Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531 now available for almost $1000 cheaper than the GX501

Key Points

• Zephyrus S is the world’s slimmest gaming laptop: 14.95~15.75mm thin with Intel Core i7-8750H CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q or GTX 1060 GPU
• Strix Scar II GL704 is the most compact 17” gaming laptop: The slim bezels help fit it into a 15.7” body making it the first in its class to be under 400mm wide
• The fastest narrow bezel displays: Industry-leading narrow bezel 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time enables super smooth gaming with blur-free graphics
• Armoury Crate software: New unified platform controls all settings and lighting, and allows for game and application profiles

Fremont, CA (August 31, 2018) — ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced pre-orders of the ROG Zephyrus S (GX531) and the ROG Strix Scar II GL704. At a mere 14.95~15.75mm, the new ROG Zephyrus S is 12% thinner than the original Zephyrus (GX501). It’s equipped with Intel’s latest Core i7-8750H Coffee Lake CPU, up to a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design GPU, and the industry’s fastest narrow-bezel display at 144Hz and 3ms, making it a versatile and nimble powerhouse.

The ROG Strix SCAR II puts an industry-leading 17” display – also with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time, and complete sRGB coverage - into a 15.7” body, to create immersive visuals, while allowing for greater mobility. The ROG Strix SCAR II GL704 is equipped with powerful components and including the latest 8th-gen Intel processors - up to the Core i7-8750H - and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GPU.

Both new gaming laptops feature a brand-new unified software named Armoury Crate to control lighting, report system information, give access to critical settings, and allow for game and application profiles.

ROG Zephyrus S 

Class leading display in the world’s thinnest gaming laptop 

Since the original Zephyrus, ASUS has worked closely with panel maker AUO to ensure ROG laptops have the very best displays for gaming. The 120Hz panel on the initial version doubled the refresh rate of conventional displays, while the Zephyrus S pushes the refresh rate to 144Hz, and reduces blurring and ghosting by lowering the response time to 3ms. The super-narrow bezels enable the 15.6” display to fit into a 14.2” chassis. This reduces the entire footprint, allowing the Zephyrus S to fit into tighter spaces than its predecessor. In addition, a slimmer frame creates a more immersive gaming experience. Built for more than just speed, the IPS-type AHVA panel also has excellent image quality. It covers 100% of the full sRGB gamut, ensuring richness of color, and wide viewing angles keep the picture from washing out when viewed in split screen.

Proprietary cooling to ensure optimal performance 

Cooling the critical components that comprise the Zephyrus is an engineering feat considering the ultra-thin design, but is imperative to ensure peak performance. Because of this ASUS and ROG’s thermal engineers developed the innovative Active Aerodynamic System (AAS) for the original Zephyrus. When the lid of the laptop is lifted, a special vent opens underneath the chassis to let the laptop draw in more cool air. Similarly, the AAS intake measures 5mm on the Zephyrus S, stretching across the entire back of the body and improves airflow by 22% compared to traditional designs. Additional airflow comes in from through the keyboard, and the keyboard’s forward layout makes more room for additional cooling throughout the system.

Within the chassis, the Zephyrus S contains five heatpipes that pull heat away from the CPU, GPU, and VRM circuitry feeding them power. The CPU and GPU connect to both shared and dedicated heatsinks to ensure efficient cooling for any workload, and the power components stay under 80°C to improve long-term reliability. Thermal energy is channeled along the pipes to four heatsinks and exhaust vents at the rear corners, doubling the number in the first Zephyrus.

Keeping heatsinks free of dust and debris is key to preserving cooling performance, which is why the engineering team added self-cleaning fans to eject particles from the system through anti-dust tunnels. This special feature prevents accumulation on the fins to ensure consistent cooling and improve long-term stability.

