Review of gaming laptops ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II and ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II

The ASUS ROG Strix GL504 SCAR II and ASUS ROG Strix GL504 HERO II gaming laptops replaced the first versions of the ASUS ROG Strix GL503 SCAR Edition and the ASUS ROG Strix GL503 HERO Edition, which were presented a year ago, at the IFA 2017 exhibition. The SCAR Edition was created for fans of shooters and other action games, and HERO Edition - for fans of quieter games, such as strategies, MOBA and RPG. Externally, new laptops are significantly different from the first HERO and SCAR. But the differences between the new and old models do not end in appearance. Rather, the exterior is only a small part of all differences.

ASUS ROG Strix GL503 SCAR Edition, released in 2017, is made in a body of light metal color, resembling a gun metal. But the case ASUS ROG Strix GL503 Hero Edition got a pattern that repeats the dragon's scales. The [WASD] keys were also selected for the Skara keyboard, and the [QWER] buttons for the Hiro keys. They are additionally highlighted on the contour. In general, complete harmony and stylization for shooters and MOBA games was achieved.

The new ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II and ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II continue to move in the direction given by the first Skar and Hiro. Both laptops are stylized for the same types of games, only their updated versions are better, thinner and lighter.
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External differences ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II and ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II

The main visual differences between the new ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II and the ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II remain the same as in the first versions. Laptops have different case and keyboard design. However, external changes more affected ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II. This notebook has received a usual, dark metal cover, without a pattern in the form of dragon scales. And the ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II cover remained light, the color of the weapon metal. Only its texture has changed, and the diagonal strip crossing the lid is no longer so prominent.



The selection of the main gaming keys has changed. If the first versions of ASUS ROG Strix SCAR Edition and ROG Strix HERO Edition highlighted the edges of the [WASD] and [QWER] buttons, now the caps of these keys have become transparent. But the touchpads of two laptops now look the same. Recall that on the touch panel of the first "Hiro" were pointed pointed teeth, while the "Skara" - aiming grid.

Specifications

Specifications ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II
Processor: Intel Core i7-8750H (6 cores, 12 threads, 2.2 / 4.1 GHz, 9 MB L3 cache, TDP 45 W)
Display: 15.6 inches, 1920x1080, IPS, matte finish, 144 Hz
RAM: 2x 16 GB DDR4-2666
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (8 GB GDDR5)
SSD: 512 GB M.2 NVMe PCIe (SAMSUNG MZVLB512HAJQ)
HDD: 1TB 5400 rpm (Seagate ST1000LX015, hybrid drive)
Wireless Network: Intel Wireless-AC 9560, IEEE802.11 abgn + ac, 2x2: 2, Wave 2
Local Network: Realtek RTL8168 / 8111
Connectors: 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1; 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2; 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C); 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, HDMI 2.0; Mini DisplayPort 1.2; 1x 3.5mm audio jack; sd card slot
Dimensions: 36.1 x 26.2 x 2.61
Weight: 2.4 kg

Specifications ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II
Processor: Intel Core i5-8300H (4 cores, 8 threads, 2.3 / 4.0 GHz, 8 MB L3 cache, TDP 45 W)
Display: 15.6 inches, 1920x1080, IPS, matte finish, 60 Hz
RAM: 8 + 4 GB DDR4-2666
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (3 GB GDDR5) / Intel HD Graphics UHD 630
SSD: 128 GB NVMe PCIe (KINGSTON RBUSNS8154P3128GJ)
HDD: 1TB 5400 rpm (WDC WD10SPZX HDD)
Wireless Network: Intel Wireless-AC 9560, IEEE802.11 abgn + ac, 2x2: 2, Wave 2
Local Network: Realtek RTL8168 / 8111
Connectors: 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1; 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2; 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C); 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, HDMI 2.0; Mini DisplayPort 1.2; 1x 3.5mm audio jack; sd card slot
Dimensions: 36.1 x 26.2 x 2.61
Weight: 2.4 kg

The notebooks under consideration found three main differences that are striking the first thing: processors, video cards and displays. Notebook ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II received a powerful six-core Intel Core i7-8750H (with Hyper Threading support), while the ROG Strix HERO II has a 4-core Intel Core i5-8300H processor (also with Hyper Threading). However, according to general specifications, inside these two laptops can be installed as i5-8300H, and i7-8750H. Everything will depend on the configuration you decide to buy.

