Gaming
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 review: A daring proposition
Bulky-sleek, with power you’ve relied on for years
Most gaming laptops these days are going for sleeker design options even with hefty internals inside. At first, you would think that it poses several issues with thermals and heat-filled components you can fry eggs on. Obviously, the benefit for it is a power-hungry machine for great gaming performance.
I’ve seen ASUS ROG’s previous STRIX SCAR laptops that follow a similar trend of producing sleek yet power-hungry devices. Unlike their other gaming laptops, these look and feel easy to bring around while equipped with the latest gaming-ready internal hardware. Again, with sleek form factors comes the thermal issues surrounding it.
So, when the latest version of the ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR 17 (G733) was launched, I wondered “what are these guys going for this time?” It arrived at my doorstep in a rather hefty packaging, with lots of freebies inside. Right out of the box, it doesn’t seem like it’s anything different from the other STRIX SCAR laptops they’ve had.
Wait, why does it look sleek but it feels bulky?
When I first removed the device from the box, it felt a little bulkier physically. Don’t get me wrong, I looked at it from all angles and it’s still quite slim and sleek compared to most gaming laptops. However, I felt that this gaming laptop has some heft to it in its sleek form factor at about 2.7 kg.
While we’re on the form factor, ASUS ROG manages to retain the same design features with one key difference. The review unit I received came in a pristine black finish, with the LED ROG logo on the lid. Of course, you can’t really take any of the RGB LED strips away from the bottom of the laptop. For ergonomic reasons, most of the ports are at the back, which is a great touch.
Unlike the previous models, ASUS ROG’s main gimmick here is the customizable Armor Caps for added customization. Essentially, they’re just a part of the hinge mechanism for the display that you can customize with any color or logo. Plus, you can 3D print your own cap if you’re not really a fan of the ones they have in the box. Personally, it’s not something I’d completely rave about but it’s nice that they extended the customization to that level.
Gaming performance, as expected, delivers well
One thing I would completely rave about the ROG STRIX SCAR 17 is its gaming performance. See, the device comes with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor and an NVIDIA RTX 3080 inside the bulky-sleek form factor. Ideally, what you’re getting is, quite simply, a power-efficient gaming setup fit for the competitive scene.
Most of the games I played through this machine ran quite well, all things considered. Part of the reason is also because the FHD anti-glare display also came with a 300Hz refresh rate, which is pretty smooth. Although, it does come with a 3ms response rate so you may have a little bit of difficulty reacting to somebody one-tapping you.
Now, because this device came with a more modern RTX card, I figured that I should look at some games a bit separately. Hopefully, I’m painting a good whole picture here:
Standard, old-fashioned, high quality gameplay
Without even turning any RTX setting on, most games fared more than well on the ROG STRIX SCAR 17. Here’s just a bit of a run down of how some of the games I played ran with their respective game settings:
| Title | Graphics Settings | Avg. FPS |
| VALORANT | Max. Settings | Agent Select: 367 FPS
In-Game: 210 FPS |
| Fortnite Battle Royale | Epic Settings | 119-133 FPS |
| Apex Legends | Max. Settings using all 16GB of VRAM | Lobby: 125-130 FPS
In-Game: 155-170 FPS |
| Call of Duty: Warzone | Max. Settings | 107-110 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | High Settings | 67-74 FPS |
| Rocket League | High Quality Settings | 255-264 FPS |
| GTA V | Max. Settings | 91-103 FPS, depending on the environment |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | Ultra Settings | 91 FPS |
Clearly, the RTX 3080 slayed in most competitive and casual games alike, while also providing accurate colors and details. There were some instances of momentary lag due to too many things happening — especially with intense gameplay. However, for the most part, it’s a gaming machine fit for every possible game you could throw at it.
