Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC [GL702ZC-GC104T] (90NB0FV1-M02780)

ROG Strix

Asus usually tweaks its gaming laptops, releasing different models with different video adapters. In terms of equipment, the new ROG Strix has become one of the rare gaming models built on AMD hardware. The heart of the laptop is the top eight-core Ryzen 7 with 16 MB of third-level cache and a maximum frequency of 3.7 GHz. In terms of gaming performance, it shows figures approximately at the level of the latest generation of top-end six-core processors from Intel.

Heart and graphics from AMD

In its role as the head of gaming, ROG Strix uses an interesting video adapter, the Radeon RX 580, which shows similar results to the GTX 1060 when using DirectX 11, but takes the lead when switching to DirectX 12. However, it has a bottleneck in the form of 4 GB of video memory (for the GTX 1060 6 GB), which may come back to haunt you in a couple of years. For 2019 gaming blockbusters like Mortal Kombat 11, 4 GB is no longer a luxury, but a necessary minimum. But the memory configuration is quite standard - 16 GB DDR4 and a combination of HDD and SSD for 1256.

Reasonable price

Apparently, thanks to the use of hardware from AMD, the price of the laptop was kept at just above $1000. Considering the gaming capabilities of the laptop, this is a very attractive price. For comparison, assemblies with the same powerful hardware cost around $1500 – 2000.

Gaming laptop with aggressive appearance

I’m also glad that the savings did not affect the build quality of the case and materials. The upper part of the lid is formed by a thin sheet of black aluminium, on which the emblem of the ROG gaming series flaunts with decorative stripes that are illuminated during operation. In general, the appearance of the laptop is difficult to evaluate in terms of good or bad. This is a typical gaming laptop with an aggressive design, a thick body, a backlit keyboard and an abundance of decorative inserts.

Efficient but noisy cooling system

Perhaps the main thing you should prepare for when purchasing the ROG Strix GL702ZC is a decent level of noise when the system boots. In browsing mode it is almost inaudible, but when running demanding games it makes a significant noise. On the other hand, the cooling system works really effectively, preventing heating of the case and internals with equal success. If it’s not enough, then in ROG Gaming Center you can raise the fan speed to a maximum of 5300 rpm. Then the case will practically not heat up, but it will be better to play in the company of full-fledged acoustics or headphones.