You really do n’t know what you ’re getting into with an 18 - inch gambling laptop computer . Even after encounter piles of them over the preceding duo of years , the moment I coiffe up the 2024 Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 , I was shocked at how massive it was . Even now , after fill out all of my tests and living with the laptop computer , I still glance at it and marvel at how farcical it really is .
And that ’s exactly why I have it off it . The ROG Strix Scar 18 is n’t seek to be anything else — it ’s a monumental , chunky , completely impractical desktop replacement . It ’s not hear to be your portable gaming associate like so many of thebest gaming laptopsare , and that ’s exactly why it place upright out so much .
Specs
call back of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 in the same vein asLenovo ’s Legion 9i . It ’s a flagship laptop computer , and Asus only offers it in two constellation . You ’re getting a ton of power under the thug no matter of the constellation you choose , and you ’ll have to give a gamy price regardless .
Both shape come with a 24 - core Intel Core i9 - 14900HX that tops out at 5.8GHz , along with 32 GB of DDR5 - 5600 memory , up to 4 TB of storage separate across two 2 TB SSDs in RAID 0 ( default is 1 TB ) , and a 1600p mini - run display with a 240Hz refresh rate . The only conflict is the graphics card . you may get either an RTX 4080 or an RTX 4090 .
The RTX 4090 fashion model I reviewed alfileria in at $ 3,900 with 2 TB of storage . However , you’re able to get the RTX 4080 configuration for $ 3,000 with 1 TB of computer memory . We do n’t have pricing on all of the similar 2024 laptop computer quite yet , but Asus is come in around where I ’d expect . For reference point , the 2023 Razer Blade 18 with an RTX 4080 would run you $ 3,800 , while the RTX 4090 configuration bumps that up to $ 4,500 .
Design
Clocking in at a monstrous 6.89 pounds and 0.9 inches thick ( and over an column inch thick at its thickest point ) , you are n’t going to be throwing the Strix Scar 18 in a backpack to tote around with you . That ’s o.k. . That ’s not the goal of this laptop computer , and it ’s clear immediately .
It ’s thick and heavy , but not as much as I expected , mostly due to the plastic shell on the outside of the laptop . Size is the real slayer . This laptop has an 18 - inch , 16:10 display , and it needs a frame to twin . Overall , the body is nearly a groundwork foresighted and 16 inches all-inclusive . It ’s huge .
That work to its benefit , however . Because of how windy the genus Strix Scar 18 is for journey , you’re able to cleanly appreciate the reward of such a gravid conception . The keyboard is spacious , and the CRT screen is so handsome that it almost completely fills your sight when you ’re sitting a reasonable distance away from the laptop .
As note , this laptop has a pliant shell , but it ’s cover on a alloy eubstance . There ’s no flex in the keyboard , and the catgut of the laptop computer feel rock - solid . There ’s a bit of wobble in the screen due to the two rather small-scale hinges it sits on , however , as well as some screen flex . It ’s a consequence of such a large design , and Asus could definitely pay more attention to support such a large display on future iterations of this design .
One of the most telling panorama of this laptop is the RGB . There ’s a diffused RGB flight strip that race around the front of the laptop computer and is not dissimilar to last year’sStrix Scar 17 . In add-on , the plastic surrounding the keyboard tardily fades from black to a smoky filmy cover , eventually going in full vaporous on the back near the exhaust vents . Asus grade RGB light here , too , wrapping the total machine in a glow .
Yes , it ’s ridiculous , and yes , it screams , “ this is a gaming laptop , ” but I would n’t have it any other way . The Strix Scar 18 is n’t afraid to embrace what stimulate it place upright out , and it has a excogitation that matches the insane eyeglasses you find on the interior .
Ports
The Strix Scar 18 has a unanimous excerpt of ports . On the right side , you get a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type - A port , while on the left , you ’ll have a 2.5 Gb LAN port , full - size of it HDMI 2.1 , a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack , a Thunderbolt 4 porthole , and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type - atomic number 6 interface . Both the Thunderbolt and Type - C port support DisplayPort and G - Sync , though only the Type - C port supports up to 100 watts of power delivery .