Turn on the ray-tracing power
Admittedly, among all of the games I played, only four of them support any RTX functionality of any kind. Whether it was shadows or immense lighting effects, my assumption is that the RTX 3080 can simply handle all of it. My goal here was to, at the very least, achieve a playable frame rate given how beefy ray-tracing is:
| Title | RTX Compatible | Graphics Settings | Avg. FPS |
| Fortnite Battle Royale | Yes | Epic Settings
For RTX: set to Quality and all set to highest |
50-57 FPS |
| Call of Duty: Warzone | Yes | Max. Settings | 98-105 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Yes | High Settings
DLSS on Quality For RTX: set to Ultra |
54-58 FPS |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | Yes | Ultra Settings
For RTX: no option for it, but there is RTX for Shadow Quality |
94 FPS |
While I was playing these games, it was a pleasure just taking in all the visual enhancements ray-tracing brings. Reflections and shadows are present and in roughly full detail, and I still got close to 60 FPS on games with the ray-tracing turned up high. Then again, I’m playing on a FHD display so I still prefer replicating this on higher resolutions.
Pumping the brakes for a little bit
With an AMD chip inside this machine, I was expecting that it would last quite well under significant load. During my entire usage of it, I got about 6-7 hours using it for productivity purposes and a little bit of gaming. When you’re gaming full time at 60 FPS, I only got about 2 hours worth of juice on it — right around most gaming laptops.
Although, when you do need to fill it up again, it doesn’t take that long. In my tests, it took close to 2 hours for one full charge provided you’re not doing anything else. While you’re using it while charging, it takes just an hour and 45 minutes longer on average. It’s still quite fast, but it’s probably also a reminder for you to take a break from intense gameplay.
Now, the package also came with a 100W USB-C charger that you can use for both your phone and laptop. Although it doesn’t charge your bulky laptop that fast, it’s something quite nice to include as a multi-device charger.
Staying cool under pressure
I touched on this earlier about how most sleek gaming laptops have some thermal issues with it. If it comes with heavy-duty components, the devices tend to get pretty warm and uncomfortable to use for a lengthy period of time. Sometimes, it would feel like you could fry eggs on your keyboard, but please don’t try to do that.
In the ROG STRIX SCAR 17’s case, it does feel warm around the sides and rear end — where most of the ports are found. When you’re playing for longer hours or under all that ray-tracing workload, it heats up significantly. I mean, just the air coming out of the heatsinks at the sides feels enough to burn my hand. Also, the fans tend to get quite loud at times, so prepare your headphones.
However, for some reason, it wasn’t uncomfortable, especially around the keyboard. See, ASUS used its patent Liquid Metal cooling technology for the powerful CPU and GPU inside. Even while boosting the GPU to push out better performance, the device remained warm enough not to make the keyboard an uncomfortable, hot piece of equipment.
About the other assets in the package
Apart from everything I’ve mentioned above, I feel there are a lot of other things to highlight for this device. First off, I thoroughly enjoyed using the mechanical keyboard of the ROG STRIX SCAR 17. It uses optical mechanical switches that act a level of clickiness with every key press, and they’re also quite accurate.
One other thing I liked was the inclusion of more ROG peripherals within the package itself. When I took everything out of the box, the ROG STRIX SCAR 17 came with the ROG Chakram Core, the ROG Delta RGB Headset, and the ROG Eye. All in all, it feels like a complete package that you can also give content creation or streaming a go for this device.
Also, inside the package is the Keystone II in a nifty keychain. Essentially, if you’ve had any of your Aura Sync settings or you just need a ghost drive, this is one of ASUS’s technologies that will surely be useful.
Is this your GadgetMatch?
At PhP 199,995, the ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR 17 has a daring proposition for the competitive gamer. On the outside, it’s a bulky-sleek gaming machine with a ton of RGB to go around and customization options galore. Inside, you will find one of the bulkiest and hottest sets of components assembled for competitive gaming performance.
It’s a package that ASUS ROG has delivered in many forms for years on end. Yes, they will come with the usual thermal issues and even a little too much RGB for others. Although it is at a hefty price point, it is still a device worth your hard-earned money in the long run.
