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Gamers with a fat wallet are likely to be impressed by the overall package offered by the ASUS ROG Strix Scar III G531GW. The price tag is far from palatable for most enthusiasts but the raw hardware on offer, combined with a 240Hz screen that provides a pleasant visual experience, may be enough to justify the cost to esports enthusiasts.
With the combination of an eight-core Core i9-9880H CPU, an RTX 2070 mobile GPU, and a strong 240Hz IPS-level 1080P screen, ASUS is more-or-less out on its own in the UK market with the ROG Strix Scar III G531GW AZ055R model. Gigabyte and MSI offer competitors in the form of the AORUS 15-XA and the GS65 Stealth 9SF-492, respectively. However, those two offerings are lower-end units that align more closely to ASUS’ lower-rung Scar III model – the G531GW AZ055T.
Focusing on the CPU, ASUS’ choice to opt for the eight-core i9-9880H CPU over the six-core alternative is, in my opinion, as much of a marketing move as a performance-driven one in a gaming laptop. Yes, the eight-core chip can (somewhat) stretch its legs in demanding tasks such as Cinebench. However, in gaming scenarios, the limited power budget available to all eight-cores tends to result in all-core frequencies in the order of 2.5-3.1GHz.
Games like clock speed more than they like core count, past a certain point, so it was not overly surprising to see similar gaming performance offered by the cheaper six-core Core i7-8750H CPU of laptops from yesteryear.
There may be specific scenarios where users would benefit from the eight-core chip (perhaps in a debate with one’s friends on who has the most CPU cores in their laptop). However, for a machine focusing primarily on gaming performance, I think that the lower-cost six-core Core i7 chip would be a better option. You get to save some cost and, based on results from the Core i7-8750H, you’re unlikely to lose any gaming performance in the Scar III G531GW configuration.
Performance from the mobile RTX 2070 GPU was as we have come to expect. You get solid 1920×1080 numbers that can push past 60 FPS. Many older AAA titles will be able to run comfortably at more than 100 FPS, and the likes of Battlefield V will do more than 120 FPS if you’re willing to sacrifice some image quality. Don’t expect to be pushing demanding titles anywhere near the monitor’s 240Hz refresh rate with the RTX 2070 – that simply is not going to happen. However, if you want ludicrously high frame rates in less-demanding eSports titles, the 240Hz refresh rate of the screen will be a more achievable target.
On the topic of the screen, I was very impressed by the overall performance and quality. There’s no denying that 240Hz is probably overkill for most people. Nevertheless, I was impressed by the smoothness during gaming and the overall image quality and colour levels did not have me yearning for a lower-speed true IPS display. I think that the design of the screen is also appealing, with a screen-to-body ratio of 81.5%, thanks to slim bezels. The compromise of an omitted webcam is a minor trade-off for such a sleek design.
There are areas for improvement. Firstly, ASUS is using a bargain-basement NVMe SSD that is equipped with QLC memory and poor read and write speeds, by today’s standards. The 1TB Intel SSD 660p drive does not belong anywhere near a £2,800 enthusiast-grade gaming laptop. Secondly, I found the fan noise to be slightly distracting as the two blowers tended to jump about in RPM values more frequently than I’d have liked. Thankfully, punchy speakers helped drown out lower-speed fan noise. Oh, and special mention goes to the inclusion of McAfee Security Suite. No further comment needed on that one!
Put simply, if you want a high-performance gaming laptop with all the bells-and-whistles in a form factor that can comfortably fit inside a backpack, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ055R is a strong choice. 32GB of DDR4, an eight-core Core i9 CPU, the non-Max-Q RTX 2070, and a 240Hz screen aren’t easy to find in a chassis of this relative slenderness with such strong build quality, but ASUS delivers well.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar III G531GW (Core i9-9880H, RTX 2070, 32GB DDR4, 1TB SSD, 240Hz FHD Display) is available with a 2-year warranty from Overclockers UK for £2,799.95 HERE. Amazon are also selling the laptop at £2,750.14 HERE.
Pros:
- Excellent overall performance.
- Fast, responsive screen with good image quality.
- Strong build quality on the slender chassis.
- Good RGB lighting.
- Pleasant keyboard and trackpad experience.
- Solid cooling performance.
- Armoury Crate operating modes are easy to use.
- Speakers provided a decent gaming experience.
- Balanced selection of I/O ports.
- Empty 2.5″ drive bay for a storage upgrade.
Cons:
- Fan noise can be irritating.
- Budget SSD used in a premium gaming laptop.
- McAfee pre-installed.
- Weak battery life.
- Six-core CPU may have been a better price-vs-performance gaming choice.
- Price is on the steep side.
KitGuru says: A well-built, premium gaming laptop with a superb display and plenty of performance on tap.
