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00:00Hey guys, Anton the Tech Chap, and I've got a tower of next-gen gaming laptops here.
00:09Ordinarily I'd be looking at these on the show floor in Vegas at CES, but of course
00:13it's all virtual this year due to COVID.
00:17But ASUS were very kind and actually sent me almost their entire new range of gaming
00:22laptops.
00:23We've got the Strix, the Scars, the Zephyrus Duos, and also a brand new laptop called the
00:29ROG Flex X13.
00:32This is possibly one of the most exciting new laptops I've seen in a long time.
00:36So the big news here is the upgrade to the RTX 3000 series graphics and also of course
00:41AMD's Zen 3 processors.
00:43Now unfortunately I'm not allowed to run proper benchmarks on these pre-release models, but
00:48a couple of Geekbench scores popped up online with the new RTX 3070 and 80 OpenCL scores.
00:55And if I then bring in my current Razer Blade 15 Advanced with the previous top-spec 2080
01:00Super, based on this, we're looking at a whopping 40% boost in terms of graphics.
01:05Although of course these results aren't confirmed and also likely from pre-release models.
01:10But paired with the new Zen 3 chips, these new laptops are looking pretty tasty.
01:15What's interesting though is if we take the mobile 3080, it actually has 16GB of VRAM,
01:20which is significantly more than the 10GB in its desktop counterpart.
01:24However, it's slower GDDR6 rather than 6x memory and we're getting 30% fewer CUDA cores.
01:31So roughly, I'd expect the mobile 3080 to perform similarly to the desktop 3070.
01:37Anyway, let's get back to the laptops and also don't forget to hit that subscribe button
01:41if you do enjoy this video.
01:43So let's kick off with these.
01:44This is the new ROG Scar 15.
01:47This is its bigger brother, the 17.
01:49And these are your top-of-the-line, money-no-object flagship pro-gamer laptops.
01:55We've got top-end CPUs and GPUs.
01:57This particular model has the RTX 3080.
02:00We've also got the Ryzen 9 5900HX in this one.
02:04The performance gain we're going to see from these new CPUs and the new GPUs is probably
02:09going to be one of the biggest leaps forward in gaming laptop performance we've seen in years.
02:13And paired with the new Zen 3 CPUs, which definitely push the multi-core performance ahead,
02:19as I say, overall, these are going to be quite nice upgrades from your co-gaming laptop
02:23if you've already got one.
02:25So these are both still unmistakably gaming laptops.
02:28We actually have this quite interesting-looking translucent chassis.
02:31You can see a little bit of the inner workings underneath.
02:34But overall, I think this is a fantastic-looking laptop with their famous light bar at the
02:39front, which they've refined slightly.
02:40We get on both models.
02:42We also get an 85% bigger trackpad across the two.
02:45And also, if you listen to this, not your average keyboard.
02:50These are both optical mechanical keyboards.
02:54So they're not your traditional mechanical switches, but you get that sort of more tactile
02:57feedback and it's also a lot more responsive, especially if you are pressing the same key
03:01very, very quickly.
03:03The bezels are also a touch thinner.
03:04So now we're looking at 85% screen-to-body ratio up from 80% last year, although you
03:09can see, unfortunately, there is no room for a webcam on these laptops.
03:12So it's not the end of the world, but you'll have to plug in an external webcam.
03:16One other change you might see on the back here, if I can get a close-up with my cameraman
03:20Pete, are these little rubber, what Asus call, armor caps.
03:23So this thermal exhaust vent cap here.
03:26We've also got this little rubber foot underneath.
03:29These can actually be changed.
03:31This is the gray version.
03:32You get three different colors with you and you can also 3D print your own ones if you've
03:36got a resin 3D printer to hand.
03:38But the other big upgrade is the displays because we actually get three different options.
03:43This Scar 15 has a 165 Hertz quad HD screen, which I think is quite a nice balance if you're
03:49not an e-sports gamer, but you want that sort of, as I say, balance between sharpness from
03:53the resolution and a smoother refresh rate.
03:56You also have a full HD 300 Hertz option, which I have on this 17 and it also goes up
04:01to full HD 360 Hertz.
04:03360 is a little bit overkill.
04:05I think for most people, 300 is more than enough.
04:08There's definitely diminishing returns, even over 165 to be honest.
