It’s CES this week, so expect lots of razzle-dazzle tech, innovative gizmos, and other must-have things you can totally rationalise purchasing because you’ve saved so much cash working from home. Like one of these new Asus machines, maybe?
ROG ZEPHYRUS DUO 15 SE (GX551)
An updated version of 2020’s Zephyrus Duo 15, the new model features the same dual-monitor setup with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU, Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, support for up to 32GB RAM, improvements to the cooling system, and a choice of two different 15.6-inch displays – 4K @ 120Hz with 100% Adobe RGB colour space, or FHD @ 300Hz with a 3ms response time and 100% sRGB colour space.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE will be available in South Africa from Evetech in mid-February, starting at R59,999.
press releaseASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the Zephyrus Duo 15 SE, a special edition of its dual-screen gaming laptop. The Zephyrus Duo 15 SE combines an upgraded 15.6” main display with the critically acclaimed ROG ScreenPad Plus, which provides touchscreen controls on a 14.1” secondary display that enhances everything from gaming and streaming to content creation and multitasking.
The new Zephyrus Duo 15 SE also incorporates up to a next-generation AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX Mobile Processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 3080 GPU. Its innovative AAS Plus cooling system features redesigned fans that help dissipate up to 165W of combined processor power. A premium 4K 120 Hz panel displays uncompromising visuals for both gaming and creative work, while a 300 Hz alternative offers esports-grade speed. The RAID storage nearly doubles throughput by connecting dual SSDs directly to the CPU.
A broader range of configurations makes the Zephyrus Duo 15 SE’s secondary screen accessible to a larger audience. All models incorporate quad speakers with Dolby Atmos to enhance audio output, advanced noise canceling to clean up voice communication, a microSD slot that simplifies accessing media, and fast-charging support that boosts real-world mobility. They also share an all-metal body with a new Dot Insight aesthetic that blends professional looks with subtle, laser-polished accents.
ROG SCREENPAD PLUS
Adding another display presents a unique challenge in an ultra-slim form factor. Every millimeter of space and gram of weight must be considered, and the secondary screen needs to be large enough to be useful and convenient for touch or stylus use. ASUS pioneered this type of display with the original ZenBook Pro Duo, and ROG took it to the next level.
The ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE puts the same ScreenPad Plus secondary display on a tilting platform that enhances comfort and utility while also opening a large intake that improves airflow for the cooling system. When the laptop is opened, the ROG ScreenPad Plus rises up at a 13° angle for easy viewing and touchscreen interaction. This motion is fluid and carefully choreographed by a custom hinge that staggers the rise of the displays.
At 14.1”, this is the largest second display available in a production gaming laptop. The IPS panel stretches wide viewing angles across the full width of the body and provides large amounts of extra space. Gamers can enjoy a smoother experience by playing on the main screen while keeping chats and broadcast controls accessible below. Content creators can work on the primary display without clutter, keeping their toolbars, timelines, and reference materials on the second screen. Other types of multitasking also benefit from an extension of the desktop. The touchscreen even works with the ASUS Pen active stylus, allowing users to handwrite and sketch.
ROG is working with game developers and artists to bring new experiences to the ROG ScreenPad Plus. Techland’s eagerly anticipated Dying Light 2 moves co-op chats to the secondary screen for easy viewing and adds touchscreen controls for quick switching between inventory items and quests. Sharing a second-screen platform with ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo laptops offers compatibility with a powerful ProArt Control Panel coming to those devices. ROG’s Art of the Duo competition also showed how artists can use the extra display to meld game-inspired music and visuals.
The ROG ScreenPad Plus also works with many tools and apps that intuitively enhance day-to-day work and play. Task Group takes snapshots of users’ preferred app layouts across both screens and loads optimized setups for different scenarios. ROG’s Armoury Crate system utility scales down for the second screen and displays a helpful resource monitor that tracks vital stats like CPU and GPU frequencies. XSplit Gamecaster is optimized for the second screen, making it easy to manage a broadcast and game simultaneously. Overwolf offers a multi-display advantage with enhancements like real-time stats, build recommendations, and more for popular games. And digital audio workstation FL Studio moves its mixer within reach on the ScreenPad Plus, which also gives music producers more room on the main display for the app’s other tools.
UPGRADED MAIN DISPLAY
The Zephyrus Duo 15 SE takes its main screen into a new Ultra HD era with a 4K panel that refreshes at 120 Hz and has an esports-grade 3ms gray-to-gray response time. With full coverage of the wide-gamut Adobe RGB color space, this premium display option balances professional-grade content creation with smooth and sharp gaming.
For fast-paced play, the Duo is also available with a Full HD display that features a 300 Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. The ultra-high refresh rate surpasses the standard for esports tournaments and makes gameplay incredibly smooth, while the matching response time maintains a sharp picture for precise tracking and targeting.
