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Asus ROG Strix Hero III G731GW Review - a colorful laptop with compromises

Bright lights, small flaws. Asus' new ROG Hero III G731GW packs tons of features, lots of lights, and a powerful RTX GPU into a well-built and well-designed chassis. A few annoyances make the G731GW fall short of perfection, but the overall package is excellent.

Asus' ROG line is a storied brand in the world of gaming laptops. The device family sits at the forefront of the gaming industry and incorporates many of the newest technologies. This is fairly evident with the latest line of Strix and Hero gaming laptops. In addition to new CPU and GPU options, the laptops have been decked out with RGB strips along the bottom edges. While the new lighting options add quite a bit of flair to what is normally a comparatively tame brand, they introduce new points of failure, as we will point out in this review.

We recently looked at the ROG Strix G GL731GU and conclude that a few design annoyances hindered the overall experience. The ROG Strix Hero III G731GW under review today (courtesy of CUKUSA) is essentially an upgraded GL731GU and exaggerates both the pros and cons of the cheaper device. Starting at US $2000, the G731GW is armed with some of the most powerful hardware on the market today. The Intel Core i7-9750H and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 chew through games, and the 144 Hz panel makes that gameplay silky smooth. However, these components can be found on several other machines. How does the Asus ROG Hero III G731GW fare in a highly competitive industry?

Consumers have several options at this end of the gaming laptop market. In this review, we will compare the Asus ROG Hero III G731GW to the Acer Predator Triton 500, Dell's Alienware m17, the Eurocom Nightsky RX17, Gigabyte's Aorus 15-W9, and the MSI GE75 Raider 8SF.

Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74 (Strix Hero III G731 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-9750H 6 x 2.6 - 4.5 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1440 MHz, Memory: 14000 MHz, GDDR5, GeForce Game Ready Driver 430.86, NVIDIA Optimus
Memory
32 GB 
, DDR4, 1333.3 MHz (DDR4-2666 / PC4-21300)
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 127 PPI, no touchscreen, AU Optronics AUO409D, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8, 1024 GB 
, 1 GB Intel 660P PCIe NVMe SSD + 1 GB Toshiba MQ04ABF100 5400 RPM HDD, 1883 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Cannon Lake-H/S - cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech)
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: Combo headset (mic in/stereo out)
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Cannon Lake-H/S CNVi: WiFi (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 26.2 x 399 x 292 ( = 1.03 x 15.71 x 11.5 in)
Battery
66 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: None
Additional features
Speakers: 2x 2 Watt, Keyboard: Chiclet, individual key RGB, Asus ROG Aura Core, Keyboard Light: yes, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.858 kg ( = 100.81 oz / 6.3 pounds), Power Supply: 776 g ( = 27.37 oz / 1.71 pounds)
Price
2325 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The case is as well-built as the high retail price suggests. Brushed aluminum adorns the lid and the keyboard deck. The bottom panel is made from plastic with etched accents typical for Asus' ROG laptops. The display bezel is also plastic. While the black aluminum looks nice out of the box, it is a fingerprint magnet. Smudges appear readily at the slightest touch, and effort is needed to wipe them away. The chassis does not creak when pressed or squeezed.

There is minimal flex along the keyboard deck under direct pressure. While typing, the deck remains firm. The bottom panel is similarly rigid and does not warp. The thin lid can be twisted a slight bit. Depressing the back of the display does not distort the LCD panel. The hinges are robust and well-tuned. One-handed opening is a snap, and the hinges hold the screen firmly in place under normal use. There is no wobble when typing. The hinges open to a maximum of 120°.

Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed the absence of a webcam. Asus has been omitting the webcam on more and more laptops in response to their own market research. The manufacturer has found that users prefer narrower bezels around the displays of machines. Rather than mount the webcam on the bottom bezel like the XPS 15 or Legion Y740, Asus would rather remove the camera entirely. Lastly, according to Asus' research, most gamers use an external camera, rendering the webcams on gaming laptops unused relics.

There are RGB lights on almost every surface that are controlled via Asus' Aura lighting software. The keyboard backlight is per-key rather than zoned, allowing for some unique lighting effects. There are also plastic strips along the bottom of the right, front, and left of the device. These strips are also capable of displaying separate colors, allowing for rippling color shifts. The effect is quite striking but can be ostentatious. Like the cheaper GL731GU, the brightness levels of all RGB lights are controlled simultaneously. This means the bottom RGB lights cannot be disabled without also disabling the keyboard backlight.

We should note that an update (dated 2019/07/12) installed during our review period seems to have disabled the bottom RGB lights. The keyboard and logo backlights can still be customized, but after installing the most recent Aura Lighting Component update, the bottom RGB strip is nothing more than hollow plastic.

The G731GW's footprint is a tad larger than other 17.3-inch gaming laptops. The G731GW cuts a bit off its length and width thanks to the thin bezels (5.3 mm) around the right, left, and top of the display, but the machine is still large. The case takes up a bit more space than the MSI GE75 and Eurocom Nightsky RX17, but only by a hair. This is mainly because of the G731GW's rear ventilation, which juts out a fair bit behind the hinge. The hinges of the Eurocom and MSI GE75 sit flush with the rear of the device. The G731GW's rear vents also make fitting the machine into a regular school-sized backpack problematic.

The G731GW is also about 0.3 kg (0.5 lbs) heavier than the MSI GE75 and Alienware m17. The Eurocom Nightsky RX17 is similar in weight to the G731GW (2.9 kg). Unsurprisingly, 15-inch gaming laptops are significantly smaller and lighter than the G731GW.

