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Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GM (i7-8750H, GTX 1060) Laptop Review

Compact 17-inch gaming laptop? The GL704GM carries the same CPU and GPU as the last generation GL703GM. So, what makes this new iteration so special? For one, it carries the narrowest bezels for a 17-inch gaming laptop at just over 7 mm on all three sides. The design will become a standard that future laptops will want to beat.

Asus made public its GL704 series at Gamescom 2018 as the direct successor to the GL703 series. The new model has been completely redesigned from the ground up to incorporate narrow bezels on all three sides and to be one of the most compact 17-inch gaming laptops available. In fact, this is one of the first gaming laptops in its size class along with the less expensive TUF FX705 series to have narrow bezels.

As opposed to the enthusiast ROG G series or entry-level TUF FX series, the GL704 series targets upper mid-range or mainstream gamers with its GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, Core i7-8750H CPU, and 144 Hz 1080p display (up from 120 Hz on the GL703). SKUs are limited to just these core options for now with more likely to come early next year.

The starting price of $1600 USD may be a bit high, but this is only because Asus isn't artificially bumping down the price floor with slower primary HDDs or GTX 1050 SKUs. Direct competitors in the 17-inch space are common including the Lenovo Legion Y730 17, EVGA SC17, HP Omen 17, or MSI GS73VR. Until these competing OEMs catch up with their own 17-inch narrow bezel offerings, however, the GL704 is in a category of its own. For this review, we'll be comparing it to the last generation GL703 and showing how it represents the biggest step forward for the 17-inch GL series yet.

More Asus reviews:

(Source: Asus)
(Source: Asus)
Asus GL704GM-DH74 (GL704 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-8750H 6 x 2.2 - 4.1 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile - 6 GB VRAM, Core: 1455 MHz, Memory: 8008 MHz, GDDR5, 398.35
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4-2666, 19-19-19-43, Single-Channel
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 127 PPI, AU Optronics B173HAN04.0, IPS, AUO409D, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G, 256 GB 
, Secondary: 1 TB Seagate ST1000LM035 5400 RPM
Soundcard
Intel Cannon Lake-H/S - cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech)
Connections
5 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo, Card Reader: SD reader
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 26.4 x 399.8 x 273.5 ( = 1.04 x 15.74 x 10.77 in)
Battery
66 Wh Lithium-Polymer
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p
Additional features
Speakers: 2x 3.5 W, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, carabiner, velvet cleaning cloth, Asus Giftbox, Install, Hello, Keyboard Hotkeys, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.9 kg ( = 102.29 oz / 6.39 pounds), Power Supply: 513 g ( = 18.1 oz / 1.13 pounds)
Price
1600 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

We described the GL703 chassis as a "budget version" of the then-new Zephyrus GX501. The GL704 redesign draws inspirations from the Zephyrus series for its outer lid yet again, but this time much more closely. Edges and corners are flatter and sleeker than on the GL703 and the end result is a system that looks high-end and not just a less expensive knockoff of the ultrathin Zephyrus line.

Whereas the lid is of Zephyrus origin, the base of the GL704 is all original. The matte palm rests carry a light checkerboard texture and a light camouflage paint to avoid what would have otherwise been flat and boring plastic. To add even more visual flare, a new quad-zone LED light bar across the front edge is compatible with Asus AURA for customizeable lighting effects and the ROG logo on the outer lid will glow in tandem as well. These visual touches give the GL704 a distinctive look without being too gaudy or distracting.

Outside of pure aesthetics, it's the 7 mm bezels that the GL704 is known for. The design looks undeniably sleek especially when compared to the sea of thick 17-inch gaming laptops in the market, but webcam placement suffers much like on the XPS 15 series. Case quality is above average and certainly superior to the MSI GS73 series. The base twists and the keyboard will warp slightly when under moderate pressure, but they exhibit no creaking in the process. The lid is another strong point as it is more rigid than we had anticipated. It's actually quite thick in contrast to the narrow bezels and it feels stronger than on the Zephyrus GX501.

If we are to mention any nitpicks, then it would be that its chassis could have been even stronger. The Razer Blade Pro is still the more inflexible system and so are the larger ROG G series or MSI GT75 series. Lid angle is also limited to just under 150 degrees even though the hinges are otherwise satisfactory to prevent teetering. Other than these minor drawbacks, construction quality is excellent on our unit with no noticeable defects or uneven gaps.

The GL703 was already a small system relative to other 17-inch gaming laptops, but the GL704 kicks it to the next level with an even smaller footprint. Its height, however, is actually thicker this time around at 26.4 mm vs. 23.9 mm on the GL703 while keeping weight roughly the same at about 2.9 kg. Asus likely had to thicken the lid in order to fit the 144 Hz panel. In all, the GL704 is one of the smallest 17-inch gaming laptops with a mid-range weight in between that of the lighter MSI GS73 and heavy HP Omen 17 for a dense first impression.

