ASUS Scar III vs ASUS Zephyrus S GX502: Which is Better Option?

Estimated read time 11 min read

The ASUS Scar III and Zephyrus S are both powerful gaming laptops that offer similar specs, but what are the differences and which one should you get? In this detailed comparison, I’ll look at pretty much everything to help you decide which one is right for you.

ASUS Scar III

ASUS Zephyrus S

PROS PROS
Keyboard and side RGB lighting looks cool. Awesome audio output. Unique Keystone hardware key may appeal to some. Slim design with full-throttle GeForce RTX graphics. Optimus graphics mode greatly increases versatility. 240Hz G-Sync display. Narrow screen bezels. Keyboard back where it belongs. Per-key RGB keyboard backlighting.
CONS CONS
GeForce RTX 2060 graphics and 240Hz display are a questionable pairing. Primarily plastic enclosure not as rigid as metal chassis. The screen doesn’t support Nvidia G-Sync. Fans get loud while gaming. Cooling fans get loud under load. Real-world gaming performance mostly in Max-Q range. No webcam.
OUR VERDICT:

The Zephyrus is winning and is what I’d personally pick between the two, however, the Scar is still a fair option if you don’t need absolute best gaming performance

SPECIFICATION TABLE:

MODEL

Scar III

Zephyrus S

Brand
ASUSASUS
Series
G731GW
ROG Zephyrus S
Model

G731GW-KH71GX531GX-XB77

QUICK INFO

Scar III

Zephyrus S

Color
BlackAluminum Black
Operating System

Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
CPU

Intel Core i7-9750H 2.60 GHz
Intel Core i7-9750H 2.60 GHz
Screen

17.6" FHD
15.6" 144 Hz IPS
Memory

16 GB DDR4
16 GB DDR4
Storage

1TB Seagate FireCuda 7mm SSHD (8GB Cache)
1 TB PCIe NVMe Hyper Drive SSD
Graphics Card
GeForce RTX 2070
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
Video Memory
8 GB GDDR6
8 GB GDDR6
Dimensions (W x D x H)
15.7" x 11.5" x 1"
14.17" x 10.55" x 0.60"-0.63"
Weight
6.34.63 lbs.

CPU

Scar III

Zephyrus S

CPU Type
Intel Core i7 9th Gen
Intel Core i7 9th Gen
CPU Speed9750H (2.60 GHz)
9750H (2.60 GHz)
Number of Cores6-core Processor
6-core Processor
Core NameCoffee Lake
Coffee Lake
Turbo FrequencyUp to 4.5 GHz
Up to 4.50 GHz
CPU L3 Cache12 MB12 MB

CHIPSET

Scar III

Zephyrus S

ChipsetIntel HM370 ExpressIntel HM370

DISPLAY

Scar III

Zephyrus S

Screen Size15.6"15.6"
TouchscreenNoNo
Wide Screen SupportYes
Display Type
Full HDFull HD
Resolution1920 x 10801920 x 1080
PanelIPS
Refresh Rate
LCD Features240Hz IPS-Level, Anti-Glare Wide View Angle, 100% sRGB144 Hz 3 ms, IPS-Level, 500 nits, 72% NTSC 100% sRGB, Anti-Glare

OPERATING SYSTEM

Scar III

Zephyrus S

Operating System
Windows 10 HomeWindows 10 Pro 64-bit

GRAPHICS

Scar III

Zephyrus S

GPU/VPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
Video Memory8 GB
8 GB
Graphic TypeDedicated CardDedicated Card

STORAGE

Scar III

Zephyrus S

SSDNo1 TB

MEMORY

Scar III

Zephyrus S

Memory16 GB
16 GB
Memory Speed
DDR4 2666
DDR4 2666
Memory Spec
8 GB x 2
8 GB onboard + 8 GB x 1
Memory Slot (Total)
21
Memory Slot (Available)
0
Max Memory Supported
64 GB

24 GB (8 GB onboard + 16 GB x 1)

OPTICAL DRIVE

Scar III

Zephyrus S

Optical Drive Type
No

COMMUNICATIONS

Scar III

Zephyrus S

LAN
WLAN
Intel 9560 Jefferson Peak (2x2 802.11ac)
802.11ac Wireless LAN
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.0

PORTS

Scar III

Zephyrus S

USB
1 x USB 3.1 Type C Gen2, 3 x USB 3.1 Type A Gen1
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C
2 x USB 2.0
Video Port
HDMI
1 x HDMI 2.0
Audio Ports
1 x Microphone Jack, 1 x Headphone Jack3.5 mm combo audio jack

AUDIO

Scar III

Zephyrus S

AudioBuilt-in array microphone
Speaker2 x 3.5W Speakers with Smart AMP Technology2 x 2W