410 mm / 16.1 inch 292.5 mm / 11.5 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 2.6 kg5.8 lbs399 mm / 15.7 inch 275 mm / 10.8 inch 29.9 mm / 1.177 inch 2.9 kg6.39 lbs399 mm / 15.7 inch 292 mm / 11.5 inch 26.2 mm / 1.031 inch 2.9 kg6.3 lbs397 mm / 15.6 inch 268.5 mm / 10.6 inch 27.5 mm / 1.083 inch 2.6 kg5.82 lbs361 mm / 14.2 inch 246 mm / 9.69 inch 24.4 mm / 0.961 inch 2.4 kg5.29 lbs360 mm / 14.2 inch 263 mm / 10.4 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 2.4 kg5.25 lbs359 mm / 14.1 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 2.1 kg4.73 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

As with most gaming laptops, port selection is good. However, we are critical of the layout. The G731GW's three USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A ports are all situated on the left side of the case. This is an odd choice considering a significant portion of gamers prefer to use external mice when gaming. Users that wish to hook up a mouse will need to route the cable around the machine, which can be annoying. Rubbing salt in this wound is the scant right edge of the chassis, occupied only by a single vent and Asus' proprietary Keystone port. There is plenty of room for an additional USB port. We would also like to see an additional dedicated port for connecting another display, although the USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C port does support DisplayPort. The lack of an SD Card slot is another confusing omission.

The Keystone port is an interesting addition. The Asus Keystone is a tiny modified USB drive that gamers can use to save and transfer system profiles between machines. The Keystone also decrypts a "shadow drive," which is an encrypted portion of the machine's hard drive. This could be useful for protecting hidden files as only the users' Keystone can unlock that portion of the hard drive.

Left: 3x USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A, headset jack (audio in/out)
Left: 3x USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A, headset jack (audio in/out)
Right: Asus Keystone port, ventilation
Right: Asus Keystone port, ventilation
Rear: Ventilation, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.0b, USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C, DC power, Ventilation
Rear: Ventilation, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.0b, USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C, DC power, Ventilation

Communication

The WiFi card supports 2 x 2 802.11b/g/n/ac WiFi on both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Speeds are more than adequate for consumer routers. Receive speeds are a bit below average compared to other gaming laptops but should be satisfactory for most users. Those that need faster transfer rates can use the Gigabit Ethernet jack located on the rear of the machine. We measure consistent connections up to about 40 m from our consumer-grade AC router through 2 internal walls and 1 external brick wall on the 2.4 GHz band and about 25 m on the 5 GHz band.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Gaming
  (450 - 1412, n=14, last 2 years)
1006 MBit/s +62%
MSI GE75 8SF
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
686 MBit/s +11%
Acer Predator Triton 500
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
683 MBit/s +10%
Alienware m17 P37E
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
659 MBit/s +6%
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
634 MBit/s +2%
Aorus 15 X9
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
622 MBit/s 0%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
Intel Cannon Lake-H/S CNVi: WiFi
620 MBit/s
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
Intel Cannon Lake-H/S CNVi: WiFi
601 (562min - 639max) MBit/s -3%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Gaming
  (423 - 1700, n=14, last 2 years)
1203 MBit/s +108%
Acer Predator Triton 500
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
671 MBit/s +16%
Alienware m17 P37E
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
670 MBit/s +16%
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
Intel Cannon Lake-H/S CNVi: WiFi
666 (597min - 686max) MBit/s +15%
MSI GE75 8SF
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
658 MBit/s +14%
Aorus 15 X9
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
645 MBit/s +12%
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
606 MBit/s +5%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
Intel Cannon Lake-H/S CNVi: WiFi
578 MBit/s

Maintenance

Like the GL731GU we recently reviewed, maintenance is possible but has two major annoyances. The plastic bottom panel is held on with 11 Phillips Head screws and plastic clips that are easy to disengage. There are two different lengths of screws, so care should be taken to keep them organized. Once the bottom panel is free, there are two final obstacles. Ribbon cables that control the lighting for the bottom RGB strips are adhered to the inside of the bottom panel and must be removed from their ZIF connectors. Once these are taken out, the internals are accessible.

Users have access to the RAM, both storage drives (one M.2 NVMe, one 2.5-inch SATA III, the fans, and the battery. The wireless card is located on the other side of the motherboard, making that swap a bit more difficult. Reassembly requires that the RGB ribbon cables be reinserted into their connectors, which can be difficult.

We will also note that there is indeed extra room along the right edge of the case for an additional USB port or two.

Take care when opening the laptop; two thin ribbon cables are glued to the bottom panel.
Take care when opening the laptop; two thin ribbon cables are glued to the bottom panel.
The ZIF connectors for the cables are tiny, making reassembly a chore.
The ZIF connectors for the cables are tiny, making reassembly a chore.
  1. Intel Core i7-9750H
  2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070
  3. DDR4 RAM (two DIMMS)
  4. M.2 NVMe drive
  5. 2.5-inch SATA III drive
  6. Battery

Warranty & Accessories

Asus offers a standard 12-month warranty. There were no accessories included in the box.

Input Devices

Dedicated keys for volume, microphone mute, fan profiles, and the ROG Control Center
Dedicated keys for volume, microphone mute, fan profiles, and the ROG Control Center

Keyboard

The keyboard is typical for an ROG laptop, which is good news. Higher-end Asus laptops commonly have good keyboards (mostly because of their generous travel) and the G731GW is no exception. Feedback is crisp and feels more responsive than the pillowy  SteelSeries keyboards found in MSI's gaming laptops. In our opinion, the G731GW's keyboard offers excellent response and feedback and is well-suited to gaming and typing sessions. Key clatter is fairly quiet and shouldn't be distracting.

One of the big draws of the keyboard is its per-key RGB lighting. Each key can be individually lit to one of over 16 million colors. Asus offers a few clever preset modes in their Aura software package. The Aura Creator also allows users to fine-tune the RGB lighting all around the machine, but we find the software a bit cumbersome. The RGB software solutions in the Razer Blade series are more user-friendly.

Similar to the GL731GU, we find complaint with the cramped number pad and arrow keys. The number keys on the right side are noticeably smaller than the main keyboard, which is frustrating considering the amount of space available on the upper deck of the chassis. As such, data entry or gameplay using the numpad is awkward and not pleasant.

We do appreciate the dedicated keys for volume, mic muting, and fan profile switching located along the top. There is a redundant fan control key in the function row, but other basic function keys are readily accessible. We would like to see the inclusion of macro keys in future revisions; there is room along the top and sides of the keyboard.

