The ROG Strix Scar 15 is Asus’s top-tier performance/gaming laptop, a full-size 15-inch laptop designed for an uncompromised experience in your workloads and games.
I’ve spent the last few weeks with the 2022 Scar 15 update and I’ve gathered my impressions down below, going over all the important aspects that you should factor in your decision when looking at this recent ROG Scar 15 notebook.
Compared to the previous Scar 15 generation , the 2022 model is built on the latest Intel 12th gen hardware platform and the latest Nvidia RTX 3000 Ti graphics chips. Asus also bumped the power settings of the components, added a MUX, improved the cooling to a small amount, as well as updated the display, IO, and keyboard.
On the outside, though, the 2022 and 2022 Scar 15s are almost identical, and that means some of the ergonomic particularities reported last year have not been addressed.
Specs sheet as reviewed
2022 ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 15 G533ZW
Display 15.6-inch, 16:9, non-touch, matte, BOE BOE0A55 panel
Processor Intel 12th gen Alder Lake , up to Core i9-12900H, 6C+8c/20T
Video Intel UHD + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070Ti Laptop 16GB (up to 150W with Dynamic Boost)
Memory 32 GB DDR5-4800 RAM – up to 64 GB (2x DIMMs)
Storage 2 TB SSD (Samsung PM9A1) – 2x M.2 PCI 4.0 x4 slots
Connectivity WiFi 6E (Mediatek MT7922) 2×2 with Bluetooth 5.2, 2.5Gigabit LAN (Realtek RTL8125)
Ports 2x USB-A 3.2 gen1, 1x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB-C gen2 with video and data, HDMI 2.1, LAN, headphone&mic
Battery 90Wh, 280 W power adapter, USB-C charging up to 100W
Size 354 mm or 13.94” (w) x 259 mm or 10.2 (d) x 2.26-2.72 mm or .89”-1.07″ (h)
Weight 2.29 kg (5.05 lbs), .99 kg (2.2 lbs) power brick and cables, EU version
Extras rubber-dome per-key RGB backlit keyboard with NumPad, quad speakers, no webcam or biometrics, Keystone
This is pretty much the best-value 2022 Scar 15 configuration available, pairing the Core i9 processor with the RTX 3070Ti and QHD 240Hz screen.
We’ll follow up with reviews on other GPU configurations in the next couple of weeks, for the top-tier RTX 3080Ti model (Scar 15 G533ZX) and hopefully for the base-tier RTX 3060 (Scar 15 RTX G533ZM) model as well.
Here’s our detailed review of the updated 2023 Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 . And here’s our review of the more compact ROG Scar 16 .
Design and construction The 15-inch Scar 15 is a more compact and lighter variation of the Scar 17 that we’ve already discussed in depth in this separate review . You’ll also find side-by-side pictures of the two in this previous look at the 2022 ROG Strix Scar lineup .
So I’m not going over all the design and construction particularities of this chassis once again. I will mention the important aspects to consider, though, if you don’t want to go through the articles linked above (although you should).
On the positive side, the Scar 15 is a very well-built product and has a unique design, a nice mix of clean aesthetics and RGB elements, all entirely controllable through software. It also offers good ergonomics and a fair selection of ports, most of them tucked away on the back edge, behind the screen.
On top of these, Asus made sure to implement proper inputs, strong hinges, and powerful speakers, as well as a competent thermal design for a compact 15-inch chassis.
You can tell this Sc ar 15 is a compact footprint from the bezels around the screen. The chassis does get an extra hump on the back, though, for the ports, speakers, and cooling module, and everything adds up to a total weight of around 5.1 lbs for this tested configuration, which is not bad for a full-size computer.
On the other hand, the plastic interior of this design is incredibly smudgy, so you’ll constantly have to wipe it clean. I’m also not a fan of the bright status LEDs positioned right under the display, the always-on red light in the power button, the fact that the entire right side is reserved for the rather useless Keystone, or of that cut in the screen’s bottom bezel which shows what’s behind the laptop.
My other nits with the overall ergonomics of this ROG Scar 15 design are the fact that the screen only goes back to about 110 degrees, which is limiting when not using this computer on a desk, as well as the fact that there’s still no camera available anywhere, and no biometrics.
One final aspect I would like to touch on is the IO. There’s mostly everything you’ll need here, except for a card reader. That means USB-A and USB-C ports, HDMI 2.1 hooked straight into the dGPU, a LAN port, and an audio jack. Most of these are placed behind the screen.
As a particularity, one of the USB-C ports supports video and charging and is connected to the Nvidia dGPU, and the other supports Thunderbolt 4 with video/charging as well, and is connected to the iGPU. This gives control over battery life when connecting peripherals on battery mode.
Overall, the Scar 15 design is an enjoyable and sturdily made product, but with quite a few quirks, so make sure you’re OK with them before deciding on it.
Keyboard and trackpad Asus rolled back to a standard rubber-dome keyboard on the 2022 ROG Scar 15, after last year’s experiment with the optomechanical switches wasn’t received very well. I’m glad they did it!
This keyboard is in fact very similar to the one on the previous-gen ROG Strix G15 series, with a main deck of full-size keys, separated smaller arrows, and extra media functions at the right and at the top-left. I would have preferred if Asus implemented Home/End/Pg/Up/PgDn in that right extra column, instead of media controls, but overall this is a good layout.
