A few words about the most important thing

When it comes to gaming laptops, we often know that we have to be prepared for compromises and limitations. It is often assumed that a gaming laptop cannot compete with a full-size PC in terms of power and capabilities. But ROG Strix SCAR 18 is a dedicated device for top gamers, equipped with the most modern mobile equipment and providing far more capabilities than most analogues of the same size.

ROG Strix SCAR 18 from ASUS is a beast, equipped with the latest 13th generation Intel Core i9-13980HX processor with eight multi-threaded Performance cores, 16 single-thread Efficient cores and a maximum clock frequency of 5.6GHz. Thanks to them, the machine can smoothly process any AAA title, video stream or project on Unity or Autodesk.

The kit also includes the best mobile graphics processor NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 16 GB with an increased TGP of 175 W, which makes the laptop almost unbeatable in terms of performance. Also in the arsenal is 32 GB of DDR5-4800 RAM, and the device can be upgraded up to 64 GB.

ROG Strix SCAR 18 ships with a pair of 4TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs running in RAID 0. Actual data transfer reaches 7000MB/s, which means that even the most detailed and detailed game worlds will be loaded instantly, which will definitely affect the immersion and maintenance atmosphere during gameplay.

ROG Strix SCAR 18 has a 4TB SSD / Photo by ASUS

even for the price 179,999 hryvnia (Official price in Ukraine), Strix SCAR 18 has no rivals in its segment.

Meanwhile, ASUS also has a smaller version of this laptop, the ROG Strix SCAR 16, which differs from the 18th model in its overall dimensions, a smaller screen, and the presence of a Mini LED-backlit ROG Nebula HDR QHD display.

Design

Not only the visually overwhelming dimensions of ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 testify to its monstrousness. Finally, it is emphasized by the aggressive, sophisticated and at the same time technological design of the device. Numerous artificial and real grids, as well as RGB lighting along the keyboard and around the translucent edges of the laptop’s base, leave no room for emotion other than admiration. Even the keyboard combines opaque black and translucent plastic. The ROG logo also appears in various places to remind you that you belong to a distinguished family.

ROG Strix SCAR 18 / Photo 24 Channel

While such high-end devices should contain more metal, you may immediately notice that the materials of the laptop are dominated by plastic, but is that really the case and why would it be? Perhaps these are the questions the designers of SCAR 18 ask themselves, but the mounting materials are of high quality, they do not bend or creak anywhere, and the surfaces have a soft-touch finish that is pleasant to the touch.

Speaking of weight, the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 is a great example of how far the company has progressed in the past few years in creating powerful gaming machines that are lighter and sleeker. ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 weighs almost 3 pounds and manages to fit an 18-inch screen, which makes us talk about portability, although there are some caveats.

SCAR 18 will surprise with its design / Photo 24 Channel

One of the characteristic design elements of Strix SCAR 18 is the Armor Cap pads, which can be changed to suit your taste. These magnetically attached items will help you express your individuality and can change with you over time. You can even 3D print your own Armor Caps; this allows you to personalize your device to the maximum.

Keyboard

The laptop keyboard, like any other part of the device, is a separate conversation. ASUS provided all this with programmable RGB backlighting for each key, by placing the digital panel next to the main keyboard. All this had a positive effect on compactness, but for a full-size up arrow key, the proper location of the arrow keys and the size of the right Shift had to be sacrificed.

The keyboard is equipped with a wonderful backlight / Photo by 24 Channels

RGB lighting can create stunning effects and helps to divide the keyboard into sections. Also, here are some Aura Sync presets you might like:

• Static
• Breath
• runner
• Loop
• Rainbow
• Music
• Clever
• A night with stars

They look great both at work and with the laptop sitting on the desk.

In the design of the SCAR 18 keyboard, ASUS used durable switches that can withstand more than 20 million keystrokes. However, there is a proprietary independent click processing technology that guarantees you accuracy. There are also special functional hotkeys that can be reconfigured to any function at any time or macros can be set for convenience.

ports

A large laptop like the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 can’t be lacking in ports, and this device has a lot of ports. At first glance it might seem like the machine isn’t using all the available space on the sides, but everything is much more versatile.

On the right side of the base is a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports. The left side has a pair of USB-C ports, one for Thunderbolt 4 and the other for USB 3.2 Gen 2. Both can be used for data output via DisplayPort.

Power delivery is also supported via USB-C, but the 100W limit isn’t going to meet all the needs of this PC during really demanding games. It currently requires a 330W power supply that plugs into the left side of the computer via a barrel-shaped port.

As for the wired connection, this side also has a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, an audio jack, and an HDMI 2.1 port that easily outputs 4K/144 Hz to an external monitor.

ROG Strix SCAR 18 has more than enough ports / Photo 24 Channel

ASUS has a good excuse for not adding more ports to the laptop – instead the free space on the back of the laptop was used for something perhaps even more important: a massive vent that takes up most of the back panel.