Touchpad

The touchpad is excellent. It offers an average amount of space (10.7 x 6 cm), but gliding is smooth and tracking is highly responsive. We notice a slight bit of cursor acceleration when tracking at fast speeds across the pad, which is something for trackpad gamers to be aware of. The dedicated buttons below the trackpad have generous travel with springy feedback. Clicks are virtually silent, which is a nice touch. Overall, the touchpad is well-suited to UI navigation and feels great to use.

Our primary complaint is that the touchpad is easily marred by skin oil and smudges, similar to the touchpad of the GL731GU. As an added stab, it is difficult to wipe away fingerprints.

Display

Subpixel matrix
Subpixel matrix

One of the main selling points of the G731GW is its 144 Hz display. The panel is lightning fast and has quicker response times than even other gaming laptops with 144 Hz panels. Navigating UIs is as smooth as butter, and 100+ fps gameplay melts across the screen. The Razer Blade Pro 17 has slightly faster response times, but the difference is not readily noticed.

There are a few shortcomings. The panel averages ~300 nits. However, the backlight distribution is a bit low (80%) for this price point. Users are unlikely to notice the 40 nit difference between the left and right sides, but it is worth noting. Like the GL731GU, there is a bit of grain due to the matte finish, but this is only noticeable in bright scenes. The contrast ratio is good (~1000:1). There is no detectable PWM.

304.2
cd/m²
318.2
cd/m²
343.9
cd/m²
284.3
cd/m²
297.4
cd/m²
324.2
cd/m²
276.5
cd/m²
289.1
cd/m²
313.1
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics AUO409D tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 343.9 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 305.7 cd/m² Minimum: 17.1 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 80 %
Center on Battery: 297.4 cd/m²
Contrast: 959:1 (Black: 0.31 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.08 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4
ΔE Greyscale 4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
86% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
56% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
62.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
86.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
61.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.259
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
AU Optronics AUO409D, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Acer Predator Triton 500
AU Optronics B156HAN08.2 (AUO82ED), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Alienware m17 P37E
AU Optronics B173ZAN01.0, IPS, 17.30, 3840x2160
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
LG Philips LGD05C0, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Aorus 15 X9
LG Philips LP156WFG-SPB2, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
MSI GE75 8SF
Chi Mei N173HCE-G33, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
BOE NV173FHM-N44, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Display
5%
38%
5%
7%
5%
7%
Display P3 Coverage
61.9
64.2
4%
86.4
40%
63.8
3%
64.9
5%
63.1
2%
66.1
7%
sRGB Coverage
86.3
92.6
7%
99.9
16%
93.4
8%
95.6
11%
94.4
9%
93.1
8%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
62.9
65.7
4%
99.1
58%
65
3%
66.3
5%
65.2
4%
67.2
7%
Response Times
-4%
-268%
-45%
-59%
-12%
-59%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
7.2 ?(3.6, 3.6)
8 ?(4, 4)
-11%
35.6 ?(19.6, 16)
-394%
14 ?(7, 7)
-94%
15.2 ?(8.4, 6.8)
-111%
9.6 ?(5.2, 4.4)
-33%
16.4 ?(8.4, 8)
-128%
Response Time Black / White *
11.6 ?(6.4, 5.2)
11.2 ?(6, 5.2)
3%
28 ?(16, 12)
-141%
11 ?(7, 4)
5%
12.4 ?(7.6, 4.8)
-7%
10.4 ?(5.2, 5.2)
10%
10.4 ?(6, 4.4)
10%
PWM Frequency
25770 ?(17)
990 ?(99)
Screen
2%
-4%
11%
15%
33%
9%
Brightness middle
297.4
304
2%
357.9
20%
316
6%
305.1
3%
370.4
25%
298.4
0%
Brightness
306
299
-2%
347
13%
295
-4%
295
-4%
348
14%
287
-6%
Brightness Distribution
80
89
11%
94
18%
84
5%
78
-2%
89
11%
90
13%
Black Level *
0.31
0.27
13%
0.33
-6%
0.42
-35%
0.33
-6%
0.29
6%
0.3
3%
Contrast
959
1126
17%
1085
13%
752
-22%
925
-4%
1277
33%
995
4%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.08
4.66
-14%
6.57
-61%
2.7
34%
2.58
37%
1.26
69%
3.58
12%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
6.88
9.65
-40%
9.86
-43%
5.65
18%
4.32
37%
3.02
56%
6.29
9%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
4
1.72
57%
6.74
-69%
1.58
60%
1.33
67%
1.21
70%
2.82
29%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4
5.53
-38%
4.3
-8%
2.35
41%
3.4
15%
1.4
65%
3.1
22%
Gamma
2.259 97%
2.5 88%
2.6 85%
2.41 91%
2.28 96%
2.2 100%
2.24 98%
CCT
7205 90%
8028 81%
6403 102%
6904 94%
6374 102%
6747 96%
7064 92%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
56
60
7%
88.4
58%
60
7%
60.7
8%
59.7
7%
60.2
8%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
86
93
8%
100
16%
93
8%
95.2
11%
94.4
10%
92.7
8%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
1% / 2%
-78% / -29%
-10% / 3%
-12% / 4%
9% / 22%
-14% / 0%

* ... smaller is better

Color reproduction is above average for a gaming laptop. The DeltaE2000 for colors average 4.08, which is a bit too high for professional use (DeltaE2000 of 3 or lower) but is more than acceptable for gaming. However, several other gaming laptops at this end of the market offer far more color-accurate displays, especially the MSI GE75 Raider 8SF. Still, we must praise Asus for the tight color variance (maximum DeltaE2000 of 6.88) as well as the well-tuned Gamma. The color temperature is a bit on the cool side (CCT of 7205K), which gives a very slight blue tint to white backgrounds.

Calibration improves the DeltaE2000 for grays, the Gamma, and the color temperature but doesn't affect the delta for colors that much. Color space coverage also leaves room for improvement; The AU Optronics panel covers only 86% of the sRGB gamut. Most other high-end gaming laptops cover between 90-100% of the sRGB gamut and a decent portion of the AdobeRGB color space.