There’s no dedicated NumPad, but touch NumPad like functionality is integrated within the clickpad. I am a fan of this sort of simplified layout without a NumPad which centers the keyboard and clickpad in the middle of the chassis.
As far as the typing experience goes, this is a fine everyday typer. The keycaps feel smooth to the touch, the stroke depth is just right, and the feedback is pretty good, even if perhaps a little mushy. It does allow for fast typing speeds and quiet actuations.
The keys are also RGB backlit, with per-key control and various effects selectable in Armoury Crate and Aura Creator app. The LEDs are bright enough and uniform, with some light creeping from underneath the keycaps from a steeper angle, but not in a noticeable way.
However, the F1-F12 writing on the top keys is not lit, making them difficult to figure out in the dark.
For mouse, Asus kept the large glass clickpad they offered in the past. It’s spacious, smooth to the touch, and accurate. The physical clicks are still a little clunky, but the surface doesn’t rattle as noticeably as on the Scar 17 with firmer taps in the lower half.
As for biometrics, there are still none on this 2022 ROG Strix SCAR 15.
Screen Asus offers two screen options for this 2022 ROG Scar 15, all 15.6-inch, 16:9, matte and non-touch:
FHD 300Hz 3ms with 300+ nits of brightness and 100% sRGB colors;
QHD 240Hz 3ms with 300+ nits of brightness and 100% DCI-P3 colors.
We have the QHD panel option on this unit.
Aside from the fact that this panel doesn’t get very bright, there’s nothing to complain about. This is excellent for daily and professional use for those of you in need of wide gamut coverage and superior color accuracy. It’s also a solid option for gaming, with fast refresh rates and response times, but there’s no GSync implemented, only Adaptive-Sync to prevent tearing.
Here’s what we got in our tests, with an X-Rite i1 Display Pro sensor :
Panel HardwareID: BOE BOE0A55 (NE156QHM-NZ2);
Coverage: 99.9% sRGB, 85.7% AdobeRGB, 99.3% DCI-P3;
Measured gamma: 2.08;
Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 339.71 cd/m2 on power;
Min brightness in the middle of the screen: 11.38 cd/m2 on power;
Contrast at max brightness: 1165:1;
White point: 7300 K;
Black on max brightness: 0.29 cd/m2;
PWM: No.
This panel is a little brighter than the one tested on the Scar 17, but it also came poorer calibrated out of the box. A calibration run addresses the mildly skewed Gamma and White Point. Once calibrated, the panel ends up uniform in luminosity, but with some serious discrepancies in color uniformity in our tests. Based on past experience with QHD 100% DCI-P3 panels, I don’t think this is what you should expect with the retail units, and I hope Asus are able to figure out the quality-control with the retail units, as botched uniformity would defeat the purpose of this wide-gamut panel for creators. If you’re getting this for color-accurate work, make sure to properly test this panel with a calibration tool, and ask for a return if not adequate.
On the other hand, I noticed almost no light bleeding around the edges, and the panel doesn’t use PWM at lower brightness levels.
Hardware and performance Our test model is a higher-specced configuration of the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15, code name G533ZW, built on an Intel Core i9-12900H processor , 32 GB of DDR5-4800 memory in dual channel, 2 TB of fast SSD storage, and dual graphics: the Nvidia RTX 3070Ti dGPU with 8 GB of vRAM and the Iris Xe iGPU integrated within the Intel processor.
Disclaimer: Before we proceed, keep in mind that our review unit was sent over by Asus and it runs on the early software available as of mid-February 2022 (BIOS 306, Armoury Crate 5.0.22.0, GeForce 511.65 drivers). Some aspects might change with later software.
Spec-wise, the 2022 ASUS ROG Scar 15 is built on the latest Intel and Nvidia hardware available to date. The Core i9-12900H is an Intel Alder Lake 12th-gen processor, with 14 Cores and 20 Threads. It is a hybrid design with 6 High-Performance HyperThreaded Cores, and 8 extra Efficiency cores, working together or separate based on demand. The design of this Scar also allows the processor to run at up to 110W of sustained power in demanding CPU loads, on the Turbo profile.
For the GPU, the 2022 Scar 15 series is available with RTX 3000 and RTX 3000 Ti graphics chips. What we have on this sample is the RTX 3070Ti running at up to 150W with Dynamic Boost in supported games and applications.
For the RAM and storage options, the laptop offers two accessible memory DIMMs and two M.2 SSD slots. Our unit shipped with 32 GB of DDR5-4800 RAM in dual-channel and a Fast PCIe 4.0 Samsung SSD.
Accessing the components requires to pop up the back panel, which is held in place by a couple of Philips screws. Be extra careful when you take out the bottom panel, though, as it’s attached to the mainboard by two ribbons that power the LED strips. Pulling too hard might cause those to disconnect – no worries if they do, you’ll just need to reslot the connectors in their place.
Inside you’ll find all the components, the big battery, and the thermal module. Everything is packed tightly on this compact Scar 15 chassis, without any space left unused.
