AMD and ASUS have teamed up at Computex to announce the first laptop powered by Ryzen processors. The ROG Strix GL702ZC features up to an 8-core Ryzen 7 1700 CPU and 8GB Radeon RX 580 graphics, along with a 17.3-inch FreeSync 2.0-capable display at 1080p or 4K resolutions.
The ROG Strix GL702ZC can be configured with up to 32GB of DDR4 memory and two storage drives: a 512GB NVMe SSD and a 2.5-inch SATA III SSD or HDD. Connectivity options include Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, one USB 3.1 Type-C port, HDMI 2.0, and an SD Card reader.
At 1.3 inches thick and weighing in at just under 7 pounds, the device is not as thin or light as the just-introduced Intel-based ROG Zephyrus with NVIDIA's "Max-Q" design, but the ROG Strix GL702ZC also isn't as large as some of the behemoth gaming laptops seen in recent years, especially considering its unique hardware.
While most games won't yet be able to take full advantage of the GL702ZC's 8-core/16-thread Ryzen 7 1700 processor, those interested in productivity and media applications, or heavy multitasking, should see a significant performance advantage over competing Intel-based laptops, which are currently limited on the high end to 4 cores and 8 threads. As pointed out by ASUS ROG lead Derek Yu, the GL702ZC is the world's first consumer-targeted 16-thread laptop.
For AMD fans who don't need all those cores, the Strix GL702ZC will also be configurable with the 6-core Ryzen 5 1600 and, when it launches in the third quarter, the 4-core Ryzen 3 1200.
As usual, ASUS did not announce pricing or availability, other than to note that the Strix GL702ZC should hit retailers "later this summer."
Good job AMD
Good job AMD
I’ll be curious on how they
I’ll be curious on how they manage the power limits. The TDP isn’t a huge issue, but power potentially could be. I wonder if they’ll use “smart” frequency control, like cool’n’quiet.
The r7 1700 is actually a
The r7 1700 is actually a very cheap CPU for an OEM to use.
The rx 580 is also pretty cheap… and freesync is “free”
So I would expect this to be a few hundreds cheaper then an intel 4core + nvidia GTX / gsync laptop.
I would bet the majority of desktop gaming PC have much lower spec.
2017 is a good year for PC 🙂
Is it the first 8 core
Is it the first 8 core laptop?
I’m sure I’ve seen boutique laptop makers offering Xeons in their builds.
Yes, several companies offer
Yes, several companies offer custom-built laptops with high core Xeons, hence ASUS's use of the "consumer-targeted" qualifier.
This is what I’ve been
This is what I’ve been waiting for. I’ve held off on buying a laptop until something like this comes along. Ryzen 5 6-core and RX 580 mobile graphics, yes please!!
I really hope this laptop is
I really hope this laptop is not as expensive as other ROG STRIX latops which cost over $1200 minimum.
I love Asus Rog STRIX laptops besides insanely high pricing. I don’t want to pay a price of used car for a laptop, seriously.