Asus ROG Strix Scar III G531GW Review: With a fast 240-Hz display

RGB light show. In the third generation of the ROG Strix Scar, Asus again bets on a lot of RGB illumination. However, what is under the hood is much more important. We have already tested a similar model based on an Intel Core i9, and now we are looking at the slightly more affordable ROG Strix Scar with the Core i7. Find out in this review whether this is the more sensible alternative.

Sebastian Bade, ✓ Felicitas Krohn (translated by Mark Riege), Published 10/10/2019 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...

Under the label ROG (Republic of Gamers), Asus offers gaming laptops in almost any price range. At around 2400 Euros (~$2635; $2240 in the US with a 1-TB SSD), our test unit is in the middle of the field. For this price, the ROG Strix Scar III 531GW offers quite a lot. The case offers a high recognition value and is covered by RGB elements. Besides it being a feast for the eyes, the Intel Core i7-9750H together with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 ensure high frame rates. In addition, all the contents are displayed on the 240-Hz panel, which represents a completely new experience. Furthermore, users do not need to forgo any storage space, since a 512 GB SSD and a 1 TB hard drive are also on board. Compared to the version based on the Intel Core i9-9880H that we have already tested, our current test unit offers only 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, but this should still be plenty.

As a competitor, there is of course its larger sibling with the Core i9, in order to directly compare whether our Core-i7 model is still able to keep up. In addition, we have also selected the Lenovo Legion Y740 and the Acer Predator Triton 500. With the Intel Core i7-9750H, both of them offer the same CPU. However, they both only offer the Max-Q version of the GeForce RTX 2070. With the Origin PC Evo16, we have also selected a strong device with the GeForce RTX 2080, but this is also the slightly weaker Max-Q version. We will find out later in our test, how well the GeForce RTX 2070 of our ROG Strix Scar III 531GW is able to keep up here.

Test device courtesy of notebooksbilliger.de

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Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T (Strix Scar III G531 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: 1215 MHz, Memory: 1750 MHz, GDDR6, TU106, FoceWare 436.30, Optimus

Memory

16 GB

, 2x 8 GB DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM, dual-channel, all slots occupied

Display

15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, Sharp LQ156M1JW09 (SHP14D3), IPS, Full-HD, 240 Hz, glossy: no

Mainboard

Intel HM370

Storage

Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8, 512 GB

, PCIe slots: 1x M.2 & 1x 2.5 inch, 1400 GB free

Soundcard

Realtek ALC294 @ Intel Cannon Lake PCH

Connections

3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm audio combo port

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

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 25 x 360 x 275 ( = 0.98 x 14.17 x 10.83 in)

Battery

66 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 4 cells

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit

Additional features

Speakers: stereo 2x 3.5W, Keyboard: chiclet RGB, Keyboard Light: yes, Keystone chip with lanyard, McAfee Security, various manufacturer tools, 24 Months Warranty

Weight

2.426 kg ( = 85.57 oz / 5.35 pounds), Power Supply: 810 g ( = 28.57 oz / 1.79 pounds)

Price

2400 EUR

Links

Asus homepage
Asus notebook section

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

see all specifications

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Size Comparison

Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Asus Strix Scar III G531GW Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ DIN A4 ❌

Connection Equipment

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW Intel Wireless-AC 9560	675 MBit/s ∼100% +16%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Intel Wireless-AC 9560	666 MBit/s ∼99% +15%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)	629 (602^min - 651^max) MBit/s ∼93% +8%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Wireless-AC 9560	580 (497^min - 619^max) MBit/s ∼86%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x Wireless Network Adapter (200NGW)	554 MBit/s ∼82% -4%
iperf3 receive AX12
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x Wireless Network Adapter (200NGW)	694 MBit/s ∼100% +8%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW Intel Wireless-AC 9560	680 MBit/s ∼98% +6%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Intel Wireless-AC 9560	650 MBit/s ∼94% +2%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Wireless-AC 9560	640 (541^min - 677^max) MBit/s ∼92%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)	615 (508^min - 642^max) MBit/s ∼89% -4%

Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø639 (541-677)

Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø580 (497-619)

Display - A fast 240-Hz panel

In terms of the display, Asus has equipped the ROG Strix Scar III 531GW with a 240 Hz panel that makes pro-gamers' hearts beat faster. But in regular operation, this also can be positively noticed. The resolution is 1920x1080 pixels, which is completely sufficient for the size of 15.6 inches.