Specs aside, Asus offer the standard four power profiles in the Armoury Crate control app for this laptop: Silent, Performance, Turbo and Manual, with various power settings and fan profiles between them:
Silent – quite fan-noise at under 35 dB, limited CPU/GPU speeds and power;
Performance – balanced profile with stock CPU/GPU settings and 40 dB max fan noise;
Turbo – High-Performance profile with increased CPU power allocation, faster-spinning fans at up to 48 dB, and overclocked GPU (+50 MHz Core/+100 MHz Memory, up to 150W TGP).
Manual – like Turbo, but with the ability to custom tweak the CPU’s PL1/PL2 power levels and GPU’s power/clocks, plus create custom fan profiles based on temperature limits.
Turbo/Manual are only available with the laptop plugged into the wall and are meant for gaming and other demanding loads. Performance is a jack-of-all-trades, while Silent is made for light daily use. The system is able to idle the fans on the Silent profile as long as the CPU/GPU stay under 60 degrees C, leading to a mostly noiseless daily-use experience.
Here’s what to expect in terms of performance and temperatures with everyday multitasking, browsing, and video.
Performance and benchmarks On to more demanding loads, we start by testing the CPU’s performance by running the Cinebench R15 test for 15+ times in a loop, with a 1-2 seconds delay between each run.
The Core i9 processor stabilizes at ~110W of sustained power on the Turbo setting, which translates in frequencies of 3.5+ GHz on the P Cores, temperatures of 93-95 C, and scores of ~2750 points. The fans spin at ~48 dB at head-level in this mode. The CPU runs at even higher power for a short while in this test, as the PL1 and PL2 levels are both set at 135W, but thermal and power throttling kick in after a little bit, leading to the stabilized sustained power of around 110W.
It’s interesting that the CPU runs at higher power and frequencies here than in the Scar 17 tested earlier. I would have expected the other way around, since this is a more compact design. So expect a degree of variation between units.
There’s no undervolting option in the BIOS and voltage control is locked with both XTU and Throttlestop, so there’s no way to tweak the CPU at this point.
Switching over to the Performance profile translates in the CPU stabilizing at 70W and temperatures still in the mid-90s, but with the fans spinning quieter at ~40 dB at head-level. Once more, the system allows for a higher power allocation closer to the 90W PL1 limit set for this profile for a couple of loops, and then the PL2 power limit kicks in.
I’ve also tested this unit on Performance mode when plugged in via the 100W ROG USB-C wall charger. In this case, the CPU only runs at 35W of sustained power, with lower scores and temperatures.
The Silent profile is aggressively power-limited as well, at only 30W sustained, with barely audible fans (sub 35 dB) and middling temperatures (mid-60s C). The i9-12900H still scores 1500 points in the Cinebench test, roughly 60% of the Turbo performance, and fairly respectable for a Silent mode.
Finally, the CPU runs at ~35 W on battery, on the Performance profile, with still respectable scores of around 1650+ points. Details below.
To put these in perspective, here’s how this Core i9-12900H implementation fares against other full-size implementations in this test, both Intel and AMD.
We also ran the 3DMark CPU test on the Turbo, Performance, and Silent profiles.
We then went ahead and further verified our findings with the more taxing Cinebench R23 loop test and Blender – Classroom, which resulted in similar findings to what we explained above.
Finally, we ran our combined CPU+GPU stress tests on this notebook. 3DMark stress runs the same test for 20 times in a loop and looks for performance variation and degradation over time, and this unit passed it just fine, which means there’s no performance throttling with longer-duration sustained loads.
Next, we ran the entire suite of tests and benchmarks, on the stock Turbo profile in Armoury Crate, the MUX set on Hybrid mode, and on FHD resolution for consistency with our other tests.
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 26504 (Graphics – 30377, Physics – 29540, Combined – 12561);3DMark 13 – Port Royal: 6968;3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 11719 (Graphics – 11375, CPU – 14151);Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 7379;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 22037;Handbrake 1.3.3 (4K to 1080p encode): 69.10 average fps;PassMark 10: Rating: 6280 (CPU mark: 29746, 3D Graphics Mark: 21052, Disk Mark: 51288);PCMark 10: 7908 (Essentials – 11112, Productivity – 10174, Digital Content Creation – 11870);GeekBench 5.4.3 64-bit: Single-Core: 1935, Multi-core: 14181;CineBench R15 (best run): CPU 3018 cb, CPU Single Core 278 cb;CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 7319 cb, CPU Single Core 735 cb;CineBench R23: CPU 18914 cb (best single run), CPU 18622 cb (10 min run), CPU Single Core 1923 cb;x265 HD Benchmark 64-bit: 24.72 s.
Compared to the R9 + RTX 3080 Super 130W configuration of the 2021 Scar 15, the 2022 i9 + RTX 3070Ti 150W+ MUX model ends up faster in every test and load.
On the CPU side, we’re looking at 15-25% higher scores in the single-core loads and 20-30% higher in the all-core tests.
On the GPU side, the RTX 3080 in the 2021 Scar only came up on par with the RTX 3070Ti in the 2022 generation in the RTX tests, and 2-10% behind in the other benchmarks. Not bad considering the 3070Ti is a lower-priced chip. The higher power setting sure helps on the 2022 update.
That aside, this Scar 15 also came up a little faster in these tests compared to the similarly configured Scar 17 in most tests , by a small amount. That’s probably because of the extra software updates available for the Scar 15 between the time each of these was tested (the Scar 15 runs on a bit more mature software than the Scar 17 was when tested).
