Unveiled back in Computex 2017, ASUS’ first Ryzen-based gaming notebook, the ROG Strix GL702ZC, is finally here. It comes with either an AMD Ryzen 7 1700 (8-core,16-thread) or a Ryzen 5 1600 (6-core,16-thread) as its processor. For graphics, it has an AMD RX 580 4GB GDDR5 video card that’s FreeSync capable. It also comes with up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM for better multi-tasking capabilities.
As far as storage goes, the GL702ZC comes with 128GB SSD in its base configuration that can be upgraded to a 512GB NVMe SSD for faster storage. Complementing the SSD is a 1TB 7200RPM hard drive.
The screen is a 17.3-inch IPS panel that can be configured to have a refresh rate of either 75Hz or 120Hz. The display also comes with AG coating for less glare and its IPS panel gives it wider viewing angles compared to its TN-based cousins. The display is FreeSync capable and together with its RX 580, you can get decent frame rates without any screen tearing.
Its appearance follows the usual ROG design with angled edges and RGB lighting on the keyboard and on the logos behind the display and near the keyboard.
The ASUS ROG Strix GL702ZC comes with ASUS’ Command Center much like the GX800. This control panel allows you to monitor your system load such as RAM, CPU, GPU, and HDD usage all in one screen. You can even set several profiles for the notebook.
All the heat from the components inside the GL702ZC is blasted out the rear of the notebook. This allows the device to stay cooler while blowing the heat away from the user.
We haven’t had much time to test the GL702ZC, but we were able to run CPU-Z and Cinebench R15 to see how the Ryzen 7 1700 on the notebook we tested handled the load. The GL702ZC was able to match the default settings of our desktop-based Ryzen 7 1700 both in Cinebench R15 and CPU-Z.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to test the gaming capabilities of the GL702ZC. To give you an idea of what the RX 580 can do, you can check out our review of the ASUS RX 580 8GB Dual OC. Keep in mind, however, that the RX 580 from the GL702ZC only has 4GB of GDDR5 RAM and is clocked lower than its desktop counterpart. So the GL702ZC should have lower performance than its desktop cousin. We’ll know more about its performance once we had more time with the notebook. Here are the specs of the ASUS ROG Strix GL702ZC:
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 1700, AMD Ryzen 5 1600 |
| GPU | AMD RX 580 4GB GDDR5 |
| Display | 17.3-inch IPS, FreeSync, 75hz or 120hz |
| RAM | 8GB/16GB/64GB |
| Storage | 128GB SSD/512GB NVMe SSD, 1TB 7200RPM |
| OS | Windows 10 Home |
That’s about it with our first impressions about the ASUS ROG Strix GL702ZC. We’ll go into a more in-depth look about the notebook once we had more time with it. Look forward to our full review in the future.
