Aorus 17 already review in Spanish (full analysis)

Lately we do not stop with laptops of extreme configurations and here we have this AORUS 17 NOW. Tas the proposal of MSI and Asus, we have to analyze this third member, a beast with i9-9980HK and RTX 2080 inside that has given us spectacular performance records.

AORUS joins the club of 240 Hz 1080p IPS displays, in this case 17-inch and Pantone certified, something that its gaming rivals do not offer, like its RGB mechanical keyboard. Brand of the house is always its aggressive design, with a truly great team and brutal lines. Will it be above its competition? Attentive because it is one of the best we have ever tried.

And of course we must thank the trust that AORUS gives us by temporarily lending us their laptop to be able to do our analysis.

AORUS 17 YA technical characteristics

Unboxing

The AORUS 17 has ALREADY come to us in a huge, heavy cardboard box. The exterior rendering is more or less similar to that of other teams, with a serigraphy on the entire outside area with AORUS 'own design and logo and without photos of the team. We can transport it perfectly since it has a briefcase-type handle.

Inside we have a very simple distribution, with the laptop in the center and protected by two polyethylene foam molds and in turn in a cloth bag. On both sides we have two large cardboard boxes that will serve to store the huge power supplies.

The bundle consists of the following elements:

• AORUS 17 YA Portable 2x 330W2x External Power Supplies 3-Pin Power Cords User Guide

This is just what we have, and of course we highlight the two huge power supplies of no less than 330W each. Do you think it will be mandatory to use both to play? We will reveal it much later friends.

Super aggressive gaming design

Personally I am a fan of AORUS gaming designs and this laptop goes a long way. Because it unites exquisite build quality with sharp edges built into a discreet but well-placed lighting system.

As for the measurements, this AORUS 17 YA leaves no doubt about how huge it is, at 396 mm wide, 293 mm deep and a tight 38 mm thick. The weight is also not quite high, with almost 4 Kg without having the power supplies. It is true that its screen is 17 inches, but the manufacturer has given it an extra depth that it places in measures above the average. But let's see the positive aspect, we have envelope space to place our hands and handle the keyboard perfectly.

Already with the equipment closed we can see aggressive edges both in the front and in the back with elements that protrude from the plane of the screen. The entire outer cover is made of high-quality aluminum and also a good thickness to avoid torsion of the screen, something that many manufacturers forget to correct. Above it, we have an AORUS logo that of course has lighting.

In this case we have a rear area that protrudes very little from the plane of the screen, unlike for example the Asus SCAR III model or the MSI Titan.

Both the rear and the front have no waste. No matter where you look at it, you won't be bored, because the team breaks with the monotony of elegant designs by introducing multiple steps and aggressive lines on a body that is also completely metal and painted in matt black. In the back we have more of the same, with impressive openings divided into three planes to expel the hot air that clearly remind us of the Lamborghini.

Those two elements that we see both in front behind are methacrylate plates with integrated RGB lighting that will be compatible with Gigabyte Fusion 2.0. With the corresponding software we can customize it without problems. Likewise, the element in the central back is nothing more than a decoration also with RGB lighting.

Despite all this, the screen opening system has remained a standard one, based on two fairly thick hinges integrated into the laptop's structure. Its route is quite wide, and they raise the screen a lot above the keyboard plane, which will allow us a better vision when we are using it. This is one of the reasons why the depth is quite large.

The screen, like other models, has very thin frames, only 5 mm plus a little extra on the outer cover. In this way, the width adjustment does coincide with the diagonal of the screen. Like the outer chassis, aluminum has been used for the internal finishes, except for the inner screen frames that are plastic and rubber.

The lower area once again is made of aluminum, and it is presented with a huge mesh with anti-dust mesh that will let all the fresh air into the interior. The design is supposed to be inspired by a phoenix, though rather reminiscent of a monarch butterfly, or is it? In any case, even the lower area does not escape the careful aesthetics.

We hope that later with the equipment very warm those phoenix wings will shine in our thermal camera.

Here we take a closer look at the lighting details with the equipment on. It is a fairly discreet light, although with a notable brightness that comes from the factory in orange, the representative of the brand.

The aesthetic section is undoubtedly one of the best we have today for gaming equipment.

Ports and connections

We continue with the side and rear areas of the AORUS 17 YA, because its connectivity is fairly distributed.