Another important difference between the Skara and the Hiro of the second generation (if we talk only about the technical characteristics) lies in the video cards. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card (3 GB GDDR5) is installed inside the HERO II, while NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (8 GB GDDR5) is installed in SCAR II. At the same time, a video card of a lower level can be installed inside the Skara, the same NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, with only six gigabytes of video memory on board. This is perhaps the most important technical difference that will provide a performance gap between two devices.

Two test laptops are equipped with matte 15.6-inch screens with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. SCAR II received a fast matrix with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, and HERO II - a classic 60 Hz matrix. However, according to global specifications, the HERO II can be set to the same fast matrix as SCAR II. HERO II buyers here have an opportunity to save money. If the laptop is permanently connected to an external monitor, then a screen with a refresh rate of 144 Hz is no longer required. The money saved can be used to partially cover the cost of purchasing an external monitor.

And one more important detail. Instead of two standard Wi-Fi antennas for ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II and ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II laptops, there are 2 pairs of antennas located in the front and back of the case. Special algorithms will determine which pair of antennas are best used for data transmission. As a result, the wireless coverage area will increase to 30%. Such technology is called ROG RangeBoost. As for the Wi-Fi Intel Wireless-AC 9560 module (installed in two laptops), it will work with IEEE 802.11b / g / n / ac Wave 2 networks (2x2).

ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II

Let's start with a laptop ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II. He received a light metal cover, with a double texture of brushed metal. When the laptop is turned off, the whole world will be reflected in the Republic Of Gamers logo. And when turned on - the logo will be highlighted thanks to the ASUS AURA Sync backlight. The color of the logo is set manually or the backlight can be turned off altogether. Whom like more.



The shape of the cover and the location of the LEDs are the same as the previous ASUS ROG Strix Scar Edition. In the lower part of the lid there is a long, trapezoidal cutout through which you can admire the “camouflage” texture of the working area and - most importantly - see the indicators of the laptop, even if the lid of the latter is closed. By the way, the cut has one more practical task. Even an open laptop cover can partially block the cooling system openings. ROG GL504 will not have this problem.



The LEDs are slightly recessed inside the case, so their light will not distract the gamer during the game. As for the cutout, with the lid open, it will be partially hidden behind the body of the laptop and will be almost imperceptible.





The first thing that catches your eye when you open the lid is the laptop screen. He received a thin top and side frames, which are 2.3 centimeters smaller than the first version of the laptop. Due to this, the laptop looks very technological and modern as well. But the bottom frame was thicker. It has a matrix illumination and a webcam with an array of microphones. Looking ahead, it can be said that working behind the “raised” screen turned out to be more convenient than behind the screen of a regular laptop. Discomfort from its location did not arise. On the contrary, the higher the display, the less you have to tilt your head forward. And this is an important point if you work / play for a laptop for hours. As for the webcam, the user completely falls into the frame of the webcam, while the camera does not capture the fingers lying on the keyboard.



The working area is made of plastic, visually it is divided into two parts diagonally, exactly the same as on the cover of the laptop. The left part received a "carbonic" texture, and a camouflage pattern was applied on the right over the "carbon". The laptop turned out not only beautiful, but also practical. The working area is made using multi-layer lithography, so fingerprints or palms will become imperceptible, or will not accumulate at all on the case. Constantly wipe the laptop does not have to. This is a very important aesthetic plus.





The caps of the main (for shooters) [WASD] keys in the SCAR version are transparent. For contrast (and to become more noticeable when the backlight is on), the designations on the buttons are made black. This keyboard advantages do not end there. The gaming laptop should have a unique gaming keyboard - it was her new “Skar” that she received. It is called “HYPERSTRIKE PRO”. Its advantages include a wide gap between [Esc] and [F1], an increased space and separate arrow keys. The key resource is 20 million clicks, and the backlight of the keys is responsible for the ASUS AURA Sync backlight.