ColorChecker
ColorChecker
Grayscale
Grayscale
Saturation Sweeps
Saturation Sweeps
ColorChecker (calibrated)
ColorChecker (calibrated)
Grayscale (calibrated)
Grayscale (calibrated)
Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
sRGB: 86%
sRGB: 86%
AdobeRGB: 56%
AdobeRGB: 56%

The average backlight suffers in bright conditions. While the matte finish kills reflections, the display cannot get bright enough to shine through sunlight or high-lumen light bulbs. The screen is easily visible under heavy shade or away from windows.

Viewing angles are excellent, as is expected of an IPS display. Also impressive is the complete lack of backlight bleed.

Screen under shade, 5 PM
Screen under shade, 5 PM
Screen under direct sunlight, 5 PM
Screen under direct sunlight, 5 PM
No backlight bleed.
No backlight bleed.

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
11.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6.4 ms rise
↘ 5.2 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 26 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
7.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 3.6 ms rise
↘ 3.6 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 14 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Performance

The Asus G731GW packs some of the latest and greatest tech from Intel and Nvidia; as a result, the machine is well-suited to gaming with maximum details at 1440p. The 144 Hz display makes gameplay at Full HD buttery smooth as framerates push into the high double digits and low hundreds. Overall, the G731GW plows through games but falls about 5% below other laptops using the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070.

Processor

Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15

The 9th-Gen Core i7-9750H is one of Intel's fastest mobile processors. Built on the Coffee Lake architecture using a 14nm++ process (Intel's term for an improved 14nm process), the 9750H is a six-core monster with a 2.6 GHz base clock and a 4.5 GHz boost on a single core (4.0 GHz across all six cores). The 9750H is an iterative improvement over the Core i7-8750H, offering a slight bump in the boost clock (4.5 GHz vs 4.1 GHz) and a bit more L3 cache (12 MB vs 9 MB). Otherwise, the 9750H offers a reasonable performance increase over its older brother.

The Asus G731GW performs well in CPU benchmarks out of the gates, hitting 1239 in Cinebench R15's multicore test. However, it is a hair behind the Eurocom Nightsky RX17, another 9750H-equipped gaming laptop. Still, this is a fair bit better than the older Core i7-8750H and almost twice as fast as AMD's mobile CPU offerings.

Long-term performance is steady. In our 50-loop Cinbench R15 test, the G731GW sees a slight drop in performance after its first run, which is typical for this test. Scores then level out just underneath those of the Eurocom Nightsky RX17

0651301952603253904555205856507157808459109751040110511701235Tooltip
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74 GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1088 (1069.72-1208.75)
Acer Predator Triton 500 GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0); CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø980 (961.82-1019.05)
Alienware m17 P37E GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-8950HK, SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG); CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1206 (1178.9-1238.2)
MSI GE75 8SF GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø918 (910.89-1045.5)
Eurocom Nightsky RX17 GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0); CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1137 (1123.56-1298.49)
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (79.2 - 318, n=247, last 2 years)
265 Points +52%
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
Intel Core i9-9900K
212 Points +22%
Schenker
Intel Core i9-9980HK
200 Points +15%
MSI P65 Creator 9SF-657
Intel Core i9-9880H
196 Points +13%
Alienware m17 P37E
Intel Core i9-8950HK
191 Points +10%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (170 - 194, n=82)
183.7 Points +6%
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
Intel Core i7-9750H
174 Points 0%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
Intel Core i7-9750H
174 Points
Dell G5 15 5590
Intel Core i7-8750H
165 Points -5%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
157 Points -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
144 Points -17%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
142 Points -18%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (400 - 5663, n=248, last 2 years)
2986 Points +141%
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
Intel Core i9-9900K
2022 Points +63%
Schenker
Intel Core i9-9980HK
1742 Points +41%
Schenker
Intel Core i9-9980HK
1600 Points +29%
MSI P65 Creator 9SF-657
Intel Core i9-9880H
1545 Points +25%
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
Intel Core i7-9750H
1306 Points +5%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
Intel Core i7-9750H
1239 Points
Alienware m17 P37E
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1238 Points 0%
Dell G5 15 5590
Intel Core i7-8750H
1191 Points -4%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (952 - 1306, n=85)
1182 Points -5%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
799 Points -36%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
742 Points -40%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
611 Points -51%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (35806 - 112749, n=24, last 2 years)
59061 Points
Dell G5 15 5590
Intel Core i7-8750H
34465 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (28251 - 36304, n=13)
33539 Points
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
19437 Points
Rendering Single 32Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (5847 - 15819, n=24, last 2 years)
9035 Points
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
7893 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (6659 - 7214, n=13)
6923 Points
Dell G5 15 5590
Intel Core i7-8750H
6338 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
174 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1239 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
111.4 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help

System Performance

Overall system performance is speedy and in line with expectations. Compared to the similarly-specced Eurocom Nightsky RX17, the G731GW falls about 5-8% behind in PCMark 10. This performance should be adequate for most use cases, including content creation and heavy office work.

