Asus refreshes ROG Lineup with 9th Gen Intel CPUs and Nvidia RTX Graphics: First impressions

Asus just unwrapped its entire 2019 lineup of ROG gaming laptops. The new ROG lineup features refreshed 9th Gen Intel Core processors and a few other noteworthy additions. So, let’s take a deep dive into everything new the Taiwan-based tech giant announced. Stick around till the end because we’ve saved the best for last.

At the top of our list is an absolute beast of a machine. The ROG G703 is a monster that packs an Intel Core i9-9980HK CPU with all eight cores overclockable to 4.7GHz. The G703 is also equipped with an Nvidia RTX 2080 (Overclocked to 1855MHz) and up to 32GB of RAM. This gaming machine also offers per key RGB lighting and an excellent cooling system.

The one disappointing part about the G703 though is that unlike the GX701, it doesn’t get a Pantone calibrated 240Hz IPS panel. Instead, Asus has opted for a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time G-Sync, Anti-glare FHD display. Although the display is by no means bad, it could be better. Unlike the other gaming laptops on this list, the G703 is anything but portable and will offer direct competition to the likes of the Alienware Area-51m, Acer Predator Triton 900, and MSI GT76 Titan.

The first addition to the lineup is the ROG Strix SCAR III, which receives the fastest screen on a gaming laptop. The SCAR III offers an excellent balance of power and portability with a similar form factor as its predecessor. The latest addition to the SCAR series sports a 15-inch IPS panel with 144Hz and 240Hz refresh rate options. The SCAR III also packs the latest Intel 9th Gen CPU, going all the way up to an 8-core, 16-thread Intel Core i9-9880H, while graphics options include an Nvidia GTX 1660, RTX 2060 and RTX 2070 GPUs. You can get a Strix SCAR III with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB NVMe PCIe SSD.

Moving away from the specs, the new ROG SCAR III gets a refreshed cooling system to ensure throttling is down to a minimum. The SCAR III is an absolute RGB dream with a backlit keyboard and logo and a wraparound RGB light strip as opposed to the light strip on the front that was seen on the SCAR II. RangeBoost’s algorithm evaluates the signal strength of four internal antennas and picks the best pair to use for your environment, increasing wireless range by up to 30-per cent. Lastly, Keystone is a physical key that can be connected to the SCAR III via USB to quickly load system preferences stored in your ROG ID or unlock access to an encrypted Shadow Drive.

The Zephyrus M ditches the standard Zephyrus keyboard and hinge design, leaning towards more traditional laptop designs. There’s nothing fancy about the Zephyrus with RGB lighting limited to the keyboard, even specs on the Zephyrus M are decent at best with an Intel Core i7-9750H CPU and an Nvidia GTX 1660Ti GPU. While the M GU502 may not be a standout performer, it doubles as a professional laptop.

The Zephyrus M features a 76 Wh battery, which Asus claims offers up to eight hours of battery life. The laptop automatically switches to Optimus mode when it isn’t being charged to improve battery life. And, when you’re out of juice, the GU 502 can be charged with a mobile charger or power bank via its USB Type-C Power Delivery (PD). The superb battery life coupled with a slim and light design combined with decent performance and an amazing factory calibrated Pantone Validated 144Hz/3ms panel make the Zephyrus M GU502 one of the best gaming laptops for creative professionals by day and gamers by night.

Stay tuned for our in-depth review of the Zephyrus M GU502.

The world’s slimmest gaming laptop gets power update with the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads and a 240Hz FHD IPS panel. Apart from the 9th Gen Intel processor, not much has changed with the GX531; it still packs a high-performance Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU with 8GB onboard memory that can be maxed out to 24GB. The GX531 also gets a 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD and retains the efficient Active Aerodynamic (AAS) cooling system with dual 12V anti-dust cooling fans. Also, the five heat pipes and four heat sinks with vents improve cooling by ensuring increased heat dissipation.

While a decent bump in performance is nothing to get excited about, the new 15.6-inch IPS screen will definitely improve the overall gaming experience. The super-smooth 240Hz refresh rate coupled with the 3ms response time, will make you never want to go back to a regular 120Hz screen. Moreover, the display is factory calibrated with Pantone colour certification making it one of the best in its class.

To say the GX701 is an impressive laptop maybe somewhat of an understatement, it’s worth mentioning that its predecessor debuted in India at a pretty hefty price. Additionally, the 17-inch Zephyrus is packed into a compact 15-inch chassis. For a sleek and relatively, light gaming laptop, the Zephyrus GX701 is no slouch for performance.

Under the hood, the Zephyrus GX701 is equipped with an Intel Core i7-9750H processor and an Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU, which makes it one of the most powerful gaming laptops on the market. Like its predecessor, the GX701 also gets 17-inch Pantone calibrated G-Sync panel with a 3ms response time. However, the one big difference here is that the new GX701 gets an upgraded 240Hz refresh rate as opposed to 144Hz. The new 17-inch Zephyrus gaming laptop also gets per-key RGB lighting as opposed to the zonal RGB lighting on the other machines in the ROG lineup.

The last additions to our list are the ROG Strix G531 and G731. You can get the ROG Stirx G series in only one configuration with two different panel options – a 15.6-inch 120Hz refresh rate / 3ms response time FHD IPS panel or a 17.3-inch 60Hz FHD screen. This is by no means an overpowered laptop, but an excellent E-sports machine that will be capable of running the latest AAA titles by lowering settings.

The new Strix G series gets a 6-core Intel Core i7-9750H CPU coupled with up to 32GB of RAM and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. The gaming notebook also gets optimized cooling and a wraparound lightbar, which illuminates the outer edge of the chassis.

Unlike the other laptops on our list, the Mothership we got our hands on was an engineering sample rather than a full-fledge commercially available product. It’s worth mentioning though that unlike other laptops on this list, the Mothership is an innovative marvel, something that has never been done before in a gaming laptop.

Manufacturers have done everything from shifting keyboards lower to making thick and heavy chassis to improve cooling, but the ROG Mothership breaks all norms, packing all the hardware behind the screen. Weighing in at nearly 5kgs, the Mothership is anything but portable, but it packs some serious hardware and offers an entirely new gaming experience on a laptop.

Asus is expected to launch the new ROG series sometime in July, but we might just have to wait longer to get our hands on the Mothership.