With 83 blades each, the dual 12V AeroAccelerator fans have 17% more blades than in the original Zephyrus. Airflow is also improved by the fan’s shaped aluminum shroud, whose curved edges and raised guides help channel more air into the blades. Rotational speeds are determined by an intelligent algorithm tied to three profiles. Keyboard shortcuts allow users to switch between Overboost mode for maximum gaming performance, Silent mode for lower acoustics, and Balanced mode which maintains a level between the two.

ROG Strix Scar II 

Most compact 17” gaming laptop and the fastest gaming display 

At Computex 2018, ROG set a new standard for gaming laptops by framing an ultra-fast panel with super-narrow bezels in the 15.6” ROG Strix SCAR II and Hero II (GL504). The ROG Strix SCAR II (GL704) continues this trend, and is the first 17” laptop under 400 mm wide, which is made possible because of the super-narrow bezels surrounding the display on three sides. The 7.05-mm borders are up to 50% narrower than those found on other 17” gaming laptops on the market.

ROG worked closely with panel maker AUO to ensure that ROG gaming laptops to consistently offer class-leading displays that balance blazing speed with beautiful picture quality. Utilizing AUO’s IPS-type AHVA technology, the 15” GL504 was able to achieve 144Hz refresh rates and 3ms response time in a thin-bezel format; more than double the speed of conventional laptop displays. And with the GL704, ASUS and AUO were able to achieve the same 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time on a 17” display; allowing for crisp visuals and more immersive gaming. Additionally, complete sRGB coverage ensures that the screen can show a full range of vivid colors, so games look as the developers intended.

Designed for battle, and customizable with AURA Sync RGB lighting 

Externally, the Strix SCAR II is designed with FPS gaming in mind, with contrasting Kevlar and camouflage textures created with an eight-stage IMR process. A hairline finish brushes across the Gun Metal lid, while the copper cooling fins provide flashes of color through the vents.

Through AURA Sync, RGB lighting can be customized across 7 zones, 4 for the keyboard, 2 located within the light bar stretching across the front edge, and the last one within the ROG logo on the laptop lid. The lights can then sync to Aura Sync-enabled peripherals such as the Strix Fusion 700 headset and the Gladius II Origin mouse.

The new ROG Strix Scar II’s keyboard has a desktop-style layout such as a wider space bar and separated blocks of function keys to make shortcuts easier to execute. The keyboard’s switches are rated for 20 million key presses and Overstroke technology fire halfway through the 1.8mm key travel to give a faster response than traditional designs that actuate lower in the stroke. These features ensure that the Strix Scar II’s keyboard retains a comfortable typing feel for years to come.

New Armoury Crate unified software 

What was previously ROG Game Center is now Armoury Crate, which unifies ROG hardware under a single utility that makes essential functions easily accessible. System settings and Aura Sync lighting are easily adjusted on the fly, or a user can define preferences for both - with up to four profiles - that make adjustments automatically when your selected titles load. Armoury Crate comes with a companion Mobile Dashboard for Android and iOS, and more capabilities are due in future updates.

Armoury Crate provides system profiles with different performance and acoustic targets. Turbo mode is best for serious gaming, Silent mode cuts noise output for watching movies or surfing the web, and Balanced mode occupies a middle ground between the two. There’s also a default Windows fan settings mode and a manual mode to allow users to make their own adjustments. Modes can also be toggled on-the-fly without ever leaving the game by cycling through the options using the corresponding function keys.

For more detailed information and specifications, please see the below Republic of Gamers articles and product pages. 

ASUS ROG Zephyrus S 
The ROG Zephyrus S sets a new standard for ultra-slim gaming laptops 

ASUS ROG Strix Scar II 
The ROG Strix SCAR II brings super-narrow bezels to 17” gaming laptops

The ROG Zephyrus S is available for pre-order for $2299 USD at Amazon. 

The ROG Strix Scar II is available for pre-order for $1699 USD at Amazon, ExcaliberPC, HID Evolution, iBuyPower,Mobile Advance, Newegg and XoticPC.