Asus unveils ROG Strix Scar with Ryzen 5000 chips, RTX 3080 GPU

Asus took to the virtual stage of CES 2021 on Tuesday to announce its new Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 and 17 gaming laptops. This year's refresh brings design, audio, and performance enhancements to the ROG Strix Scar series thanks in large part to the new AMD Ryzen 5000 series CPUs and Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs. 

Where the previous-gen ROG Strix Scar (G532/G732) machines are Intel-powered, the new ROG Strix Scar 15/17 (G533/733) pack next-gen AMD CPUs coupled with next GeForce RTX graphics. 

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The new Asus ROG Strix Scar 17, in particular, is designed to be one helluva gaming beast for E-sports. 

It packs up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU with up to 64GB of RAM, up to Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3080 graphics and up to a 1TB Dual SSD. Alongside new hardware configurations, Asus' next-gen Republic of Gamers Strix Scar gaming rigs offer an overhauled design, new display options, audio enhancements, and a new optical keyboard.

Design-wise, the Strix Scar 17 is more compact than its predecessor and includes a higher-density RGB light bar around the front edge of the chassis. There's also an additional light strip under the display, a set of three user-customizable hinge caps, and a bold new athletic gear inspired look. 

Expect an elevated PC gaming experience with fast gaming displays up to WQHD (165hz/3 ms, DCIP-3 100%) or FHD 360hz (3ms DCIP-3 100%) with Adaptive Sync. Meanwhile, a Dolby Atmos quad-speaker system and two-way AI mic noise-cancellation afford gamers a competitive edge and clear communication during gameplay.

And for competitive gaming and typing comfort, Asus outfitted the 2021 ROG Strix Scar with a new optical-mechanical keyboard and a larger trackpad. This ensures more reliable keystrokes, quicker reaction times, and a longer lifespan. Moreover, the ROG Strix Scar houses a larger 90 Wh battery that promises up to 12 hours of playtime on a full top-up. USB Type-C fast charging support delivers up to a 50% charge in 30 minutes.

Overall, the new ROG Scar Strix AMD Ryzen laptop aims to be a tough act to beat in the arena of portable gaming laptops. Although specific pricing and availability remain unknown at this time, the ROG Strix Scar 17 is slated to be available in the U.S. and Canada beginning in Q1 2021.