In our measurements, the display does not deliver any top values with an average brightness of 284 cd/m², but it is still sufficient for second place. Only the display of the Lenovo Legion Y740 is significantly brighter (431 cd/m²). However, our test unit is struggling with a relatively high black value, which results in a weak contrast ratio.

With clouding and PWM, our ROG Strix Scar III 531GW does not accumulate any positive points. However, overall the clouding is only minimal, and in terms of PWM, we can also almost give the all-clear signal, since according to our measurements, it only occurs at a brightness of 20 percent and below.


279 cd/m²	294 cd/m²	278 cd/m²
282 cd/m²	309 cd/m²	278 cd/m²
273 cd/m²	285 cd/m²	275 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

Sharp LQ156M1JW09 (SHP14D3)

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 309 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 283.7 cd/m² Minimum: 17.2 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 309 cd/m²
Contrast: 736:1 (Black: 0.42 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.99 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2, calibrated: 1.12
ΔE Greyscale 5.43 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
97% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
67.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
97.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.57

Download ICC File (X-Rite i1Pro 2)

	Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Sharp LQ156M1JW09 (SHP14D3), IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60	Asus Strix Scar III G531GW Sharp LQ156M1JW09 (SHP14D3), IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60	Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg BOE NV156FHM-N4J, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60	Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ NV156FHM-N4K (BOE082A), IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60	Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Chi Mei CMN N161HCA-GA1, IPS, 1920x1080, 16.10
Display		-0%	-2%	-3%	-5%
Display P3 Coverage	66.2	66.2 0%	67.7 2%	64.6 -2%	62.3 -6%
sRGB Coverage	97.1	96.5 -1%	91.6 -6%	92.6 -5%	93.3 -4%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage	67.6	67.5 0%	67.1 -1%	66 -2%	64 -5%
Response Times		3159%	-19%	21%	3367%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *	15 ?(8, 7)	17.2 ?(9.2, 8) -15%	19 ?(9, 10) -27%	5.2 ?(2.6, 2.6) 65%	14.4 ?(7.6, 6.8) 4%
Response Time Black / White *	9 ?(5, 4)	11.2 ?(6.8, 4.4) -24%	10 ?(6, 4) -11%	11.2 ?(6.8, 4.4) -24%	9.6 ?(5.2, 4.4) -7%
PWM Frequency	250 ?(20)	24040 ?(29) 9516%			25510 ?(21) 10104%
Screen		20%	31%	13%	-1%
Brightness middle	309	266 -14%	477 54%	288 -7%	278 -10%
Brightness	284	252 -11%	431 52%	265 -7%	259 -9%
Brightness Distribution	88	88 0%	84 -5%	84 -5%	89 1%
Black Level *	0.42	0.27 36%	0.175 58%	0.22 48%	0.41 2%
Contrast	736	985 34%	2726 270%	1309 78%	678 -8%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *	3.99	1.81 55%	4.17 -5%	3.22 19%	2.93 27%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *	8.3	3.23 61%	6.97 16%	6.26 25%	7.12 14%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *	1.12	1.03 8%	2.51 -124%	1.5 -34%	1.49 -33%
Greyscale dE 2000 *	5.43	2.44 55%	3.49 36%	3.43 37%	4.5 17%
Gamma	2.57 ^86%	2.42 ^91%	2.5 ^88%	2.41 ^91%	2.17 ^101%
CCT	7767 ^84%	7005 ^93%	7076 ^92%	7290 ^89%	5767 ^113%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)	63	62 -2%	60 -5%	60 -5%	59.2 -6%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)	97	97 0%	91 -6%	93 -4%	93.2 -4%
Total Average (Program / Settings)		1060% / 570%	3% / 19%	10% / 11%	1120% / 593%

* ... smaller is better

Display Response Times

ℹ

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
9 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 5 ms rise
9 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 4 ms fall
The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 16 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
15 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 8 ms rise
15 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 7 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 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 20 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (35.2 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

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 detected

250 Hz

≤ 20 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 250 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 20 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 250 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18889 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Asus ROG Strix Scar III G531GW vs. sRGB (97%)

Asus ROG Strix Scar III G531GW vs. AdobeRGB (63%)

Despite the low contrast ratio, the image quality is decent. However, black areas can be considered more gray and colors are not reproduced very vibrant. In the state of delivery, the color deviations are only slightly elevated compared to the sRGB color space. On the other hand, the display in the similar ROG Strix Scar III 531GW with a Core i9 CPU delivers better values. We also noticed a blue tint. However, with our calibration, these values could be improved considerably, and the slight blue tint was also reduced. We have linked the corresponding ICC profile of our test unit, and you can find the download above our comparison chart.