A customizable LED light bar along the front edge
A customizable LED light bar along the front edge
Lid opened to maximum ~145 degree angle
Lid opened to maximum ~145 degree angle
Smooth brushed aluminum outer lid
Smooth brushed aluminum outer lid
Light camouflage print for a gamer aesthetic
Light camouflage print for a gamer aesthetic
428 mm / 16.9 inch 298 mm / 11.7 inch 38.7 mm / 1.524 inch 4 kg8.82 lbs423 mm / 16.7 inch 304 mm / 12 inch 33 mm / 1.299 inch 3.7 kg8.06 lbs428 mm / 16.9 inch 305 mm / 12 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 3.4 kg7.44 lbs414 mm / 16.3 inch 279.4 mm / 11 inch 23.9 mm / 0.941 inch 2.9 kg6.33 lbs412 mm / 16.2 inch 285 mm / 11.2 inch 19.6 mm / 0.772 inch 2.4 kg5.31 lbs399.8 mm / 15.7 inch 273.5 mm / 10.8 inch 26.4 mm / 1.039 inch 2.9 kg6.39 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Although the new design may be more compact than the GL703, Asus still managed to cram in everything from last year's model. All ports are easily accessible with the majority of ports now along the left edge. The single USB Type-C port supports up to gen. 2 speeds only (10 Gbps) and so Thunderbolt 3 devices are out of luck.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: SD reader, USB Type-C Gen. 2, USB 3.1 Type-A Gen. 2, Kensington Lock
Right: SD reader, USB Type-C Gen. 2, USB 3.1 Type-A Gen. 2, Kensington Lock
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Left: AC adapter, Gigabit RJ-45, mDP 1.2, HDMI 2.0, 3x USB 3.1 Type-A, 3.5 mm combo audio
Left: AC adapter, Gigabit RJ-45, mDP 1.2, HDMI 2.0, 3x USB 3.1 Type-A, 3.5 mm combo audio

SD Card Reader

The spring-loaded SD reader has not changed in performance from the last generation. Moving 1 GB worth of images from our UHS-II test card to desktop still takes about 13 seconds compared to just half that on the faster MSI GS73. A fully inserted SD card sits flush against the edge for safe transporting.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
172 MB/s +118%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
84.8 MB/s +7%
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
81.6 MB/s +3%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
78.9 MB/s
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
215 MB/s +168%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
90.7 MB/s +13%
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
85.8 MB/s +7%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
80.1 MB/s

Communication

WLAN and Bluetooth have also not changed from the last generation model. The Intel 9560 comes standard with theoretical transfer rates of up to 1.73 Gbps. Note that our measurements below are much lower since our server is limited by a 1 Gbps line. Interestingly, wireless performance is steadier this time when compared to the GL703GM.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Asus GL704GM-DH74
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
659 MBit/s
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
Realtek RTL8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCIe Adapter
630 MBit/s -4%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
448 MBit/s -32%
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
317 MBit/s -52%
iperf3 receive AX12
Asus GL704GM-DH74
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
664 MBit/s
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
657 MBit/s -1%
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
Realtek RTL8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCIe Adapter
644 MBit/s -3%
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
468 MBit/s -30%

Maintenance

The bottom panel can be easily removed with a sharp edge and a Philips screwdriver to expose two storage bays, two SODIMM slots, the cooling solution, battery, and WLAN module. Internals have changed significantly from the last generation GL703GM as seen here. The traditional design of the notebook allows servicing to be more straightforward than on the Zephyrus GX series.

Easy serviceability
Easy serviceability

Accessories and Warranty

Included extras are a small carabiner for clipping to carrying bags and a large velvet cleaning cloth.

The standard one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices

Keyboard

Keyboard size and layout remain identical to the GL703. Key travel is 1.8 mm to be deeper than most Ultrabooks where 1.6 mm or shorter is common. Key clatter is relatively quiet - even from the Space and Enter keys - and feedback from the main QWERTY keys is satisfactory if not slightly on the soft side. In this case, it appears that no major changes to the keyboard have been made despite the generational leap in chassis design.

The most disappointing aspect of the keyboard is its Arrow keys and NumPad keys as they are physically smaller than the QWERTY mains for noticeably spongier feedback. We're hopeful that future iterations will give these keys the proper full-size treatment much like on the Dell Precision 7530. We feel there's no excuse here since this is a 17-inch laptop with more surface area to spare.

Per-key RGB lighting is unavailable and so the same quad-zone RGB lighting returns. According to Asus, per-key lighting would have thickened the profile of the current design, but it will be considered for future revisions.

Redesigned Armoury Crate control center has direct access to Asus apps
Redesigned Armoury Crate control center has direct access to Asus apps
Quad-zone RGB lighting control with 16.7 million colors
Quad-zone RGB lighting control with 16.7 million colors
The usual AURA effects with Sync available on compatible games
The usual AURA effects with Sync available on compatible games

Touchpad

The Precision-enabled trackpad is decent in size (~10.7 x 5.9 cm) and slightly smaller than the trackpad on the GL703 (10.4 x 7.1 cm). The reason for this is because the system now integrates dedicated mouse keys whereas the last generation model had integrated clickpad keys. We couldn't be happier about this change because the clickpad keys on the GL703 series felt cheap and spongy to press. The new mouse keys on the GL704 are easier to use and relatively quiet with shallow feedback and a satisfactory click.