Keycaps have a concave surface of 0.25 mm, for greater convenience during games and text printing, and processing of clicks takes place independently, so that the player does not interfere with the ghosting effect. In addition, the keys “HYPERSTRIKE PRO” got a special design, thanks to which the triggering is registered already half way down, and not when passing ¾ the way, like other keyboards.



Above a row of keys [F1 - F4] are separate function buttons. With their help, you can control the volume, microphone and run the utility ROG Gaming Center.



The Power key, by the way, is located remotely from the main buttons. This helps to avoid accidental clicks.



The dimensions of the touchpad were 118x60 mm. At the same time, the left and right mouse buttons do not hide under the touch surface - they are made mechanical. The touchpad without errors works out gestures, including scrolling and zooming.



Most of the connectors are located on the left side of the GL504. From the point of view of ergonomics, this is the most convenient arrangement of ports, because the gaming notebook will most likely have a mouse on the right. So, on the left there are two USB ports 3.1 Gen1 and USB 3.1 Gen2 in the Type-C form factor. HDMI 2.0 and Mini DisplayPort 1.2 are available for external monitors. Also on the left is a gigabit network port and a 3.5mm audio jack for a headset.



On the right is the third USB connector 3.1 Gen2, and a slot for SD memory cards.

ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II

The chassis of the ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II is exactly the same as that of the second Skara. But the appearance to him is a little different. Differences, it should be noted, purely cosmetic. This version turned out to be darker, and the metal cover is “polished” only half. A rough and smooth metal shares the same diagonal line as that of ROG Strix SCAR II. The logo, of course, will also glow when the laptop is turned on.



By the way, ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II has its own personal, distinctive feature. These are red radiators that have been preserved since the first ASUS ROG Strix HERO Edition.



The dimensions of the ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II screen are the same as those of the ROG Strix Scar II. Thin frames frame 15.6-inch IPS-matrix. The bottom frame is wide, it also has a webcam with an array of microphones.



As in the case of the second “skar”, the working area of ​​the ROG Strix HERO II is plastic, but without a carbon texture. A diagonal line visually divides the work area into two parts.





The keyboard is exactly the same as that of the ROG Strix Scar II, this is “HYPERSTRIKE PRO”, with concave key caps, an increased space and an early trigger. For the backlighting of the buttons, the ASUS AURA Sync backlight system is responsible, and the [QWER] keys have transparent caps.





The ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II has not changed the dimensions and appearance of the touchpad. The dimensions of the touch panel are 118x60 mm, and its main keys are mechanical. And of course, the touchpad effortlessly copes with gestures.



The number, location and types of connectors for HERO II have not changed. Unless, of course, compare it with SCAR II. On the left, there are two USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors, one USB 3.1 Gen2 Type C port, as well as HDMI 2.0 and MiniDP version 1.2. A gigabit Ethernet connector is provided for the local network, and a 3.5 mm audio jack for the headset. On the right is one USB 3.1 Gen2 and a slot for SD-cards.

Displays ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II and ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II

The novelty is equipped with the best available matrices. They are bright, with excellent color reproduction and wide viewing angles - yet we are talking about IPS. Visually, the color quality is at the level of professional LCD displays, and the colors look brighter and more alive than on the screens of previous generation laptops. Another advantage will be the refresh rate of the screen in 144 Hz, available in all SCAR II and optionally in HERO II.



Most of all, a fast matrix will help in shooters. It will increase the accuracy of aiming, and make this process more efficient. And in games of the RPG or MOBA genres, a “fast” screen will not be superfluous. After playing for some time on the monitor with a sweep frequency of 144 Hz, you will be very uncomfortable to change back to 60 Hz.

Cooling system ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II and ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II

The new notebooks have evolved a cooling system. Fans are powered by 12 volts, instead of the standard five. As a result, the new turntables rotate 20% faster, the air flow became stronger by 42.5%, and the air pressure created increased by 92%. In addition, the material of the blades has changed, so the latter have become thinner. Now 71 blades fit on one fan, which is 20% more than in previous models.