Both primary display options use Adaptive-Sync technology to match the refresh rate of the panel with the frame rate of the GPU. Closely coordinating these components enhances gaming immersion by eliminating visual tearing, minimizing perceptible stuttering, and reducing input lag. The IPS-level displays are also calibrated at the factory to comply with stringent Pantone validation requirements. This process guarantees color accuracy, giving creators the fidelity they need and allowing gamers to experience graphics as the developers and artists intended.
The ROG ScreenPad Plus comes in two resolutions to match the main screens. A 4K option displays especially crisp text and sharp lines at 3840 x 1100, while a 1920 x 550 alternative pairs well with the Full HD main panel option. Both use IPS-level technology and refresh at 60 Hz.
NEXT-GEN GPU AND CPU
The Zephyrus Duo 15 SE backs up its high-refresh display options with up to a GeForce RTX™ 3080 laptop GPU. Thanks to advanced cooling and ROG Boost, the chip is able to run up to 1645 MHz at 115W with ROG Boost, with another 15W available from Dynamic Boost — a higher power envelope than similarly slim laptops can match.
More power helps the GPU deliver fast and fluid gameplay in everything from intense shooters to cinematic RPGs. Like the rest of the GeForce 30 Series, this GPU is based on a new NVIDIA Ampere architecture with updated CUDA cores for programmable shading, enhanced RT cores for real-time ray tracing, and upgraded Tensor cores for accelerating AI. This versatile combination enhances gaming performance and graphics in addition to speeding up other workloads like image processing, 3D modeling, and deep learning. It’s also backed by up to a massive 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM reserved exclusively for the GPU.
An AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX Mobile Processor with 8 cores and 16 threads provides a substantial boost to any workload. Built on cutting-edge 7nm fabrication technology, this new generation of Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile Processors pairs the latest “Zen 3” architecture with a larger on-chip cache up to 20MB. It’s designed to deliver a more immersive laptop gaming experience, and it also powers through serious work like 3D rendering, content creation, and intensive multitasking.
The Ryzen 9 5900HX scales up to 50W of sustained power when the GPU is active and 90W on its own, nearly doubling the wattage typical for this class of processor. And enabling the Turbo operating mode automatically raises the CPU’s clock speed by 200 MHz, pushing performance even higher.
Dual NVM Express® PCIe® x4 SSDs run in RAID 0 to provide up to 2 TB of storage for a massive game library and professional portfolio. The Ryzen CPU allows both drives to connect directly to the processor without sharing bandwidth, enabling exceptional transfer rates up to 7000MB/s.
With up to 32GB of combined onboard and SO-DIMM memory, there’s plenty of DDR4-3200 RAM for multitasking across multiple displays. Users have the freedom to broadcast high-quality streams while using chat software, to work on large projects and datasets, and to open as many browser tabs as needed without delay.
INNOVATIVE COOLING
High-end processors only achieve their full potential when thermals allow, so putting them into slim systems is especially challenging.
ROG redefined ultra-slim laptop cooling with the original ROG Zephyrus, whose Active Aerodynamic System (AAS) improved airflow by exposing a 7–10mm intake across the bottom of the laptop when the user lifts the lid. In the original Zephyrus Duo 15, the tilting touchscreen opened a much larger 28.5mm intake that let the fans draw in cooler air from above the laptop instead of warmer air from beneath it. This massive vent increased airflow by up to 30% over previous AAS designs, earning the name AAS Plus.
The Zephyrus Duo 15 SE further increases the cooling efficiency of the AAS Plus design, allowing more power to be fed to the processors without an increase in noise levels. One of the keys to this improvement is a new Arc Flow fan design with radically reshaped blades that move more air more quietly. Each fan features 84 blades that vary in thickness from base to tip to maximize airflow, and the blades are capped by a special aerodynamic wave pattern that minimizes turbulence and noise. These are the first fans made with a new version of ROG’s liquid-crystal polymer, which enables blades as thin as 0.1mm that remain strong enough to spin at high RPMs. The combination of a new shape and thinner blades improves airflow by up to 13% compared to the previous generation. With 0dB Technology, the fans switch off completely when CPU and GPU temperatures are low in the Silent operating mode. This makes cooling truly silent under light workloads.
To add further cooling headroom, the CPU is covered with Thermal Grizzly’s liquid metal compound, which reduces processor temperatures by as much as 10°C compared to standard thermal paste. Applying the exotic material is delicate work typically done by hand. That approach isn’t suitable for mass production, so ROG commissioned custom equipment to automate the process with mechanical precision, and designed a special internal gasket to contain the compound. For 2021, ROG has updated this patented process for AMD CPUs, adding a special step to protect surface-mounted components on the processor package. Using liquid metal to accelerate heat transfer away from the new chips provides thermal margin that different operating modes use to lower noise, reduce temperatures, or increase performance.