And here are some workstation benchmarks, on the same Turbo profile:
Blender 2.93 – BMW Car scene- CPU Compute: 2m 14s (Turbo);Blender 2.93 – BMW Car scene- GPU Compute: 33s (CUDA), 18s (Optix);Blender 2.93 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 6m 12s (Turbo);Blender 2.93 – Classroom scene – GPU Compute: 2m 15s (CUDA), 58s (Optix);Pugetbench – DaVinvi Resolve: 1190 points;Pugetbench – Adobe Afert Effects: 999;Pugetbench – Adobe Photoshop: 1133;Pugetbench – Adobe Premiere: 1048;SPECviewperf 2020 – 3DSMax: 108.58 (Turbo);SPECviewperf 2020 – Catia: 70.01 (Turbo);SPECviewperf 2020 – Creo: 105.38 (Turbo);SPECviewperf 2020 – Energy: 23.66 (Turbo);SPECviewperf 2020 – Maya: 401.48 (Turbo);SPECviewperf 2020 – Medical: 33.61 (Turbo);SPECviewperf 2020 – SNX: 22.33 (Turbo);SPECviewperf 2020 – SW: 259.72 (Turbo).V-Ray Benchmark: CPU – 12776 vsamples, GPU CUDA – 1267 vpaths, GPU RTX – 1573 vpaths;
Once more, this i9+3070Ti 2022 configuration outmatches the 2021 R9 + 3080 top-tier model in all these applications, by a smaller or greater amount, especially in the CPU-heavy loads. It also outscored the Scar 17 by a small amount.
Against the i7 + RTX 3070Ti 150W version of the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro or the Acer Predator Helios 300 , we’re looking at very close performance between these laptops, as expected given the similar power settings between them.
Now, all these are excellent results, but the laptop does run ~48 dB on the Turbo profile, so there might be situations when you’d prefer sacrificing the performance to some extent for quieter fan noise. Here’s how this 2022 Scar 15 performs on the Performance profile, which limits the fans to around 40 dB at head level.
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 24321 (Graphics – 27371, Physics – 27727, Combined – 12042);3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 10662 (Graphics – 10353, CPU – 12839);Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 20258;GeekBench 5.4.3 64-bit: Single-Core: 1923, Multi-core: 13153;CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 6676 cb, CPU Single Core 735 cb.
The overall performance only takes a ~10-15% hit on this mode, but the internal components end up hotter than on the Turbo mode, as a result of still running at high power and much more limited fan airflow. That means I wouldn’t recommend running sustained demanding chores on this Performance mode on a daily basis.
You can opt for the Silent profile, though, in which case the fans rarely go over 35 dB. Here’s what we got in this case:
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 9870 (Graphics – 9200, Physics – 18701, Combined – 8494);3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 6848 (Graphics – 6555, CPU – 9175);Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 5346;GeekBench 5.4.3 64-bit: Single-Core: 1726, Multi-core: 8668;CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 5965 cb, CPU Single Core 723 cb.
The CPU and especially the GPU end up significantly limited in this mode, but they also run at perfectly adequate temperatures in the 70s, so there are no thermal restrictions to using the laptop on Silent. Up to you if the performance/noise balance is justifiable on this Silent profile. As a side note, Asus have updated the power profiles for this Silent mode compared to our review of the Scar 17, allowing for a significant increase in performance.
Gaming performance As a member of the ROG -Republic of Gamers family of laptops, the ROG Scar 15 is primarily a gaming computer, so let’s see how it handles modern titles.
We tested several games at QHD and FHD resolution on Ultra settings, on the stock Turbo and Performance profiles, but also on a Manual mode that I’ll explain further down. I haven’t included Silent mode in the tables, but we’ll also discuss it down below.
Here are the raw numbers, all these on the Discrete GPU mode:
Intel Core i9-12900H QHD Turbo QHD Manual QHD Performance FHD Turbo
Battlefield V 132 fps (56 fps – 1% low)
133 fps (61 fps – 1% low)
124 fps (51 fps – 1% low)
165 fps (48 fps – 1% low)
Cyberpunk 2077 46 fps (37 fps – 1% low)
48 fps (37 fps – 1% low)
42 fps (33 fps – 1% low)
67 fps (56 fps – 1% low)
Far Cry 6 83 fps (47 fps – 1% low)
85 fps (53 fps – 1% low)
78 fps (46 fps – 1% low)
97 fps (51 fps – 1% low)
Far Cry 5 115 fps (96 fps – 1% low)
116 fps (96fps – 1% low)
105 fps (84 fps – 1% low)
141 fps (105 fps – 1% low)
Metro Exodus 67 fps (47 fps – 1% low)
–
–
82 fps (52 fps – 1% low)
Red Dead Redemption 2 79 fps (56 fps – 1% low)
–
–
99 fps (68 fps – 1% low)
Shadow of Tomb Raider 100 fps (73 fps – 1% low)
101 fps (72 fps – 1% low)
92 fps (68 fps – 1% low)
134 fps (78 fps – 1% low)
Doom Eternal 196 fps (81 fps – 1% low)
–
192 fps (96 fps – 1% low)
254 fps (89 fps – 1% low)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 119 fps (96 fps – 1% low)
120 fps (98 fps – 1% low)
108 fps (79 fps – 1% low)
144 fps (96 fps – 1% low)
Battlefield V, The Witcher 3 – recorded with Fraps/in-game FPS counter in campaign mode;
Far Cry 5, Middle Earth, Strange Brigade, Red Dead Redemption 2, Tomb Raider games – recorded with the included Benchmark utilities;
Red Dead Redemption 2 Optimized profile based on these settings .
