A statement was made in the past that “bigger is better.” The individual who made that statement would likely be ecstatic with the resurgence of 18-inch gaming laptops, such as the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 which is priced at $3,899.99. This year, several huge laptops are set to launch, including the Strix Scar 18 which has made its way into our lab.
The Strix Scar 18 is equipped to handle an Intel Core i9-13980HX and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, promising exceptional performance. Its design is adorned with RGB lights, making it an obvious choice for gaming enthusiasts.
This laptop is intended to replace a desktop computer, with its substantial display, high-quality speakers, and exceptional power. Although, its longevity without the power adapter is limited. The question remains as to whether it will live up to the expectations of gaming fans, but we will have to wait for the results of our testing to determine that. Regardless, this laptop’s portability makes it possible to carry it from one room to another.
Asus ROG Stric Scar 18
$3999,99
PROS
- Powerful performance
- Bright, colorful display
- Solid speakers
CONS
- 720p webcam
- Very expensive
- Some weird keyboard layout choices
Specs
| CPU | Intel Core i9-13980HX |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU |
| Memory | 32GB DDR5-4800 |
| Storage | 2x 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSDs in RAID0 |
| Display | 18-inch, 16:10, 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz “Nebula” display |
| Networking | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, 3.5 mm headphone jack, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet jack |
| Camera | 720p |
| Battery | 90 WHr |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 15.71 x 11.57 x 1.21 inches (399 x 294 x 23.1 mm) |
Design
The Asus Strix Scar 18 stands out as the first laptop that couldn’t fit in the reviewer’s backpack, making it a true desktop replacement for 2023, along with other models to follow. The laptop weighs 6.83 pounds and measures 15.71 x 11.57 x 1.21 inches, with a design that is not intended for frequent transportation beyond the next room. The laptop features a dark gray lid with the ROG logo, displaying an RGB eye pattern on the lid, which some may find unattractive. When the lid is lifted, the 18-inch screen is revealed, with a chunky bottom bezel and a casing for the webcam that adds to its imposing appearance. Although the 18-inch display may seem shocking at first, it is not much different from the 17-inch panels on the market, with only a slight difference in aspect ratio (16:10 compared to 16:9).
The Asus Strix Scar 18 has a keyboard deck made of soft-touch plastic that transitions from solid black to a smoky translucent towards the hinge, revealing some of its internal components. While there’s no significant redesign from previous Scars, the laptop features a dark gray lid with the ROG logo and an RGB eye that, in the writer’s opinion, is unattractive. The eye pattern is repeated in a diagonal stripe across the lid, and the imposing size of the laptop is further accentuated when you lift the lid to reveal its 18-inch screen. The bottom bezel is a bit thick and the webcam casing protrudes, adding to the laptop’s imposing appearance.
While the 18-inch display may seem startling at first, it’s not much different from the 17-inch panels available in the market. The aspect ratio is changed from 16:9 to 16:10, making the display slightly taller but not wider than 17-inch screens. The writer suggests that Asus could go for a fully translucent or clear laptop shell, reminiscent of the 1990s.
It’s important to note that the 18-inch display may seem large at first, but it is actually similar to the 17-inch panels available. The aspect ratio has changed from 16:9 to 16:10, making the display slightly taller but not wider than 17-inch screens. The keyboard deck of the Asus laptop has been made with a soft-touch plastic that gradually transitions from solid black to a smoky translucent near the hinge, revealing some of the internal components. The author thinks that Asus could have gone full retro and made the laptop shell fully translucent or clear for a throwback ’90s look.
Gaming and Graphics on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18
The Asus Strix Scar 18 features both the Intel Core i9-13980HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, making it one of the first laptops to showcase these components. The author wanted to test the laptop’s performance in the game “Control”, which is known for its impressive use of ray tracing. The game was played at the laptop’s maximum resolution of 2560 x 1600 and ran smoothly at an average of 60 to 68 frames per second. In the Astral Plane with a simple white background, the game ran at over 100 frames per second. Even at a lower resolution of 1920 x 1200, the game still ran around 100 frames per second during intense firefights.
