Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 evaluation: This gaming pc oozes sumptuous energy

The newest Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 has on the subject of the whole thing you’d need in a gaming pc. You’ll be expecting lots of energy because of the robust pairing of an Eleventh-generation Intel i9 processor and a Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU. A 17.3-inch 4K show with 120Hz refresh charge additionally provides to the top rate revel in, although it’s no longer the head of 4K.

This pc additionally spoils you with a powerful steel chassis, six speaker sound machine, and RGB in keeping with key-lit optical mechanical keyboard – options that any discerning gamer would in finding exhausting to withstand. Admittedly, all this energy and capability doesn’t come affordable. However neither does a sports activities automobile or a tailored swimsuit, two different top rate pieces you may want to check out at least one time to your lifestyles.

Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 specs

There are 4 configurations of the Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 on , with costs beginning at $2,199.99 for fashions with a i7-11800H processor. The costs upward thrust consecutively for the 3 different devices, that have Intel i9-11900H processors. The 3 inexpensive devices all include WQHD (2560 x 1440) 165Hz presentations with G-Sync and Complicated Optimus, and both 1TB or 2TB of SSD garage. The highest tier configurations just like the $3,699.99 ROG Zephyrus S17 (GX703HS-XB99) include a 4K (3840 x 2160) 120Hz show with Adaptive-Sync, and three x 1TB SSD (RAID0) for garage. The specs of our top-tier evaluation unit are as follows:

CPU: Intel Core i9-11900H
RAM: 32GB DDR4/3200MHz
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
Show: 17.3-inch UHD (3840 x 2160), non-touch IPS-level panel, 120Hz refresh charge, DCI-P3 100%
Garage: 3 x 1TB PCle 4 SSD (RAID0)
Ports: Kind-C USB with Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort 1.4, energy supply); USB 3.2 Gen2 Kind-C (DisplayPort 1.4, energy supply); USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-A, 2 x USB 3.2 Kind-A; HDMI 2.0b, 3.5 mm Combo jack, Gigabit Ethernet, SD card slot.
Networking: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax 2×2), Bluetooth 5.0
Dimensions: 15.51 x 10.39 x 0.78 inches
Weight: 6.06 lbs (2.75 kg); the powerbrick weighs 1.9 lbs (0.9 kg)
Working machine: Home windows 10 House
Colour: Matte Black
Battery capability: 90WHr

Design and construct

The 2020 version Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 presented an leading edge hole within the decrease case to supply additional cooling. It used to be quite of a science experiment via Asus and rather a courageous transfer in a marketplace the place not anything love it existed earlier than. From all accounts, the original design used to be a hit, offering the S17’s lovers with additional air for cooling and permitting sizzling air to be vented out the again and facets.

Find it irresistible or hate it, that hole is again once more in the newest Zephyrus S17, however simpler than earlier than. I say sensible as a result of this option had the unlucky outcome of dictating the place the keyboard needed to move within the earlier version. It used to be positioned against the entrance outer edge of the pc and the trackpad used to be situated at the proper aspect of the keyboard, which isn’t ultimate, particularly in the event you’re left-handed.

The refreshed S17’s design now sees the case carry up 12 mm at the back of the keyboard whilst you open the lid, nonetheless affording additional air to the 2 Arc Drift lovers, whilst the keyboard itself – now situated extra against the again – lifts with it and strikes against you. The trackpad is out entrance the place you’d be expecting it to be.

This lifting keyboard mechanism occurs very easily and is rather enjoyable to look at earlier than you start gaming. Asus tells us the keyboard, even supposing remarkably skinny, can face up to repeated 12.5kg power checking out with out cracking. Judging via the S17’s all steel external and robust hinges, that’s very plausible. That stated, there’s a bit of give without delay within the heart of the keyboard beneath the 4K panel.

Within the measurement division, the S17 is rather large, measuring 15.51 x 10.39 x 0.78 inches. It takes up a significant portion of any tabletop, so that you’ll want sizeable one. However being huge is the very level of the S17. All that measurement is very best to deal with its 17.3-inch show that comes cradled via skinny bezels to its left and proper edges that make up an 88 % screen-to-body ratio. The decrease bezel is somewhat thicker, appearing off the phrases “ROG Zephyrus.”

Regardless of its spectacular measurement, the full aesthetic of the S17 is unassuming. It sports activities a blank matte black magnesium-aluminum chassis. The muted black contrasts effectively with the coloured RGB keys from the optical mechanical keyboard – the entire styling I’d want. Then again, on peak of the lid, there’s additionally a refined dot development and ROG branding, which provides to the visible enchantment.

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As you can be expecting in a big gaming pc, the S17 isn’t gentle to hold. It weighs 6.06 lbs, which is somewhat greater than a detailed competitor, the Gigabyte Aero 17 (5.5 lbs).