It ’s a near selection , but I do n’t like how the port wine are spread out . Most of the ports are on the left side of the laptop computer , alongside the squat barrelful chaw . This barrelful plug for world power is pose about Battle of Midway down on the left side , too , so the placement always feels awkward . In addition , both USB - A ports are on the right side , so you ’ll be campaign against them if you ’re using a wired mouse with the laptop .
I much opt when laptop can set the ports around the back , insert by the cable system mess . Even without that approach , it feels like Asus could have accept greater tutelage to hand out the ports more equally across the body , as well as move up the power connector so it ’s not dangling out of the middle of the laptop .
Keyboard and trackpad
The keyboard and trackpad on the Strix Scar 18 are earth aside . The keyboard , for starters , is excellent . It has a retentive travelling , and there ’s plenty of space between keys . Even better , due to the size of the laptop computer , you get a number launching pad without sacrificing space on the main keyboard . Asus includes dedicated media keys as well , which I always love to see .
I do n’t bed the trackpad . It ’s spacious enough , once again due to the prominent sizing of the laptop , but Asus has so much extra room to go gravid . Even theRazer Blade 14has a bigger trackpad , while you could find a trackpad of this size on just about any 16 - inch laptop . It ’s big enough that you wo n’t feel cramped , but I ’ll always take a large trackpad over a pocket-sized one .
Display
One of the defining feature of the Strix Scar 18 is its mini - LED Nebula HDR display , and I ’m happy to report that it ’s just as telling as Asus claims it to be . At a high level , this is a 1600p display with a 240Hz refresh rate and a 3ms reply time . It also comes with a pot of certifications , include Nvidia G - Sync , Pantone people of colour validation , DisplayHDR 1000 , and backup for Dolby Vision HDR .
Those specs alone put it ahead of most of thebest gambling monitors . It ’s really the mini - LED marrow that radiate here , though . Asus tells me this exhibit has 2,023 zone — I mistrust it ’s 2,024 feed that zones are seldom in odd number , so let ’s just call it over 2,000 — and that grade of granularity on an 18 - column inch exhibit leads to exceptional HDR .
In SDR , I measured a peak brightness of 830 nits , while in HDR , the monitor crown out at 1,178 nit for a 1 % windowpane . Even at a 4 % window , the display contend to crank out 930 nits . That ’s highly bright . And with the broad assortment of dimming zones , the line proportion was high at around 30,000:1 . At lowly smartness horizontal surface , the proctor can even provide an infinite demarcation proportion .
Color was off the charts as well — I measure 99 % of DCI - P3 and 100 % of sRGB , with a colour error of just 1.2 . This is one of the best laptops displays I ’ve ever test , and it even give a lot of high - end gambling monitors a outpouring for their money .
CPU performance
Intel ’s Core i9 - 14900HX is at the nerve of the Strix Scar 18 , and although it ’s a sinewy 24 - essence CPU , it ’s really not much different than the Core i90 - 13900HX we saw last year . In fact , in the Cinebench R24 multi - core trial , last year ’s Core i9 - 13980HX inside the Lenovo Legion 9i manages a higher score . Even the M3 Max inside theMacBook Pro 16 , which has a low-spirited heart counting on paper , posts a higher upshot .
I have more information for Geekbench 6 , and in its multi - core trial run , the Strix Scar 18 actually manages a winnings over the Legion 9i . More importantly for Intel , it managed to beat the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D , which we saw featured in theScar 17 last yearfrom Asus .
exclusive - core performance in Cinebench shows that the Core i9 - 14900HX is n’t too different from the 13th - gen chips we saw last class , as it post almost an identical result . In Geekbench 6 , even against a wider belt of laptops , you’re able to see the same demeanor . Intel still maintain a lead over AMD in single - core operation , however .
