The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 now looks like a dazzler of a gaming laptop, even if it's still a bit of a paving slab

HardwareGaming LaptopsThe Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 now looks like a dazzler of a gaming laptop, even if it’s still a bit of a paving slabWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Future)

M�colleague Jacob Ridley holding up an Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 at CES 2025, showing the LED underlighting and outer case effects.

I reviewed theAsus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2024)almost a year ago, and I came away fairly impressed. It was a big ol' slab of a gaming laptop, though, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a bit old-fashioned.

Having spent some time handling the new model, that looks to have changed. Not the size and weight part, however—to any noticeable degree, at least. 18-inch mega-spec laptops continue to be hefty slices of hardware, so don’t go thinking that the new Strix Scar 18 is light enough to carry around with you all day—unless you’re built like Schwarzenegger, of course.

(Image credit: Future)

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 sitting on a table with two other laptops at CES 2025.

And internally it’s still got a mighty array of components, this timerefreshed for the new generation.That means an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX 24-core CPU and up to an RTX 5090 GPU—with a 175 W max TGP.

Phew. I’ll put it on record now that I’m prepared to eat my hat if this thing isn’t stonkingly loud at full whack. Just like the old model, although to be fair to it, it was still much quieter than theMSI Titan 18 HX A14V.

Anyway, the insides may have had a refresh, but it’s the outer shell that really impressed me when I saw it for myself.

(Image credit: Future)

The keyboard deck of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18.

The Strix Scar 18 now feels sleek, and that makes all the difference. The keyboard sits flat to the top of the inner deck, with no dent in the chassis to accommodate it. The finish looks and feels somewhat satin, and seems remarkably resistant to fingerprints—a bug bear of mine on almost all gaming laptops.

Gone is the gaudy underside front light bar, replaced with an all-round RGB strip that looks much more nightclub than county fair. The outer lid now features an AniMe Vision (yep, that’s correct) display making use of 810 LEDs to play animations on the outside. Why you’d want to is a bit beyond me, but it’s quite the effect in person.

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Overall, this laptop now looks and feels special, although I suppose given thatAsushas this beast down for a $3,300 MSRP, it darn well better be.

Image1of2(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

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(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

The outer lid of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18, showing the LEDs lit.

(Image credit: Future)

The underside of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18, showing the lightbar below.

Still, as our Jacob Ridley pointed out, it’s even got atool-less upgrade systemthat makes a whole lot of sense, too. It looks like Asus has really spent some time giving the Strix Scar 18 a thorough going over, and I can’t wait to test one for myself.

Big, bruising laptops might not be the most practical of machines, but if you ask me, this one’s now got a desirability factor that simply cannot be ignored.

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