In terms of the color reproduction, the ROG Strix Scar III 531GW does a very good job and achieves the best values in our comparison. We note an sRGB color space coverage of 97% and AdobeRGB coverage of 63%. While these values are not suitable for photography, the color space coverage is completely sufficient for gaming.

The matte display surface does not limit usage in bright surroundings, since annoying reflections are prevented. With a better display brightness, the ROG Strix Scar III 531GW would have been able to do better here. In terms of the viewing angle stability, we are seeing the result of a good IPS panel here. Even the usual problematic corner images are only covered by a very weak gray veil. This was significantly stronger in the other competitors.

Using the Asus ROG Strix Scar III G531GW outdoors

Performance - A good performance in the Asus gaming laptop

Asus has equipped the ROG Strix III with gaming hardware for gamers. With the Intel Core i7-9750H, our test unit offers a fast hexa-core processor, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 is responsible for the graphics performance. With 16 GB, the working memory is sufficient, and the storage solution of a combined SSD and HDD also offers sufficient reserves. As alternatives, interested buyers can also choose models with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 or GTX 1650 and 1660 Ti as well as with the Core i5-9300H and Core i9-9880H Intel processors.

All the hardware variations are designed for gaming at a high level. However, users should think beforehand about whether they want to use a 4K monitor, for example, or whether they often want to play games with ray-tracing and DLSS features.

Processor

The Intel Core i7-9750H is a 6-core processor and in the ROG Strix Scar III 531GW the second fastest model behind the Intel Core i9-9880H, which has 8 cores. The Intel Core i7-9750H offers a basic core speed of 2.6 GHz. In Turbo, the SoC is able to achieve up to 4.5 GHz under optimal conditions. However, this only applies to the load of two cores. When all 6 cores are used, it is limited to only 4.0 GHz.

However, in the test our test unit remains behind the competitors in the single-core performance. The distance to the other competitors is about 3 to 6 percent. Things look different in the multi-core test, and our ROG Strix Scar III 531GW advances to second place. Compared to the ROG Strix Scar III based on the Core i9-9880H, the difference is 9 percent.

For additional comparisons and benchmarks, we refer to our CPU comparison chart.

Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H, Intel Core i7-9750H: Ø1177 (1160.19-1270.77)

Asus Strix Scar III G531GW Intel Core i9-9880H, Intel Core i9-9880H: Ø1267 (1239.62-1311.65)

Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H, Intel Core i7-9750H: Ø1132 (1125.75-1244.28)

Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ Intel Core i7-9750H, Intel Core i7-9750H: Ø1066 (1053.71-1188.07)

Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Intel Core i7-9750H, Intel Core i7-9750H: Ø1101 (1094.42-1236.44)

In the stress test with the Cinebench-R15 multi-loop, the ROG Strix Scar III 531GW does fairly well and is able to achieve a better result on average than the comparison devices with the same CPU. The ROG Strix Scar III had already achieved good values based on the Core i9 processor, so that we were already expecting a good result.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Intel Core i7-9750H	189 Points ∼58% +6%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ Intel Core i7-9750H	189 Points ∼58% +6%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (170 - 194, n=82)	183.7 Points ∼56% +3%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW Intel Core i9-9880H	183 Points ∼56% +3%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H	183 Points ∼56% +3%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H	178 Points ∼54%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW Intel Core i9-9880H	1401 Points ∼14% +9%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H	1288 Points ∼13%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Intel Core i7-9750H	1197 Points ∼12% -7%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ Intel Core i7-9750H	1188 Points ∼12% -8%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H	1188 Points ∼12% -8%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (952 - 1306, n=85)	1182 Points ∼12% -8%

Cinebench R20
CPU (Single Core)
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ Intel Core i7-9750H	457 Points ∼53% +8%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Intel Core i7-9750H	450 Points ∼52% +6%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H	448 Points ∼51% +6%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (416 - 486, n=55)	443 Points ∼51% +5%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H	423 Points ∼49%
CPU (Multi Core)
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H	2753 Points ∼12%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H	2694 Points ∼11% -2%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Intel Core i7-9750H	2608 Points ∼11% -5%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (2017 - 3133, n=55)	2564 Points ∼11% -7%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ Intel Core i7-9750H	2448 Points ∼10% -11%