In the back area we will find:

• 1x HDMI 2.01x RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet 2x Power DC-IN jack inputs

We find it very successful to bring the two power inputs to the back area. You could have used a splitter like the one MSI has for your Titan, and in this way we would have gained some comfort and a smaller and more discreet connection. Although the reason to physically repair these two, is that we are never really going to need almost the second source, since with one there is enough energy if we do not overclock.

We also make a small criticism about the DC connector of these sources, which instead of being straight to facilitate entry into the laptop, have a 90 degree elbow that does not suit the laptop port at all.

Continuing with the left lateral area we have:

• 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Thunderbolt 31x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A2x 3.5mm jacks for dedicated audio and microphone

A fairly brief panel but full of power, since a Thunderbolt 3 could not be missing in this team (the one with the lightning symbol). Likewise, the second Type-C gives us a DP 1.4 connection that among other things supports 5K @ 60 FPS or 4K @ 144 Hz monitors, which is quite good in terms of design.

And finally in the right area we find:

• 1x USB 3.1 gen1 Type-C2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-AL SD card reader UHS-II

We continue with another Type-C connector, although this is normal and current. We certainly cannot complain about the wide connectivity we have, even with a high-speed SD card reader for streaming HD videos and high volumes of data.

240 Hz gaming screen with Pantone

AORUS joins the club of laptops with 240 Hz IPS panels, a trend that has been followed by all major manufacturers of high-end gaming laptops. A priori, the AORUS 17 ALREADY has the same panel that we find for example in the MSI and in our Asus, of which we have already analyzed a few.

This screen features 15.6-inch IPS image technology and native Full HD 1920x1080p resolution. The most interesting thing for the gamer is that it provides us with a refresh rate of no less than 240 Hz with a response of only 3 ms, which is quite high for an IPS. In this unit at least we have not observed any type of bleeding or phenomena that cloud the perfect image quality that we have. In addition, it is the only option available for the new AORUS 17, without a 4K version.

But the manufacturer gives us an extra compared to the others, and that is that this Full HD panel has X-Rite Pantone calibration certification. This means that it has a calibration performed by software and colorimeter to deliver a Delta E <1 as it happens in design oriented monitors. In the Windows screen configuration we can see that there is already an ICC file preloaded with the color configuration.

We will see the rest of the screen's features during calibration, since the manufacturer does not offer specific data on brightness, contrast or coverage of color spaces.

Calibration

We have carried out some calibration tests for this IPS panel with our X-Rite Colormunki Display colorimeter, and the HCFR and DisplayCAL 3 programs, both of which are free and available to any user with a colorimeter. With these tools we will analyze the color graphics of the screen in the DCI-P3 and sRGB spaces, and we will compare the colors that the monitor delivers with respect to the reference palette of both color spaces.

The tests have been carried out with the brightness at 100% and the Pantone setting activated.

Brightness and Contrast

Measurements	Contrast	Gamma value	Color temperature	Black level
@ 100% gloss	1308: 1	2.21	7567K	0.2316 cd / m 2
With Pantone ICC	1308: 1	2.20	6510K	0.2076 cd / m 2

These are the results that the screen would provide without being calibrated, but the fact that it already has a color profile implemented means that blacks and especially the color temperature and Gamma are improved, adjusting perfectly to the ideal.

As in other cases, we know that this panel provides a maximum brightness of approximately 300 nits without HDR capacity. The uniformity results are very good and we have not detected any type of bleeding in the corners. Undoubtedly, these new 240 Hz panels are a success both for gaming and to provide benefits in color quality.

SRGB color space

We have omitted the HCFR charts because it makes no sense to provide data from an uncalibrated display when in this it is in perfect balance. We simply see and confirm that the Delta E in the sRGB space is exceptional by verifying that the value is indeed less than 1.

DCI P3 color space

Practically the same is true in the DCI-P3 color space, although the Delta E rises slightly. This we have already seen in other 240 Hz panels of this type (see the Asus SCAR III and the MSI GT76) where the Delta E fails in exactly the same colors. However, Pantone calibration has allowed to have more adjusted values ​​for this space, something that would only be possible if we calibrated it ourselves.

Nahimic 3 Sound System

Few weak points has this AORUS 17 NOW, the sound is not one of them either. The manufacturer has installed a high-end Realtek sound card that is responsible for reproducing the sound through a system consisting of two 2W speakers for mids and highs, and another 3W woofer for bass. All this in turn controlled by the technology of the Japanese manufacturer of capacitors Nahimic. Something that greatly benefits the volume of the sound is that the speakers are placed in the upper area with separate openings upwards.

