ASUS announces new ROG Strix SCAR 15 and 17 at CES 2021

04 Scar
04 Scar (Image credit: ASUS)

What you need to know

  • ASUS unveiled new SCAR 15 and 17 ROG laptops.
  • Featuring AMD Ryzen 7 and 9 CPUs.
  • And up to NVIDIA RTX 3080 GPUs.

ASUS has today unveiled two new ROG Strix laptops known as the SCAR 15 and SCAR 17, featuring AMD Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 processors, up to 64GB of DDR4-3200MHz RAM, a beastly NVIDIA RTX 3070 or 3080, and up to a 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD. That's a hell of a lot of power for a laptop, but that's the point of ASUS's ROG range!

The SCAR 15 features a 15.6-inch 1080p or 1440p display with support for 300Hz or 165Hz refresh rates respectively. The panel itself is 100 percent sRGB and DCI-P3 color calibrated, with a 3ms response time which should satisfy most gamers. The SCAR 17 features similar specs in a 17.3-inch screen size. The 1080p model supports refresh rates up to 360Hz, and the 1440p model supports up to 165Hz.

In regards to ports, the SCAR 15 and 17 feature the same selection, including three USB-A 3.2 ports, a USB-C 3.2 port, Ethernet, HDMI 2.0b, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The keyboards on both are optical machanical with 1.9mm of key travel, and both feature 90Wh batteries.

Both are also similar in weight, with the smaller of the two coming in at 5.07 pounds and the larger one weighing just 0.22 pounds more.

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CategoryASUS ROG Strix SCAR 15ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17
OSWindows 10 HomeWindows 10 ProWindows 10 HomeWindows 10 Pro
ProcessorAMD Ryzen 7 5800HAMD Ryzen 9 5900HXAMD Ryzen 7 5800HAMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
RAMUp to 64GB DDR4-3200MHzDual-channelUp to 64GB DDR4-3200MHzDual-channel
GraphicsNVIDIA RTX 3070NVIDIA RTX 3080NVIDIA RTX 3070NVIDIA RTX 3080
StorageUp to 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDRAID 0, dual SSDsUp to 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDRAID 0, dual SSDs
Display15.6 inches1920x1080 (FHD)300Hz, 3ms100% sRGB2560x1440 (QHD)165Hz, 3ms100% DCI-P317.3 inches1920x1080 (FHD)360Hz, 3ms100% sRGB2560x1440 (QHD)165Hz, 3ms100% DCI-P3
PortsThree USB-A 3.2USB-C 3.2EthernetHDMI 2.0b3.5mm audioThree USB-A 3.2USB-C 3.2EthernetHDMI 2.0b3.5mm audio
AudioFour speakersDolby AtmosFour speakersDolby Atmos
ConnectivityWi-Fi 6 (2x2)Bluetooth 5Wi-Fi 6 (2x2)Bluetooth 5
KeyboardOptical mechanical0.2ms response1.9mm travelOptical mechanical0.2ms response1.9mm travel
Battery90Wh90Wh
Dimensions13.97 x 10.23 x 0.89-1.07 inches(354.9mm x 259.9mm x 22.69-27.2mm)15.55 x 11.11 x 1.08 inches(395mm x 282.1mm x 27.5mm)
Weight5.07 pounds (2.3kg)5.29 pounds (2.4kg)

Both the SCAR 15 and SCAR 17 go on sale in Q1 in North America. Pricing is yet to be announced. What are your thoughts on these new laptops? Let us know in the comments.

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17

If you need more power, more screen space, and aren't afraid of spending more money, then the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 is the model to go with.

Zac Bowden
Senior Editor

Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter and Threads