The cooling module’s five heat pipes draw thermal energy away from the CPU, GPU, VRAM, and VRM. They distribute it across four heatsinks filled with ultra-thin fins that maximize the area for thermal dissipation while decreasing resistance to airflow. There are 222 heatsink fins totaling 112,357mm² of surface area, even higher than the original Zephyrus Duo 15.
Cooling requirements change based on the task, so ROG offers multiple modes tuned for different situations. Silent mode reduces speed slightly to keep acoustics low, which is ideal for everyday tasks. Performance mode provides the horsepower required to push high frame rates in games without excessive noise. Turbo mode overclocks the CPU by 200 MHz to enable even higher performance with a louder fan profile.
Users can switch between operating modes manually with a quick keyboard shortcut or automatically with Scenario Profiles. Available through the ROG Armoury Crate utility, Scenario Profiles let users associate individual games and apps with specific operating modes, lighting effects, and other system settings. Profiles are activated by the foreground application, providing seamless transitions between preferences for different tasks.
THE KEYS TO COMFORT AND ACCURACY
Powerful internal components can sometimes make laptop keyboards uncomfortably hot during long gaming sessions and with sustained heavy workloads. The Zephyrus Duo 15 SE pulls the keyboard forward to keep the user’s hands away from the warmest parts of the machine and create more space for the second display. This design lets the user’s wrists sit on the table, just like a desktop keyboard, and a detachable palm rest provides cushioning to improve comfort.
Several enhancements upgrade the main input area below the touchscreen. Dedicated hotkeys put volume controls and microphone mute within easy reach. Separated groups of function keys are easier to identify at a glance. ROG Overstroke technology lifts the trigger point of the underlying switches for quicker response. Multiple keys can also be pressed with speed thanks to N-Key rollover that registers every press precisely. The touchpad positioned to the right also lights up a digital numpad with the press of a button.
While the virtual numpad glows red, the keyboard has per-key RGB lighting that’s great for highlighting critical commands and time-saving shortcuts. Users can mark important bindings for games, streamline workflows, and coordinate colorful lighting across an ecosystem of compatible Aura Sync peripherals.
PORTABLE POWER
The Zephyrus Duo 15 SE truly stands out. Its sleek body is just 20.9mm thin and weighs only 2.4kg. Made of magnesium-aluminide, the all-metal chassis is tough and durable. The Dot Insight design uses clean lines and black anodizing to impart a professional feel that fits into any environment, while laser-polished accents and a seamless diamond add flashes of flair that contrast the stealthy surfaces.
A high-capacity 90Wh battery provides extended unplugged time, and fast-charging technology brings it back to 50% in just 30 minutes. The laptop also supports charging from Type-C devices up to 100W. Being able to top up from USB power packs fundamentally enhances users’ mobility and reduces the need to look for wall sockets. Although the included AC adapter is required for full performance, a USB-C adapter is much smaller and lighter to carry yet still powerful enough for day-to-day use. A single Type-C adapter can also be used to power the user’s laptop, phone, and other devices.
PUMP UP THE VOLUME AND FILTER OUT THE NOISE
Dolby Atmos technology puts the user in the center of the action with 5.2.1-channel virtual surround sound. The number of speakers has doubled from the original Zephyrus Duo; two tweeters fire audio directly at the user, while dual woofers bounce bass off the table below. Smart Amp technology keeps the woofers within thermal and excursion limits, allowing for high volume. A standard 3.5mm jack is also available for headphones and headsets.
Advanced Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation improves voice chat by removing unwanted sounds from both input and output audio. It can be applied to any device and even customized on a per-app basis, so noise-canceling can be limited to chat apps without affecting important in-game sounds. With this technology, gamers can communicate better with teammates, creators can record cleaner audio in any environment, and everyone can enjoy clear conversation.
Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation runs entirely on the CPU, which leaves the GPU free to focus on maximizing frame rates for the smoothest possible gaming experience.
ALL THE I/O NEEDED FOR GAMING ON THE GO
Extensive connectivity lets the Zephyrus Duo 15 SE power a full battlestation or serious workstation. The USB 3.2 Gen 2 port supports DisplayPort™ 1.4 for desktop monitors, and an HDMI 2.0b output can drive a 4K monitor or TV at 60 Hz. Three Type-A USB ports accommodate additional peripherals, including a mouse, gamepad, and VR gear. ROG has also added an ultra-fast microSD 4.0 reader capable of speeds up to 312MB/s, so users can quickly load footage from drones, action cameras, and other portable devices.
