Asus ROG Strix Scar 18
Best 18-inch gaming laptop
| CPU | Intel Core i9 14900HX (65W) |
| GPU | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 (175W) |
| RAM | 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5-5600 |
| Display | 14-inch, 2,880 x 1800, 120Hz, OLED |
| Storage | 4TB (2TB + 2TB) PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (RAID 0) |
| Battery | 90 WHrs |
| Size | 15.71 x 11.57 x 1.21 in |
| Weight | 6.61 lbs (3 kg) |
Pros
- Stunning Mini LED panel
- Strong gaming performance
- Relatively small and light
Cons
- Awful speakers
- Poor battery life
- Aggressive gamer aesthetic
Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 makes a strong case in favor of 18-inch laptops. Serving up top-tier specs, including a Core i9 14900HX processor and up to GeForce RTX 4090 graphics, portable gaming doesn’t get much faster than this. But it does come at a substantial cost.
The Strix Scar 18 features a newly improved display. Replacing the aged IPS screen from last year’s laptop, this new Mini LED panel is beautiful, responsive, sharp, and makes for an excellent HDR experience. Its chassis, despite its admittedly cool semi-transparent finish, is less easy on the eyes though, adopting a typical ‘gamer’ aesthetic.
The ROG Strix Scar 18 won’t break your back or bank, either (relatively speaking), as it’s one of the more affordable and lighter 18-inch gaming laptops available. The only downer is the sound quality from the speakers, which we found weak and tinny.
In our testing, the Strix Scar 18 turned in strong performance across our testing suite, with frame rates comparable to a desktop GeForce RTX 4070 Super, showcasing the full power of a GeForce RTX 4090 mobile GPU running at 175W. It also turns in great CPU performance, with the Core i9 14900HX clocking in similarly to a Core i5 14600K. Suffice it to say, this machine will handle pretty much anything you throw at it.