04:11But if you're an e-sports gamer, pro gamer, you can see the difference or you just want
04:15the best of the best, then it's good that we have these options.
04:18So we're looking at more compact designs, new 90 watt hour batteries, type C charging
04:23if you want it.
04:24So you don't have to lug around a giant power supply if you're not using this for gaming.
04:27And also of course, the new and latest AMD CPUs and Nvidia GPUs.
04:31So it's all going to come down to pricing.
04:34These are not going to be cheap, but I don't want to get too bogged down in these because
04:37there are four other laptops I want to show you and I want to jump straight into talking
04:41about this guy, which is actually very similar to these, but this is the new ROG Strix 15.
04:48And the good news is that this gets pretty much all the same upgrades as the Scar, including
04:53the bigger trackpad, a bigger battery, faster type C charging, improved speakers.
04:58Also we're getting 165 quad HD options on the screen and full HD 300.
05:03So not that crazy 360 hertz option, but that doesn't really matter.
05:07The RAM also tops out at 32 gigs rather than 64.
05:10And we also get a more traditional keyboard, not that optical mechanical keyboard.
05:15So we're missing some of the bells and whistles of these, but I think for most people, this
05:18is still going to be more than enough.
05:20As I say, with a 3070 in here and a Ryzen 7 5800H, it's incredibly powerful as well.
05:26And actually while we also have a light bar down here, which not everyone loves and the
05:29good news is you can turn off if you want.
05:32It's just a bit more snazzy looking, I think.
05:35While these two are arguably more premium, this actually comes in three different colors.
05:39I've got it in the, I want to call it hot pink, but it's actually exotic punk, but it
05:44also comes in eclipse gray and also original black if you prefer.
05:49So these are the three sort of main traditional flagship gaming laptops.
05:54Prices haven't been confirmed yet.
05:55I suspect we'll start seeing them come out end of January, sort of early February.
05:59So not long to wait.
06:00And I will, of course, review them properly on the channel.
06:02So make sure you have subscribed.
06:07So while I've been filming this Asus video, a nice little gift package from Asus came
06:12along with a couple of their new laptops as well.
06:15I love taking a Predator shot while I'm reviewing Asus laptops.
06:20Okay, let's move on.
06:22And I've got one of my favorite laptops from last year here again, 2021 model.
06:28So as it says on the tin, the Zephyrus Duo is all about having the two screens.
06:32And so we've got this either full HD, 300 Hertz, 15 inch main screen or 4K 120.
06:39Yes, 4K 120, which I've got here, which I can't think of another laptop that has a 4K
06:45120 screen.
06:46Actually, we might see more of them coming this year, but that is definitely a standout
06:49feature along with, of course, this big 14 inch screen pad plus.
06:56And along with that, as you'd expect from everything I've shown you so far, all the
06:59latest hardware as well.
07:01We've got the RTX 3018 here, also the Ryzen 9 5900H.
07:05So this is going to be a very powerful and also very expensive laptop, as you expect.
07:10I'm thinking probably three and a half to four grand again.
07:13So maybe I'll just get the one.
07:15And while you're gaming on here, you could maybe have your Twitch stream down here or
07:19some YouTube help videos or your Spotify, whatever you like.
07:22Actually, it did feel faster than last year because they have updated the software, although
07:26those updates will be coming to the older models as well.
07:29So one of the most interesting new features for me is the fact that we get this 4K 120
07:33screen.
07:34But you may be thinking, who cares?
07:36Why is 4K 120 important?
07:38Because even with the new 3080 graphics cards, you're not going to get anything close to
07:41that with triple A games with high settings.
07:44Well, they're pitching this as both a super high end gaming laptop, but also a bit of
07:48a workstation.
07:49So when I'm, say, editing video or I just want a very slick and smooth desktop experience,
07:54I can use a full 4K 120.
07:57But then in games, I can drop that down and get 1080p 120 and get crazy FPS, which is
08:02pretty good.
08:03But if you are thinking about dropping a few thousand pounds on this just for gaming, then
08:07of course, you should go with the full HD 300 hertz option.
08:10But since we do have this big screen here, of course, the keyboard and the trackpad has
08:14to be pushed right to the front.
08:16It's the same as the last couple of generations of it.
08:18But surprisingly, the keyboard is actually quite nice.