PCMark 10
PCMark 10
PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Gaming
  (4477 - 9852, n=208, last 2 years)
7531 Points +29%
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0)
5982 Points +3%
Acer Predator Triton 500
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0)
5883 Points +1%
Aorus 15 X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
5870 Points +1%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
5834 Points
Alienware m17 P37E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-8950HK, SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG)
5632 Points -3%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (5013 - 5982, n=5)
5622 Points -4%
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5609 Points -4%
MSI GE75 8SF
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1
5138 Points -12%
Essentials
Average of class Gaming
  (7334 - 12334, n=207, last 2 years)
10665 Points +14%
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
9859 Points +5%
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0)
9812 Points +5%
Acer Predator Triton 500
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0)
9411 Points +1%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (8912 - 9812, n=5)
9375 Points 0%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
9350 Points
Aorus 15 X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
8943 Points -4%
Alienware m17 P37E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-8950HK, SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG)
8711 Points -7%
MSI GE75 8SF
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1
8277 Points -11%
Productivity
Average of class Gaming
  (6161 - 11833, n=207, last 2 years)
9670 Points +21%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
7987 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (7457 - 7987, n=5)
7633 Points -4%
Alienware m17 P37E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-8950HK, SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG)
7599 Points -5%
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0)
7554 Points -5%
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
7328 Points -8%
Aorus 15 X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
7299 Points -9%
Acer Predator Triton 500
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0)
7236 Points -9%
MSI GE75 8SF
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1
7218 Points -10%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Gaming
  (5288 - 18475, n=207, last 2 years)
11325 Points +57%
Aorus 15 X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
8408 Points +16%
Acer Predator Triton 500
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0)
8117 Points +12%
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0)
7838 Points +9%
Alienware m17 P37E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-8950HK, SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG)
7325 Points +1%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
7219 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (4791 - 7838, n=5)
6801 Points -6%
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
6631 Points -8%
MSI GE75 8SF
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1
6161 Points -15%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Gaming
  (3570 - 6657, n=37, last 2 years)
5218 Points +17%
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5077 Points +14%
Aorus 15 X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
4843 Points +9%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (4402 - 4860, n=3)
4574 Points +3%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
4460 Points
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0)
4402 Points -1%
Alienware m17 P37E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-8950HK, SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG)
3812 Points -15%
MSI GE75 8SF
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1
3662 Points -18%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Gaming
  (4622 - 7085, n=36, last 2 years)
6071 Points +5%
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5857 Points +2%
Aorus 15 X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
5828 Points +1%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
5764 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (5697 - 5764, n=3)
5727 Points -1%
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0)
5721 Points -1%
MSI GE75 8SF
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1
5338 Points -7%
Alienware m17 P37E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-8950HK, SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG)
4765 Points -17%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4460 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5764 points
PCMark 10 Score
5834 points
Help

Storage Devices

The Intel SSD 660p has reasonably fast read and write speed with quick access times. Samsung's PM981, which is used in other gaming laptops like the HP Omen 15, offers better read speeds and is overall snappy, but the Intel 660p should be good enough for most. Game load times are fairly quick. Users can easily upgrade the storage drive should they see fit.

The additional 2.5-inch bay in our unit is populated by a fairly slow 5400 RPM mechanical HDD. As a result, the drive should be reserved for media files and infrequently used files.

AS SSD
AS SSD
CrystalDiskMark 6.0.1
CrystalDiskMark 6.0.1
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
Acer Predator Triton 500
2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0)
Alienware m17 P37E
SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG)
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
Aorus 15 X9
Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
MSI GE75 8SF
Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0)
Average Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
 
AS SSD
67%
1%
48%
23%
-27%
67%
9%
Seq Read
1427
2913
104%
1835
29%
2485
74%
1912
34%
949
-33%
2297
61%
1456 ?(1038 - 1778, n=16)
2%
Seq Write
1610
2492
55%
1121
-30%
1575
-2%
1553
-4%
823
-49%
2860
78%
1404 ?(938 - 1637, n=16)
-13%
4K Read
25.63
38.7
51%
23.98
-6%
53.4
108%
56.5
120%
25.36
-1%
52.2
104%
48.7 ?(25.6 - 57.8, n=16)
90%
4K Write
84.2
107.2
27%
100
19%
113.5
35%
119.6
42%
67.1
-20%
125.8
49%
131.6 ?(77.5 - 167.9, n=16)
56%
4K-64 Read
588
1228
109%
687
17%
725
23%
869
48%
748
27%
1412
140%
586 ?(576 - 592, n=16)
0%
4K-64 Write
732
1079
47%
776
6%
1371
87%
584
-20%
650
-11%
1228
68%
788 ?(584 - 875, n=16)
8%
Access Time Read *
0.054
0.047
13%
0.059
-9%
0.049
9%
0.173
-220%
0.04
26%
0.07236 ?(0.036 - 0.165, n=14)
-34%
Access Time Write *
0.071
0.035
51%
0.053
25%
0.032
55%
0.031
56%
0.059
17%
0.09
-27%
0.07731 ?(0.038 - 0.128, n=16)
-9%
Score Read
756
1558
106%
895
18%
1027
36%
1116
48%
869
15%
1694
124%
780 ?(730 - 819, n=16)
3%
Score Write
978
1435
47%
988
1%
1642
68%
859
-12%
799
-18%
1640
68%
1060 ?(820 - 1182, n=16)
8%
Score Total
2134
3770
77%
2306
8%
3163
48%
2544
19%
2109
-1%
4235
98%
2252 ?(1990 - 2421, n=16)
6%
Copy ISO MB/s
1489
773
-48%
1329
-11%
1121
-25%
2514
69%
1469 ?(836 - 1736, n=14)
-1%
Copy Program MB/s
514
493
-4%
404.3
-21%
532
4%
592
15%
484 ?(310 - 600, n=14)
-6%
Copy Game MB/s
893
647
-28%
1071
20%
380.5
-57%
1494
67%
997 ?(571 - 1411, n=14)
12%
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
3%
-6%
-6%
16%
-39%
38%
-4%
Write 4K
130.1
93.6
-28%
120.2
-8%
50.2
-61%
147.2
13%
73.3
-44%
133
2%
144.5 ?(103.2 - 214, n=17)
11%
Read 4K
56
38.82
-31%
44.3
-21%
35.32
-37%
63.7
14%
33.35
-40%
61.6
10%
54.1 ?(49.8 - 63.8, n=17)
-3%
Write Seq
2455
1278
991
1573
849
2935
1445 ?(1264 - 1776, n=16)
Read Seq
2107
1389
1526
2602
964
3118
1446 ?(1410 - 1693, n=16)
Write 4K Q32T1
465.7
298.7
-36%
436.2
-6%
445.1
-4%
531
14%
236.2
-49%
571
23%
427 ?(402 - 644, n=17)
-8%
Read 4K Q32T1
547
338.7
-38%
515
-6%
526
-4%
598
9%
384.7
-30%
654
20%
456 ?(329 - 600, n=17)
-17%
Write Seq Q32T1
1766
2902
64%
1157
-34%
1647
-7%
1592
-10%
867
-51%
3296
87%
1650 ?(1733 - 1802, n=17)
-7%
Read Seq Q32T1
1922
3536
84%
2671
39%
3427
78%
2981
55%
1586
-17%
3560
85%
1728 ?(1616 - 1970, n=17)
-10%
Write 4K Q8T8
860
880 ?(860 - 899, n=2)
2%
Read 4K Q8T8
628
629 ?(628 - 630, n=2)
0%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
35% / 43%
-3% / -1%
21% / 29%
20% / 21%
-33% / -30%
53% / 58%
3% / 4%

* ... smaller is better

Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 1922 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1766 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 547 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 465.7 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 56 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 130.1 MB/s
CDM 6 Write 4K Q8T8: 860 MB/s
CDM 6 Read 4K Q8T8: 628 MB/s

GPU Performance

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 sits at the top of Nvidia's current consumer GPU lineup, bested only by the GeForce RTX 2080. Built on a 12nm FinFET process, the RTX line's big draw is its real-time ray tracing technology. Unfortunately, not many titles take full advantage of real-time ray tracing at the time of this publication. That said, the RTX 2070 packs plenty of other features, including support for HDMI 2.0b (which the G731GW has), H.265 encoding, and support for high-resolution rendering.