Keyboard and touchpad

Some gaming laptops move all out within the CPU and GPU stakes whilst providing a extra modest keyboard, however no longer the S17. This pc sports activities an optical mechanical keyboard with in keeping with key illumination.

Typing at the keyboard is terribly comfy. It’s the type of convenience that permits you to simply zone out and play with out being concerned about niggling key problems. The keyboard’s large measurement we could your palms calm down into a large typing posture and the generous-sized palm rests supply a large number of enhance even for better palms. My convenience used to be enhanced via the 5-degree tilt that delicately angled my palms upwards like at a desktop.

The keys are extremely tactile and the mechanical switches reply briefly, registering loud clicks with each and every of your keystrokes. Trip is 1.9mm, which is rather good enough. The keyboard simply has a deceptively low profile. It additionally remains cool to touch even after half-hour of gaming, one of the crucial advantages of the larger airflow underneath it.

IDG / Dominic Bayley

Even though all the keyboard and trackpad is leagues forward of the 2020 version’s abnormal format, it’ll nonetheless no longer please everybody. It includes a decreased numpad, because of this some keys just like the 0 and + are rather small. You additionally received’t see an Input key at the some distance proper hand aspect.

That stated, the trade-off is full-sized keys to the left of the numpad. The arrow keys at the proper are full-sized, too. For the latter, Asus has opted to not place them off the decrease outer edge of the keyboard. This implies they line up effectively and aren’t too conspicuous.

Having the facility to for my part light up decided on keys appeared to start with a trifle extravagant. However I quickly discovered this option helpful for assigning hotkeys for video games like Age of Empires 4. Asus has given us the approach to move all out with key personalization, or simply choose from quite a lot of presets within the S17’s respectable tool hub, Armory Crate.

The centrally positioned touchpad is much less spectacular than the keyboard. Whilst it does the task, clicks are a little bit loud and require extra power than I might have anticipated from a gaming touchpad the place velocity is of the essence. The skin may even have benefited from being smoother. Nonetheless, it’s positioning out entrance is a marked development 12 months on 12 months.

Show and webcam

The Zephyrus S17’s 4K show has first rate distinction and colour, however personally each those attributes will have been somewhat higher making an allowance for the panel’s excessive solution. Some pictures gave the impression simply above reasonable’ for those characteristics when I used to be anticipating to be blown away.

The panel is terribly vivid at 516 nits top brightness (via our Lux meter), making it simply visual even in obtrusive sunlight stipulations. There used to be no visual colour bleed, even supposing this has been recognized to change quite from panel to panel in several laptops of the similar fashion.

As for smoothness, our 4K show’s 120Hz refresh charge seemed to get rid of maximum visual micro-stuttering in each video and AAA video games. There used to be additionally no observable tearing, most likely because of the Adaptive Sync in our fashion, a characteristic no longer found in inexpensive configurations.

The 720p HD digicam produces good enough photos that had been neither too grainy or darkish.

Audio

Audio-wise, the ROG Zephyrus S17 is quite of an anomaly amongst laptops in that it produces a wealthy multi-layered sound that’s similarly just right plugged in or unplugged.

With the sound up, you’ll be able to in reality pay attention (and really feel) the deep bass notes hitting their mark. Additionally they sound transparent and unmuffled. The S17’s sound machine is composed of 6 audio system. 4 tweeters are positioned beneath the keyboard whilst the 2 woofers sit down underneath the show. This setup produces the vintage “soundscape revel in” you regularly examine in product descriptions for transportable audio system the place the sound seems to come back at you from other instructions.

At the left aspect above the keyboard sits a wheel that permits you to keep an eye on the quantity via merely scrolling it up and down. I discovered I may get the precise quantity environment I sought after in a lot much less time the usage of this than the necessary pc quantity keys.

Connectivity

The Zephyrus has a beneficiant array of contemporary ports, making it similarly helpful for gaming in addition to content material introduction. There are two port choices to connect with additional presentations, together with a USB-C and a Thunderbolt 4 port.

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The latter allows you to hook up twin 4K presentations or one 8K show and benefit from the quickest information switch speeds. At the left, you’ll additionally discover a HDMI 2.0b port. A Gigabit Ethernet port lets you get the quickest connection speeds in on-line video games whilst the Wi-Fi 6 enhance supplies first rate speeds for whilst you’re unplugged.

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Efficiency

The Asus ROG Zephyrus S17’s huge, slab-like chassis isn’t wasted on middling energy. With its mixture of a Core i9-11900H CPU, a Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, and 32GB of RAM, this pc carried out exceedingly neatly in efficiency benchmarks that offer perception into its CPU energy and cooling.

