The latest Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 has just about everything you could want in a gaming laptop. You can expect plenty of power thanks to the powerful pairing of an 11th generation Intel i9 processor and an Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU. The 17.3-inch 4K display with 120 Hz refresh rate contributes to the premium experience, although it is not the pinnacle of 4K.
This laptop also spoils with a sturdy metal chassis, a six-speaker sound system, and an RGB optical mechanical keyboard that is illuminated from every key - features that any discerning gamer would find hard to resist. Of course, all this power and functionality doesn't come cheap. But neither is a sports car or a custom-made suit, two other luxury items you might want to try at least once in your life.
Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i9-11900H
- Display: 17.3-inch IPS LCD (2560 x 1440) 165Hz
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (16GB)
- Memory: 32GB DDR4
- Storage: 2TB PCIe Gen4
- Battery: 90WHr
- OS: Windows 11
Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 Design:
When compared to a typical 15-inch gaming laptop, the Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 is a huge machine, which should be obvious considering it is a 17-inch gaming laptop. The form factor allowed the company to include everything expected of a high-end gaming laptop, without compromising on either features or quality.
When opening the laptop, the keyboard is at a 5-degree angle, which increases airflow, helping to keep the device cool during gaming. However, this design also has a flaw: if you close the lid of the laptop and connect it to an external display, the device does not offer the best possible performance.
In terms of build quality, the top lid of the laptop is made of metal, while the rest of the laptop is made of high-quality plastic with a matt finish, which resists fingerprints and stains. Another unique aspect of the Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 is the volume control, which is knob-like and doubles as a fidget spinner.
Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 Keyboard and touchpad
gaming laptops go as far as the CPU and GPU, but offer a more modest keyboard, but not the S17. This laptop is equipped with an optical mechanical keyboard with illumination for each key.
Typing on the keyboard is extremely comfortable. It is the kind of comfort that allows you to relax and play without worrying about key problems. The large size of the keyboard allows the hands to relax in a wide typing posture, and the generously sized palm rests offer considerable support even for larger hands. Comfort has been enhanced by the 5-degree tilt, allowing hands to be gently tilted upwards, as on a desk.
The keys are very tactile and the mechanical switches respond quickly, registering loud clicks with each key press. The travel is 1.9 mm, quite adequate. The keyboard has a deceptively low profile. It also remains cool to the touch even after 30 minutes of gaming, one of the benefits of the increased airflow underneath. Although the entire keyboard and trackpad are far superior to the unusual layout of the 2020 edition, it may not appeal to everyone. It features a reduced numeric keypad, which means that some keys such as 0 and + are rather small. In addition, there is no Enter key on the far right.
On the other hand, the keys to the left of the numeric keypad are full-sized. The arrow keys on the right are also full-sized. For the latter, Asus chose not to position them outside the lower periphery of the keyboard. This way, they line up well and are not too conspicuous.
Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 Connectivity
The Zephyrus is equipped with a wide range of modern ports that make it useful for both gaming and content creation. Two port options are available for connecting additional displays, including a USB-C port and a Thunderbolt 4 port.
The latter allows you to connect two 4K screens or an 8K screen and enjoy maximum data transfer speed. On the left is also an HDMI 2.0b port. A Gigabit Ethernet port allows for maximum connection speed in online gaming, while Wi-Fi 6 support offers decent speed for when you are unplugged.
Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 Gaming performance
In the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark, the Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 with Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU set at 140W excelled, outperforming the Asus ROG Zephyrus X13 with Ryzen 8 5980HS CPU and RTX 3080 GPU set at 150W. It also outperformed the Adata XPG 15KC with GeForce RTX 3070 set at 145W - the combination of the S17's i9-11900H processor and RTX 3080 GPU did a light job in the RoTTR preset workload.
Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 Battery life
The Zephyrus S17 is equipped with a large four-cell 90 WHr battery. However, it proved to be a mid-range product in our battery test, which took the battery from full to standby mode while playing a 4K video on repeat. Before starting the test, we charged the battery to full, unplugged the charging cable and plugged in a pair of headphones.
The Asus Zephyrus S17 lasted 5 hours and 44 minutes. Although we didn't get a chance to test the other configurations of the S17 with Advanced-Optimus, it is very likely that they would have outperformed our test unit, perhaps benefiting from the power saving this feature would have allowed them in our light video test.
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