While the RTX 2070 is suitable for playing games at 4K/Medium-High settings, the card can also take advantage of the G731GW's 144 Hz 1080p panel. The GPU performs admirably in synthetic benchmarks like 3DMark's Fire Strike. In a similar vein to our CPU benchmarks, the G731GW doesn't quite match up to other gaming laptops in its class. The machine falls about 3% behind the average for the RTX 2070 in most benchmarks, but this is well within reason. Gaming performance should be on par with similarly-specced devices.

Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
Time Spy
Time Spy
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Ice Storm Extreme
Ice Storm Extreme
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Gaming
  (1029 - 72070, n=246, last 2 years)
39499 Points +61%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
30910 Points +26%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (23335 - 27298, n=21)
25775 Points +5%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
24465 Points
MSI WS75 9TL-636
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 (Laptop), i7-9750H
23739 Points -3%
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
21660 Points -11%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
21543 Points -12%
Asus ROG Strix G GL731GU-RB74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
20224 Points -17%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20)
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, i9-8950HK
12104 Points -51%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H
6491 Points -73%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Average of class Gaming
  (1251 - 26759, n=245, last 2 years)
19623 Points +91%
MSI WS75 9TL-636
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 (Laptop), i7-9750H
13084 Points +27%
Asus ROG Strix G GL731GU-RB74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
12851 Points +25%
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
12715 Points +24%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (8716 - 16364, n=21)
12534 Points +22%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
12170 Points +19%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
10592 Points +3%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
10270 Points
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20)
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, i9-8950HK
8840 Points -14%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H
6029 Points -41%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9900K
151390 Points +32%
Average of class Gaming
  (15902 - 193851, n=157, last 2 years)
134064 Points +17%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
124764 Points +9%
MSI WS75 9TL-636
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 (Laptop), i7-9750H
119052 Points +4%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (64283 - 135881, n=18)
117543 Points +3%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
114415 Points
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
112195 Points -2%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
108563 Points -5%
Asus ROG Strix G GL731GU-RB74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
94696 Points -17%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20)
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, i9-8950HK
62318 Points -46%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (781 - 53059, n=250, last 2 years)
28955 Points +51%
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9900K
25126 Points +31%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
23032 Points +20%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (18169 - 21138, n=19)
20123 Points +5%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
19230 Points
MSI WS75 9TL-636
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 (Laptop), i7-9750H
17619 Points -8%
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
16923 Points -12%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
16614 Points -14%
Asus ROG Strix G GL731GU-RB74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
14444 Points -25%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20)
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, i9-8950HK
8979 Points -53%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (46258 - 613731, n=20, last 2 years)
323443 Points +98%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (150368 - 401585, n=3)
238420 Points +46%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
163308 Points
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
149966 Points -8%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (224 - 22547, n=248, last 2 years)
11781 Points +62%
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9900K
10243 Points +40%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
8844 Points +21%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (7006 - 8028, n=18)
7651 Points +5%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H
7294 Points
MSI WS75 9TL-636
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 (Laptop), i7-9750H
6851 Points -6%
Medion Erazer X15805
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-8950HK
6499 Points -11%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
6318 Points -13%
Asus ROG Strix G GL731GU-RB74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
5454 Points -25%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20)
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, i9-8950HK
2568 Points -65%
3DMark 11 Performance
19495 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
118130 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
34236 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
16924 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
8686 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
7261 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Despite the setbacks we observed in performance, the G731GW still easily chews through most modern games. Even demanding titles like Final Fantasy XV or Shadow of the Tomb Raider hit framerates in the upper double-digits at FHD/High settings. These high framerates also take advantage of the fast 144 Hz response rate. The G731GW is also well-suited for competitive gamers as lighter titles like Fortnite and CS:GO push well into the hundreds of frames a second.

The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Average of class Gaming
  (8.61 - 216, n=245, last 2 years)
114 fps +78%
Acer Predator Triton 500
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
76.5 (63min) fps +20%
Alienware m17 P37E
Intel Core i9-8950HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
75.7 fps +18%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  (64 - 82.1, n=21)
74.3 fps +16%
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
73.8 fps +15%
Aorus 15 X9
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
71.8 fps +12%
MSI GE75 8SF
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
70.9 fps +11%
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
64 fps

Long gaming sessions yield little variance in framerate. Over an hour-long session of The Witcher 3, we observe very slight dips in performance as the day/night cycle shifts the scene. These small falls are commonly seen and in line with expectations.

051015202530354045505560657075Tooltip
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74 GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8: Ø64 (59-70)
Alienware m17 P37E GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-8950HK, SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG): Ø73.4 (67-80)
MSI GE75 8SF GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1: Ø70.8 (55-76)
Eurocom Nightsky RX17 GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0): Ø72 (65-79)
low med. high ultra
The Witcher 3 (2015) 64
Fortnite (2018) 236 190 140 132
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 158 100 77
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 105 97 93 85
F1 2019 (2019) 198 168 139 95

Emissions

System Noise

Fan noise
Fan noise

The Asus G731GW offers multiple preset fan profiles and allows users to customize the fan curve through software. The preset profiles support a variety of use cases. When set to Silent, the fans are almost dead quiet and rarely turn on. When set to Turbo, the fans ramp up aggressively and rarely turn off. For lighter office work or browsing the web, the Silent and Balanced profiles keep fan noise around 30 dB(A), which just fades underneath ambient room noise. The Turbo profile is meant for heavy loads like gaming, and the fans get very loud, averaging about 51-55 dB(A). The fan sound profile is well-balanced and evenly tuned; thus, the fans are not whiny and emit a low-pitched whir, even when running at full blast. There is no noticeable coil whine.

Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8
Acer Predator Triton 500
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0)
Alienware m17 P37E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-8950HK, SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG)
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
Aorus 15 X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
MSI GE75 8SF
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0)
Noise
2%
2%
-3%
-4%
-3%
2%
off / environment *
28.2
29
-3%
28.2
-0%
30.5
-8%
28.2
-0%
28.3
-0%
28
1%
Idle Minimum *
28.2
30
-6%
28.2
-0%
32.8
-16%
32.6
-16%
33.5
-19%
28
1%
Idle Average *
28.5
32
-12%
28.2
1%
32.8
-15%
32.7
-15%
33.6
-18%
28.4
-0%
Idle Maximum *
30
34
-13%
31
-3%
32.8
-9%
32.7
-9%
35
-17%
32.9
-10%
Load Average *
51.5
44
15%
50.8
1%
42.5
17%
38.9
24%
38
26%
45
13%
Witcher 3 ultra *
55.3
46
17%
50.8
8%
51.8
6%
50
10%
53.2
4%
Load Maximum *
55.3
47
15%
50.8
8%
47.5
14%
64.1
-16%
56.9
-3%
53.2
4%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
28.2 / 28.5 / 30 dB(A)
Load
51.5 / 55.3 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28.2 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2034.831.73332.834.82537.736.333.336.837.73138.837.938.936.138.84032.134.331.932.532.15030.834.629.532.830.86333.531.929.127.133.58027.828.52725.527.810027.227.727.526.527.212528.327.726.426.528.31602726.424.826.12720027.727.324.424.427.725029.126.723.722.529.131530.727.623.520.930.740031.427.622.421.131.450028.62621.419.728.66303026.922.319.73080033.73022.418.733.7100037.833.622.818.137.8125037.533.62217.937.516003934.620.917.739200039.532.819.817.339.525003831.819.917.938315034.328.319.217.734.3400032.727.219.51832.7500032.226.819.31832.2630030.825.319.11830.8800027.221.51918.127.21000024.920.118.91824.91250021.119.118.817.921.11600019.618.818.917.919.6SPL47.542.532.830.547.5N(Sone)5.33.61.71.35.3median 30.7median 27.3median 21.4median 18.1median 30.7Delta31.71.92.13hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseHP Omen 15-dc1303ng

Temperature

Exhaust
Exhaust

Due to the powerful components held within its chassis, the G731GW gets toasty under load. However, the cooling system does a good job at directing heat away from the parts of the machine where users' hands rest. The keyboard grows warm under load (particularly the middle), but the WASD keys never get uncomfortable. The bottom gets hot along the top edge, so we recommend using the machine on a flat surface with plenty of clear room for the rear and side ventilation.

Keyboard, idle
Keyboard, idle
Bottom, idle
Bottom, idle
Keyboard, load
Keyboard, load
Bottom, load
Bottom, load
Keyboard, The Witcher 3
Keyboard, The Witcher 3
Bottom, The Witcher 3
Bottom, The Witcher 3
Max. Load
 38.2 °C
101 F
45.2 °C
113 F
40.6 °C
105 F
 
 33.8 °C
93 F
40 °C
104 F
34 °C
93 F
 
 25.8 °C
78 F
26.8 °C
80 F
26.2 °C
79 F
 
Maximum: 45.2 °C = 113 F
Average: 34.5 °C = 94 F
49 °C
120 F
48.2 °C
119 F
52 °C
126 F
29 °C
84 F
42.4 °C
108 F
30.2 °C
86 F
26.8 °C
80 F
27.4 °C
81 F
27.2 °C
81 F
Maximum: 52 °C = 126 F
Average: 36.9 °C = 98 F
Power Supply (max.)  50 °C = 122 F | Room Temperature 21.8 °C = 71 F | Fluke 62 Mini
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.5 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 45.2 °C / 113 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 52 °C / 126 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.1 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.1 °C / 90 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 26.8 °C / 80.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+2.1 °C / 3.8 F).

Stress Test

The G731GW handles stress well. During our dual stress test (which runs Prime95 and FurMark for an hour), CPU and GPU clocks bounce up and down with small intermittent spikes in performance. This is likely to keep temperatures in check; the CPU die averages 86° and the GPU sits at a relatively balmy 75°. There isn't much thermal headroom to push the hardware further, so Asus may have tuned the machine to throttle performance before thermal thresholds are approached. It's feasible that users could tease out more consistent performance by altering the default fan curves, but the machine does well regardless.

During long gaming sessions, the G731GW holds fairly steady. CPU and GPU temperatures stay within thermal tolerances, but the G731GW falls a bit behind its peers under load. Performance is below expectations even though the hardware is pushed fairly hard. (The sudden shift in the CPU and GPU clocks and temperatures at the end of the graphs is because we had to exiting the game in order to take a screenshot of these readings.)

Prime95
Prime95
FurMark
FurMark
Prime95 + FurMark
Prime95 + FurMark
The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.3 - 71 -
FurMark Stress 4.2 1125 64 66
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 3.0 1150 86 75
Witcher 3 Stress 4.1 1450 77 70

