fbpx

ASUS ROG Strix Hero II Hands-On, First Impressions

ASUS made quite the twin with the ROG Strix Scar II and Hero II edition gaming laptops. One is focused on FPS gamers, while the other is focused on MOBA players. What we’re taking a look at this time is the MOBA-centric ROG Strix Hero II.

The Strix Hero II is pretty much a carbon copy of the Scar II in terms of design and even in some of its internals. We still have a black and grey color scheme with a two-tone brushed finish and the RGB ROG logo.

The display of the Hero II is also the same with the Scar II, which is a different setup from the previous generation. The original Hero edition released last year featured a 120hz IPS display with a very high 25ms response rate. This time around, we get a 144hz, 3ms GTG FHD display. However, we lost the IPS panel and is now given a high-quality TN. While not a bad display by any means, it won’t be as vivid as the previous generation’s screen and viewing angles will also take a hit.

While no longer distinctively different from the Scar II, ASUS still wanted to give a focus on MOBA for the Hero II. That is why they gave the laptop a different set of highlighted keys — the QWER, which is the most commonly used shortcut keys in MOBA games. Other than that, the rest of the keyboard remains the same — 4 isolated hotkeys, 4-zone RGB, and Aura Sync. The trackpad too is the same.

Under the hood of the Strix Hero II is an Intel Core i7-8750H six-core CPU paired with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU and 16GB of RAM. This setup will be enough to game on high to ultra high on most games at the native 1080p resolution. It will also be more than enough to push over 60fps so that you can take advantage of that high refresh rate screen.

The GTX 1060 will not produce the same heat as the 1070 but the Hero II still has that triple-fan thermal solution the Scar II has. If its sibling already runs cool with this setup, then the Hero II will have no problems with heat at all. Again, we have the same abundant port selection as the Scar II — a USB 3.1 Type-C port, four USB 3.1 Type-A ports, an SD card reader, an HDMI 2.0 port, a mini display port, an ethernet port, a combo audio port, and a Kensington lock.

Like the Scar II, the Hero II is also shaping up to be quite the device. It has an amazing display, a good selection of ports, and a discreet and stylish design. Sadly, with a price tag of Php 104,995, it’s quite an expensive GTX 1060 laptop with no Thunderbolt 3 support.

SpecificationROG Strix Hero II (GL504GM)
Processor8th Gen Intel ® Core ™ i7-8750H
Operating systemWindows 10 Home
Display15.6" IPS-level FHD (1920 x 1080) panel with 144Hz refresh rate, 3ms GTG response time, 100% sRGB color gamut, and non-glare coating
GraphicsNVIDIA ® GeForce ® GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5 VRAM
MemoryUp to 32GB DDR4 2666MHz SDRAM (dual-channel)
Storage M.2 NVMe PCIe ® 128GB 2.5” 1TB FIRECUDA SSHD
Wireless802.11ac 2x2 Wave 2 W-Fi
Bluetooth ® 5.0
Connectivity1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C™ (USB-C™)
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
1 x mini DisplayPort 1.2
1 x HDMI 2.0
1 x RJ-45 jack
1 x SD card reader
1 x 3.5mm headphone and microphone combo jack
1 x Kensington lock
KeyboardBacklit chiclet keyboard
RGB across four zones, with Aura Sync support
Marked QWER keys
Hot keys: Volume up / Volume down / Mute / ROG Gaming Center
1.8mm travel distance
0.25mm keycap curve
Audio2 x 3.5W speakers with smart-amplifier technology
Array microphone
SoftwareROG Gaming Center 2.5
ROG GameFirst V
ASUS Splendid
ASUS Sonic Studio & Sonic Radar III
ASUS Aura Core 2.5
XSplit Gamecaster (free)
Android™ / iOS app
VR ReadyYes
Windows Mixed Reality Basic (minimum 8GB RAM required)
Power180W power adapter
Size36.1 x 26.2 x 2.61cm
Weight2.4kg

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 985 other subscribers
Avatar for Zen Estacio

Zen Estacio is a Multimedia Producer for YugaTech. He is the team's laptop guru and one of their resident gamers. He has a monthly column compiling the latest and greatest the Nintendo Switch has to offer. Aside from that, he regularly writes gaming news, reviews, and impressions. You can hit him up at @papanZEN

Leave a Reply
JOIN OUR TELEGRAM DISCUSSION

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *