I'll start by saying that this is the craziest gaming laptop I've ever reviewed. While I've used several gaming laptops, including the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 ( review ), this is on a different level. The ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is a top-of-the-line gaming laptop with a 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D processor. It features AMD's exclusive 3D V-cache technology that increases performance by at least 15 percent compared to the standard 7945HX chip. Apart from the new processor and additional Ryzen AI features, there is nothing new with the ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D compared to the non-X3D variant.
Since the AMD processor is the main hero here, I will mainly focus on the performance, gaming and AI features that this laptop supports. After using the laptop for about a week, here are my thoughts.
Before we start, I would like to point out that the ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is not available for purchase in India and AMD sent us this unit to test the Ryzen AI processor and features. Our review unit (G733PYV-LL053X) came with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU with 16GB of VRAM, a maximum of 175W TGP, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of storage.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D Review: Design and Display
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D looks exactly like the standard version. It has a stealth look with a matte finish, the ROG logo and a strip on the lid. The laptop uses a mixture of aluminum and plastic to provide a rigid chassis. It is about 1 inch thick and weighs 3 kg. Yes, this is a big, heavy laptop, like most gaming laptops with large screens. There is a little flex on the lid, but nothing to worry about.
The ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D looks exactly the same as the standard variant
On the front, you get the RGB Aura Sync bar, and when you open the lid, you're greeted with a large 17-inch display with thin bezels and an anti-glare coating. There's a webcam at the top, and the screen is attached at the bottom with two sturdy hinges. You'll find that the back protrudes a bit and has the ROG Armor cover, which this time is non-replaceable.
Down below, you get a full-size keyboard with per-key RGB customization and 2mm of travel. Below the keyboard is an excellent sized trackpad. The bottom of the laptop features ROG-style cutouts and large rubber feet, along with cutouts for the cooling system.
The laptop offers many connectivity options. You have two USB Type-A ports and a headphone jack on the left side, while the back houses two USB Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 slot and a 2.5G LAN port along with the AC input.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D Review: Specs
Again, most of the ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D specs are similar to the non-X3D variant, except for the newer chipset. This variant features the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D processor which has 16 cores/32 threads, 144 MB total cache, 55W+ TDP and a maximum boost speed of 5.4 GHz. It is based on the Zen 4 architecture. The chipset uses AMD's exclusive 3D V-cache technology, which offers almost double the L3 cache (128 MB) compared to the standard Ryzen 9 7945HX CPU. AMD even claims that the upgraded chipset is up to 15 percent faster than the standard model.
This is the only laptop that currently houses the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D processor
The CPU is paired with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 mobile GPU with 16GB of VRAM and up to 175W TDP with Dynamic Boost. You also get up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM with support for up to 64GB. It also includes up to 2 TB of storage. For connectivity, the laptop comes with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Asus has packed a 90Wh battery into the laptop and includes a 330W AC adapter in the box.
You also get a beautiful 17.3-inch anti-glare IPS display that offers a WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution and a refresh rate of up to 240Hz. The panel also supports Dolby Vision HDR and covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. There's also a dual speaker setup with Dolby Atmos support and Hi-Resolution certification for the headphones.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D Review: Performance and Software
To make the most of the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D chipset and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, Asus has included its Armory Crate software. You can use this tool to select from the different modes available or even manually play with the clock speeds (within the allowed limits).
You get multiple modes, including a manual mode to tweak CPU and GPU performance
I ran a couple of synthetic benchmarks on the laptop to get an idea of its performance, and the numbers confirmed that this is one of the best gaming laptops out there. Benchmarks were run in Turbo mode with the GPU set to Ultimate. In Geekbench 6.3, the laptop managed a single-core CPU score of 2,770 and a multi-core score of 16,471. The benchmark tool's GPU tests scored 2,00,864 points.
Geekbench score 6.3 for AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D
I then ran Cinebench R23 to test CPU performance. The laptop scored 28,599 points in the multi-core tests, which is quite impressive for a mobile CPU. In comparison, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX, a desktop-class processor with a TDP of 250W, scored 30,054 points. In the single-core test, the laptop delivered 1919 points. This is another impressive score and right up there.
Cinebench R23 scores are impressive
In conclusion, and with the numbers from other benchmarks (PCMark 10 – 8,228) I ran, the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is the best laptop processor out there, at least in terms of multi-core performance.
This kind of stellar CPU + GPU performance also allows the ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D to perform all kinds of AI-related tasks. You get access to Microsoft Studio Effects, 50+ Adobe tools, 25+ video and photo editing techniques from Topaz Labs, and 20+ video and audio editing features in Davinci. That's not all, as there are over 50 features provided by tools such as AVID, Zoom, Boris FX, Audacity, Bytedance, CyberLink, Luminar, Blender and Arkruner.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D – Gaming
Gaming on the ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is insane. AAA titles run smoothly even when using the laptop in battery mode. You can play at WQHD+ resolution and still get excellent frame rates. I ran Hogwarts Legacy at full resolution with Ultra graphics settings, and the average FPS was above 100. The game looked great and had no lag whatsoever. You can run almost any AAA title at full blast and still get impressive frame rates with this laptop.
Hogwarts Legacy ran smoothly on Ultra graphics settings at WQHD resolution
What's also impressive is the laptop's cooling setup. During long gaming sessions, the keyboard never got hot enough to stop me from playing. Cooling is excellent on the machine.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D: Battery life, keyboard, webcam, speakers
This is a high-end gaming laptop, so I didn't expect it to offer great battery life. These laptops are not designed for this. With typical usage that included multi-tabbing Chrome and watching a couple of YouTube videos, the ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D lasted about 2 hours in silent mode. That number drops to about 45 minutes to an hour when using the laptop for gaming in performance mode.
Get a full-size chiclet keyboard on your laptop that offers 2mm of travel and RGB customization per key. It's an excellent keyboard, and I was very pleased with how comfortable it was for typing and gaming.
The webcam isn't great, and again, that's to be expected from a gaming laptop. It's a 720p sensor that performs well in good lighting conditions and poorly in low light. However, I don't think anyone uses a webcam on a gaming laptop, so that's not a negative.
The built-in speakers are nothing to brag about either. The dual speakers aren't loud, but you get some bass and good separation.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D Review: Verdict
The AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is the best mobile gaming processor available on the planet right now, and I'm not biased. And the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is the only laptop currently equipped with the chipset, which makes it that much more special. Whether it's gaming or creative work, this laptop can handle it all without breaking a sweat. So the verdict is easy. If you have the money and it's available in your region, you should buy it. There is nothing like it!