Not all, as the Jack audio output features a dedicated Hi-Fi ESS Saber DAC. This decoder gives us an output frequency of up to 24 bits at 192 KHz for headphones of between 16 and 600 Ω impedance.

The result is undoubtedly one worthy of a top range as is this laptop. The audio quality of its speakers is considerable, with the noticeable presence of bass that will come in handy for explosions and gaming events. Of course, to enjoy music at the highest level we recommend headphones connected to the Jack, which gives us impeccable sound. Nahimic 3 software will allow us to activate virtual surround sound for them, as well as modify other equalization parameters.

Regarding the webcam and the array of two microphones, we don't have much to add that you don't know. The sound is captured correctly and the camera supports a maximum resolution of 1280x720p. Nothing out of the ordinary in this case.

Touchpad and keyboard

On this occasion, the Gigabyte gaming division wanted to step forward and mount a mechanical keyboard on the AORUS 17 YA, thus raising the level of performance above average. The size of the laptop makes us have complete configuration with a numerical pad and navigation keys.

As we say, the keyboard has mechanical switches, although the manufacturer has opted for the Omron brand for them. You already know that it is a well-known manufacturer of gaming mouse switches, so we do not doubt its solvency. But we would have liked to have integrated more specific keyboard switches like Cherry or its Chinese variants. In any case, they provide us with sensational benefits, with a wide 2.5 mm travel, being tactile action switches with an audible click.

We are surprised that we only have a guaranteed lifespan of 15 million clicks although it is already much more than a membrane. The keyboard feels great for both typing and gaming, and the truth is that you can tell the difference with the membrane. In addition, this gaming keyboard has N-Key Rollover function so that each key sends the signal independently and RGB Per-Key lighting that we can customize key by key using the Gigabyte RGB Fusion software.

We would have liked the keys to be a bit smaller to allow space between the different zones, for example the grouped F keys, the separate number pad, etc. It is something that, for example, Asus has done in its SCAR III and the comfort to play is a little superior in this aspect, because it can more quickly identify the keys.

Regarding the touchpad, it also has a very high quality, although personally I prefer one with the separate touchpad click buttons to play . It is a matter of taste, but integrating them in the touch panel makes them somewhat harder and over time take up slack. Precisely I have noticed this, and it is the best installed and most stable touchpad in this configuration that I have tested in quite some time.

As for precision, touch and response it is exquisite. Obviously supports control by gestures with 2, 3 and 4 fingers.

Network connectivity

We are already inside the AORUS 17 NOW to start talking a little about the network connectivity we have, which in this case is at a great level.

Starting with wired connectivity, we have a Killer E2600 network card, the highest specification for 1000 Mbps bandwidth. And regarding Wi-Fi connectivity, there could be no lack of a Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 card, which is the gaming version of the Intel AX200 integrated into many current motherboards. As for bandwidth, it gives us exactly the same, 2.4 Gbps for 5GHz and 733 Mbps for 2.4 GHz. With the detail that it has a program for the management of coverage and channels.

Internal hardware

At last we come to what we like the most, which is the main hardware and the components for which we pay what this AORUS 17 YA is worth.

We start with the basics for a gamer, and it is nothing other than the graphics card. Here AORUS has not disappointed and has placed us an Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q that is going to give us a graphic and gaming experience worthy of a desktop computer. This GPU mounts a TU104 chipset derived from the desktop version. It has 2944 CUDA Cores alongside 368 Tensor and 37 RT which will be able to offer the best in ray tracing and real-time DLSS for laptops. This portable version works at a base frequency of 1380 MHz and 1590 MHz in turbo mode, delivering 184 ROPs and 64 TMUs. Inside it there is a total of 8 GB of GDDR6 memory at 14 Gbps with a 256-bit bus width at a speed of 448 GB / s.

We continue with the CPU that is not far behind, being the most extreme of Intel for laptops. The Intel Core i9-9980HK is a beast with 8 cores and 16 processing threads that also supports overclocking. Its base working frequency is 2.4 GHz, and can reach no less than up to 5 GHz. Inside we have 16 MB of L3 cache memory with a 45W TDP. Intel has refined its portable CPUs to the maximum with this 9th generation until giving really high performances as we will see later.