Quite simply, the ROG STRIX SCAR 17 is a gaming laptop — to quote ASUS ROG on this — “for those who dare.” It’s something they’ve said for their ASUS ROG Phone 5, but I think it extends even further to their gaming laptops.
Global K-pop sensation LE SSERAFIM is returning to BlizzCon.
Blizzard Entertainment has announced that the five-member girl group will perform as the closing musical act at BlizzCon 2026. LE SSERAFIM will take the Main Stage on Sunday, September 13 (PT), bringing fans another live performance after its BlizzCon debut in 2023.
The appearance also comes ahead of the group’s upcoming U.S. tour. Blizzard teased that the performance will make it a “Perfect Night” for fans attending the convention at the Anaheim Convention Center.
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LE SSERAFIM returns to Blizzard
LE SSERAFIM debuted in 2022 under SOURCE MUSIC, a label of HYBE. The group is composed of Sakura Miyawaki, Kim Chaewon, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha Nakamura, and Hong Eunchae.
The group’s name is an anagram of “I’m Fearless,” reflecting the confidence that has defined its music since debut.
This won’t be LE SSERAFIM’s first crossover with Blizzard. The group previously collaborated with Overwatch 2, bringing themed cosmetics and a special event to the hero shooter.
BlizzCon 2026 is sold out
BlizzCon is Blizzard Entertainment’s annual community celebration. It brings together fans of World of Warcraft, Diablo IV, Overwatch 2, and other Blizzard franchises for game announcements, developer panels, esports, cosplay, and hands-on experiences.
Passes for BlizzCon 2026 have already sold out. However, Blizzard says tickets may still become available through the Tixr public resale marketplace.
Fans can learn more about LE SSERAFIM’s appearance on Blizzard’s official blog.
Gaming
AMD FSR Upscaling 4.1 now available for Radeon RX 7000 Series
Update drops earlier than expected, powering more than 300 supported games
PC and handheld gamers can officially skip the wait, as AMD has launched its FSR 4.1 upscaling technology for Radeon RX 7000 series (RDNA 3) GPUs.
Computing and Graphics Group Senior Vice President and GM Jack Huynh made the announcement on X (formerly Twitter). This development brings machine learning powered gaming to millions of players across more than 300 games.
By downloading the latest AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.6.2 driver, users can unlock the new AI upscaling suite on existing RX 7000 series desktop graphics cards.
(The driver can be downloaded here.)
The update drastically sharpens image reconstruction, delivers far superior temporal stability, and keeps motion ghosting to an absolute minimum. That’s across a massive library of supported titles.
Beyond optimized frame rates out of the gate for those two blockbusters, the release packs vital architecture stability improvements and bug fixes for the broader Radeon ecosystem.
Huynh added that AMD is actively engineering lightweight machine learning models to expand FSR 4.1 optimizations to a wider base of gamers. More details are to come.
Moreover, the driver for the FSR 4.1 upscaling technology will deliver day-one support for two highly anticipated releases: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced and DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations.
if you are wielding an RDNA 3 desktop rig or an RDNA 3-powered handheld, like the ROG Ally X or Lenovo Legion GO, simply open up the AMD Software suite, get the update, and test the new AI tech.
Gaming
GTA VI: New images unveiled as pre-order details, price finally announced
Highly-anticipated title to launch on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Grand Theft Auto VI finally has a price. The highly-anticipated upcoming installment in the series is set to launch on November 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Pre-orders will begin on midnight, June 25. Available versions are the Standard Edition at US$ 79.99 and the Ultimate Edition at US$ 99.99.
The Ultimate Edition amplifies the single player experience with an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story.
Here are some newly-released exclusive images:
Alongside the Standard and Ultimate Editions, all Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders and purchases before November 20 will also get the Vintage Vice City Pack.
This is a collection of items that flash back to when the neon burned brightest:
Players who pre-order digital versions of GTA VI will be able to begin pre-loading on November 12. This is to ensure they are able to play at launch on November 19.
The physical version, which contains a download code inside the box, will be available starting November 12 as well to support pre-loading.
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