraft carrier -power brick cable is so short, if ur browsing the web on the bed the brick is either gonna dangle or u have to keep it on the bed which isnt advised. -armour crate never wants to connect to my phone so i cant say i use it at all -touchpad is a hit or miss. sometimes it stops responding randomly and doesnt register any input. Not a big problem since im always using the mouse anyway. -the antivirus software kept popping up during setup. was very annoying.

Overall Review: overall for the price i paid for this i cant really complain with how beefy this thing is. its rivaling my desktop 1080ti, benchmarks were 1400 points in difference the desktop being the clear winner, obviously. would def recommend this laptop if u can get it on sale, pretty happy with purchase.