So far we’ve encountered a ton of interesting gaming notebooks at this year’s Computex but one of them really stood out. This is the ASUS ROG Strix GL702ZC and while it may not have a fancy name like the Zephyrus, it is the first notebook we have seen that includes a Ryzen processor and all-AMD approach for the main components.
It might seem a bit odd that we’re excited about a true AMD gaming notebook but that’s because we haven’t seen one in years. You see, AMD just hasn’t been competitive in the gaming laptop market because their APUs just weren’t up to the task and their mobile GPU stable has been remarkably empty. That’s all about to change but for the time being ASUS has decided to use a mix of desktop and notebook components for the Strix GL702ZC.
From all outwards appearances it doesn’t look any different from a normal slim gaming notebook. Actually, it’s just 1.3” thick and weighs less than 7lbs. ASUS has also given it a high end look with a brushed metal chassis and a few splashes of red to even things out. Seeing a good connector layout and a full sized SD card slot is always good too!
In the demo system at CES there was a Ryzen 7 1700, a Radeon RX580 GPU, 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSHD. When this eventually launches into the retail channel there will also be Ryzen 5 1600 and Ryzen 3 1200 processors available in some configurations. Ironically, this is the first time we have seen official confirmation of the existence of a Ryzen 3 1200.
I should also mention these are full desktop CPUs operating at slightly lower voltages rather than being processors specifically designed for notebooks. This is because AMD’s Raven Ridge platform -which is more targeted towards mainstream desktops and notebooks- isn’t out yet.
Those processor options will be available alongside a number of storage options like 1TB SSHDs and NVMe SSDs in capacities up to 512GB. ASUS is also providing quick access for storage and memory upgrades so you can always add more if necessary.
The 17.3” screen means the Strix GL702ZC isn’t exactly a compact gaming notebook either but there will be a number of enticing panel options, all of which support FreeSync. There will be 4K/60Hz, 1080P 75Hz and 1080P 120Hz variations.
After seeing it in action we still have some questions, mostly about battery life. The Ryzen 7 1700 is a 65W processor and if ASUS is using a full RX580, that’s another 150W provided they are using a standard version. So either there will need to be a huge battery in this thing or it won’t last all that long away from a power source.
I’m sure we’ll have all of the information about configurations and pricing when this notebook becomes available sometime in August or September. Until then you can dream about having all of this Ryzen goodness in a portable form factor.
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