ASUS ROG Strix Hero II Gaming Laptop, 15.6” 144Hz IPS Type, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5, Intel Core i7-8750H Processor, 16GB DDR4, 256GB PCIe SSD + 1TB HDD, RGB, Windows 10 Home - GL504GM-DS74

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I bought this computer back in August but I had to return it even before I open the box. Mainly, I wanted a good computer that can handle the workload of Photoshop and Illustrator and some image processing without having to go $500 more for a MacBook Pro. Then, I repurchased it two weeks ago and it just got here and so far here’s what I like and what I don’t: Pro: Well, the design is sleek and beautiful unlike the first gen of STRIX, the computer is very solid, barely noticed any flex whatsoever. The keyboard is nice, the RGB light is controllable, and it has a soothing feels to it. Track pad is probably one the best I have ever tried. Performance-wise the computer is a beast from booting to using some softwares like Adobe Lightroom for heavy image processing. Finally the cherry on top, THE SCREEN, OH MY GOD, I have never fell in love with a laptop screen much like this one, I used a MacBook briefly and this screen is right up there with Apple screen. Speaker are good, not a very high end but it’s good. So far I didn’t notice any thermal activity on the computer. Cons: The Fans and probably so far the only downside to this computer, they do run loud and it’s not a deal breaker for me since I’m not gaming a lot anyways. Overall, it’s good computer and I love it and I would recommend it to a friend. I will update after trying Photoshop and/or some game just to see how it handles the load. ************* UPDATE ************** I have been using the computer for a month now and some issues have surfaced. The right side speaker started to make that annoying crackling sound and after that it stopped working. Honestly not the worst thing that could happen. I’m happy with one good speaker than having two and one of em is crackling. The second issue is that the computer started crashing at least once a day. I really hope ASUS sees this because I didn’t spend my hard earned money to get faulty products.

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edit update 10.05.2018 LOL.... I received a message from ASUS as follows: "Thank you for contacting ASUS Product Support, my name is Huit B. I am sorry that you di not receive a call of duty black ops 4 activation code for you unit. I understand how frustrating that can be, but I can definitely help in resolving this issue for you. I have checked on this matter for you. I regret to inform you however that your device would not qualify for the promotion. This is because you did not purchase the device from one of our participating resellers in this promotion. Here is a list of all of the participating resellers: WoW.... Thank you Huit B! Ive always wanted to be the lucky guy who was able to file the initial claim for a class action lawsuit. I never thought, though, it would be against Amazon and Asus for false and misleading advertising..... Now if I could only find a good class action lawyer...... So beware all Asus Buyers from Amazon. You are an undesirable, nay a deplorable, in the eyes of Asus, even though their ad copy says the exact opposite. Wish me luck as I request a refund from Amazon for the dollar amount of the "non qualified" purchase of the game.... I purchased this for video editing and just set it up for the first time last night. First impressions are good. As others discuss, the fans are loud, but that has to do with the temps generated by the chips. For daily use, ASUS says you can dial down the fan, and I did do so, and it did make a difference. Set up was easy, as it was windows standard home. Ill update the review once I edit a few demanding videos to get a feel for its horsepower performance. Since I am not a gamer, I was intrigued by the free game the description above says comes with the product , "Activision Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 game codes - Offer valid 09/10/18–12/31/18, while supplies last. Go to the official ASUS site for FAQs, full terms and conditions, and to verify purchase for redemption. See Product Description for additional information." Alas, it wasnt preloaded. Nor was there any info in the box. Exploring the ASUS website, it says that all laptops are eligible for the free game, but a code is needed to download the game. Unfortunately, no code was in the box(implied on the website), nor was the promised "asus registration app WITH CODE" launched after windows did its multiple update thing (also implied somewhere on the website). I emailed a support ticket to customer service, with the auto AI saying a reply within 48 hours should be expected. So NEVER purchase this for a christmas morning surprise for your gamer kid, without a backup plan. So if you really want Call of Duty, dont expect it with purchase, or youll be frustrated and disappointed.

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The thing was a beast and it was built beautifully. A lot of titles hit the 144fps mark. The problem is whenever you tilted it forward, it would click. I thought it was a HDD failure, but it wasnt. The right fan was failing. For $2,000 dollars that is unacceptable considering the GTX 1070 and i7 8750H NEED proper cooling. I returned this item for a full refund. Id buy another one but, as a college student, I cant risk having this thing failing me when Im away from home. My case might be a rare one, but I cant take that risk.

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Edit: Removed 2 stars because of an issue with the speakers decreasing in volume, and Ive tried everything to solve it as a driver issue. So its probably a hardware issue. On top of the other issues Ive had, thought it was best to give it what it is: average. I have really enjoyed using this laptop over the past two weeks. So far, the battery life when only using browsers is good for a computer with these specs. Havent timed it yet, but Id guess 3-4 hours depending on how youre using it. The speakers are fine but can be a little quiet at times and are not the best quality Ive ever heard from a gaming laptop. That being said, there are a few issues with this laptop that you will need to fix if you are intent on buying it. All were things I noticed the first time I opened it and were easy to fix. 1. The fan is annoyingly loud Straight out of the box, not even opening a browser, the cooling fans were whirring like crazy. The fix to this is to go into your advanced power options, then processor power management, and then to maximum processor rate. From what I understand, anything in the 50-60 range will fix this issue without compromising your performance. 2. The backlit keyboard times out while computer is on if you dont touch it for 2 minutes, causing the lights to go dark (Late Nov. 2018 update in Microsoft Store). The problem here is with the software that runs the keyboard LEDs, and is usually not a hardware problem. Open ROG Aura Core (the keyboard lighting software). Navigate to Aura settings. Turn keyboard lighting off for Sleep and Shut Down. 3. When plugging in or unplugging the battery cord, the screen momentarily flashes black. This "bug" occurs because the laptops battery mode lowers the frame rate refresh, and to accommodate the change, the screen flashes back and then back on. To change this, go into your Intel graphics settings, then to Display, and ensure that the frame rate refresh is the same for both your battery mode and plugged in mode. On top of that, the computer comes with bloatware (easily uninstallable, save for McAfee which sometimes takes longer, but is typically easy.) Of the three, the backlight issue was the most annoying to solve, taking me much longer than the others to figure out how to fix. Having fixed all these issues, Im thrilled to say Im much happier with this purchase than when I first got it. TL;DR Dont buy this laptop if you dont feel like troubleshooting some of the stupid problems the manufacturer should have thought through. But if you want a great laptop for a good buy, this is one of the better purchases.

