The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) Laptop Review: Mobile Ryzen 9 7945HX3D with 3D V-Cache Impresses

With each nan occurrence and esteem that AMD's 3D V-Cache connected their desktop CPUs has garnered complete nan past year, it was only a matter of clip earlier we saw a mobile-ready type deed nan unit shelves. Last period AMD announced their first mobile processor utilizing 3D V-Cache, nan Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, a 16 halfway spot pinch a mixed 128 MB of L3 cache crossed some halfway analyzable dies (CCDs). Similar to different dual CCD Ryzen 7000 chips pinch nan 3D V-Cache, specified arsenic nan Ryzen 9 7950X3D, 1 of nan CCDs comes pinch a ample 96 MB of L3 cache, while nan different CCD comes pinch nan modular 32 MB.

At nan clip of its announcement, AMD said that their first Ryzen HX3D spot would motorboat connected August 22nd, and that time is yet here. Looking to put their champion ft guardant for this important mobile launch, AMD has sampled america pinch ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 (G733PYV), a premium and highly powerful desktop replacement-class (DTR) gaming notebook, and besides nan sole first motorboat strategy for nan caller chip. ASUS has been AMD's accepted go-to partner for caller mobile parts – astir precocious partnering up for nan Ryzen Z1 series via nan ASUS Ally – truthful it's not excessively astonishing to spot AMD and ASUS erstwhile again partnering up, particularly arsenic AMD is looking to beforehand nan flagship-grade processor straight to consumers.

Underpinning each of this, of course, is nan Ryzen 9 7945HX3D. Built upon nan aforesaid 'Raphael' Zen 4 level arsenic nan Ryzen 7000 desktop series, AMD's Ryzen 7045 HX-series is AMD's first Zen-era forray into packing desktop processors into high-end laptops. Platform-wise nan summation of nan Ryzen 9 7945HX3D doesn't bring thing caller to nan halfway platform, but it does bring different action to nan array successful position of CPU capacity by offering nan first mobile Zen portion pinch other L3 cache.

Fittingly, ASUS has taken AMD's flagship DTR processor and loaded it into a strategy that's designed to beryllium a complete desktop replacement for gamers looking for a small much elasticity successful wherever they tin game. Alongside nan caller Ryzen chip, nan ROG Strix Scar 17 incorporates a 17-inch, 1440p@240Hz IPS show that's driven by NVIDIA's powerful RTX 4090 laptop graphics card, 1TB of PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 storage, 32 GB of DDR5-4800 memory, and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is simply a premium illustration of a DTR gaming laptop, and an understandable motorboat level to showcase AMD's Ryzen 9 7945HX3D processor to nan market.

So for today's review, we'll beryllium putting ASUS's laptop done its paces. As well, we're taking a person look astatine nan AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D pinch each nan benefits of nan 96 MB of 3D V-Cache connected 1 of nan CCDs, and what this intends for mobile PC gaming.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D: 3D V-Cache Goes Mobile

Forming portion of 1 of ASUS's cardinal merchandise lines aimed towards capacity users and gamers expecting desktop capacity levels from a portable chassis specified arsenic a notebook, nan ROG Strix SCAR bid is possibly 1 nan astir notable. Without debating and quibbling connected originated figures, statistics, aliases moreover study of nan laptop and notebook market, nan elemental truth is that nan full notebook marketplace conception has been going up and up. Depending connected nan situation, having a desktop PC has nan disadvantage of being bulky and fundamentally tethered to a table aliases location, which isn't perfect for immoderate usage cases aliases users.

More and much users are looking for portable powerhouses that usage nan latest and top components, but harvester each that capacity into mobile devices. While nan gaming notebook marketplace is perpetually evolving on pinch technological advancements, nan cardinal basal isn't putting arsenic overmuch capacity into a notebook arsenic a institution can. Still, it's besides astir making things practical, usable, and, possibly significantly, employing an constituent of power efficiency.

