As an addict, you are of course always looking for the best upgrade or replacement for your existing equipment. Alternate understands this like no other and facilitates the special giveaway in every “Alternate your Gear” campaign. The lucky junkie has a chance to upgrade his equipment. The only thing the online store asks for is your clear and honest opinion about the new products, and an answer to the question of why they mean a real upgrade to you.

In this third edition of “Alternate Your Gear”, Alternate is very curious about what you think of the very powerful Erazer Beast X40 and ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733; Two high-end gaming laptops with the new Nvidia RTX 40 series video card on board. In this article we introduce you to the two machines, after which you can give your opinion and get a chance to win one of these powers.

You used to rely on a desktop computer to experience the latest PC games with all the graphical bells and whistles, but nowadays gaming laptops are no less. Mobile gaming on a laptop offers more and more possibilities and advantages thanks to current technologies, especially now that RTX 4080 video cards are available for laptops. These GPUs come at just the right time, because 2022 was a year with a surprising number of delayed game titles. Arc Raiders, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Company of Heroes 3, Hogwarts Legacy (now released), Kerbal Space Program 2, Redfall, Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl (due to the war in Ukraine), Skull and Bones, and the mega-project Starfield migrated entirely from 2022 to this year. Add it to the new titles of 2023 that are coming out on time, and you can talk about a busy year for PC gaming. So this is a perfect time to “swap” your current equipment. That’s entirely possible with one of these two high-end laptops, both with a GeForce RTX 4080 video card. That makes a world of difference.

Erazer Beast X40 MD62505 EN

With the Beast X40, Medion is launching the successor to the well received Beast X30. The Beast can rightfully be called a beast, because it is a powerful machine that allows you to multitask, stream, work and play. It is equipped with a GeForce RTX 4080 video card that promises smooth gameplay with plenty of graphical details. Playing Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing? The Erazer Beast X40 snarls with joy.

The Beast can rightfully be called a beast, because it is a powerful machine that allows you to multitask, stream, work and play.

The video card is equipped with G-SYNC technology and 12 GB of GDDR6 RAM. Under the hood of the laptop we also find the 13th Gen Intel Core i9 13900HX processor, 1TB PCIe Gen 4×4 SSD and 32GB DDR5-4800 RAM. Games come to life beautifully on a 17-inch QHD+ display with a 240Hz refresh rate, 2560 x 1600 maximum resolution, and 16:10 aspect ratio. This allows you to watch games in all their sharpness, frantic action renders smoothly and you won’t experience any stuttering. Afraid that this laptop will get too hot? It is not necessary. To keep cool, the processor and video card are coated with liquid metal thermal paste. This RGB mechanical keyboard with ultra-low profile Cherry MX switches promises ultra-accurate input. The keys feature 1.8mm travel and 65cN of force.

Want more graphic power, or could it be a little less? Erazer also offers other laptops with a 40-series video card, Such as models with GeForce RTX 4090, 4050, 4060 or 4070.

ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) G733 G733PZ-LL026W

If you’re more in the AMD camp, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733 offers more than enough horsepower to handle all your demanding laptop tasks and run the latest games. Just like the “gaming beast” above, this powerful machine is equipped with Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU with 12GB GDDR6 and G-SYNC. Games also look bright, smooth, and full of detail on this laptop.

The processor on duty is a Ryzen 9 7945HX Mobile processor, a 2TB PCIe SSD and 16GB DDR5-4800 RAM onboard. The AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX is a fast Dragon Range series laptop processor, with sixteen cores based on the Zen 4 architecture and support for overclocking (32 threads). The cores have a clock speed of 2.5GHz (base) to 5.4GHz (single core boost). This provides similar performance to that of the Core i9-13900HX processor in the just-reviewed Erazer.

17.3-inch wqhd display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, maximum resolution of 2560 x 1440 and, like the Erazer display, a 240Hz refresh rate. The per-key RGB backlit keyboard provides additional atmosphere.

It’s also worth noting that the ROG Strix Scar 17 uses Metal Grizzly’s Conductonaut Extreme Liquid Metal for the CPU and GPU. This thermal material can keep these parts up to 15 degrees cooler than traditional thermal pastes. In combination with a convenient steam room and four special exhaust vents, the system is able to dissipate heat in a smart and efficient manner. In addition, the frame rate remains smooth and stable thanks to ROG’s intelligent cooling technology. Afraid your laptop will roar like a Boeing 747? This fear is unfounded. In performance mode, the noise level of this device should not exceed 40 dB. Curious about other ASUS models with a 40-series video card – including those with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090? View it here.

Impact and efficiency of the new generation of GeForce RTX 40 GPUs

At the beginning of February of this year, laptops with Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs were introduced to the market. This began with the introduction of laptops with GeForce RTX 4090 and 4080 cards, and models with GeForce RTX 4070, 4060 and 4050 GPUs will soon follow. The chips are based on the 4nm Ada Lovelace architecture and feature 3rd generation RT, DLSS3 and AV1 cores.
With Ada High Efficiency On-Chip Memory, the GPU memory has been redesigned, resulting in improved power efficiency, including twice the bandwidth, more than ten times the capacity, and improved clock gate. The triple-speed memory control should enable the GPU to dynamically switch to new, more power-efficient memory modes. This allows the system to be more energy efficient when idle or low intensity applications are in use. By integrating graphics memory with the absolute lowest effort – Ultra Low Voltage – GDDR6 – GPU efficiency is increased.

Max-Q technologies improve performance, which promises to extend battery life and reduce noise.
Max-Q technologies are important, including Whisper Mode and Battery Boost 2.0. These features improve performance, promise to extend battery life and reduce noise. Features increase acoustics and battery life, respectively, and use DLSS 3 to work more efficiently. DLSS 3 uses AI and Tensor Cores to reduce rendering for GPU needs, improving frame rates by up to four times. In Whisper mode, the system temperature drops and the fans spin at a slower speed, providing users with a quieter experience. When running on battery, it helps to be able to play on a charge for up to twice as long.

You have a chance to win an Erazer Beast X40 or ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733

What do you think of the Erazer Beast X40 and ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733, when compared to the current competition or previous models? What do you think of the possibilities that new video cards bring and which laptop do you prefer?

Vote for your favorite laptop in the poll below and clearly explain in the comments below this article why it’s a welcome upgrade to your existing gear. Tweakers Alternate Partner loves to hear from the community and is interested in all feedback.

As a thank you for sharing your honest opinion, Alternate is giving away one of the two laptops to a participating community member. The laptop that gets the most votes among the respective voters will be drawn. The only thing we then ask of our thrilled winner is to write an equally honest review and put it to Tweakers Pricewatch. Then your gaming laptop is definitely yours and you’ve changed your gear.

Promotions terms and conditions

• Your Tweakers account must be active before February 18, 2023.
• You can participate until February 28, 2023, only by poll. You can participate in the survey once.
• The winner will be notified via email no later than March 10, 2023. Non-winners will not be notified.
• The winner will be selected at random. There will be no correspondence about the result.
• Winner is willing and available to test the product within two weeks of receiving it and post a thorough review at Tweakers Pricewatch.
• Minors may only participate with the prior consent of their parents or guardians.
• Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash or any other goods.
• Tweakers and Alternate employees are excluded from participating.
• Participants who do not meet the above requirements may be excluded from participation.
• Complaints can be submitted via [email protected].