ROG gives users high-speed wireless connectivity with Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax. When combined with a compatible router, Wi-Fi 6 increases peak interface bandwidth up to 2.4Gbps and improves efficiency for crowded networks like those found in busy offices and coffee shops. It also lowers latency, which reduces lag for sensitive activities like online gaming, and it expands upstream capacity, which provides more bandwidth for livestreaming. For users who would rather plug in, the Gigabit Ethernet jack at the back of the system provides the lowest possible latency for serious multiplayer gameplay.
ROG FLOW X13
This one is Asus’s ultra-portable model, featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU (plus the XG Mobile, a custom external GPU up to an RTX 3080 as an optional, sold-separately extra), support for up to 32GB RAM, and a 13-inch display.
The ROG X13 and XG Mobile will be available in South Africa from Evetech and Incredible Connection in mid-February. Prices start at R34,999 for the X13 and R69,999 for the bundle.
press releaseASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the ROG Flow X13, the first 2-in-1 convertible ROG gaming laptop, and the ROG XG Mobile, an innovative ultraportable external GPU that augments the Flow X13’s gaming performance and connectivity.
“ASUS has always been known for passion to innovations and we are happy to introduce new breakthrough product – ROG Flow X13 which is not just a new single product. It is the start of a whole new category. We saw a demand in extra powerful 13-inch laptops a while ago and decided to combine ultimate gaming performance with the best ultra-portability you could ever imagine.” Benjamin Yeh, ASUS East EMEA General Manager PC & Gaming
The Flow X13 delivers powerful hardware in an ultraslim 13-inch body with up to an 8-core AMD Ryzen™ 9 5980HS CPU and dedicated GeForce® GTX 1650 GPU. A 360° hinge maximizes touchscreen viewing and interaction, quickly flipping from laptop mode into positions for gaming, drawing, and presenting. A choice of two 16:10 display options provides either a 120Hz refresh rate or an Ultra HD 4k resolution with richer detail.
Slim and lightweight, the Flow X13 is only 15.8mm thin and 1.3kg (2.9lb). It runs at full power with a lightweight 100W USB Type-C adapter, and its battery provides up to 10 hours of video playback. The Flow X13 further stands out by seamlessly integrating with a new class of external GPU (eGPU) that adds power and flexibility in an ultraportable form factor.
The innovative ROG XG Mobile is a fraction of the size of external graphics alternatives. Yet it incorporates up to a powerful GeForce RTX™ 3080 GPU connected directly to the CPU via a custom PCIe® 3.0 x8 interface that’s faster than Thunderbolt 4. A dedicated USB 3.2 Gen 2 link feeds an I/O hub with extra connectivity, while an integrated 280W AC adapter powers both the XG Mobile and Flow X13, removing the need for users to carry an additional power brick.
Together, the Flow X13 and XG Mobile redefine what’s possible with a 13-inch device, empowering users with versatile portability while providing desktop-class gaming performance and connectivity on demand.
ULTRAPORTABLE 2-IN-1
The Flow X13 has a slick convertible design with a 360° hinge that allows users to use different modes for different tasks.
Standard laptop mode is optimal for serious gaming and multitasking. Tablet mode makes it possible to swipe through content or draw and take handwritten notes with a compatible active stylus like the ASUS Pen. The touchscreen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, which resists scratches from everyday use.
The 360° hinge also enables stand mode, which brings the display closer to the user, and tent mode, which minimizes the device’s footprint. These positions give the cooling fans more unobstructed access to airflow, lowering temperatures by up to 8 degrees.
The 13-inch chassis is slim and lightweight at only 15.8mm thin and 1.3kg. A textured exterior with a wave-like design adds style while providing a secure, fingerprint-resistant grip for easy carrying. Integrated one-touch login also allows the Flow X13 to wake up like a smartphone.
ROG XG MOBILE
ROG is a pioneer in the field of external graphics, having introduced the very first eGPU dock, the XG Station, in 2007. The new ROG XG Mobile introduces a streamlined design that offers an innovative new way to bring desktop-class gaming performance to an ultraportable form factor.
Weighing only 1kg (2.2lb) and measuring just 155mm (D) x 208mm (W) x 29mm (H), the XG Mobile is 6% the size of typical eGPUs despite featuring up to a GeForce RTX™ 3080 GPU clocked to 1810MHz at 150W with ROG Boost. The top-of-the-line GPU is based on the new NVIDIA Ampere architecture, which combines CUDA cores for programmable shading with 2nd generation RT cores for advanced ray tracing and 3rd generation Tensor cores that offer greater throughput for AI-accelerated DLSS graphics.