Trackpad surface is completely smooth with good gliding properties when moving quickly. If moving very slowly, the finger tends to stick a bit. The surface is firm and will warp just slightly if applying medium pressure with a finger.

1.8 mm key travel with quad-zone RGB lighting
1.8 mm key travel with quad-zone RGB lighting
Same keyboard layout and four dedicated auxiliary keys as the GL703
Same keyboard layout and four dedicated auxiliary keys as the GL703

Display

The narrow-bezel panel is the defining feature of the GL704. As suspected, however, this same B173HAN04.0 IPS panel from AU Optronics can also be found on the less expensive TUF FX705 series. Both of these systems consequently share similar properties such as the fast 5 ms response times, excellent contrast ratios, and wide color coverage. The GL704 still has the advantage over its budget counterpart because its backlight is much brighter in comparison.

Subjectively, this is a high-end display worthy of the asking price. Content appears crisp and with almost no grains despite the matte overlay and colors pop much like on the 15-inch Zephyrus GX series. Gamers and content creators will especially appreciate the ultra-smooth 144 Hz refresh rate that contributes to the "wow" factor of the system. Uneven backlight bleeding is minimal along the bottom edge and mostly unnoticeable when gaming or during movie playback.

Minimal uneven backlight bleeding near the bottom right corner
Minimal uneven backlight bleeding near the bottom right corner
Subpixel array (141 PPI)
Subpixel array (141 PPI)
One of the first 17-inch gaming laptops to ship with narrow bezels
One of the first 17-inch gaming laptops to ship with narrow bezels
7.05 mm thin bezels on all three sides
7.05 mm thin bezels on all three sides
307.6
cd/m²
313.9
cd/m²
314.9
cd/m²
305.9
cd/m²
324.4
cd/m²
327.7
cd/m²
302.7
cd/m²
314.5
cd/m²
314.8
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B173HAN04.0 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 327.7 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 314 cd/m² Minimum: 17.67 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 324.4 cd/m²
Contrast: 927:1 (Black: 0.35 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.82 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 3.32
ΔE Greyscale 4.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
88.8% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
57.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
89.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
62% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.2
Asus GL704GM-DH74
AU Optronics B173HAN04.0, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Chi Mei CMN1747 M173JJE-G32, TN LED, 17.30, 1920x1080
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
CMN N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747), TN, 17.30, 1920x1080
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
AU Optronics AUO309D, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Aorus X7 DT v8
AU Optronics B173HAN03.0 (AUO309D), IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Asus TUF FX705GM
AU Optronics B173HAN04.0 (AUO409D), IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Display
30%
31%
3%
4%
1%
Display P3 Coverage
62
90
45%
90.8
46%
65.4
5%
65.3
5%
62.4
1%
sRGB Coverage
89.2
100
12%
99.9
12%
90
1%
91.2
2%
88.8
0%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
63.3
84.8
34%
85.8
36%
65.8
4%
66.3
5%
63.8
1%
Response Times
3%
15%
-74%
-86%
1%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
6.8 ?(3.4, 3.4)
8.8 ?(4.4, 4.4)
-29%
7.8 ?(4.4, 3.4)
-15%
17.6 ?(10, 7.6)
-159%
18 ?(8.8, 9.2)
-165%
7.4 ?(3.8, 3.6)
-9%
Response Time Black / White *
11.2 ?(6.8, 4.4)
7.4 ?(5.2, 2.2)
34%
6.2 ?(4.4, 1.8)
45%
10 ?(4.8, 5.2)
11%
12 ?(6.8, 5.2)
-7%
10 ?(4.8, 5.2)
11%
PWM Frequency
25510 ?(15)
25510 ?(14)
Screen
2%
13%
4%
19%
17%
Brightness middle
324.4
297.8
-8%
262
-19%
343.6
6%
297
-8%
234
-28%
Brightness
314
285
-9%
261
-17%
320
2%
281
-11%
228
-27%
Brightness Distribution
92
84
-9%
94
2%
87
-5%
84
-9%
85
-8%
Black Level *
0.35
0.33
6%
0.2
43%
0.34
3%
0.23
34%
0.2
43%
Contrast
927
902
-3%
1310
41%
1011
9%
1291
39%
1170
26%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.82
3.68
4%
3.96
-4%
3.74
2%
2.19
43%
2.16
43%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
6.4
7.71
-20%
7.29
-14%
5.33
17%
4.81
25%
3.39
47%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
3.32
2.71
18%
2.18
34%
3.49
-5%
2.02
39%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.3
5
-16%
3.09
28%
3.7
14%
1.31
70%
2
53%
Gamma
2.2 100%
2.06 107%
2.48 89%
2.36 93%
2.42 91%
2.46 89%
CCT
7366 88%
6728 97%
6977 93%
6388 102%
6464 101%
6394 102%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
57.5
84.77
47%
76
32%
58
1%
59
3%
58
1%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
88.8
99.97
13%
100
13%
90
1%
91
2%
89
0%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
12% / 7%
20% / 16%
-22% / -6%
-21% / 2%
6% / 12%

