Most gaming laptops are powered by Intel CPUs and have been for many years. AMD shook things up earlier this year with Ryzen and now, the respectable desktop chip has found its way to a portable platform courtesy of Asus.
The Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC is billed as the world's first gaming laptop powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 processor. It features a 17.3-inch FHD IPS anti-glare display with Freesync that's driven by a Ryzen 7 1700 CPU, AMD Radeon RX580 graphics (4GB of VRAM) and 16GB of DDR4 memory (expandable up to 32GB).
The system can be configured with a 256GB M.2 SSD and a 1TB hard drive (albeit a 5,400RPM variety) and utilizes a chicklet-style keyboard with 30-key rollover, a multi-format card reader, HD webcam and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi (plus Bluetooth 4.2). Connectivity-wise, you get a USB 3.1 Type-C connector, three USB 3.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, HDMI and a mini DisplayPort. Windows 10 Home edition comes standard.
The gaming machine measures 16.3 inches x 11 inches x 1.3 inches and weighs 6.6 pounds. With its four-cell battery, you'll be at just over seven pounds. Unfortunately, Asus hasn't mentioned the laptop's rated battery life although it probably won't be quite as efficient as Intel's latest offerings.
The Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC is available as of writing from Best Buy priced at $1,499.99. Other retails like Amazon and Newegg will likely have the machine in stock soon.