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance Physics
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Intel Core i7-9750H	13900 Points ∼38% +4%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW Intel Core i9-9880H	13522 Points ∼37% +1%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H	13402 Points ∼36%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H	12984 Points ∼35% -3%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ Intel Core i7-9750H	12903 Points ∼35% -4%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (9704 - 14337, n=80)	12766 Points ∼35% -5%

Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (342 - 495, n=21)	433 Seconds * ∼3% -4%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H	415.9 Seconds * ∼3%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H	403.2 Seconds * ∼3% +3%

Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H	5476 Points ∼57%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H	5409 Points ∼56% -1%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (4440 - 5511, n=27)	5238 Points ∼54% -4%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H	23832 Points ∼27%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H	23223 Points ∼26% -3%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (17054 - 25043, n=27)	22076 Points ∼25% -7%

7-Zip 18.03
7z b 4
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H	34643 MIPS ∼21%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H	33363 MIPS ∼21% -4%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (28512 - 35174, n=21)	32357 MIPS ∼20% -7%
7z b 4 -mmt1
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H	5042 MIPS ∼60%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H	5023 MIPS ∼60% 0%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H (4580 - 5090, n=21)	4846 MIPS ∼58% -4%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

115.2 fps

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

99.2 %

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

1288 Points

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

178 Points

Help

... in comparison

System Performance

In the PCMark-10 benchmarks, our ROG Strix Scar III 531GW is unable to come through, and the comparison devices are faster almost throughout. The PCMark 8 is handled better by our test unit, and it is able to place second.

Subjectively, the system performance of our ROG Strix Scar III is very good and we did not encounter any problems during the time of our testing.

PCMark 10 | PCMark 8

PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Gaming (4477 - 9331, n=194, last 2 years)	7253 Points ∼71% +29%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G	5938 Points ∼58% +6%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB	5928 Points ∼58% +5%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	5826 Points ∼57% +4%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G	5746 Points ∼57% +2%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	5625 Points ∼55%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (5013 - 5982, n=5)	5622 Points ∼55% 0%
Essentials
Average of class Gaming (7334 - 12176, n=193, last 2 years)	10455 Points ∼81% +17%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB	9788 Points ∼75% +10%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (8912 - 9812, n=5)	9375 Points ∼72% +5%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G	9366 Points ∼72% +5%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G	9364 Points ∼72% +5%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	9146 Points ∼70% +3%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	8912 Points ∼69%
Productivity
Average of class Gaming (6161 - 11833, n=193, last 2 years)	9440 Points ∼75% +26%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	8025 Points ∼64% +7%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB	7858 Points ∼62% +5%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (7457 - 7987, n=5)	7633 Points ∼61% +2%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G	7515 Points ∼60% 0%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	7507 Points ∼60%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G	7381 Points ∼59% -2%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Gaming (5288 - 16424, n=193, last 2 years)	10551 Points ∼53% +46%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G	8220 Points ∼41% +14%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB	7353 Points ∼37% +2%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G	7314 Points ∼37% +1%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	7311 Points ∼37% +1%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	7221 Points ∼36%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (4791 - 7838, n=5)	6801 Points ∼34% -6%

PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G	5661 Points ∼85% +16%
Average of class Gaming (3570 - 6657, n=41, last 2 years)	5100 Points ∼77% +5%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	4860 Points ∼73%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	4578 Points ∼69% -6%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (4402 - 4860, n=3)	4574 Points ∼69% -6%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB	4398 Points ∼66% -10%

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2		4860 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2		7937 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2		5697 points
PCMark 10 Score		5625 points
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Storage Solution

Asus has equipped our ROG Strix Scar III with a 512-GB SSD from Intel that achieves values in the middle of the field in our storage benchmark. The measured access rates are typical for SSDs, so that users do not have to expect any wait times.

As a second storage module, the gaming notebook offers a hybrid hard drive with 1 TB of storage space. However, with an average transfer rate of 105 MB/s, the HDD only delivered average values.

For additional comparisons and benchmarks, we refer to our comparison chart.

	Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	Asus Strix Scar III G531GW Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G	Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G	Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB	Average Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	Average of class Gaming
AS SSD		38%	-8%	179%	170%	16%	215%
Seq Read	1163	1574 35%	1372 18%	2888 148%	2172 87%	1423 ?(701 - 2432, n=36) 22%	4367 ?(925 - 12763, n=182, last 2 years) 275%
Seq Write	919	1591 73%	746 -19%	2374 158%	2760 200%	828 ?(374 - 1229, n=36) -10%	3154 ?(308 - 11316, n=182, last 2 years) 243%
4K Read	48.88	26.79 -45%	35.42 -28%	42.95 -12%	54.6 12%	51.3 ?(40.1 - 75.7, n=36) 5%	64.6 ?(20 - 108, n=182, last 2 years) 32%
4K Write	90.1	105.1 17%	99.9 11%	143.6 59%	145.8 62%	128.9 ?(87 - 242, n=36) 43%	189.8 ?(18 - 364, n=182, last 2 years) 111%
4K-64 Read	323.8	583 80%	302.1 -7%	1272 293%	1234 281%	326 ?(320 - 442, n=36) 1%	1865 ?(216 - 2967, n=182, last 2 years) 476%
4K-64 Write	403.8	603 49%	191.4 -53%	1546 283%	2431 502%	721 ?(94.1 - 1219, n=36) 79%	2316 ?(243 - 4381, n=182, last 2 years) 474%
Access Time Read *	0.24	0.128 47%	0.132 45%		0.038 84%	0.09003 ?(0.048 - 0.24, n=36) 62%	0.05473 ?(0.02 - 0.23, n=177, last 2 years) 77%
Access Time Write *	0.046	0.043 7%	0.037 20%		0.026 43%	0.07378 ?(0.033 - 0.144, n=36) -60%	0.05575 ?(0.012 - 0.425, n=182, last 2 years) -21%
Score Read	489	768 57%	475 -3%	1604 228%	1506 208%	519 ?(449 - 760, n=36) 6%	2367 ?(389 - 3629, n=182, last 2 years) 384%
Score Write	586	867 48%	366 -38%	1927 229%	2853 387%	932 ?(285 - 1584, n=36) 59%	2816 ?(338 - 5157, n=182, last 2 years) 381%
Score Total	1332	2033 53%	1065 -20%	4329 225%	5169 288%	1708 ?(1077 - 2702, n=36) 28%	6343 ?(910 - 10562, n=182, last 2 years) 376%
Copy ISO MB/s	1269		1062 -16%		2728 115%	1109 ?(566 - 2017, n=30) -13%	2244 ?(201 - 5343, n=143, last 2 years) 77%
Copy Program MB/s	452.8		426 -6%		570 26%	468 ?(163.4 - 852, n=30) 3%	618 ?(43.1 - 1407, n=143, last 2 years) 36%
Copy Game MB/s	755		650 -14%		1434 90%	760 ?(104.3 - 971, n=30) 1%	1439 ?(92.7 - 3532, n=143, last 2 years) 91%

* ... smaller is better

HD Tune

CrystalDiskMark 3.0

CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6

AS SSD

Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8

Transfer Rate Minimum: 1.5 MB/s

Transfer Rate Maximum: 140.2 MB/s

Transfer Rate Average: 105.5 MB/s

Access Time: 19.2 ms

Burst Rate: 124.8 MB/s

CPU Usage: 1.8 %

Graphics Card

In a gaming laptop, the CPU and GPU are the key components to enable smooth gaming. The combination of a Core i7-9750H and GeForce RTX 2070 shows that the two work very well together in our test unit. In the synthetic benchmarks, our ROG Strix Scar III is able to place second behind the Origin PC EVO16, which is equipped with the slightly stronger GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q. However, the biggest surprise was the better result compared to the ROG Strix Scar III with the Core i9 SoC, where the two additional cores are unable to ensure a better performance.

In addition to the dedicated graphics card, the ROG Strix Scar III also offers an energy efficient graphics adapter for 2D operation with the Intel UHD Graphics 620. The switching via Nvidia Optimus works without any problems and without the user noticing anything.

For additional comparisons and benchmarks, we refer to our GPU comparison chart.

