Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2024) Review: A Stunning Mini LED Screen Can't Quite Lift an Iterative Update

The tested configuration of the 2024 Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 costs $3,899.99, and GamesRadar+ spent two weeks with it: one week using it exclusively, then another alongside the new Zephyrus G14. The verdict is that this is an iterative update that has put nearly all its effort into the screen.

That screen is the headline change. Last year some Asus gaming laptops received the Mini LED Nebula HDR display, but the Strix 18 was not among them. This year it is, with 2,304 dimming zones. The reviewer says the panel delivers a crisp picture, very bright HDR and excellent motion handling, and calls the result the best gaming laptop viewing experience he has had so far. He had admired the same display on the Zephyrus M16 and found it odd that brands were cutting display quality on their larger, pricier machines.

Under the hood, little has moved. There are no new mobile graphics cards available yet, so the laptop keeps the RTX 4080 or, in the tested unit, the RTX 4090. The processor becomes Intel's 14th generation i9-14900HX, a Raptor Lake Refresh chip the review describes as a minor step up from the 13th generation. The tested unit also carries 32GB of DDR5 and a 2TB SSD. Other configurations run from $2,999 to $3,999, with up to 64GB of RAM and storage from 1TB to 4TB.

The benchmarks show a slight slide. In Performance Mode, results average 8% below last year's Scar 18, though still nearly 18% ahead of the Razer Blade 18. Like for like, the new model sits 3% behind the Alienware M18 R1, which last year's Scar had narrowly edged. The reviewer writes that the new generation seems complacent where its predecessor shot for the stars. In Turbo Mode, the tested scores were 20,666 in Time Spy, 33,092 in Fire Strike, 29,990 in Cinebench and 8,882 in PC Mark 10. There were no thermal concerns, though the fans are loud, and results held steady across multiple runs.

In games the picture is more mixed. Shadow of the Tomb Raider stays above 200fps at 1080p, with 208 on High, and dips only slightly at QHD+, where High reaches 196. It beats last year's model apart from the High 1080p test, and beats the Alienware M18 R1 and Scar 16 at QHD+. Total War: Three Kingdoms runs at 225 on High and 174 on Ultra at 1080p, falling to 145 and 104 at QHD+. It holds up better than the Blade 18 and Scar 16, and just edges last year's model at the top of QHD Ultra. Returnal manages 163 on High and 112 on Epic at 1080p, and 132 and 111 at QHD+, still trailing the M18 R1 there. Rainbow Six Extraction hits 255 on High and 221 on Ultra at 1080p, well ahead of the M18 but slightly behind last year's Scar. Hitman 3 posts 158 and 151 at 1080p, and 149 and 142 at QHD+.

The design is largely unchanged: a black metal lid, translucent plastic body, matte finish and RGB front and rear panels. The lid now repeats 'Republic of Gamers' in a diagonal stripe instead of a single logo. The main deck gets a scatter of dots, lines, rectangles and letters at the top right. The reviewer dislikes this, saying the translucent plastic feels cheap beside all-metal rivals like the Blade 18 and that the look is a step back as laptops move toward minimalism. Dimensions remain 39.9 x 29.4 x 2.3cm and 3.1kg, the same weight as the Blade 18 but bulkier than its 2.1cm thickness, and still lighter than the Alienware M18 at 4.23kg.

There are other praises and complaints. The keyboard has extra tension and spring, though the arrow keys are awkwardly wedged against the number pad. Five macro keys default to media controls and can be reassigned in Armory Crate. The trackpad is smooth and responsive. Ports include two USB-A, a USB-C, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1 and 2.5G LAN, fewer than the M18, which doubles the USB-A and Thunderbolt 4 count. The speakers are described as bafflingly poor, burying dialogue and flattening music, and the webcam is only 720p.

The conclusion is that the Scar 18 remains a powerhouse with some indicators lagging. For anyone not bothered by the Mini LED display, the near-$4,000 price is hard to justify; for those upgrading to 18 inches, the screen is the reason to buy.