The motherboard that has been equipped has the Intel HM370 chipset, being the best performance for laptops without going to the desktop version. In it, a double DDR4 RAM memory module is installed with Samsung chips of 16 GB at 2666 MHz, thus taking advantage of the Dual Channel. This capacity will be expandable up to a total of 64 GB with 32 GB modules. This will undoubtedly make a lot of difference compared to gaming models that only have a Single Channel module.

Last and not least we have the storage section, which is at a good level in terms of capacity. For fast storage we have a 1TB Intel 760p SSD connected to an M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot. We would have liked a Samsung PM981 better, for having somewhat higher speed performance, although it is not a bad choice. And as slow storage a Western Digital HDD in 2.5 ”format with a capacity of 2 TB has been installed, which will come in handy for storing games.

Refrigeration system

The AORUS 17 YA is the clear example that appearances are deceiving. And it is not the first time that we see a cooling configuration with a double turbine fan and 5 heatpipes to bring the heat to the side sinks. But in this case, we must admit that it works like a charm, much better than we had expected having seen configurations of HP and others in which throttling was the order of the day.

The space helps a lot, having heat pipes somewhat wider than average, and especially much thicker fans that are capable of absorbing much more air than we are used to seeing. The system has been named WINDOFRCE Infinity, which places its efficiency at 37% compared to the previous generation.

The reason why only 5 heatpipes do the work of 10, is that the GPU and CPU cold plate have a vapor chamber system that increases efficiency considerably. What's more, we have not seen thermal throttling at any time despite the fact that the CPU is not overclocked and is working at 4.9 GHz, which is impressive.

Low autonomy, as is normal

In the AORUS 17 YA a Lithium - Polymer battery has been installed that delivers a capacity of 94 Wh with 6200 mAh. Certainly not bad, although with the brutal hardware we have autonomy is inevitably going to be reduced.

For a basic use browsing and editing Word documents like this, we have obtained a duration of approximately 3 and a half hours with the brightness below half and an aggressive saving profile.

For when we want to play, we have no less than two external power supplies. Each of them delivers 330W and they are completely huge and heavy. Should we use both? Well unless we think about overclocking, definitely not. With only one of them we get the maximum performance to play without problems, since the maximum consumption of the laptop is 313 W, practically just what a single source delivers.

The other source will then be used when we want to overclock the CPU or better, the GPU, as we will do later.

We will not make a specific section for the Control Center software because it is already well known and appears a lot in AORUS review.

Test of performance

We turn to the practical part where we will see the performance that this AORUS 17 YA offers. As always, we have carried out synthetic tests and tests in games.

All the tests that we have submitted this laptop have been carried out with the computer plugged into the mains, the ventilation profile in gaming mode and the power profile at maximum performance with the Gaming + and Professional function of Microsoft Azure activated.

SSD performance

Let's start with the benchmark of the Intel SSD, for this we have used CristalDiskMark in its version 6.0.2.

Well, these are the figures that we have seen on other occasions on Intel's SSDs. In this case, being 1 TB, they are slightly higher since they have more memory chips and squeeze more the capacity of the controller.

CPU and GPU benchmarks

Let's see below the synthetic test block. For this we have used the following programs:

• Cinebench R15Cinebench R20PCMark 8VRMARK3DMark Time Spy, Fire Strike, Fire Strike Ultra

The sensational work that Intel has done with this new 8/16 CPU is demonstrated, standing above everything we've tested on laptops so far. We see results that outperform many high-end desktop processors, and it's still an impressive notebook CPU.

And the same goes for the GPU, the presence of this RTX 2080 makes a difference with all the RTX 2070 that we have recently tested. Being quite close to the desktop version.

Gaming performance

To establish a real performance of this AORUS 17 YA, we have tested a total of 7 titles with fairly existing graphics, which are the following, and with the following configuration:

• Final Fantasy XV, standard, TAA, DirectX 12 DOOM, Ultra, TAA, Open GL Deus EX Mankind Divided, Alto, Anisotropico x4, DirectX 12 Far Cry 5, Alto, TAA, DirectX 12 Metro Exodus, Alto, Anisotropico x16, DirectX 12 Shadow of the Tomb Rider, High, TAA + Anisotropic x4, DirectX 12 Control, High, DLSS at 1280x720p, Ray Tracing Medium, DirectX 12

This laptop passes the brush, and in what way. The performance of your RTX 2080 in conjunction with the 9980HK is very noticeable, and the cooling helps a lot. We see that it even surpasses by far the MSI Titan that has desktop hardware.

