The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 Is One of the Best Gaming Laptops I’ve Ever Used
Gaming laptops are commonplace these days, but not all of these pricier, more powerful PC alternatives are worth paying a premium for. To my delight, that's not the case with the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18, which manages to stand out from the crowd thanks to an absolutely brilliant display and the latest power-packed hardware. There isn’t much to complain about, and if you have a few thousand dollars to drop, this is the gaming laptop to beat.
It's big, but not oversized
One of the first things that you’ll notice about the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is just how big it is, even though it never feels oversized. Despite the 18-inch screen size and a chassis large enough to fit a ton of souped-up hardware that wouldn't fit into a slimmer and more modern design, the laptop actually does a great job of managing its size and weight.
Despite its big footprint, the ROG Strix Scar 18 only weighs in at 6.77 pounds. That sounds like a lot, especially compared to the weight of my normal daily driver, a MacBook Air 15-inch that weighs roughly half as much, but we’re also talking about a gaming machine with a lot more oomph, thanks to the 13th-Gen Core i9 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 strapped inside.
The 18-inch 2560 x 1600 IPS display is a big part of that size equation, but it isn’t hard to justify the associated extra weight (and cost) once you get a good look at it. Not only is it 2K resolution, but the display is brilliantly colored and offers a blazing 240Hz refresh rate.
All things considered, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 isn’t a very portable laptop. You can certainly tote it around, but the almost 7-pound body, as well as the hefty power brick required to charge it, make it a bit too much to handle—but that’s likely to be a problem with any laptop with a large display, and this one feels trim compared to its capabilities.
Killer specs justify the weight (and the cost)
If you're worried that weight won't be worth it, the specs might change your mind. The particular variation I tested runs to around $4,000 and some change, based on my best estimates after fiddling with the customization tools on Asus' website.
For $4,000, a gaming laptop has to deliver a lot of performance to make it worth purchasing. This one definitely does. Here are the specs for the system that I tested out, but you can pick and choose from the configurable options on the Asus website.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 specs:
Processor: Intel Core i9-14900HX at 2.20 Ghz
Ram: 32GB
Drive type: SSD
Screen Size: 18 inches
Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Panel type: IPS
Refresh rate: 2560 x 1600
Variable refresh support: G-Sync
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
Graphics memory: 16GB
Wireless: 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.2
Weight: 6.77 lbs
OS: Windows 11 Pro
Asus has loaded this laptop up with everything you need to succeed in any game that you throw at it. With a gaming laptop like this, performance isn’t an issue—and it likely won’t be for a good few years. That’s a nice perk when you're spending this much. The ROG Strix Scar 18 also comes equipped with two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, as well as a microphone port.
Plastic everywhere
Despite my praise of the weight and the specs, there is one aspect of the ROG Strix Scar 18 I don't love: There’s just so much plastic. I get it; building a high-powered gaming laptop equipped with all the latest and greatest hardware while balancing materials cost and weight has got to be a challenge. However, Asus relies on plastic for pretty much every visible component of the ROG Strix Scar 18.
It’s a really disappointing move, especially considering the costs we're talking about, and the fact that more metal is used in other similarly priced laptops, such as the new MacBook Pros. (No, the MacBook Pro isn’t exactly a “gaming machine,” but it does fall into the same high-powered category of laptops.)
The nice thing, at least, is that the plastic doesn’t feel cheap. The exterior of is covered from top to bottom with RGB and both real and fake grilles for the cooling system. It gives the machine a unique look that screams “I’m a gamer" (which could be a plus or minus, depending on your point of view). Personally, I’m enamored of simpler, more understated design language, but not everyone is like me, and Asus has always tended to favor a bit of a flair when it comes to its ROG lineup.
These quibbles aside, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 still feels like a premium device in all the important ways. The keyboard is smooth to type on, and gaming on it is a dream. Even the trackpad performs well, though serious gamers will definitely want to opt for a proper gaming mouse.
Performance and battery life
As you’d expect from a laptop as packed to the brim as this, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is an absolute beast. I tested it with multiple games, including Cyberpunk 2077, Star Citizen, and Helldivers 2, all of which performed exceptionally well, which isn't always the case—especially with a title as resource-intensive as Star Citizen.
I never experienced dips in performance while gaming, and I was easily able to connect my SteelSeries headset without issue, allowing me to team up with my friends on Discord. I tested online gaming mostly via wifi, and the connection was always stable and speedy. While running the Strix Scar 18 connected to an external 4K monitor, I was able to get fantastic performance even with the most demanding games.
The tradeoff for all that power is battery life. This thing sucks up a lot of juice, and if you’re not running it in one of the lower power modes—like balanced or power saver—then you’re going to need to top up often. Running solely on the battery, I was able to play Cyberpunk 2077 for just over two and a half hours before I started having to look for an outlet. If you really want to eke more out of the battery, you’ll have to fiddle with the settings—but I wanted to see how hard I could push it during my tests.
When you're not gamily, the performance is more typical. Our friends at PCMag have conducted an intensive breakdown of the battery, and report the machine can run for around 8 hours when you stick to video playback.
The bottom line
When all is said and done, I'm very impressed with the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18. Yeah, the design choices can be less than stellar—I really wish there was more metal in the build—but it never feels like the price tag is less than justified either.
Battery life could be better, but that display is stunning, and the hardware packed into even the cheapest variant is more than enough to keep you gaming at top-level settings for years. However, if you do plan to invest in a ROG Strix Scar 18, I recommend splurging a little on more RAM and additional internal storage.
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 starts at $3,587 on Amazon, with the price varying based on your choice of storage and RAM.