OUTPUT DEVICE

Scar III

Zephyrus S

Virtual Reality Ready
Yes

INPUT DEVICE

Scar III

Zephyrus S

Touchpad
KeyboardIndividual Per Key RGB Lighting KeyboardIlluminated Chiclet Keyboard 4-Zone RGB
Backlit Keyboard
BacklitBacklit
Webcam720p HD Webcam720P HD

Card Reader

GENERAL

Scar III

Zephyrus S

StyleThin and Light
Thin and Light
Type
Gaming & Entertainment
Gaming & Entertainment
Usage
ConsumerConsumer

POWER

Scar III

Zephyrus S

AC Adapter
230W AC Adaptor, Output: 19.5V DC, 11.8A, 230W, Input: 100~240C AC 50/60Hz universal
230-watt AC adapter
Battery4-cell Li-ion, 4S1P, 66WHrs60 WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion

DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT

Scar III

Zephyrus S

Dimensions (W x D x H)
15.7" x 11.5" x 1"14.17" x 10.55" x 0.60"-0.63"
Weight
6.34.63 lbs

Expert Reviews For ASUS Scar III:

By eTeknix
If you’re looking for a laptop that provides exceptionally high-levels of performance that would look good in any setting, then the ASUS Scar III is definitely it. Coming at a price that is perhaps lower than you might expect (based on the excellent components inside) it may not have all of the bells and whistles offered by alternatives, but it’s sleek professional style and amazing performance gets a huge thumbs up from us!

By HardwareZone
When I buy a gaming laptop, I want it to work right the moment I power it on. ASUS says that leaving one of the DIMM slots free helps customers save because they can simply buy one more stick of RAM instead of, say, a 2x16GB kit (if they were upgrading from 2x8GB), but it still doesn’t seem worth it to me. Furthermore, the performance deficit that comes with single-channel memory is massive, and it doesn’t seem right that I’d have to pay more to upgrade the laptop in order to get my money’s worth.

By PcWorld
In reality, the Scar III doesn’t really do much that other gaming laptops don’t. While you’d be perfectly happy with its performance, you might be better off with building your own PC with the same components – unless you need the laptop form factor, you’re not missing anything here.

By IndiaToday
Asus has finally gone for a design that makes its gaming laptop look elegant and aggressive at the same time. Kudos to the design inputs from the BMW Designworks for making a conventional gaming laptop so appealing. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that this is one of the most exciting gaming laptops you can buy today.

By AusGamers
That said, the closer look with the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR III reveals a solid and exceptional laptop. From a great keyboard feel to a vibrant display to decent hardware that lets you max-out all the most visually demanding titles playable today. Minor issues aside there’s very little not to love here, making this a great gaming laptop.

Expert Reviews For ASUS Zephyrus S GX502:

By T3
It’s slim and lightweight – that’s the first thing you’d notice about the Zephyrus S GX502G, a new iteration of the notebook series under the Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand of Asus. It may be thin, but the GX502G packs in enough power deliver high frame…

By ExpertReviews
So has Asus done enough to usurp Razer? In many ways, yes. It’s bigger than the Blade, but not by so much that it makes a huge difference day to day. Its performance is equally stellar and it’s cheaper, too. The only downside is that it isn’t as sleek,…

By HardwareZone
Sometimes tried-and-tested designs work bestThe latest iteration of the Zephyrus may just be my favourite. The ROG Zephyrus S GX502GW doesn’t dazzle with a non-traditional keyboard and digital number pad, but that’s perfectly okay. It’s understated and…

By TheStraitsTimes
Asus’ new ROG Zephyrus S GX502 gaming laptop tries to strike a balance between work and play with a more conventional design than previous models in the series.For starters, the keyboard and touchpad are where you expect them to be. This is not the…

By PCGamesN
Sacrifices must be made in this tight form factor, and the Zephyrus GX502 makes ample, smart decisions to walk that razor’s edge between practicality, performance, and…

DETAILED REVIEW:

Above we have shown the overview and depth specifications of both the Laptops. Now, we are sharing the full review.

DESIGN

ASUS Scar III:

If it comes to design the Scar 3 is a very eye-catching laptop. You have a metal lid with brushed aluminum texture and the ROG logo that you can light up with RGB colors. On the back, it has extended the exhaust section, but when you open the laptop it doesn’t stick out too much thanks to a well-designed hinge mechanism. On the front and on the sides there is one large light bar that makes the laptop look like it’s hovering above the ground. The deck is made of solid plastic with few extruded lines and a keystone slot on the left-hand side.

ASUS Zephyrus S:

GX502 is a good example that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to look fancy to attract attention. I like this clean design with small elements that make it look great. You have a metal lid with a brushed aluminum texture and ROG logo. The simple and smart shape of this laptop combined with clean design makes it eligible to use in public without shame

The Zephyrus is a laptop built for those who need a powerful and portable device. If your Creator, maybe you travel a lot or you just carry your laptop every day to school or work, you will appreciate how portable it is and how much power it packs inside.