3DMark 11 | 3DMark

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Gaming (1029 - 72070, n=232, last 2 years)	36327 Points ∼100% +42%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	27732 Points ∼76% +9%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (23335 - 27298, n=21)	25775 Points ∼71% +1%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-9750H	25500 Points ∼70%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i9-9880H	23335 Points ∼64% -8%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	22749 Points ∼63% -11%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	21959 Points ∼60% -14%

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Gaming (781 - 53059, n=239, last 2 years)	26923 Points ∼100% +36%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	20466 Points ∼76% +3%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (18169 - 21138, n=19)	20123 Points ∼75% +1%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-9750H	19846 Points ∼74%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i9-9880H	18169 Points ∼67% -8%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	18060 Points ∼67% -9%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	16968 Points ∼63% -15%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	125760 Points ∼100% +5%
Average of class Gaming (15902 - 192520, n=166, last 2 years)	121212 Points ∼96% +1%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-9750H	119860 Points ∼95%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (64283 - 135881, n=18)	117543 Points ∼93% -2%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i9-9880H	116011 Points ∼92% -3%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	114431 Points ∼91% -5%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	109479 Points ∼87% -9%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Gaming (224 - 22547, n=240, last 2 years)	10671 Points ∼100% +38%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	8153 Points ∼76% +6%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-9750H	7722 Points ∼72%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (7006 - 8028, n=18)	7651 Points ∼72% -1%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i9-9880H	7006 Points ∼66% -9%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	6831 Points ∼64% -12%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H	6748 Points ∼63% -13%

3DMark 11 Performance		20072 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score		122334 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		39054 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		17384 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score		8991 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		7568 points
Help

... in comparison

Gaming Performance

During the gaming tests, the Asus ROG Strix Scar III has no trouble in delivering smoothly playable frame rates to the screen. Even "Metro Exodus" is still very well playable in the Ultra Preset at 53 frames per second.

Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8: Ø60 (50-61)

As with the Cinebench-R15 multi-loop, we use our "The Witcher 3" load test to evaluate whether there is a performance drop during gaming. There is no noticeable drop in performance in our test unit. At an average of 60 frames per second ("The Witcher 3" Ultra Preset), smooth gaming pleasure is possible even in long-lasting gaming sessions.

The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Average of class Gaming (8.61 - 216, n=238, last 2 years)	102.3 fps ∼100% +42%
Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q	77.6 fps ∼76% +8%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (64 - 82.1, n=21)	74.3 fps ∼73% +3%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	72 (61^min - 84^max) fps ∼70%
Asus Strix Scar III G531GW Intel Core i9-9880H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	67 (55^min) fps ∼65% -7%
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	64.4 (54^min) fps ∼63% -11%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	60 fps ∼59% -17%

	low	med.	high	ultra
The Witcher 3 (2015)	258	208	130	72
Dota 2 Reborn (2015)	137.3	127.2	104.1	98.4
X-Plane 11.11 (2018)	103	85	76
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)	111	92	90	80
Metro Exodus (2019)	98	87	66	53.3
Control (2019)	180	93	68

Emissions - The noise cannot be ignored

In the last few years, we have seen again and again that a powerful gaming device cannot be silent. This is also the case with the Asus ROG Strix Scar III. However, compared to the Core i9 version, our current i7 model is minimally quieter and the case temperatures also remain lower. We were able to see a huge difference in the power consumption. Our test unit now uses 69 percent less power than the more expensive Core-i9 device. The biggest difference can be seen during idle operation. Asus appears to have made some significant improvements here.

Noise Emissions

Noise Level

Idle		30.6 / 30.6 / 37.7 dB(A)
Load		36.5 / 48.1 dB(A)

	30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud
min: , med: , max: Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 30 dB(A)

	Asus Strix Scar III G531GW-AZ062T GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8	Asus Strix Scar III G531GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8	Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G	Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-51-71PZ GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G	Origin PC EVO16-S i7-9750H RTX 2080 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB
Noise		-12%	3%	-5%	-5%
off / environment *	30	29 3%	30 -0%	30 -0%	28.5 5%
Idle Minimum *	30.6	30 2%	31.3 -2%	30 2%	30.4 1%
Idle Average *	30.6	37 -21%	31.3 -2%	33 -8%	30.4 1%
Idle Maximum *	37.7	39 -3%	31.3 17%	39 -3%	31.5 16%
Load Average *	36.5	54 -48%	42 -15%	45 -23%	50 -37%
Witcher 3 ultra *	52.1	54 -4%	42.1 19%	49 6%	55.3 -6%
Load Maximum *	48.1	54 -12%	46.5 3%	51 -6%	55.5 -15%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

The Asus ROG Strix Scar III during the stress test