REVIEW: ROG Strix Scar 18 notebook is a powerful gaming machine!

How much would you pay to have high performance? O showmetech had the opportunity to test the latest ROG Strix Scar 18, a gaming notebook that was launched today in Brazil with strong specifications for gamers. Its 18-inch screen alone already draws a lot of attention, but there are other details that make a difference in everyday life. Check out our full review right now.

Design and construction

I'll start this review by saying that the first impression I had when I received this model was that it's very… chunky. More focused on delivering a good experience for its user, it is clear that this high-performance notebook from ASUS will not provide you with mobility. Explaining: the ROG Strix Scar 18, in addition to having a large 18-inch screen, weighs an impressive 3,1 kg. It can even be taken from one place to another, but not with the convenience of smaller models.

The notebook is also 46 centimeters thick when closed, in addition to having an all-black casing. The lid has the line's illuminated logo Republic of Gamers (ROG) Of the ASUS which is synchronized according to the keyboard color.

And there's no denying that it also attracts attention wherever it goes: in addition to the lighting on the lid and keyboard, its edges have the same RGB lighting that gives that special touch. I really liked the size of the touchpad, which is not at all simple and allows use by those with large hands.

Another difference I noticed is that the speakers are located inside the notebook, close to the keyboard in the ABNT 2 format, which I am particularly used to using due to my notebook having this same standard. If you are not used to it, you will need to use the keys Alt to use some special symbols such as the question mark and the slash, but this adaptation happens within the first few hours of use.

Taking into account that this is a notebook for those who like to game, I wouldn't say that the media control keys were missed, but they would be a nice convenience on the go. ROG Strix Scar 18. It would be much easier to skip, pause, or rewind a song with the push of a button than having to pause your game and open the music app.

However, there are five keys that provide strength and are used to: increase the volume, decrease the volume, mute the microphone, change the operating mode of the fans and also open the application Armory Create to access performance data.

The material chosen for the internal part of the company's high-performance notebook ASUS It is very resistant and there is a rubberized layer that should prevent wear. That said, we can say that the model has a strong design in every way, so, in fact, if you are looking for a notebook to be taken from one place to another, remember the weight above that of simpler notebooks.

Connectivity and ports

Here, we have a pair of each: there are two USB-A ports on the right side and two more USB-C ports (one of them meets the Thunderbolt 4 standard for battery charging and video transmission).

The door set also includes an entrance P2 3,5mm headphone jack, one port HDMI 2.1 and one more Ethernet 2.5G LAN port (10/100/1000/2500 Mbps). We have a little of each here and I like notebooks that have at least two USB-A ports, as I have a mouse that would use one of them on its own.

As it is a model aimed at the premium market, we have the best of connectivity: the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 It has support for connecting to Wi-Fi 6E networks and a Bluetooth 5.3 antenna to connect to different types of wireless devices.

At my house, I have a 5 GHz internet point that worked very well with the notebook, so there is nothing negative to comment about the ports and connectivity of this model. My wireless headset also automatically connected as soon as the notebook was turned on and both were ready to work.

Camera

I've been commenting for some time in notebook reviews that the companies that manufacture these devices no longer give much importance to the cameras. As much as it is a high-performance notebook, the camera on the ROG Strix Scar 18 It's quite simple: it takes photos at up to 0,9 MP and records videos and displays your image on video calls in HD (720p). Check out this selfie taken during the day:

There is no way to say that there is a bad experience during the day with the support of lighting or in the afternoon, but there will be noise when you are on a video call at night. There are some video conferencing services with artificial intelligence like Google Meet ou Zoom which can even improve, delivering autofocus and blurred background, but there's not much you can do if the lens present isn't of high quality either.

I missed ASUS image enhancement software or even a 2K quality lens. There were no changes to the lens for the 2023 and 2024 models, so perhaps a higher quality camera will arrive in the 2025 version — but I wouldn't have that much hope.

Screen and sound

The 18-inch display of the type mini LED with HDR support, it is ideal for those who like to play, watch content and even work. Here, there is 2.5K resolution (2560 x 1600, WQXGA) with a refresh rate of 240 Hz that will allow you to see information in high quality. The response time is 3 milliseconds and it is also certified Pantone e 100% DCI-P3 to display colors without variations.

The same screen also has an anti-reflective layer that helps you use the model even outdoors. Furthermore, another big hit is the peak brightness of 1.100 nits and support for Dolby Vision, which adapts the image according to what is being displayed. When it came to night, I needed to lower the brightness so as not to harm my vision. By choosing to work outdoors, I didn't need to set the level to maximum to see the images.

2K resolution is incredible: games like Destiny 2, Death Stranding and Fortnite could be enjoyed with excellent visual quality and with the graphics at maximum configuration. I'm someone who watches content more on my cell phone than on my computer, but I really enjoyed watching videos on the large 18-inch screen, which is very immersive.

The sound of ROG Strix Scar 18 does its job of filling the room completely, even when it was only at half power. This notebook also supports Dolby Atmos to give that impression, aligned with the Hi-Res feature that puts voices and instruments in incredible quality.

Finally, there are two microphones that do the work of noise reduction via artificial intelligence and make calls completely clear for those on the other side of the screen. The sound recording here was very assertive, but I believe that a dedicated application from ASUS or some audio company would make the experience more complete.

Battery

The battery in gaming notebooks is only intended to be a complementary accessory rather than actually being the only power source. As ROG Strix Scar 18, I managed to get an average of 3h30 usage in high performance mode when using it for work, listening to music and performing game installations during the first cycle of use.