WEIGHT & DIMENSIONS

ASUS Scar III:

If it comes to dimensions the Scar 3 is pretty portable. The extended exhaust section makes it slightly deeper than some other gaming laptops with the thin-bezel display, but it’s still light, and it will fit to a regular 15.6″ laptop case with ease.

ASUS Zephyrus S:

ASUS lists the weight of the laptop at 2kg, and mine was around this. With the 230-watt power brick and cables for charging included the total weight rises to 2.8kg. The dimensions of the GX502 are 36cm in width, 25.2cm in-depth, and under 1.9cm in height with the lid closed, so definitely on the smaller side for a 15-inch machine with these powerful specs inside. The height will raise when you open the lid, as this raises the back up to improve airflow.

KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPAD

ASUS Scar III:

The keyboard with long 2mm key travel and good spacing. It’s not full size, but don’t worry, you have the number pad displayed on the touchpad after touching the right top corner.

The useful feature that it has is the “overstroke” technology which registers the keypress before you actually press the key all the way down. This may translate into an advantage in-game, since your reaction will be registered faster.

If it comes to lighting you have very vivid per-key RGB. You can customize every single key the way you want or use one of many built-in effects.

The touchpad uses Windows Precision drivers, so it’s got good gestures and tracking. I had no complains when using it. It was big enough, accurate, the surface was smooth and 2 dedicated clicking buttons were working well. One thing to note is that if the numpad is on, you can’t use the touchpad until you turn it off.

ASUS Zephyrus S:

The keyboard is just another element that looks good in this laptop but what’s more important it’s really comfortable to use. There is no NUMPAD here. There was minimal keyboard flex.

The precision touchpad worked very well, it’s smooth to the touch and has the usual gestures. I’m not sure why I liked using it so much, it just felt accurate and easy to use.

I/O

ASUS Scar III:

When it comes to port selection you have pretty much every needed IO, but I don’t like that Asus removed SD card slot and MiniDisplay port. As same as the previous generation, the Scar 3 still doesn’t support Thunderbolt 3. In Scar 3 you can find a new feature called Keystone which is a magnetic NFC chip that you can plug in to the slot on the right-hand side. It can save your gaming and lighting profiles and also unlock the secret Shadow Drive where you can store your files. Except that it looks nice i don’t find it very useful so i’d rather have SD card slot and MiniDisplay port back.

ASUS Zephyrus S:

On the left from the back there’s a an air exhaust vent, power input, gigabit ethernet, HDMI 2.0b output, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A port, and 3.5mm mic and headphone jacks. The right from the front there’s a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.4 support, no Thunderbolt in this machine though, two USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports, air exhaust vent, and Kensington lock. On the back are air exhaust vents towards the corners, and then nothing at all on the front.

DISPLAY

ASUS Scar III:

One of the most hyped features of Scar 3 is 240Hz display and I believe it’s buttery smooth but I’ve got the unit with 1080p 144Hz 3ms response IPS panel which is not worse at all. Despite it doesn’t support G-Sync it’s the smoothest 144Hz display that I’ve tested, which in combination with powerful hardware allows you to take advantage of the fast refresh rate.

The color accuracy is good as well, the colors are vivid and sharp with a cold tone. I find them very accurate, the games look great, but I can recommend this laptop for content creation as well.

You have 97% of sRGB color gamut, 73% of AdobeRGB and the brightness is 320 nits.

ASUS Zephyrus S:

The Zephyrus display is one of the fastest available on the market right now. It’s 15.6 inches, 144 Hertz, 1080p IPS panel with 3 milliseconds response time and G-sync support. At the fast refresh and the response time is exactly what you need for gaming, so it’s just perfect for that purpose. Everything runs smooth and the colors are vivid to provide you the best gaming experience.

When it comes to color accuracy, this panel can reproduce 97% of SRGB color gamut and 72% of Adobe RGB, so I would be more than happy to use it for some graphics work.

BATTERY

ASUS Scar III:

The battery life hits around 5 hours when browsing the web, watching YouTube and doing light productivity work. When gaming, the battery dies after 1.5 hours. I think it’s a good score for a gaming laptop.

ASUS Zephyrus S:

Powering the laptop is a 76-watt hour battery. I’ve tested it with the screen brightness at 50%, background apps disabled, and all keyboard lighting off. While just doing light productivity work the battery lasts about 4.3 hours. While playing the games the battery lasted for 1 hour and 6 minutes.

GAME BENCHMARKS: Scar III vs Zephyrus S

NOTE -
I am sharing the Average FPS of the following games.

WHICH TO BUY: Scar III or Zephyrus S

At the moment, the Zephyrus is slightly cheaper, but once you factor in the need to include a second memory stick for dual-channel the price will be about the same. In most of these cases, the Zephyrus is winning and is what I’d personally pick between the two, however, the Scar is still a fair option if you don’t need absolute best gaming performance or G-Sync. In the end, both will play any modern game well without issue and handle basically anything you throw at them.

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