We when compared the $3,699.99 Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 set to Efficiency Mode (default) with a collection of gaming laptops that characteristic in a few of our contemporary critiques. Those laptops range in measurement and {hardware} configurations however their objective, just like the Zephyrus S17, is to ship a high-end gaming revel in. Those laptops incorporated the 17-inch Dell XPS 17, the finances pleasant 15-inch Acer Nitro 5, and the 15-inch Asus ROG Strix Merit Version.

The Razer Blade 14 could also be featured in our comparability line-up. Whilst it’s considerably smaller than our Zephyrus S17, it sports activities an RTX 3080 GPU in a position to generating superbly rendered, ray-traced graphics.

First up, we ran Maxon’s Cinebench R15 benchmarks, which measure CPU efficiency. Cinebench’s single-threaded benchmark rankings display handiest minimum distinction amongst laptops (consultant of mainstream packages), on the other hand, the S17’s multi-threaded rating ranked the S17 the second one best amongst our comparability laptops, proving its suitability for high-end gaming and CPU challenging duties like 3-D video enhancing.

IDG / Dominic Bayley

Our Zephyrus S17 proved to be in a similar way succesful in our subsequent benchmark that makes use of the loose HandBrake 0.9.9 software. This benchmark checks a pc’s skill to chill earlier than it must throttle efficiency. It comes to encoding a 30GB, 1080p MKV record to MP4 the usage of the Android Pill Preset. The Zephyrus S17 finished the duty simply shy of the Asus ROG Zephyrus Merit Version (an excessively sturdy performer), however quicker than the remainder of our comparisons.

IDG / Dominic Bayley

This remaining outcome isn’t surprising. Massive laptops just like the S17 typically have a efficiency benefit over smaller devices just like the 15-inch Acer Nitro 5 and 14-inch Razer Balde 14 since they’ve extra thermal headroom to chill. The S17 additionally outclassed the bigger Dell XPS on this take a look at, proving its superiority over the older 17-inch pc.

Gaming efficiency

The result of our gaming benchmarks make no bones about what the ROG Zephyrus is in reality designed for. It ripped thru challenging AAA video games with relative ease.

What’s fascinating about our gaming benchmark effects is that the S17 outperformed different RTX 3080 laptops whose GPUs had been set to better wattages, which is a reminder that upper General Graphics Energy (TGP) doesn’t all the time equate to raised efficiency in laptops with the similar GPUs. We see those variations play out within the graph effects underneath.

In our Upward push of the Tomb Raider benchmark, our Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 with Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU set to 140W crowned the sphere, edging out the Asus ROG Zephyrus X13 with Ryzen 8 5980HS CPU and RTX 3080 GPU set at 150W. It additionally proved awesome to the Adata XPG 15KC with GeForce RTX 3070 set at 145W – the mix of the S17’s i9-11900H processor and RTX 3080 GPU making gentle paintings of the workload within the RoTTR preset.

IDG / Dominic Bayley

Within the Center Earth Shadow of Mordor 4K benchmark, the consequences had been in a similar way spectacular. Our evaluation unit simply beat our comparability MSI GS66 and Predator Triton 500 comparisons.

IDG / Dominic Bayley

Total, those two benchmark effects bode neatly for avid gamers short of a pc that’s a lower above when it comes to graphics efficiency, with the excessive body charges equating to a smoother gaming revel in and extra element in each and every scene rendered.

It’s price noting, on the other hand, that our 4K evaluation unit lacked Complicated-Optimus (getting via with simply Optimus). This option is provide within the different S17 configurations.

Nvidia’s Complicated-Optimus permits the show to circumvent the built-in GPU and attach without delay with the discrete GPU when a heavy job like a recreation or 3-D enhancing starts. It’s extremely most likely this might have given the step-down S17 configuration that includes a WQHD 165Hz show and RTX 3080 with Complicated-Optimus a efficiency edge over our evaluation unit in our benchmarks had we examined it.

Battery lifestyles

The Zephyrus S17 has a big 4 cellular, 90WHr battery. Then again, it proved to be just a mid-range performer in our battery take a look at that ran its battery down from complete to standby mode via enjoying a 4K video on repeat. Sooner than we introduced our take a look at, we charged up the battery to complete capability, unplugged the charging cable, and plugged in a couple of headphones.

The Asus Zephyrus S17 lasted 5 hours and 44 mins. Even though we didn’t get to check the opposite S17 configurations with Complicated-Optimus, it’s extremely most likely that they’d have outperformed our evaluation unit, in all probability taking advantage of the facility financial savings that this option would have afforded them in our light-weight video take a look at.

IDG / Dominic Bayley

Conclusion

The Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 is without doubt one of the maximum robust 17-inch gaming laptops you’ll be able to purchase. It excels in CPU and GPU efficiency and dishes up persistently clean and detailed visuals in AAA video games on its 4K show. The one actual problem is the excessive worth. That stated, in the event you’ve were given a versatile finances, the Zephyrus is definitely price it.