* ... smaller is better

Gamut is smaller than on the last generation GL703 since Asus has switched panel providers. Users who still want full sRGB coverage ought to consider narrow bezel 15.6-inch laptops instead or wait until more narrow bezel 17.3-inch panels become available with wider color coverage. For gaming purposes, however, color accuracy is more than sufficient and generally of minor importance.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB

Further measurements with a X-Rite colorimeter reveal average grayscale and colors out of the box. Interestingly, our FX705 test unit is better calibrated than our pricier GL704 by a small margin. Our calibration attempts improve display accuracy across the board and we recommend it if possible to get the most out of the display. Colors are represented fairly accurately at all saturation levels since sRGB coverage is still very high.

Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration

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
11.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6.8 ms rise
↘ 4.4 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. » 25 % 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
6.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 3.4 ms rise
↘ 3.4 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.

Outdoor visibility is average at best since not unlike most other 17-inch gaming laptops. The backlight was simply not designed to overcome sunlight. Working under shade is possible albeit still not ideal. Viewing angles are thankfully very wide with minimal color shifting if needing to adjust the display to reduce glare.

Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under sunllight
Outdoors under sunllight
Outdoors under sunllight
Outdoors under sunllight
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

The Core i7-8750H CPU and GTX 1060 GPU come standard with no other options. In contrast, the last generation GL703 series had GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti options in addition to the GTX 1060. We'd love to see a Core i5-8300H option in the near future for more budget-conscious gamers as it still pairs very well with the GTX 1060.

Nvidia Optimus is included for automatic graphics switching to the integrated UHD Graphics 630.

Processor

CineBench R15
CineBench R15

Despite carrying the exact same hexa-core i7-8750H CPU as the last generation GL703GM, the CPU in the GL704GM is better at maintaining faster Turbo Boost clock rates as exemplified by our graph below. The system stabilizes at about 1040 points during our CineBench R15 Multi-Thread stress test compared to just 930 points on the older GL703GM for a performance boost of almost 12 percent. Users are getting more performance from the same CPU on this latest model even if it's relatively minor.

Users upgrading from the quad-core Kaby Lake Core i7-7700HQ CPU commonly found on older gaming laptops will get a significant raw performance boost of about 45 to 55 percent. See our dedicated page on the Core i7-8750H for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

06012018024030036042048054060066072078084090096010201080Tooltip
Asus GL704GM-DH74 GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1038 (1015.25-1131.25)
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74 GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø935 (926.78-1026.8)
Asus TUF FX705GM GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1022 (992.14-1137)
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Asus Chimera G703GI
Intel Core i9-8950HK
206 Points +18%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
192 Points +10%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
Intel Core i7-8750H
174 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8750H
  (163 - 177, n=86)
172 Points -1%
Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX561UD
Intel Core i7-8550U
171 Points -2%
Asus FX504GD
Intel Core i5-8300H
170 Points -2%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Intel Core i7-8750H
168 Points -3%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
156 Points -10%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
144 Points -17%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 7300HQ 1050Ti
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
138 Points -21%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
1408 Points +24%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
1359 Points +20%
Asus Chimera G703GI
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1312 Points +16%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
Intel Core i7-8750H
1133 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8750H
  (863 - 1251, n=93)
1113 Points -2%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Intel Core i7-8750H
1027 Points -9%
Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX561UD
Intel Core i7-8550U
761 Points -33%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
733 Points -35%
Asus FX504GD
Intel Core i5-8300H
609 Points -46%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 7300HQ 1050Ti
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
510 (503.52min - 509.87max) Points -55%
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
174 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1133 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
100.3 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help

System Performance

PCMark benchmarks rank our GL704GM slightly slower than the GL703GM across all tests even though both are equipped with the same processors. The likely candidate for the lower scores could be the slower Toshiba SSD as the GL703GM uses a faster Samsung PM961. Regardless, system performance is speedy as one would expect from a SSD-based PC. We didn't experience any software or hardware issues during our time with the unit.

PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 10
Score
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5939 Points +18%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5525 Points +9%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (4646 - 5525, n=14)
5132 Points +2%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
5053 Points
Aorus X7 DT v8
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8850H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
4524 Points -10%
Essentials
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
9832 Points +19%
Aorus X7 DT v8
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8850H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
9171 Points +11%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
8923 Points +8%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (7200 - 9101, n=14)
8386 Points +2%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
8262 Points
Productivity
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
7679 Points +5%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
7511 Points +3%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
7289 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (6917 - 7592, n=14)
7154 Points -2%
Aorus X7 DT v8
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8850H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
5769 Points -21%
Digital Content Creation
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
7530 Points +30%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
6828 Points +17%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (5452 - 6828, n=14)
6127 Points +5%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
5814 Points
Aorus X7 DT v8
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8850H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
4753 Points -18%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Aorus X7 DT v8
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8850H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
5779 Points +33%
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5557 Points +28%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5371 Points +23%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (4119 - 5371, n=15)
4511 Points +4%
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4393 Points +1%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
4357 Points
Work Score Accelerated v2
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5968 Points +5%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
5668 Points
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5528 Points -2%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (5111 - 5731, n=15)
5504 Points -3%
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5323 Points -6%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
8378 Points
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
7765 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (5294 - 7765, n=4)
5962 Points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4357 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5668 points
PCMark 10 Score
5053 points
Help

Storage Devices

Our Asus is equipped with an uncommon 256 GB Western Digital PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G M.2 NVMe SSD. Perhaps not by coincidence, this exact same SSD is also found on the Asus TUF FX705GM. No other laptop in out database utilizes this particular drive and so we can only assume that Asus is holding this particular SSD in bulk.

Performance is average at best for a NVMe SSD. Sequential read and write rates top out at only about 1100 MB/s each compared to 1500 MB/s or 1900 MB/s from the Samsung PM981. As for our secondary 1 TB Seagate ST1000LM035 HDD, HD Tune returns an average transfer rate of 102 MB/s which is good for a 5400 RPM drive. Both drives can be easily upgraded if needed.

See our table of HDDs and SSDs for more benchmark comparisons.

HD Tune (HDD)
HD Tune (HDD)
AS SSD
AS SSD
CDM 5.5 (SSD)
CDM 5.5 (SSD)
CDM 5.5 (HDD)
CDM 5.5 (HDD)
Primary M.2 2280 slot sits adjacent to the secondary 2.5-inch SATA III bay. There is headroom for accepting drives up to 9.5 mm thick
Primary M.2 2280 slot sits adjacent to the secondary 2.5-inch SATA III bay. There is headroom for accepting drives up to 9.5 mm thick
Asus GL704GM-DH74
WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-93LS
Liteon CA1-8D512
Aorus X7 DT v8
Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
AS SSD
21%
38%
46%
-7%
20%
Seq Read
1102
1993
81%
1749
59%
1473
34%
1361
24%
2182
98%
Seq Write
1204
1031
-14%
1173
-3%
1962
63%
536
-55%
1342
11%
4K Read
28.76
35.76
24%
42.81
49%
31.66
10%
29.31
2%
23.28
-19%
4K Write
92.9
88.4
-5%
98.4
6%
84.4
-9%
84.5
-9%
89.9
-3%
4K-64 Read
649
1285
98%
1238
91%
1125
73%
912
41%
817
26%
4K-64 Write
593
633
7%
691
17%
1866
215%
339.3
-43%
757
28%
Access Time Read *
0.141
0.066
53%
0.077
45%
0.071
50%
0.136
4%
Access Time Write *
0.04
0.042
-5%
0.038
5%
0.047
-18%
0.062
-55%
0.044
-10%
Score Read
788
1520
93%
1456
85%
1304
65%
1077
37%
1058
34%
Score Write
806
825
2%
906
12%
2147
166%
477
-41%
981
22%
Score Total
2008
3075
53%
3083
54%
4142
106%
2066
3%
2539
26%
Copy ISO MB/s
1727
1043
-40%
1080
-37%
2810
63%
Copy Program MB/s
742
780
5%
481.1
-35%
368.5
-50%
Copy Game MB/s
1337
481
-64%
875
-35%
1160
-13%

* ... smaller is better

WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 1688 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1302 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 314.3 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 247.3 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1166 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 1197 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 39.82 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 96.8 MB/s

GPU Performance

The GeForce GTX 1060 is a common GPU on mainstream to high-end gaming laptops and so its performance in the GL704GM holds no surprises. 3DMark benchmarks show it to be about 6 percent faster than the average GTX 1060 in our database to indicate no major throttling issues or sly underclocking by the OEM. Asus has been using the same GTX 1060 GPU for three generations of its GL series (GL702VM, GL703GM, and GL704GM). Still, users upgrading from older Maxwell GTX 960M or 970M gaming laptops will see notable performance gains.