Also, ports are not so important in the presence of modern wireless connections. Bluetooth 5.2 allows you to connect the car to wireless headphones and speakers. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 6E offers cutting-edge internet connection bandwidth, which is crucial for quickly downloading the hundreds of gigabytes of data needed to run today’s games.

Sound

ASUS speakers in ROG Strix SCAR 18 are sure to grab attention. They’re impressively bass-heavy for the speakers of a laptop this big, adding a whole lot more depth to video game soundtracks. The device is equipped with four speakers with Dolby Atmos support and also has a smart noise reduction system that can be adjusted easily.

Display and autonomy

The biggest advantage of ASUS design is its huge screen. The 18-inch diagonal is larger than most laptops. It certainly won’t fit in the laptop pocket of most backpacks, oh no. This beast should immediately be packed in a full-fledged department, and preferably in a special backpack.

Returning to the big screen, it has an aspect ratio of 16:10 to provide extra vertical screen space. This screen also has a high resolution of 2560×1600 so the image on it stays extremely sharp. Even “halos” on the screen are hard to spot, thanks to a lightning-fast 240Hz refresh rate and G-Sync function that lets you avoid tearing. Combine all this with great color and you have a unique monitor for games and work.

ROG Strix SCAR 18 display is impressive / Photo 24 Channels

ASUS’ ROG Strix SCAR 18 display has many powerful applications not only for gaming, but also for content creation. This is because it can achieve 100% coverage of the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces. The brightness of the screen is 500 nits, sufficient for almost any usage scenario. In addition, the screen has Pantone certification, which will be appreciated by designers.

As for battery life, Strix SCAR 18 can switch from extremely short to surprisingly long battery life with the flick of a button. For example, if you’re going to watch videos on the go, switch to integrated graphics and ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 can provide you with an impressive 8 hours of entertainment. Considering that the laptop is equipped with a 90 Wh battery, you can expect adequate battery life in low-power environments. With normal use you can count on 3-4 hours, which is a pretty good result.

Basically, for the system to work for a long time, you need to disable the discrete graphics processor, set the Windows power mode to maximum efficiency and the ASUS Armory Crate operating mode to economical mode.

By the way, if you use the 330 W power adapter in the kit, the laptop can be charged from zero to 50% in just 30 minutes.

next generation power

ROG Strix SCAR 18 from ASUS are next-generation 2023 laptops equipped with cutting-edge hardware that are still unrivaled in their price segment. Although the model is very costly, its closest competitors in terms of price cannot guarantee the same high performance.

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 is ahead of the competition, especially thanks to its cooling system. The terrible radiators coming out of the sides and back of the laptop take a lot of heat from the central and graphics processors. Surprisingly, almost all of that heat doesn’t get to where you expect to feel during operation. No surface, like the keyboard, the top of the case, or the space on the sides of the laptop, gets so hot that we can’t even talk about the slightest inconvenience.

ROG Intelligent Cooling cooling system does its job perfectly / Photo by ASUS

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 uses the ROG Intelligent Cooling system, which consists of the three fans we mentioned above and vents on all sides to keep everything cool. In addition, Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal is used here, with which you can simply forget about such a thing as overheating.

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 gaming capabilities

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 gives great results in games. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla ASUS shows 195fps at 1080p Medium resolution and 159fps at 1080p Ultra resolution.

We have already mentioned Cyberpunk 2077, a game system swallower with the ability to drop fps on almost any computer. ROG Strix SCAR 18 can run at its native resolution in Ultra mode at a crisp 40fps with ray tracing and DLSS enabled, and up to 85fps in Auto mode with DLSS turned off. With active DLSS 3 frame rendering technology, the frequency increases to 131 fps.

In general, the system perfectly copes with any game in its own resolution and, depending on the game, reaches incredible indicators. If you want to take the Strix SCAR 18 and run it with an external 4K monitor, you can expect impressive performance even in this configuration. Restarting the same Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, reaching 103fps in 4K Medium and 75fps in 4K Ultra.

ROG Strix SCAR 18 gaming capabilities tests / Photo by ASUS

Meanwhile, the device supports MUX Switch multiplexer and NVIDIA Advanced Optimus technology, which can automatically turn on the frames created by a discrete video card to directly transmit to the screen, bypassing the integrated graphics core. In practice this improves performance by 5-10% compared to these non-multiplexer devices.

Conclusion

ROG Strix SCAR 18 from ASUS packs all the power you need and does a great job of cooling for stable performance. While the laptop costs a lot, its price for output power is a well-balanced combination.

If you’ve suddenly wanted to buy a laptop that will have maximum power starting today, you can turn your attention to ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18, which keeps the form factor of the latter while drawing more of your attention from gaming laptops to desktop systems.

It should also be noted that the company has a smaller version of the ROG Strix SCAR 16. As we mentioned at the beginning, it differs in its overall dimensions, smaller screen and the presence of the ROG Nebula HDR display in QHD format with Mini LED. backlight

In short, it’s a near-perfect combination of extreme performance and moderate portability you won’t find anywhere else.