Those above are rasterization tests, and here are some results for RTX titles.
Intel Core i9-12900H QHD Turbo FHD Turbo
Battlefield V 78 fps (60 fps – 1% low)
104 fps (62 fps – 1% low)
Doom Eternal 148 fps (117 fps – 1% low)
221 fps (164 fps – 1% low)
Cyberpunk 2077 52 fps (42 fps – 1% low)
66 fps (54 fps – 1% low)
Shadow of Tomb Raider 59 fps (33 fps – 1% low)
86 fps (46 fps – 1% low)
Compared to the 2021 Scar 15, the 2022 model implements a higher-power GPU, a MUX, and an improved thermal compound on the CPU. All these lead to a 7-15% increase in framerates when comparing this 3070Ti 2022 model to the higher-tier 3080 variant of the 2021 Scar 15.
This Scar 15 also ends up scoring slightly higher framerates than the Scar 17 previously tested, once again most likely because of the more mature software implemented on this unit.
MUX performance – Hybrid vs Discrete modes
I was curious to measure the impact that the MUX has on the 2022 Scar 15 model, and here’s a comparison between the Hybrid and dGPU modes.
Intel Core i9-12900H QHD Turbo, dGPU QHD Turbo, Hybrid FHD Turbo, dGPU FHD Turbo, Hybrid
Battlefield V 132 fps (56 fps – 1% low)
128 fps (66 fps – 1% low)
165 fps (48 fps – 1% low)
159 fps (56 fps – 1% low)
Far Cry 6 83 fps (47 fps – 1% low)
79 fps (53 fps – 1% low)
97 fps (51 fps – 1% low)
98 fps (55 fps – 1% low)
Shadow of Tomb Raider 100 fps (73 fps – 1% low)
98 fps (68 fps – 1% low)
134 fps (78 fps – 1% low)
128 fps (81 fps – 1% low)
Doom Eternal 196 fps (81 fps – 1% low)
167 fps (83 fps – 1% low)
254 fps (89 fps – 1% low)
218 fps (77 fps – 1% low)
The results vary between the different titles, but we can argue that you can run most titles on the Hybrid mode just fine, especially when it comes to the recent AAA titles at QHD resolution. The MUX plays a bigger role at FHD resolution in high-framerate titles such as Doom or CS:Go.
With that out of the way, let’s go over some performance and temperatures logs.
For starters, here’s what happens on the Turbo profile, with the laptop sitting on the desh and an ambient room temperature of around 25 C.
With most games, the GPU runs in the 84-86 degrees Celsius in this case and close to the 150W of power allowed with Dynamic Boost 2.0. That’s hot and too close to the 87C thermal limit for my liking, as I prefer GPU temperatures under 80 C as much as possible for sustained gaming sessions.
On the CPU side, I’ve recorded temperatures of around 78-85 degrees Celsius in most titles, as the system shifts the power to the GPU with Dynamic Boost.
Go through the logs for more details, at the screen’s native QHD resolution.
Next, I wanted to see how I could bring down those high GPU temperatures recorded on Turbo.
First, I bumped up the back of the laptop from the desk, in order to improve the airflow into the fans, as the rear rubber feet are low profile and choke up the intakes to some amount.
The results vary between titles, but the logs indicate a 2-5 degrees C decrease in temperatures on both the CPU and GPU in all games, which translates in CPU temperatures in the 75-82 Celsius and GPU temperatures in the 80-83 Celsius. It might not seem like much, but it’s a notable improvement that Asus could have easily achieved with taller rubber feet on the bottom of this laptop.
Then I moved on to the Manual mode which allows customizing the fan profiles and CPU/GPU settings. Since most of you were interested in how the laptop does at max fans, I’ve set them at 100% in this case, as well as applied these CPU and GPU settings:
CPU: PL1 limit at 35W (to encourage power shifting to the GPU), fan set at 100% rpm for temperatures over 70C.
GPU: the same +50MHz Core and +100 MHz memory overclock (there’s room for further tweaking here), fan set at 100% for temperatures over 70C.
These settings are a little different than what I used for the Scar 17 review. It also causes the laptop to run noisier, at 52 dB at head-level with both fans ramped to 100% speeds.
This Manual profile greatly impacts the CPU/GPU temperatures, as they end up 2-7 degrees lower than on Turbo, in both cases with the laptop sitting on a desk.
Bumping the back of the laptop from the table helps even more, shaving off 1-4 extra degrees from the components compared to the on-desk Manual mode. In this case, the CPU ends up averaging between 70-80s C, and the GPU around 75-80 C. Both are good temperatures for a 15-inch gaming laptop of this generation.
One other aspect this Manual mode allows is to set a GPU thermal limit and the system will adjust the frequency and power to make sure the chip doesn’t go above that. I’ve tested that in our Scar 17 reviews, and it only resulted in a 3-10% decrease in performance, but with the GPU no longer going over 80C. I’m going to follow up on this Optimized Manual profile on the Scar 15 in a separate article.