Efficient vapor chamber cooling keeps the XG Mobile operating at ideal temperatures despite its small enclosure. The compact vapor chamber design increases contact surface area by 54% compared to heat pipes, maximizing thermal transfer to the heatsink fins for rapid dissipation.
The XG Mobile connects directly to the CPU with a custom PCIe® 3.0 x8 interface that’s faster than Thunderbolt 4. The interface dedicates 63Gbps of bandwidth exclusively to graphics, resulting in significantly higher performance than eGPU alternatives. A separate USB 3.2 Gen 2 connection adds 10Gbps just for I/O, and both share a 41cm cable.
The USB link drives the XG Mobile’s multi-port hub, which has four USB Type A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a full-sized SD card slot, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0a display outputs connect directly to the external GPU.
An integrated 280W power adapter supplies the XG Mobile and laptop simultaneously, so users don’t need to carry a separate power brick.
POWERFUL PROCESSOR
Up to an AMD® Ryzen™ 9 5980HS CPU with 8 cores and 16 threads provides the performance needed for demanding workloads. The Ryzen 5000 Series mobile processors feature a new Zen 3 architecture backed by a large on-chip cache up to 20MB. The HS designation indicates chips that have a 35W power envelope tuned for ultraslim chassis but are capable of scaling up to 54W when thermal and power headroom allow.4
A special Flow X13 Supernova Edition will be available with the top-of-the-line Ryzen 9 5980HS, which scales up to 4.8GHz on a single core and achieves [performance placeholder].
Up to 32GB of memory provides smooth multitasking. The Flow X13 uses LPDDR4X-4266 RAM, which consumes 50% less power and generates less heat than typical DDR4 memory. LPDDR4X memory also takes up 46% less surface area on the motherboard thanks to smaller chips and simplified traces, leaving more room for a powerful CPU and GPU.
A PCIe® SSD provides high performance and up to 1TB of capacity, giving users ample storage space for games and professional portfolios.
GAMING TO GO
The Flow X13 incorporates a GeForce® GTX™ 1650 GPU capable of hitting clock speeds up to 1255MHz at 35W in Turbo mode with ROG Boost, with the ability to draw an additional 5W via Dynamic Boost, enabling strong performance in the latest games.
A choice of displays completes the visual experience. The 120Hz FHD panel enables smoother gameplay that’s especially noticeable in fast-paced games, while the optional 4K Ultra HD display provides a high pixel density well-suited to artistic work. On both displays, Adaptive-Sync synchronizes the panel’s refresh rate with the GPU’s frame rate to reduce lag, minimize stuttering, and eliminate visual tearing.
Both display options are factory-calibrated to meet the PANTONE® validation standard for color accuracy. They also have a taller 16:10 aspect ratio that provides more vertical space for games and creative workflows.
UNHINDERED COOLING
The Flow X13’s cooling system is fine-tuned to enable high performance within the small chassis.
Liquid metal thermal compound improves thermal transfer from the CPU to the heatpipes, reducing the processor temperature by up to 10°C compared to standard thermal paste. ROG was the first to automate the application of liquid metal for mass production. Now, that patented process has been adapted to AMD Ryzen processors, which present different challenges due to the presence of conductive components around the die. ROG is the first to mass-produce laptops with liquid metal on AMD CPUs.
Heat is transferred away from the CPU, GPU, and VRM by 2 heatpipes, which have a slimmer shape to save space and increase the contact area for thermal transfer. A retooled thermal module fits three large heatsinks and fan outlets inside the system, far more than typically seen in a device this size. Together, these heatsinks offer 44,230mm² of surface area for fast and efficient heat dissipation.
Dual Arc Flow fans generate maximum airflow with minimal noise. These fans are based on a new design with 84 blades that vary in thickness to move more air. The blades are capped with special tips that follow an aerodynamic wave pattern to stabilizes the airflow and reduce noisy turbulence. These advancements improve airflow by up to 13% without increasing noise. With 0dB Technology, the fans switch off completely when CPU and GPU temperatures are low in the Silent operating mode. This makes cooling truly silent under light workloads.
The self-cleaning thermal module uses anti-dust tunnels to channel particles away from the fans and heatsinks. Minimizing build-up helps the cooling system operate more reliably over time, giving the laptop a long life of fast and flexible gaming. ROG’s latest design shortens the tunnels to make space for both larger fans and higher airflow.
WORLD-CLASS MOBILITY
The long-lasting battery powers the Flow X13 for up to 10 hours of video playback. Type-C charging support allows users to replenish the battery from portable power packs and third-party adapters, enabling more time away from wall sockets.
The Flow X13’s streamlined 100W Type-C adapter measures just 75 x 75 x 28.8mm and weighs only 300g (10.6oz), making it much smaller than the power bricks typically required by gaming laptops. Thanks to fast-charging technology, the battery can be replenished from 0% to 50% in only 30 minutes.