Together with the "turntables" the radiator ribs have also changed. They lost up to 0.1 mm, so more ribs fit in the same area of ​​radiators. As a result, the heat dissipation area increased by 10%. Also, the laptop “exhaust” had a place for special channels for dust removal. Small dust particles will be independently blown out from the cooling system of the laptop and will not settle on the radiators.



The GL504 also received a thoughtful arrangement of heat pipes that are in contact with the CPU, GPU, power system and other hot components. To evenly dissipate heat, the tubes are connected to a copper plate, which acts as a radiator. In addition, the tubes themselves are correctly located inside the laptops.



The last thing you want to tell in the section of the cooling system is about the possibility of adjusting its work. In the ROG Gaming Center utility, you can set one of three levels of fan operation: quiet, balanced and maximum (fan overboost). As a result, the frequency of iron will adapt to the cooling system. A laptop can become quieter due to a small reduction in clock frequencies, and, conversely, can work without unnecessary restrictions. By the way, the maximum noise of the cooling system even in the most productive mode of operation will be 50 dB.

All of this in aggregate has changed the productivity of CO in a comprehensive manner. As a result, the laptop will not overheat and make a lot of noise, even with long games. An exception is the mode of increased performance of the cooling system, which is activated manually. In this mode, the rotational speed of the fans reaches full capacity and will be very noticeable.

Backlight ASUS AURA Sync

Another technology that combines the two notebooks in question with many other ASUS devices is called AURA Sync. This is a backlight system with which peripherals, LED strips and other luminous elements will glow or flash in sync. With the help of a proprietary utility, in a couple of clicks you can give one color to the backlight of the laptop, as well as the entire peripherals connected to it. The main thing is that all connected devices support AURA Sync.



As for the ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II and ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II, these laptops will have a keyboard, a logo on the rear panel and a strip on the front face. You can choose any color from a wide range, as well as one of several modes of operation of the backlight: static, ripple, strobe, color cycle or rainbow. And with the help of “music” and “monitoring” modes, the backlight of ASUS AURA will flash to the music or display the processor temperature in its color.

Testing

Laptops ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II and ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II were compared to each other in popular processor and graphics benchmarks. All games were launched at a resolution of 1920x1080, with anti-aliasing turned on (4x) and maximum graphics settings. The cooling system worked in Overboost mode.









The advantage of ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS Scar II in processor benchmarks is obvious. Its 6-core Intel Core i7-8750H processor leaves no chance for the 4-core Intel Core i5-8300H installed in the ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II. However, you should not be upset, because even the power of the quad-core i5-8300H is enough for solving any tasks, especially for games.



In the 3DMark benchmark, Skar reigned again. It is understandable, because the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 will always be faster than the lower-end models, which include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 installed in the HERO II.



In game tests, ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II wins again, which was expected, given its configuration. Although this does not mean that ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II is not suitable for games. The “hero” was able to overcome the psychological frontier at 60 frames per second in many games, and this is at the maximum graphics settings. A slight decrease in the level of detail will allow this laptop to show the best results.

Another difference between the two modifications is SSD drives. Inside the HERO II, the youngest SSD is installed on 128 GB, while the SCAR II has the best of the available for the GL504 - 512 GB.



This explains the different speeds obtained during the tests. The older model expectedly showed hurricane speeds, while the younger one turned out to be weaker. It should be noted that even the younger version, the speed of work is very high. Drawdown note only in recording mode, but it is used quite rarely. Once you have written information (operating system / game / program / video) to a drive, only data is subsequently read. We also note that any modification of the GL504 can be equipped with a storage capacity of 512 GB.

Conclusion

The ASUS ROG Strix GL504GS SCAR II and ASUS ROG Strix GL504GM HERO II laptops, which came to replace the first Skara and Hiro, were not “slightly modified” by old laptops, but by new models. They received fresh (and fast) matrices with color rendering close to professional displays, a powerful stuffing, a thoughtful keyboard and a productive cooling system. And the chassis of laptops has undergone significant changes. Playing and working for ROG GL504 is very nice. There are no annoying factors in its design or the structure of the keyboard. This is a stylish modern gaming laptop, for which there are no impossible tasks.