See our dedicated page on the GTX 1060 for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Asus Chimera G703GI
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK
29696 Points +92%
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-93LS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK
22017 Points +43%
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
18349 Points +19%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K
17401 Points +13%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
15436 Points
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700
15264 Points -1%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (12620 - 15607, n=77)
14692 Points -5%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
14528 Points -6%
Razer Blade 15 Base Model
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
14351 Points -7%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 7300HQ 1050Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ
10007 Points -35%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
9824 Points -36%
Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX561UD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8550U
7339 Points -52%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Asus Chimera G703GI
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK
13951 Points +50%
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-93LS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK
12565 Points +35%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K
11160 Points +20%
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
11101 Points +20%
Razer Blade 15 Base Model
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
9792 Points +6%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
9771 Points +5%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
9275 Points
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700
8946 Points -4%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (5655 - 12930, n=76)
8458 Points -9%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
7952 Points -14%
Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX561UD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8550U
6851 Points -26%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 7300HQ 1050Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ
6104 Points -34%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Asus Chimera G703GI
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK
143777 Points +98%
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-93LS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK
99587 Points +37%
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
95034 Points +31%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
81912 Points +13%
Razer Blade 15 Base Model
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
81720 Points +12%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K
80879 Points +11%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
72659 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (26770 - 86193, n=68)
71237 Points -2%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700
68629 Points -6%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
50205 Points -31%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 7300HQ 1050Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ
49115 Points -32%
Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX561UD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8550U
16381 Points -77%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Asus Chimera G703GI
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK
21849 Points +78%
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-93LS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK
16873 Points +37%
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
14427 Points +17%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), 6700K
12984 Points +6%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
12281 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (10708 - 12298, n=77)
11547 Points -6%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
11469 Points -7%
Razer Blade 15 Base Model
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
11366 Points -7%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700
11010 Points -10%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 7300HQ 1050Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ
7626 Points -38%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
7321 Points -40%
Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX561UD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8550U
5329 Points -57%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (33205 - 257260, n=33)
152262 Points
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
106019 Points
Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX561UD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8550U
7482 Points
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (3396 - 3790, n=20)
3601 Points
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700
3440 Points
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 7300HQ 1050Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ
2336 Points
3DMark 11 Performance
13334 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
28181 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
10750 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Performance in games is steady with no throttling or recurring drops as excemplified by our Witcher 3 graph below. To make the most of the 144 Hz panel, however, users will want to aim for a steady 144 FPS. Older or less demanding titles like CS:GO or DOTA 2 will have an easier time hitting this mark at 1080p considering the GTX 1060 GPU. A GTX 1070 Max-Q option would have made 1080p60+ an easier proposition.

The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Asus Chimera G703GI
Intel Core i9-8950HK, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
76.7 fps +83%
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
49.6 fps +19%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB
Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
44.4 fps +6%
Asus GL704GM-DH74
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
41.8 fps
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
41 fps -2%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (24 - 42.3, n=60)
38.6 fps -8%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700, AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop)
37.4 (31min) fps -11%
Acer Predator 17 NX.QK4EP.022
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
26.6 fps -36%
Asus FX504GD
Intel Core i5-8300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
22.2 fps -47%
Asus GL552VW-DK725T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
14 fps -67%
0510152025303540Tooltip
Asus GL704GM-DH74 GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G: Ø39.1 (36-43)
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 236 214.4 202.5 105.4
The Witcher 3 (2015) 186.6 134.9 80.5 41.8
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 132.1 120.7 81.4 68.3

Emissions

System Noise

Fan noise profile
Fan noise profile

The cooling solution consists of twin 50 mm fans and three heat pipes between them. Fan noise is almost silent when on the Asus Silent mode, but be prepared for pulsing fans of up to 35 dB(A) or even 38 dB(A) when on Balanced or High Performance mode. The constantly changing fan noise can happen during low loads like browsing or streaming as well and so recommend staying in Power Saver or Silent mode when the extra horsepower is not needed.

Fan noise when gaming is much louder than most other gaming laptops. When running the first benchmark scene of 3DMark 06, for example, fan noise tops out at 56 dB(A) compared to just 41 dB(A) or 43 dB(A) on the ROG GL703GM or GS73, respectively. Similarly, a constant fan noise of 54.2 dB(A) can be recorded when running Witcher 3 on Ultra 1080p settings. This is not a quiet gaming machine by any means.

We can notice no electronic noise from our test unit.

Dual ~50 mm fans with longer heat pipes for the right fan
Dual ~50 mm fans with longer heat pipes for the right fan
Fan noise is louder than on the last generation GL703GM
Fan noise is louder than on the last generation GL703GM

Noise Level

Idle
30 / 31.8 / 34.6 dB(A)
Load
56 / 56.7 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)
Asus GL704GM-DH74
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
Aorus X7 DT v8
i7-8850H, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
Asus TUF FX705GM
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
Noise
9%
6%
8%
-3%
0%
off / environment *
28.2
28.6
-1%
30
-6%
27.8
1%
29
-3%
29
-3%
Idle Minimum *
30
29.4
2%
30
-0%
31.1
-4%
35
-17%
32
-7%
Idle Average *
31.8
29.4
8%
34
-7%
31.1
2%
36
-13%
33
-4%
Idle Maximum *
34.6
33.7
3%
36
-4%
35
-1%
41
-18%
44
-27%
Load Average *
56
41.2
26%
43
23%
42
25%
43
23%
46
18%
Witcher 3 ultra *
54.2
47.3
13%
45
17%
44.5
18%
53
2%
48
11%
Load Maximum *
56.7
48.3
15%
45
21%
46.5
18%
54
5%
50
12%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Three sets of exhaust grilles (vs. two on the GL503GM)
Three sets of exhaust grilles (vs. two on the GL503GM)

Surface temperatures are already quite warm when idling on desktop at almost 37 C above the first row of keyboard keys. Our power consumption measurements below back up these readings as they are unusually high for an idling laptop. Fortunately, the hot spots are away from the keyboard keys and palm rests and so the notebook never becomes uncomfortable to use when gaming.