CRYSTAL CLEAR SOUND
Virtual 5.1.2-channel surround sound powered by Dolby Atmos provides rich, directional audio. Smart Amp technology keeps the onboard speakers within thermal and excursion limits, allowing users to enjoy a louder and more engrossing experience.
To improve voice chat, advanced Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation removes unwanted sounds from both input and output audio. It can be applied to any device and even customized on a per-app basis, so users can limit noise-canceling to chat apps without affecting in-game sounds. Gamers can communicate better with teammates, creators can record cleaner audio in any environment, and everyone can enjoy clear conversation.
Because Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation runs on the CPU, the GPU is free to focus on maximizing frame rates.
FULL-SIZED CONVENIENCE
For more comfortable typing and gaming, the Flow X13’s edge-to-edge keyboard design incorporates a full-sized, desktop-style layout into its compact chassis. The ErgoLift hinge raises the back of the keyboard as the system is opened for a better typing angle.
The keys feature curved caps and a 1.7mm travel distance, further improving comfort. N-key rollover ensures multi-key inputs are registered accurately at speed, and tasteful white backlighting makes every key easy to find in low-light environments.
The Flow X13 also provides ample connectivity, including a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port that supports both Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4. An HDMI 2.0b port allows another display to be connected. A USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port is ready for gaming mice or gamepads, and a 3.5mm jack accommodates headphones or headsets.
For extra connectivity, the XG Mobile’s I/O hub allows users to expand their setup. Otherwise, the proprietary XG Mobile connector includes an additional USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port that provides extra flexibility.
ROG STRIX SCAR 15 AND 17
Filed under the luxurious “premium gaming laptops” category so manage your price expectations accordingly, the difference between the ROG Strix Scar 15 and 17 is display – 15.1-inch FHD @ 300Hz or 1440p @ 165Hz, and a 17.3-inch FHD @ 360Hz (!) or 1440p @ 165Hz, respectively. The clue is in the name, guys. Other specs are the same, featuring a choice of AMD Ryzen 7 5800H or Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU, NVIDIA RTX 3070 or NVIDIA RTX 3080 GPU, and support for up to 42GB RAM.
The ROG Strix Scar 15 and 17 will be available in South Africa from Evetech, Computer Mania, and Incredible Connection by the end of this month, starting at R49,999.
press releaseASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the Strix SCAR 15 and Strix SCAR 17, premium gaming laptops engineered from the ground up to give esports players an uncompromising experience in competitive tournaments.
The flagship Strix SCAR 17 integrates the latest innovations to keep the most demanding esports players at the top of their game. It introduces the world’s fastest laptop display, with a 360Hz refresh rate and 3ms response; drives it with powerful new GeForce RTX™ 30 Series GPUs and Ryzen™ 5000-Series mobile processors; and helps the hardware reach its full potential with radically redesigned fans and other cooling upgrades.
“Same as last year – Strix Series offers the most powerful gaming laptops from ROG. Choosing a 17-inch version Strix SCAR you will get the top-level CPU and GPU to ultimate performance. This year we made another big improvement by shifting to the latest AMD Ryzen 9 5000 Series CPU and adding liquid metal cooling for less noise, better thermal capacity and battery life.
New Strix SCAR also offers mind-blasting superfast 360Hz IPS panel and a new optic-mechanical keyboard for hardcore gamers. This year, refreshed Strix will become one of the key series as the demand for esports and hardcore gaming laptops grows over the last few years.” Benjamin Yeh, ASUS East EMEA General Manager PC & Gaming
The Strix SCAR 15 and 17 both implement the first optical-mechanical keyboard in a Strix laptop, delivering both rapid response and high durability. A higher screen-to-body ratio puts the user closer to the action, while a smaller footprint and a bigger battery with Type-C charging support maximize portability. Quad speakers backed by Dolby Atmos technology make for a more immersive audio experience, and Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation processes both input and output audio to make team chats crystal-clear.
All-new designs elevate both form and function in the new Strix SCAR series, introducing a bold style inspired by athletic gear. The aesthetic includes translucent materials, customizable chassis accents, and lighting upgrades that enable extensive personalization.
ROG today also announced the Strix G15 and Strix G17, which incorporate the new ROG gaming laptop DNA into stylish designs accessible to all gamers. These systems complete a 2021 ROG Strix family engineered to enhance the experience of everyday gamers and to give serious esports players the edge they need to succeed.
WORLD’S FASTEST LAPTOP DISPLAY
For esports players, waiting an instant too long can put victory out of reach. That’s why ROG has led the adoption of high refresh rates in gaming laptops and continues to push the limits of panel technology. The Strix SCAR 17 features the world’s fastest laptop display, a 17.3” IPS-level panel that combines a Full HD resolution with a 360Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. Compared to the 240Hz standard common for tournaments, a 360Hz refresh rate reduces the delay between new frames by 33%.