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Used for gaming on the go. Great for COD BO4. However it gets pretty loud so wea ear phones and prop the laptop up to get air flow to the machine. Ran 85 degrees Celsius during gameplay (Black ops 4). The only issue is one of the fans is clicking. Possibly a loose bearing or smacking against a wire in the case. I uploaded a video with the sound. New update: Laptop died June 12th 2019 which is within warranty. I started up world of warcraft just after an Nvidia update and the laptop shut off on its own like someone flipped a light switch. No battery power or LEDs to show that its charging or plugged in. Complete power loss. Troubleshooted with Asus tech support which got nowhere. Definitely a power supply issue. Currently being RMAd.

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If you have the money to spend on a bit higher end laptop, go for it. I upgraded from ACER HELIOS 300 to This mess and to be honest, Ive never struggled so far than with this. This was shipped International, or else I wouldve asked to refund this. 1.Bloatware (way too much) 2. Some keys dont work 3. The backlit is not working, nor its software. 4. ASUS doesnt do a good job on updating the drivers. Overall, if you intend to purchase this, do not. Im trying to save your hard earned money. Im deeply regret purchasing one.

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I ordered this for my daughter and she and my son (they have three computer science degrees between them) did a lot of research on gaming laptops. It seems that all gaming laptops have their issues but this is the one that they settled on and she has not had any complaints after a month of use. Im not a gamer so I dont really know the issues involved. Im in the macOS ecosystem so Windows laptops are not in my interest area.

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I normally use a desktop to handle all of my computing needs, however Ive needed a laptop the last month or so as Ive been needing to travel. The laptop is great for almost anything I need to throw at it. I play a few games like DOTA 2, Team Fortress 2 and it is able to handle them with no issues. The lappy does fun a bit hot and the fans can get loud when running games on max settings, but when I through a cooling pad under it I dont see any performance issues. The fans are running and kicking out some heat, but nothing that raises and concerns for me. Overall this was a good buy, the Screen is amazing, the controls are pretty darn slick, and Ive not run into any issues with odd noises or being throttled during game play. I am receiving points in the ROG Elite Rewards loyalty program for my review

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The Asus ROG Strix SCAR II is a great gaming laptop with good looks. Options on the model I purchased: Intel Core i7-8750H Processor NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 16GB DDR4 256GB PCIe SSD + 1TB SSHD (I replaced the !TB with a 2TB Firecuda SSHD before I even started it the first time) The top is brushed aluminum with 2 bush patterns and a fair bit of rigidity. My cal of 10 lbs has jumped on the lcosed laptop multiple times with no ill effect seen. The ROG symbol that looks like chrome but can also be lit up with the RGB led, along with the light bar on the front. The light bar is not distracting at all when using it, contrary to my first thoughts when seeing it. The keyboard has zones of lighting, it would have been nice if it were per key and with the way it changes color gradually it looks like it could have been with minimal trouble. With that said, it still looks great, and the key travel is enough to feel comfortable and solid. Typing on this is effortless. The bottom was easy to open and the replaceable parts are all easy to get to. I replaced the hard drive with a 2 TB model in under 10 minutes. The only time consumer was the 11 or so screws, and slowly un-clipping the plastic base. The screen looks and responds great, all the gaming I have done on it is smooth and tear free with the 1070. I have even connected it to an untrawide 2K 120 Hz monitor and the laptop had no issues driving both displays at the same time. The SSD boots fast, and all the games I store on the 2TB version of the Firecuda SSHD that installed load quickly. While not SSD speeds the SSHD still is quick enough that you would probably only notice level loads. Possibly a 7200 HDD would be quicker, but would also produce more heat. I would expect the 1 TB that comes with the laptop normally to be just as quick as the 2 TB that I installed. The laptop can get warm, but produces less heat under load that I expected; however the fans can get quite loud. Typically this is when I am playing games so I do not notice it, but when editing photos there is no background noise to mask the fans. Battery life when just browsing and playing some videos is about 3 hours or so. Gaming will be less, and I am typically plugged in when using the laptop for games. I did not purchase this laptop for its battery life, so I was not expecting to get 5 hour runtimes with it and am very pleased with how long it lasts. I would recommend this laptop to anyone who is looking in this price range, or prehaps waiting for the new versions with the Nvidia 20xx cards coming out soon. Warning: If you get the model that only has a M.2 SSD drive in it (500 GB I believe), it does not have the cable for the secondary hard drive! This cost me a hefty restocking fee (other retailer) due to the fact that I wanted the bigger SSD and was going to put my on HDD in as the secondary drive. When I contracted Asus, they told me they did not have a hard drive cable to sell me. Even with this frustration, I went ahead and purchased another SCAR II after returning the first because I loved everything else about it.

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Amazing laptop, performs amazing, i love that the keyboard dosent get hot during gaming witch makes it a very comfortable keyboard

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