When gaming or under higher loads, surface temperatures towards the rear can reach over 46 C compared to 53 C on the outgoing GL703GM.

System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle with hot spot atop the M.2 SSD (bottom)
System idle with hot spot atop the M.2 SSD (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Maximum load (bottom)
Maximum load (bottom)
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (top)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)

We stress the system with synthetic loads to identify for any potential throttling or stability issues. When subjected to Prime95, we can observe the CPU running at up to 3.9 GHz for the a few seconds before hitting 78 C and dropping to a more stable 3.3 GHz. Thus, the maximum Turbo Boost clock rate of the i7-8750H is unsustainable and users can expect a constant 3.3 GHz instead when under full CPU utilization. Running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously will see CPU and GPU temperatures stabilizing at 79 C and 72 C, respectively. The CPU never throttles below 2.8 or 3.0 GHz to explain its excellent CineBench scores from above.

Running Witcher 3 is more representative of real-world gaming stress. The CPU and GPU each stabilize in the low 70 C range with GPU clock at a steady 1721 MHz.

Running on battery power will limit CPU and GPU performance. A 3DMark 11 run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 7397 and 7099 points, respectively, compared to 9601 and 15436 points when on mains.

System idle
System idle
Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Witcher 3 stress
Witcher 3 stress
Armoury Crate system stats when on Silent mode
Armoury Crate system stats when on Silent mode
Armoury Crate system stats when on Turbo mode and running Prime95 and FurMark
Armoury Crate system stats when on Turbo mode and running Prime95 and FurMark
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle -- -- 46 46
Prime95 Stress 3.3 -- 68 --
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 3.1 1468 79 80
Witcher 3 Stress 3.9 1721 72 71
Max. Load
 39 °C
102 F
48 °C
118 F
40.4 °C
105 F
 
 27.4 °C
81 F
32.4 °C
90 F
31.2 °C
88 F
 
 24.4 °C
76 F
23 °C
73 F
26 °C
79 F
 
Maximum: 48 °C = 118 F
Average: 32.4 °C = 90 F
46.2 °C
115 F
42 °C
108 F
44.4 °C
112 F
32.2 °C
90 F
37.8 °C
100 F
27.6 °C
82 F
26.4 °C
80 F
25.2 °C
77 F
25.4 °C
78 F
Maximum: 46.2 °C = 115 F
Average: 34.1 °C = 93 F
Power Supply (max.)  48.8 °C = 120 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.4 °C / 90 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 48 °C / 118 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 46.2 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.3 °C / 88 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 34.2 °C / 94 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 29 °C / 84.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-0.1 °C / -0.2 F).

Speakers

Pink noise
Pink noise

The 2.5 W stereo speakers offer great sound quality with balanced mid and high tones and a loud maximum volume. Even bass reproduction is better than expected despite having no dedicated subwoofer. Higher volume settings will vibrate the palm rests since the speakers are directly underneath, but there is fortunately no audible rattling or static. 

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2040.338.12537.236.1313634.34034.332.75033.433.56331.531.68030.432.310029.836.812528.34416027.256.420027.660.725026.962.231525.560.840026.260.250025.260.463025.164.980024.367.9100024.366.5125023.963.8160023.959.7200023.759.4250023.657.3315023.557.8400023.360.2500023.357.9630023.366800023.265.61000023.258.81250023.151.31600023.642.5SPL3674.8N2.637.6median 23.9median 60.2Delta0.84.235.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseAsus GL704GM-DH74Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Asus GL704GM-DH74 audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (67.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 7.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.9% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 42% of all tested devices in this class were better, 12% similar, 46% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 25% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 67% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Power consumption is high from 15 W to 27 W simply by idling on the desktop. While an improvement over the GL703GM, the MSI GS73 is still the more efficient 17-inch notebook during low loads. When under higher loads like gaming, the GL704GM is essentially identical to the GL703GM.

We are able to measure a maximum consumption of 191 W from the medium-sized (~16 x 7.5 x 2.8 cm) 180 W AC adapter. A more capable 200 W or 220 W AC adapter would have been more appropriate for the higher power overhead.