Cinebench now includes a test for your GPU , and it should issue forth as no surprise that the RTX 4090 inside the Strix Scar 18 station some insane result . What ’s interesting is that it falls slightly short of the Legion 9i , despite that car being a littler 16 - in laptop . It ’s likely due to the cooler — Lenovo uses melted cooling for part of the RTX 4090 inside the Legion 9i .
couch that functioning together in Premiere Pro , you’re able to see that the Strix Scar 18 is a powerhouse in creator apps . It fall just short of the M3 Max in this app , but for Windows - based laptops , it does n’t get much better than this .
Gaming performance
There ’s no mincing words here : the Strix Scar 18 is a monster gaming laptop computer . You know that from the specs already , though . Comparing operation to similarly configured machines in 3DMark Time Spy , you may see how the potent combining of a 24 - substance Intel CPU and the RTX 4090 leads to chart - topping performance .
In 3DMark Fire Strike , an older DirectX 11 bench mark , the Strix Scar 18 still get by an impressive score , though it falls curt of the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D inside last yr ’s Scar 17 .
Thankfully , the functioning in substantial game is nothing to sneeze at . At the native 1,600p resolving , and with maxed - out configurations , the Strix Scar 18 clear 100 frame per second ( Federal Protective Service ) more often than not . The only two titles it fell short in wereCyberpunk 2077andForza Motorsport , which are two of the most demanding PC games out right now .
Ray tracingis also very much alive on this laptop computer , which was a tobacco pipe dream on a portable machine just a few days ago . Natively , the Strix Scar 18 can even clear 60 fps in games likeReturnal , Forza Motorsport , andShadow of the Tomb Raider . And in suit likeCyberpunk 2077,you have approach toNvidia ’s DLSS 3.5to make your frame rate soar .
The performance here is fantastic , but that ’s what you expect out of a laptop computer pack a 24 - core Intel C.P.U. and an RTX 4090 . What really stand out to me was the noise — or rather , the want of it . Do n’t get me awry , the fan still ramp up on the Strix Scar 18 , but it never reached the degree of uncomfortably loud , which is something you see with laptops like theMSI GT77 Titan .
It does n’t find like the Strix Scar 18 is struggling to keep the component inside cool , and that ’s more than similarly potent laptops can say . The fan certainly ramp up , but I could well fiddle through someLike a tartar : Infinite WealthandRed Dead Redemption 2between benchmarks , even with the laptop in its Turbo mode .
Battery life
You should n’t expect great battery sprightliness out of any RTX 4090 - pack gambling laptop , but the Strix Scar 18 was astonishingly good in my stamp battery life test . Running a entanglement - browsing loop , the laptop hold out over four - and - a - half hours from a full charge . It ’s not gravid battery life , but it ’s leagues better than what I ’ve seen with laptop computer pack similar hardware .
There are a couple of reasons for that . First is that the laptop automatically switch to the Silent mode when you unplug the charger , power down some hardware in the process . The main rationality , however , is that this laptop has both an MUX switch and Nvidia Advanced Optimus . When you ’re away from the courser , you could use the integrated graphics , saving you a gross ton of big businessman .
Verdict
The Strix Scar 18 never says “ no . ” It ’s a laptop computer with everything — top - destruction hardware , crazy RGB , a quick mini - LED display , and a sizing so big you could fit two MacBooks in the same loudness . It does just about everything , and it mostly succeeds .
For those looking for a unfeigned background replacement that can continue stationary , this is a compelling choice . It beats some similar machine mainly on the back of its impressive exhibit and solid heating plant management . However , this is n’t the laptop computer for most people . The price tag is insane and the massive sizing tethers you to a desk , so tread carefully if you ’re imagining a portable gaming paradise with the Strix Scar 18 .
Those willing to accept the trade - offs that inherently make out with an 18 - column inch laptop will find a well-chosen dwelling house here , though .
