Asus ROG Strix Hero II GL504GM Preview – UK Exclusive!

ASUS first announced its new generation of ROG Strix laptops back at Computex 2018, and while we are still a couple of weeks away from a general UK release, KitGuru has been able to get hands-on with the Hero II GL504GM for a UK exclusive preview.

Small corrections on the video above from ASUS on 19th July: ‘The HERO II will be capable of fitting a 1070 card in it, the bulk of models in the UK will be 1060 models due to their being aimed at MOBA style gaming so a 1070 would not be necessary and more expensive for the consumer.

There will be limited 1070 availability for those that would like it, but they may also opt for the SCAR II.'

The ROG Strix Hero II GL504GM is a very modern laptop – not only does it sport the latest Intel 8th Gen mobile processors, with this model using the i7-8750H, but it also sports an updated design that has significantly reduced the bezels around the display. Paired with a GTX 1060 and up to 32GB of DDR4, we can expect a solid gaming experience from the Hero II.

Specification

CPU: Intel 8th Gen. Core i7-8750H, 6 cores with HT, 2.2GHz base clock, All Core Boost 3.4GHz, Max Boost 4.1GHz, 45W TDP
Screen: 15.6-inch, 1,920×1,080 resolution, 144Hz refresh, IPS-level
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5
Memory: up to 32GB DDR4-2666MHz
SSD: Toshiba 256GB M.2 NVMe (128GB/256GB/512GB)
Storag:e 1TB Seagate BarraCuda Pro 7200rpm SATA HDD or SSHD
Audio: 2x 3.5W speakers
Ethernet: Realtek Gigabit
Wi-Fi: Intel Wireless-AC 9560 802.11ac 2×2 Wave2
Bluetooth: v5.0
I/O ports : 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C, 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A, 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.2, Headphone jack, SD card reader
Battery: 4210mAh/66Wh, 180W adapter
Dimensions: 361mm x 262mm x 26.1mm
Weight 2.4kg

KitGuru uses a variety of equipment to produce content:
As of 27th April 2018:
Panasonic GH5 Cameras
Panasonic GH4 Cameras
Panasonic G7 Cameras
Various PC builds

Final output – colour grading/titling etc:
iMac Pro 18 Core/Vega 64/128GB
Adobe Premiere Pro CC (PC)
Davinci Resolve Studio 14/15 (Mac)

The ROG Strix Hero II GL504GM is a very modern laptop – not only does it sport the latest Intel 8th Gen mobile processors, with this model using the i7-8750H, but it also sports an updated design that has significantly reduced the bezels around the display. Paired with a GTX 1060 and up to 32GB of DDR4, we can expect a solid gaming experience from the Hero II.

The display in question is also in keeping with current trends, as it sports a high refresh-rate of 144Hz to give you a smoother gaming experience when compared to more ‘traditional' 1080p/60Hz panels. The panel technology itself is described as ‘IPS-level', so we should expect good viewing angles and punchy colours, but it not a true IPS panel.

We do need to mention that the exact laptop we have may not be fully representative of the final retail product – our sample is an early pre-release model we have for the purposes of this preview. We aren't expecting any major changes, but because of this ASUS has asked us not to run any benchmarks yet as the results may not be indicative of the final product. That will have to wait for our full review.

In the mean time, be sure to watch our preview in the video above. The full spec of the Hero II, as we have it, is as follows:

Specification

• CPU: Intel 8th Gen. Core i7-8750H, 6 cores with HT, 2.2GHz base clock, All Core Boost 3.4GHz, Max Boost 4.1GHz, 45W TDP
• Screen: 15.6-inch, 1,920×1,080 resolution, 144Hz refresh, IPS-level
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5
• Memory: up to 32GB DDR4-2666MHz
• SSD: Toshiba 256GB M.2 NVMe (128GB/256GB/512GB)
• Storag:e 1TB Seagate BarraCuda Pro 7200rpm SATA HDD or SSHD
• Audio: 2x 3.5W speakers
• Ethernet: Realtek Gigabit
• Wi-Fi: Intel Wireless-AC 9560 802.11ac 2×2 Wave2
• Bluetooth: v5.0
• I/O ports : 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C, 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A, 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.2, Headphone jack, SD card reader
• Battery: 4210mAh/66Wh, 180W adapter
• Dimensions: 361mm x 262mm x 26.1mm
• Weight 2.4kg

KitGuru says: The Hero II is a good-looking machine and it seems to tick all the boxes for a gaming laptop in 2018. While we can't give full details just yet, stay tuned for our full review coming soon!

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