The smaller Strix SCAR 15 has a 15.6” screen with a 300Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. For gamers who want fluidity with more detail, the SCAR 15 and 17 are also available with new WQHD panels that feature a 165Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. The higher 2560×1440 resolution on those displays is made more immersive by a cinematic DCI-P3 color gamut.
In a first for Strix, Adaptive-Sync technology is standard across the entire series. It synchronizes the display’s refresh rate with the GPU’s frame rate to eliminate screen tearing, minimize stuttering, and reduce input lag.
LATEST NVIDIA AND AMD PROCESSORS
The 2021 Strix SCAR laptops saturate their high-refresh displays with the combined power of up to a GeForce RTX 3080 GPU and Ryzen 9 5900HX processor.
Based on NVIDIA’s new Ampere architecture, the GeForce RTX 3080 is clocked up to 1645MHz at 115W with ROG Boost, with another 15W available from Dynamic Boost. It combines new streaming multiprocessors with 2nd gen RT cores and 3rd gen Tensor cores to enable the most realistic ray-traced graphics and advanced AI features. These improvements enable lifelike visuals while pushing frame rates to new heights. They’re backed by support for NVIDIA Reflex technologies that lower latency in select multiplayer games and NVIDIA Broadcast effects that add instant polish to live streams.
The Ryzen 9 5900HX uses 8 cores and 16 threads to power through demanding multitasking like gaming while streaming, recording, and interacting with an audience. AMD’s new Zen 3 architecture raises performance per clock thanks to lower cache-access latency and numerous other architectural tweaks. ROG’s robust cooling and power delivery allow the 5900HX to run on up to 54W of sustained power when the GPU is active and 80W on its own. The CPU is unlocked, allowing users to push for higher speeds with overclocking.
In their top configurations, the SCAR 15 and 17 are available with 64GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and dual hyper 1TB solid-state drives in RAID 0. Each NVMe SSD enjoys four lanes of PCIe Express bandwidth straight from the CPU, pushing RAID 0 transfer rates as high as 7000MB/s. The memory and storage are fully upgradeable with an easy-upgrade design and pop-open screw that allow quick access to the system’s two SO-DIMM slots and twin M.2 slots.
OPTICAL MECHANICAL KEYBOARD
Regular laptop keyboards push conductive membranes together to detect keystrokes. This electrical approach creates a lot of signal noise at contact, requiring a debounce delay of 5ms to ensure accuracy. Any delay is detrimental in esports, so the new optical mechanical switches in the 2021 Strix SCAR series trigger using a precise infrared laser beam instead, eliminating the debounce delay and reducing the response time to only 0.2 milliseconds. The optical mechanism is also much more durable than conventional alternatives, extending the switch’s lifetime to 100 million presses.
Each key has a long 1.9mm travel distance to improve the overall feel, while the caps have a slight curve that keeps users’ fingers centered. The layout is inspired by desktop keyboards and includes dedicated hotkeys that put vital volume, microphone mute, and other controls within easy reach. ROG’s CoolZone technology strategically places vents around the WASD keys, keeping users’ fingers cool and lowering surface temperatures by up to 14% compared to other laptops.
The new Strix laptops also introduce an improved touchpad, with an active area 85% larger than last year’s and a glass surface with a matte finish, combining smoothness and precision to give users more control. With a tap, the touchpad turns into an illuminated numpad for more intuitive input on 15.6” models that are too narrow to fit a dedicated numpad.
ENHANCED MOBILITY
The 2021 Strix SCAR and Strix G series have a footprint up to 7% smaller than last year’s models, making them easier to carry. Their higher-capacity, 90Wh battery also allows for more unplugged time than ever: up to 12 hours of video playback.
Mobility is further enhanced by fast charging support, which allows the battery to reach 50% in only 33 minutes. Fast charging is also supported over USB Type-C with compatible 100W adapters and power banks. Support for Type-C charging is new for the Strix series this year, giving users more flexibility on the road.
AN ATHLETIC REDESIGN
The 2021 Strix SCAR and Strix G series introduce a unique look inspired by athletic apparel. The redesign enhances aesthetics and functionality but remains unmistakably Strix.
The compact chassis has a footprint up to 7% smaller than last year’s models, in part due to thinner bezels. At only 4.5mm along the top and sides, the slimmer frame increases the screen-to-body ratio from 80% to as much as 87%, improving portability and putting users closer to the action.
