Sometimes the newest machine asks the oldest question: is the gain worth the cost? Tom's Guide has tested Asus's 2025 ROG Strix Scar 18, a massive gaming laptop built around Nvidia's RTX 5090, and found it remarkably capable, even as its $4,499 price stands between the reader and an easy recommendation. Its strengths are real: a bright, fast Mini-LED screen, a sturdier and more refined body, and frame rates that AI assistance pushes to striking heights. Yet a roughly 15 percent leap in performance, bought at a roughly 15 percent higher price, invites every buyer to weigh what they truly need a
Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2025) Review: Top-Tier RTX 5090 Power,但 Price Stings at $4,499
A cheaper last-gen laptop gives an almost equally good experience
Mark
So is this a good laptop or not? The review seems to say both.
Mimi
Both, and it says so openly. The performance, screen, cooling and build all get praise. The complaint is only about what it costs.
Mark
What exactly changed in the price?
Mimi
The top model goes from $3,899 for the RTX 4090 version to $4,499. That's about 15% more, and the performance gain is also roughly 15%.
Luke
Worth noting that the 15% performance figure is the reviewer's rough estimate. The piece doesn't lay out a full benchmark comparison against the older model in the text we have.
Mark
And the 232 FPS in Cyberpunk, what does that tell us?
Mimi
That's with DLSS 4 and multi-frame generation at max settings with path tracing. The reviewer admits the biggest bumps come from AI rather than raw power.
Luke
Right, so it's a measure of AI-assisted frames, not pure rendering. That's a different claim from raw speed.
Mark
Why did the price go up?
Mimi
The reviewer offers tariffs, GPU costs or the redesign, maybe all three.
Luke
That's speculation. He doesn't confirm any of them, and neither can we.
Mark
So what's the practical takeaway?
Mimi
A last-gen RTX 40 laptop still gets DLSS 4, so most people can spend less and lose little. A desktop is another option for those with this kind of budget.
Le Pouls
- A $600 price jump over last year's top model has become the central tension of this review.
- Gamers are being asked to decide whether a 15 percent performance gain justifies a machine that now costs $4,499.
- The reviewer is navigating between praise for its power and doubts about its value, with frame generation doing much of the heavy lifting.
- Cheaper RTX 40-series laptops, which still receive DLSS 4 support, are emerging as a sensible alternative, while desktop PCs loom as another option for the cost-conscious.
Sometimes the newest machine asks the oldest question: is the gain worth the cost? Tom's Guide has tested Asus's 2025 ROG Strix Scar 18, a massive gaming laptop built around Nvidia's RTX 5090, and found it remarkably capable, even as its $4,499 price stands between the reader and an easy recommendation. Its strengths are real: a bright, fast Mini-LED screen, a sturdier and more refined body, and frame rates that AI assistance pushes to striking heights. Yet a roughly 15 percent leap in performance, bought at a roughly 15 percent higher price, invites every buyer to weigh what they truly need against what they merely want.
The top-end Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 for 2025 costs $4,499, and that figure defines Tom's Guide's review. The reviewer calls it one of the most powerful gaming machines he has tested, then spends much of the piece wondering whether anyone should pay that much.
The hardware earns its reputation. Paired with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and Nvidia's RTX 5090, it runs demanding AAA games smoothly, and with DLSS 4's multi-frame generation, frame rates soar with little added lag. In Cyberpunk 2077 with path tracing at maximum settings, it averaged 232 frames per second, and the new transformer model has removed the ghosting that marred earlier AI frame generation. The 240Hz Mini-LED screen, with its strong brightness, deep HDR contrast and Pantone-validated color, makes racing and neon-lit scenes look vivid.
The body has matured as well. This 18-inch machine is still large and heavy, but it no longer looks like a plastic toy. Its lid display and underglow can be switched off for a quieter look, the SSD and RAM are easy to upgrade, and the touchpad, keys and firm deck feel better. A new vapor chamber keeps temperatures under control, though the fans grow loud under load. Its flaws are minor: a grainy 1080p webcam and battery life just over 90 minutes while gaming.
Price is the sticking point. The previous maxed-out RTX 4090 model sold for $3,899, and performance rose only about 15 percent. The reviewer suspects tariffs, costlier GPUs and a re-engineered build may all be behind the increase, but he finds the gains modest for the money. For those who want the best regardless of cost, he calls it the MVP. Most others, he suggests, would be better served by a cheaper last-generation laptop, which still supports DLSS 4, or by a desktop PC, a choice he leaves to the reader.
The top-end Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 for 2025 costs $4,499, and that number sits at the center of Tom's Guide's review. The reviewer calls the laptop one of the most powerful gaming machines he has used, and then spends much of the piece asking whether anyone needs to pay that much for it.
Start with what is inside. The configuration tested pairs an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor with Nvidia's RTX 5090 graphics chip, and Asus feeds the silicon up to 255 watts in total. In raw rendering, with no AI assistance, the reviewer says every AAA title he threw at it ran smoothly. Turn on DLSS 4, especially multi-frame generation, and frame rates climb sharply without a big hit to latency. In Cyberpunk 2077 at maximum settings with path tracing, the laptop averaged 232 frames per second. The reviewer also credits the new transformer model with removing the visible ghosting that earlier AI frame generation produced.
The screen is the second selling point. It is a Mini-LED panel at WQXGA resolution, in a 16:10 shape, running at 240Hz. The reviewer says choosing Mini-LED over OLED buys strong brightness and a surprisingly deep contrast ratio for HDR, and the Pantone validation means accurate color for creative work. He singles out Forza Horizon 5, with its racing through the streets of Mexico, and the neon-lit darkness of Cyberpunk 2077 as examples of games that look striking on it.
The body has changed too. Earlier Strix Scars were large plastic machines that announced themselves as gaming laptops, to the point of feeling awkward in public. This 18-inch model is still massive and heavy, but the shell has been refined. The AniMe vision display on the lid and the RGB glow underneath can be switched on for show or left off for a more utilitarian look. The back opens easily, so the SSD and RAM can be replaced. The touchpad is smooth and quick, the keys have more tactile depth, and the spongy, flexing deck of past models is gone. A new vapor chamber across the back, plus vents, keeps temperatures in check. It still gets loud under heavy load, but the reviewer saw no thermal throttling. Windows Hello support adds faster logins, and the ports have been rethought.
The drawbacks he lists are minor. The 1080p webcam produces grainy images through its tiny aperture, though he notes few people buy a gaming laptop for video calls. Battery life is just over 90 minutes while gaming, which he calls predictable for the category.
Price is the real problem. The maxed-out RTX 4090 version carried an MSRP of $3,899, so the new top model is about 15% more expensive. Performance rises by roughly 15% as well, which the reviewer says makes this one of the better-value RTX 5090 laptops. Still, he finds the gains modest for the money, and he notes that the biggest jumps with frame generation come from AI rather than raw power. He does not settle on a cause for the increase, naming tariff concerns, the cost of the new GPUs and the re-engineered build as possibilities, perhaps in combination. The starting price for the line is $2,699.
His advice follows from that. RTX 40-series laptops lack multi-frame generation but still get DLSS 4 support, so a cheaper last-generation machine should handle AAA games for years and deliver an almost equally good experience. For players who want the best specifications regardless of cost, he calls this the MVP. For those with deep pockets, he also raises whether a desktop PC would be the smarter use of the money, and leaves that call to the reader.
Citations marquantes
For pro gamers who care about speeds and feeds, this is the MVP, but the cost makes it a tall ask.— Tom's Guide reviewer (paraphrased)
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