New batch of Asus laptops includes one packed with AMD’s new Ryzen CPUs

Previous Next

1 of 3

Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501

For starters, this laptop measures just 0.66 inches thick despite having Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip inside. That’s likely due to Nvidia’s new “Max-Q” optimization of the chip’s architecture, which allows it to run better than before while maintaining minimal power usage. The result is maximum performance with less heat generated by the chip, which allows it to reside within a super-slim form factor.

Cooling the GTX 1080 and the Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor is the laptop’s Active Aerodynamic System (AAS). It consists of a dedicated heatpipe, radiator, and AeroAccelerator blower fan for each chip — the GTX 1080 has an additional radiator that kicks in when gaming. Two more heatpipes are shared between the two chips, and another heatpipe is used to pull heat away from the power circuitry.

Rather than having the keyboard and touchpad placed above or below one another, they both share the same space at the front of the input area. According to Asus, this is to provide better cooling of the major components underneath, and to reduce the amount of heat felt when typing. The keyboard itself provides per-key RGB illumination, and owners can even customize the WASD and QWER key groups with special effects.

Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC

This laptop is based on AMD’s Ryzen processors and discrete Radeon RX 580 graphics chip. It’s due to arrive this summer, and while we don’t have the full list of hardware, customers will see configurations based on the Ryzen 7 1700, the Ryzen 5 1600, and the Ryzen 3 1200 processors. This laptop won’t be as thin and light as the ROG Zephyrus GX501, measuring a meatier 1.3 inches thick and weighing less than seven pounds.

As for the screen, this laptop will be sold with configurations based on three resolutions: 3,840 x 2,160 at 60Hz, 1,920 x 1,080 at 75Hz, and 1,920 x 1,080 at 120Hz. All three will support AMD FreeSync, which synchronizes the output frames of the Radeon RX 580 graphics chip with the refresh rate of the display to eliminate screen tearing. All three will also be based on In-Plane Switching technology, which provides rich colors and wide viewing angles.

Previous Next

1 of 2

Asus ROG Strix Scar Edition and Hero Edition

These two laptops are built for esports gaming, with the Strix Scar Edition tweaked for competitive first-person shooters and the Strix Hero Edition tweaked for MOBA games. Both ship with a black, brushed-metal design, although the Hero Edition sports a diagonal camouflage-type design across a portion of its lid while the Scar Edition does not.

The Scar and Hero Edition laptops are actually based on the company’s new ROG Strix GL503 and ROG Strix GL703 laptops. Each of these laptops will be sold in Scar Edition, Hero Edition, and traditional non-themed versions. We don’t have the hardware specifics for either model just yet, but both will include seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processors, Nvidia GeForce GTX 10 Series graphics, and screens with a 120Hz refresh rate and a five-millisecond response time.

Asus ROG Strix GL702VI

Finally, Asus mentioned this laptop but didn’t provide much in the details department. It will serve as an “affordable” solution for those looking for a GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip in a 17-inch gaming laptop. Configurations will consist of an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor, and up to 32GB of DDR4 system memory. Also thrown into the mix will be a 120Hz display refresh rate, and storage based on stick-shaped SSDs connecting to a speedy M.2 port (PCI Express 3.0).

Editors' Recommendations

• Asus’ new RTX 4090 shattered GPU overclocking records, and you’ll be able to buy it soon
• The new AMD Rembrandt APUs may be just as good as the GTX 1650