On the Strix SCAR series, the aluminum lid is slashed with a shimmering dot matrix design created with precise electroplating. A soft-touch texture makes the palm rests comfortably smooth, and a translucent treatment on the keyboard deck shows the hardware inside. Under the body, larger rubber feet take a cue from running shoes to maximize stability and grip. Customizable Armor Caps add a new level of personalization, allowing users to modify the chassis itself. The laptops come with Rubber Grey, Translucent Black, and Spangle Silver hinge caps that can be quickly swapped. ROG also provides the 3D printer source file to let users create completely custom caps.
RGB illumination has been refined with a higher-density light bar that glows around the front edge of the new Strix chassis. In the SCAR, it complements a new companion strip under the screen and a glowing ROG logo on the lid. The keyboard also features per-key control that lets users highlight critical commands for different games. All the RGB accents are fully customizable, and Aura Sync makes it easy to synchronize colors and effects with compatible peripherals.
ROG’s unique Keystone II technology is back in the new Strix SCAR family. This physical key docks into the side of the chassis and triggers a new sound and keyboard animation. It can perform a range of functions, from launching different games and operating modes to restoring preferences associated with the user’s ROG ID. It can even be configured to unlock a secret Shadow Drive.
Despite being more compact than ever, the new Strix series has a full assortment of ports laid out strategically for a tidy gaming setup. There are enough ports at the back to power a multi-monitor desktop with all cables out of the way, including the main power jack, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, USB Type-A, and DisplayPort™-enabled USB Type-C. Two more USB ports sit on the left side along with an audio jack, keeping additional cables from interfering with right-handed mousing. Wi-Fi 6 networking supports peak wireless interface bandwidth up to 2.4Gbps on compatible networks, plus smarter traffic management that enables lower latency through higher efficiency.
NEW COOLING TECHNOLOGY
A refined cooling system extracts peak performance from the processors in the new Strix SCAR and Strix G series while lowering noise levels by 3 decibels compared to last year’s models. The upgrades start with the first mass-produced implementation of liquid metal on AMD laptop processors. Liquid metal transfers heat away from the CPU more efficiently than traditional thermal compounds, which allows for increased thermal headroom. They’re typically applied by hand, but ROG developed a patented process that paints liquid metal with robotic precision. For 2021, ROG overcame the unique challenge of applying liquid metal to AMD processors, adding an insulating compound that protects surface-mounted components on the CPU package.
The upgraded thermal module channels heat from the CPU, GPU, VRAM, and voltage regulation circuitry with an extended heat spreader and up to six heat pipes, maximizing redistribution to sustain higher clocks. Thermal energy flows across four heatsinks with ultra-thin 0.1mm copper fins that provide greater surface area and lower air resistance. Four fan outlets in the flanks maximize airflow out of the system.
ROG Arc Flow fans improve airflow by up to 35% for the CPU and 21% for the GPU with no increase in noise. The new design spins 84 blades capped by special tips that follow an aerodynamic wave pattern that reduces turbulence. The blades each taper down to just 0.2mm at the base to move more air, and they’re made of a liquid-crystal polymer strong enough to maintain its structure at high speeds.
To further amplify airflow, the new Strix series uses an improved self-cleaning cooling system. Dust accumulation on the heatsinks and fans slowly compromises cooling, so particles are channeled out of the chassis to ensure reliable performance over time. Shorter anti-dust tunnels in the latest models clear the way for 15% more airflow while still preventing harmful buildup.
Cooling and performance can be customized with Scenario Profiles. Performance and Turbo modes provide higher performance for demanding esports titles, while Silent mode lowers noise levels for lighter workloads. With 0dB Technology, the fans switch off completely when CPU and GPU temperatures drop below 60°C in Silent mode. This makes cooling truly silent under light workloads.
Scenario Profiles can change other system settings, like disabling the Windows key and switching RGB lighting effects. Users can also switch operating modes on the fly with a convenient keyboard shortcut.
MORE IMMERSIVE AUDIO
The new Strix SCAR series features a quad-speaker array. Two tweeters fire sound from behind the keyboard, while two Smart Amp woofers bounce low frequencies off the surface under the laptop. Together, these four speakers generate rich sound with 2.8x more volume, 3x more powerful bass, and up to 3x greater dynamic range than competing setups. They’re tuned with Dolby Atmos technology for a multidimensional soundscape with incredible detail. Atmos can also create compelling virtual surround sound for stereo headsets.
To make team communication clearer, Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation in the new Strix SCAR and Strix G series eliminates up to 95% of background noise from both input and output audio. Developed using a deep neural network for super-high accuracy, this algorithm can be applied to any mic and configured on a per-app basis, so users can target chat software while preserving in-game sound. The two-way filtering processes output audio, allowing users to hear their teammates better. And because noise canceling runs on the CPU, the GPU is free to hit higher FPS.