ASUS ROG Strix Scar Edition Gaming Laptop, 15.6” 144Hz G-SYNC, Intel Core i7-7700HQ Processor, GeForce GTX 1070, 16GB DDR4, 256GB PCIe SSD + 1TB SSHD, Windows 10 Home – GL503VS-DH74

My journey with the ASUS GL503VS started with the ASUS GL503VM Hero Edition. I was looking for a gaming laptop that I could use for equal parts photo and video editing. After doing some research, decided to purchase the VM edition. Awesome machine, but was disappointed when I did a panel test for backlight, clouding etc. The display had obvious issues in different situations and clouding was most likely either from delivery or factory and backlight bleed could have been result of handling or manufacture too. Found a forum where a few other people had issues with the panel and I decided to hedge my bet in case it was solely the responsibility of manufacturing and exchanged the VM for the upgraded VS. (But wait, my story gets better...)I received the exchange and I was so excited, but oh so briefly. Immediately saw backlight bleed from the top on boot up that just wasn't acceptable. In my head I'm thinking, "it's not that bad, get over it. If your photo editing, just move the window down the screen." It's a beautiful screen, you see (no pun intended) and I just want my computer and get settled in. Then I continue with a once over and type "The qui..." "The quic...." The qui..."My chin drifts down to my chest and I just stare at the floor. I can't type "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog", without the 'I" key mashing loosely, further than any other key. The key retainer is not doing its job or is broken. At this point, I'm not sure what's happened to this computer and what I might find next. Had I ordered two of the same computer and received both machines with defects, I never would have ordered the third for a second exchange. I decided to give the purchase of the ASUS ROG through Amazon one more chance.Fast forward to me writing a review of the GL503VS several weeks later (forgive me, but I felt I needed the time to really validate the purchase) and I am happy to report that I am glad I gave ASUS and Amazon another shot. The first computer (whose box was really roughed up) was more in line with physical damage to the computer, which is indicative by clouding on the display. The second one is more in line with quality control and the manufacturing process, though it's impossible to know for sure what exactly happened in both situations. Regardless, at this point, it doesn't really matter because I ended up with a machine I really love and I would like to note, an Amazon supervisor is responsible for me exchanging the last time and not swearing off ordering computers via delivery.All this having been said and for a brief moment in time, I was in the unique position of having both the VM and VS model. Loved them both and while there were issues with the screens etc., it just made you want for more because you saw how good they could be. So, here are some thoughts I wrote at the time.The SCAR or VS feels much better in hand because of the aluminum lid. Definitely higher end feeling and more non-gaming looking in my opinion. It also feels smaller because of the different materials, (maybe it's me, not you). The HERO or VM track pad makes a clicking noise and sinks a lot when tapped and the SCAR track pad is dead quiet, non-moving and much smoother in operation, though it's apparently the same drivers and materials. I appreciate the SCAR's dedicated right and left buttons on the track pad, but I suppose there is some argument for going without the dedicated buttons on the HERO. This is probably one of the biggest differences outside of the different GPU's. The SCAR just feels more premium, as it should when people throw down another $300, even if it's predominantly for a better GPU and a Thunderbolt port. That said, both feel solid.As far as charging bricks go, the SCAR's is literally a brick. Jokes aside, it's noticeably bigger and heavier than the HERO's, obviously to run the GTX 1070 instead of the 1060. It also does not have a fancy "ASUS" emblazoned on it. You're pushing 10 pounds of weight with charging and laptop combined, which starts challenging portability or so some wiser and learned folks say is the case and I would have to agree. While I'm amazed at the power that is harnessed into this form factor and the little to negligible sacrifices you make, it's not as portable as one would think when you have to (key words are "have" and "to") take the power brick with you for GPU's like the 1060 and or 1070. I've had an MSI Stealth Pro and they even are 7 pounds with the power brick in tow. *steps off soap box*The secret sauce here is the display, though. The VS holds it's own against my Dell XPS 15 9560 4K model panel, as far as brightness, color accuracy and contrast. It's that good. I didn't have as much time with the VM (or use one with the panel being perfect), but it was apparent that it had some of the same secret sauce. The display is good for creative work and the combination of this panel, with G-Sync and 144Hz and the GTX 1070 is just spectacular. Game play is buttery smooth and you'll never want to use less than a GTX 1070 and a 120Hz panel in a laptop again.When all the parts come together the way they should, these computers provide a lot of bang for the buck and have you making few, if any, sacrifices.

Bought this looking to replace a 17.6 inch ROG model for some better portability. Opened up the box, set everything up and it was running sweet for like a week. Unplugged it and brought it to my bed to watch some videos before I went to bed and it froze completely, so I did a hard reset and it froze on the windows loading screen when you see the ROG logo. Reinstalled windows assuming it was a corrupted install and it worked great again for a week, only for the same issue to arise again. Returned this laptop and waiting for my 2K refund. Wanted to like it, considering the specs and price, but Asus has really let their quality assurance go downhill. Seriously considering moving to another brand after this experience. Looks like a lot of issues with this model from what I can tell after reading other reviews.