The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is not only a very competent desktop replacement, astatine slightest connected paper, but it benefits from AMD's Zen 4 CPU architecture arsenic nan driving facet correct astatine nan bosom of things. One of nan astir important elements of Zen 4, which we've antecedently tested via nan Ryzen 7000 desktop bid and nan mobile Ryzen 7040HS, is that powerfulness ratio is critical. Power ratio is tangible successful galore ways, but we've seen successful our testing of nan AMD Ryzen 7000 bid that moreover successful power-limited scenarios, Zen 4 delivers not only connected ratio but besides retains a ample chunk of capacity erstwhile operated astatine little powerfulness levels.

Compared to its different Ryzen mobile brethren, nan Ryzen 7045HX bid stands retired successful a fewer ways. As noted before, this is fundamentally desktop silicon repackaged for mobile use. So alternatively than a azygous monolithic dice produced connected TSMC's 4nm process (Phoenix/7040HS), we're looking astatine CCD chiplets produced connected TSMC 5nm, and a further IOD chiplet produced connected TSMC 6nm. So, speaking successful wide stokes, nan Ryzen 7045HX bid does salary a punishment successful powerfulness ratio compared to nan highly optimized Phoenix design, making up for it pinch nan benignant of sheer processing powerfulness that comes from 16 CPU cores and a very ample L3 cache.

As nan Ryzen 7000 bid and nan Ryzen 7045HX bid are fundamentally nan aforesaid platform, this intends AMD was capable to seamlessly incorporated their 3D V-Cache packaging exertion into their desktop replacement mobile chips. Focusing connected nan AMD Ryzen 7945HX3D processor itself, AMD's apical spot has a mixed 128 MB of L3 cache, divided crossed 2 halfway analyzable dies (CCDs). Much for illustration nan Ryzen 9 7950X3D for desktops, 1 of nan CCDs has an further 64 MB descent of L3 cache 3D packaged straight connected apical of nan existing 32 MB, delivering a full of 96MB of L3 for that V-Cache equipped CCD. The different CCD remains unchanged pinch 32 MB of L3 cache.

As we've noted earlier erstwhile discussing AMD's 3D V-Cache packing technology, AMD employs a blase methodology that utilizes a 3D layering technique. This attack incorporates silicon vias (TSVs) arsenic vertical interconnects traversing nan silicon substrate, efficaciously establishing a seamless relationship betwixt nan cache representation and nan die. Utilizing this 3D V-Cache strategy, a notably expanded conception of L3 cache representation tin beryllium straight integrated into nan processor, obviating nan necessity for a distinct, larger compute halfway dice (CCD).

A thinning process connected nan dies ensures harmonious compatibility pinch nan remaining silicon components, facilitating businesslike cooling mechanisms. The wide summation of other L3 cache has nan imaginable to output important capacity enhancements successful applications that tin leverage nan larger cache, each while maintaining a commendable equilibrium betwixt heightened cache capacity and wide computational prowess.

Touching connected really the 3D V-Cache useful crossed 2 CCDs, this is done through nan utilization of AMDs PPM Provisioning File Driver and 3D V-Cache Performance Optimizer Driver. Typical programs focusing connected computational capacity will run pinch some CCDs active, meaning nan exertion aliases task has 16 Zen 4 cores and 32 threads available. For gaming, AMD's driver pairing useful successful conjunction pinch Windows' Game Mode, which determines whether aliases not nan exertion moving is simply a game, and if truthful tries to parkland nan smaller cache CCD, efficaciously moving arsenic an 8C/16T spot pinch 96 MB of L3 3D V-Cache available. This is designed to boost gaming capacity successful titles that tin usage nan ample 96 MB of L3 cache by avoiding gaming workloads spilling retired to nan vanilla CCD.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D ends up being very akin to a Ryzen 9 7945HX, but nan large quality is, of course, successful nan 128MB of L3 cache available.  Outside of nan L3 cache differences, nan different notable quality is that nan Ryzen 9 7945HX3D runs astatine a somewhat little guidelines timepiece velocity of 2.3 GHz compared to nan vanilla 7945HX's 2.5 GHz. Both chips do person a boost wave of up to 5.4 GHz, and some travel pinch AMD's Radeon 610M integrated graphics which person 2 x RDNA2 CUs for little intensive tasks and workloads, which are useful and tin summation artillery life tenfold compared to utilizing a dGPU.

ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023): Specifications & Configuration

Pivoting to nan ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, AMD's chosen motorboat conveyance for nan Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, ASUS has pulled retired each of nan stops for their DTR gaming laptop. ASUS hasn't disclosed thing to america (at nan clip of writing) connected further configurations of nan Strix Scar 17, truthful nan distinctly high-end exemplary we're looking astatine coming (G733PYV) is nan only variety available, astatine slightest for nan clip being.

For their ROG gaming laptop, ASUS has paired AMD's apical mobile spot pinch a high-performance NVIDIA RTX 4090 laptop graphics spot for gamers. This intends that nan ROG Strix Scar 17 is simply a decidedly desktop replacement-class design, and a very powerful gaming notebook for users to descend their teeth into. Unlike different NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4000 bid mobile graphics cards, nan RTX 4090 has an awesome 9728 CUDA cores, pinch 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM for video memory-intensive titles. This is welcomed fixed nan high-spec 17-inch 1440p 240 Hz G-Sync enabled show panel.

ASUS is utilizing nan aforesaid chassis present arsenic they person connected their existing ROG Strix Scar 17 (G733PZ-LL02W) laptop, a Ryzen 9 7945HX design, an unsurprising prime fixed nan insignificant changes needed to support an HX3D processor. It's a creation that is simply a spot lighter than you'd expect for a desktop replacement laptop – nan complete strategy weighs successful astatine only 3 kg – but still offers much than capable heft to grip nan operation of a high-end CPU and moreover much powerfulness quiet GPU.

Looking astatine individual components, nan Ryzen 9 7945HX3D offers 16 CPU cores successful full divided crossed 2 CCDs.  Based connected our information we judge ASUS has dialed successful this spot to a TDP of 75 Watts. In believe it tin tie complete 100 Watts, truthful agelong arsenic nan remainder of nan strategy is consenting to springiness up nan thermal and electrical headroom.

ASUS besides includes 32 GB of DDR5-4800 representation (2 x 16 GB), which is simply a spot of a astonishing prime arsenic nan 7945HX3D tin support DDR5-5200, truthful we're not judge why ASUS isn't utilizing faster representation here.

The NVIDIA RTX 4090 laptop graphics spot has a TDP of 150 W, pinch an further 25 W made disposable done ASUS's Dynamic Boost technology. Dynamic Boost is designed to dynamically displacement nan powerfulness fund from nan processor to nan graphics spot erstwhile intensive graphical workloads specified arsenic gaming astatine higher resolutions are used. Under nan hood of nan RTX 4090 is an AD103 GPU pinch 9728 progressive CUDA cores, operating astatine a guidelines timepiece velocity of 1455 MHz and a boost timepiece velocity of up to 2040 MHz. The RTX 4090 is nan only mobile RTX 4000-series portion to person 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, meaning it's nan beefiest mobile graphics spot for laptops extracurricular of externally connected cards via a dock.

For a emblematic 17.3-inch gaming notebook, nan ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 fits nan remit regarding connectivity and components connected offer. For networking, ASUS includes a MediaTek-based Wi-Fi 6E power which offers up support for BT 5.2 (and older) devices, while location a single 2.5 G Ethernet larboard is besides thrown into nan mix; desktop replacements are typically tethered to a desk, truthful having wired networking capabilities is an advantage.

Other connectivity includes dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C connectors offering show and powerfulness transportation capabilities, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a azygous HDMI video output, and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack. Interestingly, ASUS includes a webcam on nan display's apical bezel. Still, it's not precisely a high-end webcam, pinch a measly 720p output resolution, and streamers will almost surely elite for an aftermarket cam. That being said, nan dual-speaker audio strategy is designed to supply ample sound. However, arsenic pinch integrated laptop speakers, they person limitations connected things for illustration bass reproduction and distortion astatine max volume. Still, they are ample and support Dolby Atmos for those willing successful that.