Speakers

Speaker profile
Speaker profile

The speakers are excellent. Mids and highs are well-balanced, and southe nd remains clear at any volume level. The speakers get very loud (~85-90 dB) and media can be heard clearly across a room. Our one point of complaint lies with the lower registers. While bass is more present than in most other laptops, the inclusion of a subwoofer would go a long way in making the G731GW a brilliant media machine.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2043.144.4253745.43138.246.14037465035.7466334.9488034.351.710033.355.312532.660.616030.564.82003068.125030.269.731530.671.740030.268.650029.968.563029.176.380030.380.7100029.578.8125029.578.1160029.783.6200029.689.3250029.588.6315028.780.9400028.780.1500029.278.1630028.182.680002883.91000027.878.71250027.675.51600027.979.5SPL41.395.5N4.1110.5median 29.5median 78.7Delta15.840.444.937.7403839.435.539.634.736.535.736.534.337.432.745.532.557.532.464.331.36730.366.830.870.530.2723073.429.178.82977.728.772.728.475.428.376.828.280.227.978.127.677.727.678.627.680.427.675.427.570.527.469.627.271.127.269.940.489.33.984.1median 28.4median 73.41.44.7hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMSI GE75 8SFAlienware m17 P37E
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
MSI GE75 8SF audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (89.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 13.7% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 37% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 56% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 21% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 74% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Alienware m17 P37E audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 20% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 74% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 12% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 85% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Power draw is in line with other high-end gaming laptops when the machine is doing light work. Under load, the G731GW pulls about 30-35 Watts more than competing gaming laptops, possibly to power all the RGB lighting and the 144 Hz display. We measure a brief spike of 263 Watts at the beginning of our stress tests, which is higher than the 230 Watt rating of the power adapter, but this quickly comes down. While gaming, the G731GW pulls about as much power as is to be expected from a premium 17-inch gaming laptop.

Prime95
Prime95
Full load
Full load
3DMark
3DMark
The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 1.03 / 2.05 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 18.2 / 23 / 33.1 Watt
Load midlight 124.8 / 263 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Acer Predator Triton 500
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0), IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Alienware m17 P37E
i9-8950HK, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, SK Hynix PC401 512GB M.2 (HFS512GD9TNG), IPS, 3840x2160, 17.30
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Aorus 15 X9
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GE75 8SF
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0), IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Power Consumption
17%
-6%
30%
-7%
11%
11%
Idle Minimum *
18.2
16
12%
21.2
-16%
14.7
19%
26
-43%
16.4
10%
18.6
-2%
Idle Average *
23
22
4%
29.6
-29%
18.6
19%
30.8
-34%
21.9
5%
22.6
2%
Idle Maximum *
33.1
32
3%
34
-3%
22.6
32%
34.9
-5%
25.4
23%
23
31%
Load Average *
124.8
89
29%
130.9
-5%
90
28%
90.7
27%
90.7
27%
93.4
25%
Witcher 3 ultra *
180.8
147
19%
177.5
2%
175
3%
203.3
-12%
186.4
-3%
Load Maximum *
263
173
34%
219.7
16%
120
54%
241.2
8%
222.9
15%
233.6
11%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Gaming laptops aren't known for their battery life, and that remains the case with the G731GW. The laptop lasts just shy of 4 hours in our WiFi v1.3 battery test (screen at 250 nits, Balanced power profile, loading a new webpage every 30-40 seconds). Users should be able to get a bit of office work done while out and about. The large (16.5 x 7.6 x 3.2 cm) power adapter will need to be packed for gaming sessions; the G731GW lasts less than an hour and a half under load.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
4h 9min
WiFi Websurfing
3h 56min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 24min
Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 66 Wh
Acer Predator Triton 500
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, 82 Wh
Alienware m17 P37E
i9-8950HK, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, 90 Wh
HP Omen 15-dc1303ng
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, 70 Wh
Aorus 15 X9
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 62 Wh
MSI GE75 8SF
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 65 Wh
Eurocom Nightsky RX17
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 62 Wh
Battery Runtime
4%
34%
-5%
-48%
-10%
-22%
Reader / Idle
249
335
35%
543
118%
301
21%
105
-58%
251
1%
WiFi v1.3
236
190
-19%
296
25%
197
-17%
95
-60%
212
-10%
120
-49%
Load
84
81
-4%
49
-42%
69
-18%
61
-27%
69
-18%

Pros

+ fast 144 Hz display
+ good build quality
+ excellent gaming performance
+ comfortable and responsive keyboard
+ great trackpad
+ heat is well-manage
+ well-balanced and clear audio
+ bevy of features in ROG software
+ lots of RGB lighting...

Cons

- ...that can be finicky at times
- fans get very loud
- middling battery life
- no SD card
- port layout could be improved
- few external display options
- no Thunderbolt 3
- maintenance is tricky due to RGB lighting ribbon cables

Verdict

In review: Asus ROG Strix Hero III G731GW-XB74. Review unit courtesy of Computer Upgrade King.
In review: Asus ROG Strix Hero III G731GW-XB74. Review unit courtesy of Computer Upgrade King.

The old saying goes that beauty is only skin deep. Asus has added a lot of flair to the exterior of the G731GW but seems to have forgotten about some factors that make a gaming laptop great. In particular, the odd port placement and annoying maintenance process leave a bad taste after an otherwise delightful dish.

The G731GW gets a lot of things right. It's 144 Hz display is one of the best we have seen in gaming laptops, and its keyboard feels excellent and offers a quick response. Likewise, gaming performance is great; most games will glide across the high-refresh rate panel thanks to the powerful GeForce RTX 2070 and Core i7-9750H.

However, there are many small annoyances potential buyers should consider. The RGB logo and bottom RGB strip cannot be turned off without disabling the keyboard backlight. All USB ports are on the left side of the machine, which makes routing a mouse cable cumbersome. The RGB ribbon cables make opening the device for upgrades a lesson in caution. Lastly, overall performance is a hair behind competing laptops, particularly the Eurocom Nightsky RX17.

All said, the Asus G731GW flirts with greatness but is held back by a sum of minor flaws. However, considering the relatively low price tag compared to other high-end gaming laptop ($2000, ~$2325 as configured), these small annoyances may be worth the savings.

Asus ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III G731GW-XB74 - 09/20/2019 v7
Sam Medley

Chassis
86 / 98 → 87%
Keyboard
92%
Pointing Device
92%
Connectivity
57 / 80 → 71%
Weight
57 / 10-66 → 85%
Battery
57 / 95 → 60%
Display
85%
Games Performance
90%
Application Performance
91%
Temperature
87 / 95 → 92%
Noise
72 / 90 → 80%
Audio
80%
Average
79%
85%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Asus ROG Strix Hero III G731GW Review - a colorful laptop with compromises
Sam Medley, 2019-07-29 (Update: 2019-07-29)