This is a truly awesome laptop (so far), besides having windows installed on the insanely slow HDD from factory.. Other then that after re-installing windows on the PCIe, and installing a new 1TB SSD in place of the HDD, this laptop has been great! Have played a few games on it so far and I think it was a great buy.Only thing i would say is the battery life is terrible (just browsing and downloading) unless switched all the way to minimum power saving mode.

Incredibly powerful for the price, but it is loud under load.I cannot comment on battery life as I have not had the opportunity to travel with this device but I don't expect much.Pros:Screen has no detectable imput lag and when you play with the settings it looks beautiful.Screen is a little dim out of the box, but playing with the Nvidia control panel settings has it bright and clear.This laptop consistently keeps me above 110-120 fps on Rainbow 6 Siege on the High present.65-80 fps on Ghost Recon Wildlands, High PresentOnboard audio is fantastic and louder than I could ever realistically use. More bass than I expected from a laptop.Perfectly acceptable sound levels outside of gaming, you can hear fans if you listen for them, but you have to really listen.Cons:When under load it sounds similar to a jet engine on take off, you'll want to use headphones if you want to hear subtle in game sounds.Charging block is huge and heavy.9/10 would recommend.

This is a great computer for gaming, and normal tasks. The nvme drive is pcie, and the speeds are wicked fast, making everything feel snappy. The new refreshed kaby lake i7 processor handles any task you throw at it with ease. Paired with the nvidia 10 series chips, this laptop is a beast.Pros:Great build qualityGreat screenGreat coolingCons:Bad battery life***I have heard complaints about the noisy fans. Honestly, compared to my old Alienware 13 r3, the fans aren't as loud. The thermals are great, staying between 70-85 degrees. After thermal repasting and undervolting the cpu using xtu, the temperatures dropped to 65-75 degrees, so I definitely recommend this to anyone.

The quality is really bad. The light leak on the screen, the long start-up time (nearly 3-5 mins), the unpleasant and grinding noise each time notification comes out and etc. The fan is extremely noisy, and fps always drops when play games. I really don't know why ASUS has such a bad quality control for such high-price laptops. I returned the product and swear I will never, ever, buy any laptop from ASUS.

Build quality is better than expected. It's high spec laptop so I have no complain with the gaming power. The speakers are loud and clear too. Much better than my previous XPS15.Anyone can easily upgrade the SSD, RAM, and additional 2.5" HDD.Overall I am very satisfied with this laptop.Only downside is that the [Delete] key is in weird place. I think it should be at the top right corner.

I'm giving this a 5/5 because it does what it says on the tin and the price was very good when I purchased in Dec. 2017 (seems to have gone up a lot since). The screen is true 144Hz, and is as smooth as you'd expect for a 144Hz monitor. Gsync keeps the display clean when you dip lower in heavy scenes, which is infrequent, as it chews through even the latest games like a beast.Negatives: Battery life is a joke: ~90 minutes doing some web dev at the pub a few nights back. The numpad is cramped, but usable. Buying from Amazon, I did *not* receive the mousepad, gaming mouse and backpack that some retailers include with this device. It was also $400 cheaper than retail, so I can't really hold that against the seller, I guess.I've connected my VR headsets to it (Vive and Rift) and it is a *stellar* performer. I can't believe it pumps out full 1070 performance in such a compact package. Skryim VR at 2.0 SS is like butter. Does it get hot? Yep. Do the fans spin up? Yep. This is not your mom's iPad - it's a portable desktop-class gaming machine, and if you're not ready for heat and fans, you're not in the market for portable high-end gaming.If you're really picky about visuals and want a competition-class gaming rig that slips into any old laptop bag, this is the machine you've been looking for. Better build quality than the MSI offerings, and in a smaller, sturdier package. Pound-for-pound, probably the best portable gaming PC you can buy right now.

Oh boy, where to begin with this one.First off; it is not a very portable laptop. Bulky and heavy, with a battery life of around 90 min. fresh out of package. Gaming performance was decent if you could live with the fact that you spent the money on a laptop which doesn't have any advantages of being a laptop.Second important point is, there is false advertising all over the page. The title includes the GPU model, which is, GTX 1070. When you go to the description, the GPU is now downgraded to GTX 1060. The price can differ hundreds of dollars between these models and the information is inconsistent throughout the page. Lesson learned for me.As for my experience with ASUS customer service; I purchased this laptop on Aug. 2018 for 1999$. Laptop died on me barely a few months after the 2nd year. I sent it to ASUS after paying around 100$ diagnostic fee, and after ordering the part and keeping me waiting for 2 weeks, I was quoted for around 1400$ for the replacement of the motherboard. You can purchase a brand new, higher version of the same laptop for that price, today;https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0863F2HXR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1After bouncing between a few customer service specialists, trying to explain that this doesn't make sense, one of them even told me that "this is a flat repair cost". As much as I tried to reason with the support team, they are basically saying that I have to either pay them the price of a whole new laptop or my 2000$ ASUS is garbage after 2 years of home use.No alternatives, no help. ASUS doesn't care about their customer once your money is in their pocket. Another lesson for me.

Very good laptop. The fan is a bit loud but the hardware specs are very good for the laptop. Allows me to run Witcher 3 at max quality. The power brick is a bit on the larger size for my liking though. Build quality is good.

Add to send back the computer because of some bluescreens