Asus ROG Strix Scar18 – Unleash Your Gaming Potential

In 2023, 18-inch laptops had seemingly lost their appeal, but the form factor has recently experienced a resurgence. Asus presents the ROG Strix Scar 18. Being the top-performing laptop in Asus’s range, the Strix Scar sets the standard for this growing size category. Currently, only one model of the Strix Scar 18 is available in the UK, although there are other ROG Strix 18 laptops with lower specifications. This model boasts Intel’s Core i9-13980HX processor, 32GB of DDR5-4800 RAM, 2TB of storage (achieved through two 1TB drives in a RAID0 array), and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics. We anticipate the release of a variant with an RTX 4080 later this year. For now, this means that if you desire this powerful laptop, be prepared to pay almost £4,000.

The Asus ROG Strix Scar18 is a laptop that catches the eye with its stunning design. The chassis is a combination of grey and black colors, with translucent plastic situated towards the top, and “chain” designs present around the bottom and back.

Additionally, the laptop comes equipped with RGB LED strips located on the back and underside. The Scar18 is an enormous laptop, with a width and depth of almost 40cm and 30cm, respectively. Although this size is unavoidable due to its huge screen, the height of 30.8mm brings back memories of gaming laptops from the past. It’s too big to fit into a mid-sized commuter backpack, and its 3.1kg weight makes it less than ideal for travel, especially with its light-use battery life of only 4hrs 26mins.

The Razer, a competing brand, has a slightly better battery life of 5hrs 20mins. However, the Scar18 is more comfortable on your lap than its rival, with the underside temperature measuring 29°C in productivity mode

The Asus ROG Strix Scar18 is equipped with all the necessary ports for your gaming needs, located on the left side of the device. These include a power port, a 2.5GbE connector, an HDMI output, a 3.5mm audio jack, and two USB-C ports. However, the close proximity of the USB-C ports may be inconvenient for bulky dongles commonly used with modern gaming peripherals, limiting the use of both ports simultaneously. On the right-hand side, there are only two USB-A ports, which may require USB-C to USB-A adapters for gamers who have switched to USB-C peripherals. Despite this, connecting all necessary devices to the laptop remains achievable without any significant issues.

Gaming

So far, the Razer Blade 18 appears to be the stronger option, but during games testing, the trend was reversed. While benchmarks may not always provide the full picture of real-world performance, the ROG Strix Scar 18 outperformed its slimmer rival. The Scar 18 has an RTX 4080, compared to the 4090 of the Razer Blade 18, but with 175W of power and a greater emphasis on cooling, the Strix also outperformed the 4090-equipped Asus ROG Zephyrus M16. The system consistently ran games at over 120fps, even with high graphical settings, and often exceeded 200fps with Lost Ark. The Scar 18’s components and cooling capabilities may have contributed to its impressive performance, which was also evident in other benchmarks and everyday productivity tasks. However, Asus’s bundled software, including the “virtual pet” M.O.U.S.E, was not well-received.