With all these high-performance profiles out of the way, if you’re looking for quieter noise levels when running games , your options are either the Performance mode or the Silent mode, or a further tweaked Manual profile.
On Performance, the fans spin much quieter at 40 dB max, and the framerates only take a ~10% hit compared to the Turbo mode. However, the internal components end up running at even higher temperatures than on Turbo. All games are going to run just fine on this profile, but you’ll have to accept GPU temperatures in the 85-87 C and GPU power throttling in most titles, as well as somewhat higher surface temperatures than on the Turbo mode.
Lifting up the back of the laptop helps in this case as well, with both the CPU and the GPU ending up under 80 degrees Celsius.
The Silent mode aggressively limits the CPU and GPU, leading to CPU/GPU temperatures of 70-75 C and fan noise levels of sub 35 dB.
Most games are still going to run OK with Whisper Mode activated and a 60 fps limit, but you’re not getting 60 fps in the recent AAA titles at QHD resolution and Ultra settings. For those, you’ll want to opt for QHD Medium settings instead.
Lastly, this laptop can also run games on battery on the Performance profile, with a 60 fps limit set in the settings. It performs much as on the Silent plugged-in mode detailed above.
All in all, the 2022 Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 is an excellent performer across the board. Broadly, you can expect a performance bump of 15-25% in all demanding loads compared to the 2021 Scar 15, for matching tier configurations.
At the same time, this laptop still runs internally hot, especially on the GPU side. Asus haven’t updated the thermal module or the thermal paste or the bottom rubber feet over the previous generation, despite the fact that they pushed the GPU’s power 20W higher. Lifting up the back of the laptop from the desk helps better cool the components in a noticeable way, and I’d also consider the tweaks explained above for the Manual mode.
Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and others As mentioned already, Asus haven’t updated the thermal design of this 2022 Scar 15 in comparison to the previous 2021 generation.
The only notable difference is a superior liquid-metal compound used on the CPU side (Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut Extreme), which seems to help here in corroboration with the Dynamic Boost technology, as this 2022 Scar 15 is able to run the CPU at higher sustained power than the previous Scar 15 could with the AMD processor, and the overall CPU temperatures in combined loads are also noticeably lower for this 2022 generation.
The GPU does run hot, though, at 80-87 Celsius on the Performance and Turbo profiles in all the tested games, with the laptop sitting on the desk, and that’s despite the fact that Asus updated the fan settings and set them to run faster on Turbo than on the 2021 generation. The laptop takes most of the fresh air from the bottom, where the intakes are somewhat choked by the slim rubber feet that Asus implement on this series. As a result, lifting up the back of the laptop from the desk leads to a noticeable decrease in the internal temperatures, both on the CPU and on the GPU.
I reported similar findings on the 2021 Scars and was hoping Asus would somehow update the rubber feet for the 2022 model. They did not.
As an extra note, I did notice some coil whine and electronic noises on this laptop when launching up a game or an application, especially on the Silent and Performance modes. It happens for a few seconds, before the fans are able to ramp up, and then the noises stops (or are covered by the fans).
Now, as far as the outer case temperatures go, those are alright on Turbo and only noticeably warmer on the Performance and Silent profile.
*Gaming – Silent – playing Far Cry 5 for 30 minutes, Silent profile, fans at ~35 dB *Gaming – Performance – playing Far Cry 5 for 30 minutes, fans at ~40 dB
At the same time, this laptop is a breeze with everyday use, multitasking, browsing, or video streaming. The 0dB Technology allows the two fans to completely switch off with light use as long as the hardware stays under 60 C on the Silent profile, which is most of the time. And that’s both on battery or when plugged in.
*Daily Use – streaming Netflix in EDGE for 30 minutes, Silent profile, fans at 0 dB
For connectivity, there’s Wireless 6E and Bluetooth 5 on this unit, as well as 2.5 Gigabit Lan, an update from the previous generations. Asus only equipped our sample with a Mediatek chip, which is OK for everyday use, but not as fast as the modern Intel wireless modules available these days. I can’t tell for sure what you’ll be getting on the retail units, with the current chip shortage situation – you can upgrade the included module for a faster one if you want to, and you’re able to find a spare.
The audio quality here is very good for laptop speakers, with two main speakers firing on the bottom and two extra tweeters firing from under the display. The sound is fairly rich, as well as loud at 80+ dB at head level. I haven’t noticed any distortions, and somehow the arm-rest didn’t vibrate as noticeably at higher volumes as on the Scar 17. I don’t have a clear explanation for it, since the actual speakers are identical on the two sizes – perhaps it has something to do with everything being packed up more densely inside this 15-inch model.
For what is worth, opting on or off for the “Enhanced Audio” option in the Sound menu in Windows 11 doesn’t seem to do anything on this laptop, so I guess Asus supersedes that setting in their software somehow.
Finally, the camera… well, there still isn’t any.
Battery life There’s a 90Wh battery inside all the 2022 ROG Scar models, both the 15 and 17-inch options, just like in the 2021 models.
The system automatically switches the screen’s refresh to 60 Hz when using the laptop on battery, to increase efficiency, so if you’ll notice a quick screen flicker when you disconnect the laptop from the wall, that’s a side-effect of this tweak. Also, if you’re looking to maximize runtimes, make sure you’re using the laptop in the Hybrid mode and not on the discrete GPU profile.
