T
helatestAsusgaminglaptopis a bruiser.It’sanold-
school,17.3inmachinethatweighsnearly3kgand
arriveswithmorecolouredlightsthantheaverage
Christmastree.Thismachinehasper-keyRGBlightinganda
prominentringofLEDsaroundthebase,butit doesn’tjustrely
onlightingforbolddesign.Thelidandwristrestarecoveredin
brushedaluminium,andtheright-handsideis
decoratedwithprominentridges.There’s
morepatternedmaterialattherear,anda
large,chrome-effectlogoonthelid.
It lookseye-catching,butthereare
compromiseselsewheresuchasinbuild
quality.There’smovementinthearea
aroundthetrackpad,andtheundersideis a
littlecreaky.Thescreenis stronger,butwe’d
recommendusinga sleeveatminimumto
protectthismachineintransit.
Theweightofthislaptopis anissuetoo.At
2.9kg,it’salmosthalfa kiloheavierthanmost
other17.3inmachines,andits26mm-thick
bodyis largerthanmanyrivalsaswell.
TheAsusservesupthreeUSB3.1ports
anda Type-CconnectionalongsideanHDMI
portandGigabitEthernet.There’snoseparate
DisplayPortconnection,though,andnocard
reader.Ontheinside,there’sdual-band
802.11acWi-FiandBluetooth5.0,butno
futureproofedWi-Fi6.
Thekeyboardhasn-keyrollover,a
numberpadanda rowofhotkeysforaltering
volume,openingtheAsusArmouryCrate
appandtweakingfanspeeds.It’sa chiclet
unit,andit’sdecent:theundersideis strongerREVIEWS / GAMING LAPTOP
SPEC
CPU
2.6GHz Intel Core i7-9750H
Memory
16GB 2666MHz DDR4
Graphics
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB
Sound
On-board
Screen
17.3in 1,920 x 1,080 IPS 144Hz
Storage
512GB SK Hynix BC501 M.2 SSD,
1TB Seagate FireCuda hard disk
Weight
2.9kg
Ports
3 x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.1
Gen 2 Type-C/DisplayPort, 1
x HDMI 2.0, 2 x audio jack,
Dimensions (mm)
399 x 293 x 26 (W x D x H)
Extras
Windows 10 Home 64-bit, Dual-
band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
5.0, Gigabit Ethernet, RGB lighting
throughout
Warranty
One year return to base
than the rest of the base, the buttons have reasonable travel,
and their action is consistent. It’s not as fast or as clinical
as the heavier, higher buttons on mechanical laptops, but
this machine’s typing gear is good enough for mainstream
gaming and for esports.
The trackpad is mediocre though. It’s not particularly big, and
it’s quite far away from the front of the machine, so the front of
the laptop can dig into your palm. The buttons are also too soft
for our liking. A USB mouse will be a necessity for most uses.
The inclusion of a Core i7-9750H processor is welcome
thanks to its six cores and high clock speeds, but graphics
power comes from a GTX 1660 Ti, which is one of Nvidia’s
weaker mobile parts. Elsewhere, there’s 16GB of memory, a
512GB SSD and a 1TB hard disk. That’s fine on paper, but the
SSD’s read and write speeds of 1,261MB/sec and 314MB/sec
are mediocre, and leave the machine feeling a little sluggish
when loading apps and handling files.
The £1,499 machine doesn’t offer spectacular value for
money. It’s not hard to find 17.3in machines with the same
combination of Core i7 CPU, GTX 1660 Ti GPU and 144Hz
screen for under £1,400. If you’re willing to compromise on
screen size, the GTX 1660 Ti can be found for under £1,200.
Conversely, you’ll have to spend more to get significant
improvements. If you want a 17.3in laptop with an RTX 2060
then you’re looking at £1,700 or beyond, or around £1,500 if
you’re willing to settle for a smaller screen and weaker CPU.Performance
The GTX 1660 Ti is a solid GPU for 1080p gaming and esports,
with minimum frame rates that ranged between 41fps and
56fps in our test titles. This laptop will play triple-A, single-
player games at smooth frame rates, but not at the speeds
required to properly use the 144Hz screen. Esports titles willGAMING LAPTOP
ASUS ROG STRIX
SCARIII G731/£ 1,499inc VAT
SUPPLIER johnlewis.com