Temperatures and consumption

The stress process that the AORUS 17 YA has undergone has lasted around 60 minutes, in order to have a reliable average temperature. This process has been carried out with Furmark, Prime95 and the capture of temperatures with HWiNFO.

AORUS 17 NOW	Repose	Maximum performance
CPU	44 ºC	86 ºC
GPU	39 ºC	66 ºC

As we said before, this heatsink works perfectly despite only having 5 heatpipes for the two main processors. We have very good temperatures at maximum performance, never exceeding 90 ^o C in an 8-core CPU that would be the most normal.

In addition, thermal throttling has not made an appearance at any time, so it gives us hope to be able to do a little overclocking of its components. The CPU works at a maximum of 4.9 GHz without touching any BIOS parameter which is excellent for performance.

Overclocking

On this occasion and in view of the good temperatures we have, we have overclocked the RTX 2080 in search of extra performance.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider	Stock	Overclocking
1920 x 1080 (Full HD)	127 FPS	129 FPS
	Stock	Overclocking
Fire Strike (Graphics Score)	25482	27969
Time Spy (Graphics Score)	21611	22159

And the truth is that the overclocking capacity has surprised us a lot, being almost at the level of desktop GPUs. We have stably output 550 MHz to GDDR6 and 70 MHz to GPU.

All this has been used to considerably increase the performance in the synthetic 3D Mark test, although not so much in games, with an increase of 2 FPS for Tomb Raider. The temperature reached has been about 70 degrees under these circumstances.

Final words and conclusion about AORUS 17 NOW

We come to the end of this analysis and this AORUS 17 ALREADY has very few weak points as we have been able to see. Starting with the design, the manufacturer offers us a laptop built in aluminum with aggressive lines and a very careful design that could be one of the best of the year. Of course, the equipment is very large and weighs quite a lot.

And as we have seen, the performance is sublime. The chosen hardware is simply TOP and this is demonstrated by the performance in games with more than 100 FPS in almost all cases and benchmarks of GPU and CPU at the desktop level. RTX 2080, i9-9980HK, 32GB Dual Channel certainly makes a difference.

As if the brand also the great heatsink we have, with only 5 heatpipes it keeps this powerful hardware under control, with less than 90⁰C in the CPU and about 65⁰C which are spectacular values. By cons, we have a very noisy system due to the thickness of the fans. This has even allowed us to overclock the GPU, so an extra performance is perfectly possible.

Another pearl that this laptop leaves us is the keyboard, in mechanical configuration even with the typical click sound. Omron switches have given us very good feelings both for writing and for playing. Although getting exquisite, a zone separation of the keys, and these a little smaller, would provide more versatility.

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Regarding the touchpad, it is also very good, although some separate buttons for gaming would perhaps give us an extra manageability. Another plus point is the sound system, the 2.1 setting works very well, with powerful audio and great quality. A dedicated DAC has been installed for the headphones.

We really liked the connectivity it has, both network and data, with integrated Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt 3 and quite a few USB Type-A and Type-C ports. Additionally, we have a total of 3TB of storage joining the Intel 760p SSD and the 2TB HDD.

Finally, to value the large screen that we have in this model, IPS of 240 Hz and 3 ms of response that is also certified by Pantone, and in the Delta E it is quite noticeable with very good values ​​in every way.

Finally we must talk about price, and here we do not have great advantages. The approximate price of this beast is 3999 euros, a barrier that can only be crossed by very few.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ HARDWARE STOP RANGE RTX 2080 + I9-9980HK	- VERY LOUD REFRIGERATION
+ 3 TB OF STORAGE AND WI-FI 6	- TOUCHPAD WOULD BE BETTER WITH SEPARATE BUTTONS
+ IPS 240 HZ DISPLAY WITH X-RITE PANTONE
+ RGB MECHANICAL KEYBOARD AND GREAT SOUND SYSTEM
+ EXCEPTIONAL HEATSINK THAT ALLOWS OVERCLOCKING
+ BRUTAL DESIGN

The Professional Review team awards you the platinum medal:

AORUS 17 NOW

DESIGN - 97%

CONSTRUCTION - 96%

REFRIGERATION - 97%

PERFORMANCE - 100%

DISPLAY - 96%

97%

The most powerful and round laptop we have tested this 2019