Here’s what we got on our review unit in terms of battery life, with the screen’s brightness set at around 120 nits (~60 brightness) and on Hybrid mode.
16 W (~6 h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;14 W (~6-7 h of use) – 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;13.5 W (~6-7 h of use) – Netflix fullscreen in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;22 W (~4-5 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Performance Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;75 W (~1+ h of use) – Gaming – Witcher 3, Performance Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON, no fps limit.
This is not much, but a little better than on the Scar 17 recently tested, so there’s a chance the runtimes will improve with later software tweaks.
In comparison, here’s what we got on last year’s AMD-based Scar 15.
12 W (~6-8 h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;11.5 W (~8+ h of use) – 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;11 W (~8+ h of use) – Netflix fullscreen in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;14 W (~5-6 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Balanced Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;80 W (~1+ h of use) – Gaming – Witcher 3, Performance Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON, no fps limit.
I’ll also add that this ROG Scar 15 G533ZW configuration comes with a 280W power brick, larger and heavier than the 240W variant on the 2021 Scars. The battery fills up in about 2 hours, with fast charging for the first half an hour, and USB-C charging is supported, up to 100W.
You won’t be able to use the laptop on Turbo/Manual while hooked over USB-C, but that’s enough for everyday multitasking and occasional heavy workloads on Performance, in case you don’t want to bring along the heavier main brick when on the go. The USB-C charger is not included in the box with this model, but Asus says you will be able to find a ROG branded 100W PD charger in most stores this year – I can’t find it yet, though.
Price and availability- 2022 ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 15 The 2022 Asus ROG Scar 15 is listed in some regions at the time of this article.
The top-tier Scar 15 G533ZX, with the i9 processor, 32 GB of RAM, 1 TB of storage, and the RTX 3080Ti dGPU, starts at ~$3300 in the US and 3499 EUR in Germany. For some reason, it is more expensive than the similarly configured Scar 17.
The 3070Ti model tested here is listed in Europe for between 2500 to 2800 EUR, but I can’t yet find it in the US – I expect it at around $2300+. Most of the listings are with the FHD 300 Hz screen, but you might also find it with the QHD display in some regions.
The bottom tier Scar 15 G533ZM, with the Core i9 and RTX 3060 140W specs, is also listed in the US for $1800.
We’ll update you when we know more. In the meantime, follow this link for updated configurations and prices in your region at the time you’re reading this article.
Final thoughts- 2022 ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 15 review With the smaller footprint and reduced weight, the Scar 15 is a better-balanced performance laptop than the Scar 17 of this generation and is most likely going to end up on more shopping lists.
In our tests, this Scar 15 performed a little better than the similarly configured Scar 17, which is most likely due to the more mature software on this unit. At the same time, the components still end up running warm and even hot inside this chassis on the Turbo and Performance profiles. However, with manual tweaks and if you’re willing to bump up the back of the laptop to improve the airflow into the fans, there’s little left to complain about the overall capabilities and thermals of this notebook, especially considering its more compact 15-inch chassis.
As far as the YOY performance gains go, this 2022 Scar 15 mid-range i9+RTX 3070Ti configuration is a more powerful and more affordable option than last year’s top-tier AMD Ryzen 9 +RTX 3080 model, thanks to the updated hardware, increased power settings, and the addition of a MUX. Efficiency, on the other hand, is not on par with the previous Ryzen-based Scars, so don’t expect this to last for very long on battery, even with light use.
Specs aside, I’m also happy with the overall looks of this Scar 15 lineup, the more versatile IO, and the good quality QHD screen, and I’m glad Asus ditched the mechanical keyboard for a standard implementation. At the same time, I sure wish they would have addressed some of my nits with the ergonomics of this laptop, such as the status LEDs, KeyStone, limited screen angle, and the lack of a camera and biometrics. I wasn’t expecting much in these regards, though, as Asus tend to squeeze at least two years from a design, for cost reasons.
As far as the competition goes, there are more affordable laptops with similar specs out there, as well as more powerful GPU implementations. The Lenovo Legion computers took most of the laurels in 2021, and I’d expect they’ll be highly competitive options in 2022 as well , when available in stores. Our reviews of the 2022 Legion 7i and 2022 Legion 5i Pro are available here. The mid-tier 2022 ROG Strix G15 series is going to be a solid alternative as well, especially since the G15 and the Scar 15 are very similar and the Scars demand a premium for mostly just aesthetics and fancier RGB.
All in all, with the multiple updates, the 2022 Scar 15 is overall a more compelling performance/gaming laptop than before and something I recommend checking out in its class. I’ve rated at 4.5/5, higher than the Scar 17, because it offers the same overall experience as the larger model, but in a more compact and portable format.
This pretty much wraps up our review of the 2022 Asus ROG Strix SCAR 15 G533ZW. I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback down below, so don’t hesitate to get in touch for any feedback or questions.
Review by: Andrei Girbea
Andrei Girbea is a Writer and Editor-in-Chief here at Ultrabookreview.com . I write about mobile technology, laptops and computers in general. I've been doing it for more than 15 years now. I'm a techie with a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. I mostly write reviews and thorough guides here on the site, with some occasional columns and first-impression articles.
