Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2024) review

pcgamer.com:

A question as old as time: Does size matter? When it comes to making a laptop purchasing decision, size and form factor is often key to picking the right lappy for you. However, some buyers are content to throw portability out of the window in the name of top gaming performance, and a substantial screen on which to view it.

Which brings me to the laptop on which I write this review, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2024. Given that this is nearly $4,000 worth of (somewhat) portable gaming power with a large screen to match, opening the box feels appropriately like a bit of an event, and even more so when you pull it from the protective shroud. 

This thing is chonky with a capital CHONK, and more than its significant 6.83 pound heft it's reinforced with angular edges that gives it «hewn from the cliff face» vibes right from the off. Asus has managed to avoid a significant rear lip unlike the large protrusion found on the back of something like the MSI Titan GT77 HX, but as a result of those angular lines and large frame this laptop does feel thick and substantial, perhaps overly so.

But then, given the hardware inside that stridently unapologetic frame, I shouldn't really be surprised. My review model is specced near-as-makes-no-difference to the very top of what Asus will provide should you fork out all that cash, and comes complete with the latest Intel Core i9 Raptor Lake Refresh 14900HX CPU with 24 cores and 32 threads, 32GB of LPDDR5 5600, and an RTX 4090 with a 175W TDP. It's a heavyweight spec for a heavyweight-feeling machine, and one that you intuitively know is going to need to move some serious air to deliver the best performance.

CPU: Intel Core i9 14900HX
GPU: Nvidia RTX 4090
Memory: 32GB DDR5-5600
Storage: 2TB NVMe SSD
Screen size: 18-inch Mini-LED
Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Refresh rate: 240Hz
Peak luminance: 1100 nits
Battery: 90Whr
Dimensions: 39.9 x 29.4 x 2.31 ~ 3.08 cm
Weight: 3.1kg (6.83 lbs)
Price: $3,900 | £4,000

Inspecting the sides and the rear brings