08:20It's not a mechanical keyboard or anything like that, but it still feels nice to use.
08:23There's a good amount of travel.
08:25The keys are well spaced out.
08:26The only negative for me is the trackpad, I think.
08:28It's not my favorite position.
08:31You do get used to it.
08:32And of course, you could use a mouse.
08:33And I actually did ask Asus about, you know, left handed users, and they said just quite
08:37frankly that not enough people wanted that or need it.
08:40Or if, you know, lefties do use this, they either use a mouse or they get used to it.
08:44So not an ideal setup, but I think given the overall form factor of this, which is
08:49also slimmer, lighter, more compact, the usual design upgrades this year, given everything
08:55you're getting, the specs, that second screen, it's a very good use of space.
08:59And you can see we've got this ergo lift as well.
09:02So as the screen pops up a little bit, it did this last year as well, but you get better
09:05airflow under here, which obviously helps with cooling and also a slightly better position
09:10for the screen.
09:11So you don't have to lean over quite as much as you did with the first generation model.
09:14Although, as you can see, we're still getting this pretty chunky bezel down here.
09:18So it's not like this just one flowing screen, which would be quite nice.
09:22But overall, a nice little upgrade for one of the most expensive laptops you're ever
09:25going to be able to buy.
09:26Okay, I've saved the best till last because Asus has been coming up with something pretty
09:32tasty in their R&D labs.
09:33This is what I've been hoping we'd see for years now.
09:36We've got a thin and light, pretty ordinary looking ultrabook.
09:40It's actually got a 1650 graphics card in here, although that will be replaced with
09:44whatever NVIDIA comes out with pretty soon, along with the latest AMD processors.
09:49I think I've got a 5900HS in here.
09:51So no slouch in terms of performance, 16 by 10, 4K 60 or Full HD 120 and a 360 hinge.
09:59A pretty capable little thin and light gaming laptop.
10:03But that's just half the story because the very clever engineers over at Asus have also
10:08come up with this guy.
10:11Inside this tiny little thing, we have a full fat RTX 3080.
10:15And so once you, as you can see, plug it in, we've also got this whole IO hub here as well.
10:19There's actually a little stand so you can plonk that on your desk, plug it in of course,
10:24and then connect this to the proprietary connector on the side of the X13.
10:30And you've got one of the most powerful gaming laptops in the entire world in this setup.
10:35So you basically have the benefit of a thin and light gaming laptop, light gaming laptop
10:39for when you're on the go or traveling.
10:41But then you can come home to the office or the studio, the gaming room, wherever you
10:45play your games.
10:46Plug it into this guy.
10:47You can even take it with you given how small it is and then it just completely transforms
10:52the performance.
10:53And what makes it stand out really, aside from just other laptops you could plug an
10:57eGPU in, firstly is that we have some pretty powerful eight core latest Zen 3 processors.
11:03Also the fact we've got a 3080 in here and if you think about all those other eGPU enclosures
11:08that are big sort of Xbox Series X sized desktop things you can't really put in a backpack.
11:14This is just next generation stuff, it really is.
11:16As is this guy, the connector, because we've got this Thunderbolt 3 USB-C on this side
11:22which does all the sort of charging and all the IO hub data, which then frees up this
11:27guy to give you unlimited bandwidth essentially between the GPU and a laptop.
11:32So unlike a traditional eGPU thing which is not only massive but then limited by Thunderbolt
11:383 and the fact that it has to send power and some data across as well for the IO, it's
11:43a completely uncompromised solution to having an external graphics card with a thin and
11:49light laptop.
11:50I love this combination.
11:52There are still some big questions though as when I come to fully review them, will
11:55we run into any cooling or thermal issues?
11:58Will these new laptops be even more expensive?
12:00We'll have to wait for file pricing and I guess on the flip side of that, will we see
12:04current 2070 and 2080 laptops get even cheaper?
12:08Buying previous gen can often be the best value.
12:11But if you have a gaming laptop at the moment, which one is it and would you consider upgrading
12:15to one of these?
12:16Let me know in the comments below and if you want to see more from me, if you enjoyed this
12:19video and me just waffling on for 10 minutes about gaming laptops, hit that like and subscribe
12:24button below and I'll catch you next time right here on The Tech Chat.