ASUS unveils ROG Strix SCAR 17 Special Edition with more powerful specs than its standard sibling
ASUS' new gaming laptop has powerful internals and invisible ink that shows hidden messages.
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What you need to know
ASUS just announced its ROG Strix SCAR 17 Special Edition gaming laptop. The device builds on the standard edition of theROG Strix SCAR, which earned high marks in our review. Compared to its standard sibling, the ROG Strix SCAR 17 Special Edition has more powerful internals, including an Intel Core i9-12950HX CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU.
The Core i9-12950HX inside the device is a 65W laptop CPU. It has a boost frequency of 5.2 GHz on its performance cores. When utilizing Manual mode in Armoury Crate, the processor can boost up to 175W for a limited time. ASUS claims that this boost allows the laptop to work as a content-creation device even when its discrete GPU is disabled.
The ROG Strix SCAR 17 Special Edition features NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti laptop graphics with a maximum TGP of 175W with Dynamic Boost. The specs of the PC should allow it to compete with thebest gaming laptops.
ASUS will have two display options for its new gaming laptop, a QHD 240Hz model and an FHD 360Hz panel. Both displays have a response time of 3 ms, support Dolby Vision, and are Adaptiv Sync compatible.
Other specs of the ROG Strix SCAR 17 Special Edition line up with what you’d expect from a device in its price range. It has up to 64GB of 4800 MHz DDR5 RAM, PCIe Gen 4 storage in a RAID 0 array, and a dedicated MUX Switch to optimize gaming performance.
With those internals in mind, ASUS designed the ROG Strix SCAR 17 Special Edition with several cooling features. The laptop has a liquid metal compound called Conductanaut Extreme, which will keep the CPU and GPU about 5°C (41°F) cooler than other metal thermal compounds, according to ASUS.
The laptop also features a vapor chamber that overs almost 49% of its mainboard, four heatsinks, and Arc Flow Fans.
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The special edition of the ROG Strix SCAR 17 has the same RGB lighting and customizable Armor Caps seen in the standard version of the device, but it also has some unique design flair. ASUS uses an invisible ink that only appears under UV light to add a pattern to the gaming laptop. The design includes clues for how to defeat SCAR Runner, which is a parkour game.
The ROG Strix SCAR 17 Special Edition will be available in Q3 2022 with a starting price of £4,000.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
