Desktop-grade processor in a laptop
How does an octa-core gaming laptop fancy you? With the ASUS ROG Strix GL702ZC, you are dealing with a gaming laptop sporting a desktop-grade AMD Ryzen 7 1700 processor—making it the first 8-core gaming laptop in the world. How powerful is the Ryzen 7 1700? Aside from having 8 cores and 16 threads, it is almost 50% more powerful than Intel’s 7th-Generation i7 Processor.
As it has officially launched in the Philippines on September 28, we got our first look at ASUS’ latest ROG laptop. Let’s check out its specs:
ROG Strix GL702ZC Specs
- 8-Core AMD Ryzen 7 1700 Processor / 6-Core AMD Ryzen 5 1600 processor
- AMD Radeon RX580 GPU with 4GB DDR5
- 8GB/16GB DDR4 RAM, expandable up to 64GB
- 1TB 7200RPM HDD + 128GB SSD (expandable up to 512GB)
- 17.3-inch Anti-Glare IPS Full HD Display, 75Hz/120Hz with FreeSync
- Gaming keyboard with anti-ghosting
- Windows 10 Home
Initial Impression: Familiar ROG design on a bigger chassis
A first look at the ROG Strix GL702ZC, you are greeted with a familiar ROG design, with its Myst Black casing, accented by light bars surrounding the ROG logo. The exterior has a brushed finish; however, it is a bit prone to smudges so you better have a cleaning cloth on standby if you are a bit OC with your gaming rig’s cleanliness. In spite of its powerful internals, the GL702ZC is relatively light for a gaming laptop, tipping the scales at 3KG.
The model we got to see is the Ryzen 7 1700 model, equipped with a 120Hz display, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD storage.
On the left side, you have your power supply port, LAN port, MiniDisplay port, HDMI port, USB-C port, USB 3.0 port, and headphone jack.
On the right side, you have your Kensington security lock, 2x USB 3.0, and SDXC card reader.
On the GL702ZC, you have a backlit keyboard that has anti-ghosting for a smooth gaming experience. You are dealing with a full-size keyboard here, complete with a numeric keypad.
The palm rest is made of brushed aluminum and is generously wide. Accents of orange surround the trackpad, complimenting the ROG color motif. Orange is also used for the speaker grilles, which integrates nicely to the Strix GL702ZC’s palm rest area, along with the overall ROG design DNA.
The bottom casing is a one-piece type with all screws visible, making the Strix GL702ZC easy to upgrade.
For the power supply, you have a massive 280W brick powering the Strix GL702ZC for those extreme gaming sessions.
While we did not have time to install games on the GL702ZC, we did a quick benchmark test using Cinebench R15. The result? A score of 1406, making it faster than the server-grade 12-Core Intel Xeon X5650 (which scored 1279). Yes, we are dealing with serious internals on the GL702ZC.
That’s it for our quick review of the ROG Strix GL702ZC. Stay tuned for our full review!