Prime95+FurMark initiated at 20s mark. Consumption is relatively steady
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 20s mark. Consumption is relatively steady
Prime95 initiated at 20s mark. Consumption has unusual recurring spikes every half-minute or so
Prime95 initiated at 20s mark. Consumption has unusual recurring spikes every half-minute or so
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.07 / 2 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 15.2 / 20.4 / 27.3 Watt
Load midlight 92.9 / 190.6 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 GL704GM-DH74
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP, TN LED, 1920x1080, 17.30
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP, TN, 1920x1080, 17.30
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-93LS
i9-8950HK, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, Liteon CA1-8D512, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 17.30
Aorus X7 DT v8
i7-8850H, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Power Consumption
-10%
14%
-13%
-41%
-46%
Idle Minimum *
15.2
18.88
-24%
8
47%
17.8
-17%
24.6
-62%
23
-51%
Idle Average *
20.4
24.36
-19%
14
31%
24.7
-21%
33.1
-62%
33
-62%
Idle Maximum *
27.3
32.27
-18%
22
19%
29.6
-8%
37.2
-36%
37
-36%
Load Average *
92.9
107.74
-16%
92
1%
110
-18%
124
-33%
115
-24%
Witcher 3 ultra *
143
142
1%
154
-8%
167.8
-17%
180
-26%
225
-57%
Load Maximum *
190.6
160.28
16%
207
-9%
178.6
6%
236.5
-24%
281
-47%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Battery capacity is a bit smaller this time around at 66 Wh compared to 74 Wh on the last generation model. Even so, runtimes have improved just slightly year-over-year for a total of 4.25 hours of real-world WLAN use. The results are about average for a high-power 17-inch gaming laptop.

Charging from near empty to full capacity takes about 1.5 hours.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
7h 07min
WiFi Websurfing
4h 15min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 04min
Asus GL704GM-DH74
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 66 Wh
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 74 Wh
MSI GS73 Stealth 8RF-011
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, 51 Wh
HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 86 Wh
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-93LS
i9-8950HK, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 74 Wh
Aorus X7 DT v8
i7-8850H, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 94.24 Wh
Battery Runtime
-11%
-16%
5%
-33%
-6%
Reader / Idle
427
320
-25%
346
-19%
268
-37%
296
-31%
WiFi v1.3
255
213
-16%
200
-22%
253
-1%
172
-33%
228
-11%
Load
64
70
9%
60
-6%
97
52%
80
25%

Verdict

Pros

+ no throttling when gaming; excellent CPU and GPU performance
+ narrow bezels; small dimensions for a 17-inch gaming laptop
+ very fast display response times; almost no ghosting
+ high quality 1080p 144 Hz IPS display
+ loud 3.5 W stereo speakers
+ no pulse-width modulation
+ easy serviceability

Cons

- average performance from Western Digital NVMe SSD
- awkward webcam placement
- no per-key RGB lighting
- average battery life
- loud when gaming
- no Thunderbolt 3
- no G-Sync
In review: Asus Republic of Gamers GL704GM-DH74. Test model provided by Asus US
In review: Asus Republic of Gamers GL704GM-DH74. Test model provided by Asus US

Much like how the MSI GS65 and Asus ROG GL504 signaled the start of narrow bezel 15-inch gaming laptops, the GL704 signals the start of more narrow bezel 17-inch gaming laptops to come. It sets a precedence for competing manufacturers to inevitably try and beat the 7 mm bezels and buck the notion that 17-inch gaming laptops have to be thick and large.

As Asus' first and premier 17-inch laptop with narrow bezels, it gets most things right. Build quality and rigidity should always be priority and the GL704 is stronger around the lid when compared to the GS73 and even Zephyrus GX501 despite the narrow bezel design. Its keyboard keys and trackpad have great feedback and panel quality is excellent to prove that thick bezels aren't necessary for a great IPS display with all the latest 144 Hz and 5 ms response time features. Asus even managed to squeeze out more performance from the i7-8750H CPU by 10 to 12 percent over the GL703GM.

There is a short list of drawbacks with a couple being notable thorns. Firstly, fan noise is louder than expected when gaming or when on the High Performance profile. It's unrealistic to expect a quiet high-power gaming laptop, but at the same time, fan noise and pulsing should be at more reasonable levels as to not impact gaming experience. Secondly, the lack of Thunderbolt 3, per-key RGB lighting, and higher GPU options is hard to swallow for the high starting price. The GTX 1070 Max-Q, for example, would pair even better with the 144 Hz display and such an option is limited to the Zephyrus line for now. Alternatives with the same core gaming performance as our GL704GM can be found for hundreds of dollars cheaper like the MSI GF72, HP Omen 17, or Acer Predator Helios 300. A price premium for the narrow bezel design of the GL704 is very much in effect.

Gamers will not be disappointed by the aesthetics, compact design, and high quality display of the ROG GL704GM. Fan noise leaves a lot to be desired and hardcore gamers will be yearning for more powerful GPU options like the GTX 1070 as found on the Zephyrus series.

Asus GL704GM-DH74 - 11/02/2018 v6(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
85 / 98 → 86%
Keyboard
84%
Pointing Device
87%
Connectivity
66 / 81 → 81%
Weight
57 / 10-66 → 84%
Battery
77%
Display
88%
Games Performance
93%
Application Performance
96%
Temperature
87 / 95 → 91%
Noise
60 / 90 → 66%
Audio
76%
Camera
47 / 85 → 56%
Average
77%
86%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GM (i7-8750H, GTX 1060) Laptop Review
Allen Ngo, 2018-11- 3 (Update: 2019-02-26)