ZODD
February 22, 2022 at 9:59 pm
Great laptop ruined by the slash mark going across the keyboard deck , it makes the laptop look tacky and cheap and on on a laptop this expensive hard to overlook.
Personally I can't get over how bad it looks and that automatically dismisses this model even though everything else is pretty good. It's a pretty lame reason but I can't overlook it , and here I thought gaming laptops couldn't look and more tacky, good job ASUS you did it.
oscar
August 15, 2022 at 6:16 pm
Sweet baby jesus, this article is marvelous. I recently bought the 3070ti model, and i was really worry about the temperatures (when playing sometimes it gets almost 93°) i will try to do the cooling techniques and hopefully it will improve
Andrew Morris
February 24, 2022 at 10:00 pm
Thanks for the detailed review. This is the configuration I’m looking for just with the FHD 300Hz panel, any idea when we’ll be able to get our hands on these configurations?
Andrei Girbea
February 24, 2022 at 10:02 pm
I can't really comment on local availability in your region. You'll have to ask local stores for that.
Laur
March 1, 2022 at 1:03 pm
Hi,the opening angle for strix scar 15 2022 is the same with the strix scar 15 2021 or is smaller?
Andrei Girbea
March 1, 2022 at 1:43 pm
the same. the 2021 and 2022 models are functionally the same chassis, with only some aesthetic differences
Adi
March 1, 2022 at 7:38 pm
Can we replace the dd5 ram with ddr4 ram as ddr5 is hard to in market?
Andrei Girbea
March 1, 2022 at 8:01 pm
no
Andrew Morris
March 22, 2022 at 6:20 am
Hi, what did you use to prop up the back of the laptop?
Andrei Girbea
March 22, 2022 at 10:36 am
I prop it on top of the power brick placed at the back. But something smaller would work as well, as long as it's about 2 cm thick
Pete
March 3, 2022 at 12:50 am
This device is very strange. It benchmarks ~almost~ as good as 3080ti equipped top spec MSI and Alienwares. (And somehow better than the 17 inch Scar, silicon lottery maybe?) Which makes me think, maybe shelling absurd amount of money for a 3080ti device is meaningless at this point. Even at QHD, fps numbers are so similar. Maybe a 3080ti makes sense at 4K but then even then, 3080 itself struggles at that resolution in the newest games.
Andrei Girbea
March 3, 2022 at 10:18 am
I haven't tested any 3080Ti configuration yet, but I'd expect some gains over this 3070Ti in high power, overclocked and well cooled implementations (such as this one).
With 3080 class GPUs, you're expected to pay a high premium for marginal gains, it's been the same with previous-gen and it's the same now. For me, the value has always been with the 60s and 70s classes of laptops.
Carlos
March 12, 2022 at 5:44 am
This is incredibly selling right now on amazon for $2,049.99 that and your super detailed review makes me lean towards this one. Thank you!
Milad
April 9, 2022 at 7:49 am
Hi,tnx for your great review. I dont mind the look of it,but Strix g15 this year looks so much cleaner than Scar 15. Anyway i game on laptop and i know that all 12th gen intel cpus r just fantastic but ryzen 9 6800hx of Strix g15 isnt good enough?! I also heard that G15 has better touchpad than the Scar and it has better look. So. And also another thing. M16 with i7 12700h and rtx 3060 120w worth buying? For gaming on QHD ?! Cuz in my country M16 with rtx 3060 and Strix g15 with rtx 3060 cost the same. And i dont know which to buy between these 3,M16,Scar15,Strix g15. Help!
Stephen
June 14, 2022 at 11:10 am
Question…this configuration is not currently available (out of stock). I can find the 3080 8GB model with the same display and overall configuration. What are your thoughts on the alternate GPU vs the reviewed 3070Ti version.
Andrei Girbea
June 14, 2022 at 12:12 pm
expect a 5-10% performance increase in games and rasterization tasks, and a little more in RT. Up to you if worth the price.
Stephen
June 16, 2022 at 1:46 am
Thank You so much; I could only find the 3070Ti at a retailer I don't consider reliable. I was able to get the 3080 model with same specs otherwise on Amazon for 2500, which was 150 USD more. Its overkill on the GPU, but I keep my machines for 4 to 5 years, so I'm good with the price.
Thank you so much for your help and great reviews.
alex
June 27, 2022 at 2:46 pm
great review, very detail.
Andrei, would you mind to review 12700h + RTX 3060 unit please ?
Andrei Girbea
June 27, 2022 at 2:54 pm
Slim to no chances of reviewing that one. I have reviewed that hardware in other products, though, at similar power settings to the Scar 15. The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is one example.
Julio Lugo
January 8, 2023 at 11:22 am
In your opinion, is the display in QHD noticeable and relevant, over FHD? To choose which version of this computer suits me.
Congratulations for the article, very professional and detailed.
greetings from Mexico.
*En tu opinión, ¿es notoria y relevante la visualización en QHD, sobre la FHD?. Para elegir cual versión de esta computadora me conviene.
Felicidades por el ártículo, muy profesional y detallado.
saludos desde México.
Andrei Girbea
January 9, 2023 at 12:31 pm
the colors are the most important difference. up to you whether 100% sRGB is enough (on the FHD screen), or you must have wide-gamut color coverage