The lack of last year’s Strix model makes it difficult to compare the performance of its 3080 Ti and Core i9-12950X with the current drivers to the 4090 systems being tested on Far Cry 6. However, it seems that the CPU is limiting GPU performance at lower resolutions, which was also observed in tests with the desktop RTX 4090. While it may be tempting to blame Intel for hindering the performance of Nvidia’s top-end mobile GPU, it’s important to note that this issue is only seen in one game and it’s unlikely that AMD’s best CPU would perform significantly better, based on previous testing results with desktop chips. This result suggests that the mobile RTX 4090 would perform best on a higher-resolution 4K screen, which the MSI Titan has but the Strix Scar 18 does not. In Red Dead Redemption, the Strix Scar 18 ran the game at 123 fps at 1080p and 86 fps at 1600p on medium settings. The new MSI Titan reached 128 fps at 1080p and was playable at 48 fps in 4K. On Borderlands 3’s “badass” setting, the Strix 18 averaged 165 fps at 1080p and 112 fps at 2560 x 1600. The new MSI Titan reached 177 fps at 1080p and 71 fps at 4K.
The Scar was put to the test by running Metro Exodus on the RTX preset at 1080p for 15 runs, which lasted about half an hour. The system ran the game at an average of 102.97 fps, with mostly consistent results after the initial faster run. The performance cores of the Core i9-13900HX ran at an average of 3.84 GHz while the efficiency cores measured 3.37 GHz. The CPU package had an average temperature of 81.2°C, while the RTX 4090 ran at 2,121.62 MHz with a temperature of 70.34°C. The benchmark results were noteworthy, with the Strix Scar 18 running Shadow of the Tomb Raider (highest settings) at 181 fps at 1080p and 124 fps at its native resolution of 2560 x 1600. The new MSI GT77 HX Titan, equipped with the same GPU and a Core i9-13950HX, was just one frame behind at 1080p and ran the benchmark at 70 fps on its 4K screen. On Grand Theft Auto V (very high settings), the Strix Scar achieved 152 fps at 1080p and 132 fps at 2560 x 1600, while the Titan ran the game at 176 fps at 1080p and 50 fps at 4K. The performance of Far Cry 6 (ultra settings) was somewhat puzzling, with the Strix playing at 107 fps at FHD and 94 fps at 1600p. The result for FHD was less than that of a top-end Strix tested last year, and it’s uncertain whether this is due to driver issues, a CPU bottleneck, or compatibility problems with the game components. However, the MSI Titan GT77 HX with an RTX 4090 and 13th Gen Intel Core i9 HX reached 102 fps at 1080p, which is not far off, and 71 fps at 4K.
Productivity Performance on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18
The performance results of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 and the MSI Titan GT77HX were impressive in various benchmarks. On Geekbench 5, the Scar 18 showed gains in both single and multi-core performance compared to systems with 12th Gen Core processors, with a single-core score of 2,066 and a multi-core score of 19,233. The MSI Titan GT77HX, equipped with an Intel Core i9-1350HX and 64GB of RAM, had slightly higher scores at 2,071 for single-core and 2,0602 for multi-core. During the file transfer test, the Strix Scar 18 transferred 25GB of files at a speed of 1,885.81 MBps, outperforming last year’s 17-inch Strix but being slower than the 2022 Titan. The MSI Titan GT77 HX achieved a faster speed of 2,299.26 MBps. The Scar 18 also performed well in Handbrake, transcoding a 4K video to 1080p in 2 minutes and 49 seconds, which was faster than systems with 12th Gen chips. The new Titan transcoded the video in even less time, at 2:38.
Display on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18
Asus has introduced a new 18-inch panel with a high resolution of 2560 x 1600 and a 16:10 aspect ratio, marketed as a “Nebula” display. The screen features HDR support and a rapid refresh rate of 240 Hz, delivering bright and vibrant colors. During my tests, even dark scenes in a short film were clearly visible and colors such as lush greens and neon blues and pinks appeared vivid on the screen. The red tones in the game Control were striking. Although some details in the darker areas were still noticeable, in all-white scenes like the Astral Plane, some details tended to be over-exposed. The display has an sRGB color gamut coverage of 109.4% and a DCI-P3 spectrum coverage of 77.5%, falling short compared to the MSI Titan GT77 HX’s 4K panel which has 161.6% sRGB coverage and 114.5% DCI-P3 coverage.”
Keyboard and Touchpad on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18
The keyboard on the Scar 18 provides a decent typing experience, though it has some quirks given the broad space Asus had to work with. On the monkeytype.com typing test, I achieved a typing speed of 101 words per minute with a 84% accuracy rate, which is average for me on a quality keyboard. The keys have a good level of responsiveness and I didn’t feel like I was bottoming out while typing.
However, considering the size and cost of the machine, I would have preferred if Asus had included low-profile mechanical keys, similar to those seen on some Alienware and MSI machines, including the latest Titan. The keyboard layout also has some strange choices, such as the short right shift key to accommodate the arrow keys located between the QWERTY keyboard and number pad. The up arrow key is positioned near the shift key, while the right arrow key is placed into the number pad area.
The touchpad, measuring 5.1 x 3.4 inches, is roomy and has a smooth surface, making it easy to use even with Windows 11’s most complex gestures. When gaming, the touchpad can be turned off by pressing the Fn + F10 shortcut.
Upgradeability of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18
The Strix Scar 18 is secured with 11 Phillips head screws, of which three closest to the wrist rest are shorter than the others and must be placed in their specific location. The fourth screw in the same location is captive and cannot be removed. Accessing the interior of the device requires cautious prying using a guitar-pick tool. Unlike some devices where the bottom is attached with a ribbon cable, the RGB lights in the Strix Scar 18 do not come off with the bottom panel, which I find preferable as ribbon cables can easily break. Once inside, the device is equipped with ample cooling system, including heatpipes and three fans to cool the CPU and GPU. The system has two PCIe SSD slots, which were both occupied in the unit I tested, and the RAM and Wi-Fi card can be replaced. These components are protected by heat-resistant covers. The battery can also be replaced, but I was surprised that Asus did not opt for a larger 99WHr battery given the extra space around the 90WHr battery that comes with the Strix Scar 18.
Battery Life on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18
The battery life of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is minimal, with a short duration of just 4 hours and 26 minutes in normal use scenarios like web browsing, video streaming, and running OpenGL tests while connected to Wi-Fi and with a display brightness of 150 nits. This type of battery performance is typical of large laptops with demanding components, like the MSI Titan GT77 HX which lasted only 3:48 on a charge. To ensure optimal use, it’s recommended to always have the power connector nearby when moving the Scar 18, as it will be needed for gaming purposes anyway.
Bottom Line
The Asus ROG Strix Scar is a massive laptop with ample space for top-of-the-line components, such as the Intel Core i9-13980HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. The laptop features a bright and vibrant display and speakers that deliver exceptional sound quality while gaming or watching movies. However, when compared to the MSI Titan GT77 HX, the Scar’s screen is not as bright or high-resolution, and the RTX 4090 graphics card performs better with 4K than 1660p. If you want an 18-inch laptop with a 16:10 aspect ratio, the Strix Scar is a great option, but if you prefer a 17-inch 16:9 display and 4K resolution, the Titan may be a better fit. This laptop is designed for users who demand the best from their mobile gaming rig. If you don’t need to play games on the highest settings, there are more affordable alternatives. The Strix Scar delivers strong performance, although some driver improvements may be necessary in certain areas. The Scar 18 is an expensive, but capable choice if you have limited space for a desktop computer or want to be able to move your PC around easily.