The application Armory Create da ASUS allows you to select modes for longer battery life. There are four options:

• Ultimate: maximum performance and high energy usage
• standard: balanced performance between performance and energy use;
• Eco mode: reduced gaming performance for better battery life;
• optimized: automatic switching between Eco Mode and UItimate Mode, which updates according to daily use.

No Eco mode, when playing Fortnite, I was able to achieve 4:30 when using the graphics on the minimum setting. Charging using the source sent in the box lasted 1h30, but I strongly recommend that, for the sake of the model's battery, you only use it with it plugged in.

within the app MyASUS, there is a battery protection setting that prevents the full percentage from being reached, remaining “locked” at 80%, prolonging its useful life. This way, you can use it without worrying about the battery and still enjoy the maximum performance that the processor and video card deliver.

Noise, heating and lighting

When playing, of course you will hear the noise of the fans working, but it's worth remembering that there is a silent mode that allows you to do concentrated work without any problems. During use for a week, even playing and working for 12 hours a day, I didn't notice any heating that would cause problems during use.

The lighting, present on the keyboard, cover and edges of the ROG Strix Scar 18, can be controlled by the application Armory Create, through 13 modes. They can all be switched in less than 05 seconds and when playing, it's worth leaving one of them activated for greater immersion.

You can also choose to create a usage mode of your own using the plugin Aura Create, which allows the combination of existing modes. It's a cool application to play with and I would use a different mode for each game.

System

This high-performance notebook from ASUS arrives in Brazil with the Windows 11 Pro 2024 and should receive the next generations of Microsoft's operating system as soon as they become available. I was also able to use artificial intelligence Copilot integrated into the system, without problems.

A ASUS have the app GlideX which allows your smartphone screen to be mirrored on the 18-inch screen. Using it is very simple: just download it to your Android or iOS cell phone and scan the QR Code.

Working wirelessly, GlideX works well and brings that dynamism that professionals who work with several devices at the same time. In addition to screen mirroring, it can perform:

• File transference;
• Answer calls;
• Using your cell phone or tablet camera as a webcam;
• Application streaming.

Another interesting app is MyASUS, which allows you to take care of the health of your notebook battery, as well as giving you the autonomy to speak to the company's customer service team, if necessary. And there is a functionality that allows you to transfer data saved on another notebook or ASUS computer, by logging in with the same account you used on the old device.

For those who like numbers: there is a 4.0TB NVMe-type PCIe 2 SSD to save all files, plus more 32 GB of DDR5-5600 RAM. ASUS informs that the notebook has maximum capacity to work with up to 64 GB of RAM if owners want to upgrade. But the factory setting is amazing even for users looking for high performance.

Gaming performance

O ROG Strix Scar 18 is equipped with the Intel Core i9-14900HX processor which reaches maximum speed 5,8GHz clock and another video card GeForce RTX 4090 on 16GB GDDR6 type. I tested with Fortnite with the graphics at maximum and I had no problems in any of the ten matches I tried to play (doesn't mean I won).

Going for a heavier title, I also ventured into Destiny 2 to see how far the ROG Strix Scar 18 I could go. I had no issues that prevented games from loading or progressing.

The model also performed well in Death Stranding, although in this case the fans worked hard to get the hot air out. The noise from the fans is not exactly a problem, taking into account the performance gain.

An interesting detail is that buyers of this model receive a three-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass, avoiding the purchase of any game after activation. But you will still need to register a credit card to activate the benefit.

synthetic tests

Finishing the analysis, we put the software PC Mark10 e Cinebench R23 to score the use of the processor and video card on different occasions. All tests below were carried out with the notebook plugged in so that performance was not affected.

PC Mark10

Focused on putting the processor to the test in different situations, the PCMark 10 is a paid option that offers a free trial, through the demo version that can be downloaded from Steam free of charge. In practice, the software analyzed internet browsing, video calls and even video playback and rendering. Check your score 7.299 points:

About the use in practice, I really didn't have problems with crashes that prevented the delivery of all my demands. The processor, unified with the SSD, managed to do quite the job. For comparison, the 16 ROG Zephyrus M2022 it achieved 4.782 points (a model that also comes from the gamer market).

Cinebench R23

This option is more focused on putting the graphics card to work at its maximum power so that, through points, the user knows whether the notebook can handle high demand, which is not always valid just for games. This was the score of GeForce RTX 4090 No. ROG Strix Scar 18:

As I said previously, the graphics were other elements that didn't give me any problems during any part of the ten days I had this notebook. It's an interesting option for those who want to play and even work from practically anywhere that has internet. O 16 ROG Zephyrus M2022 got 16.128 points on multi core CPU.

Conclusion

I reach the end of this review with the thought that the ROG Strix Scar 18 It is one of the most complete notebooks on sale in Brazil. It has a high-quality screen, incredible performance and graphics quality, as well as 2 TB of storage and an additional 32 GB of RAM to run games and applications without crashing.

But its initial market price may be too high even for those who can and are willing to invest in a high-performance notebook from ASUS: the model we tested can be purchased for R$32.999,00. Is it a high price? Absolutely, but understand that you will have a notebook with cutting-edge components, which will last for years and will certainly receive major operating system updates as they become available.

Technical specifications

Córdoba	ROG Strix Scar 18
Processor and graphics	Intel Core i9-14900HX 2.2 GHz (36MB Cache, up to 5.8 GHz, 24 cores, 32 threads) NVIDIA graphics card GeForce RTX 4090 on 16GB GDDR6 type ROG Boost: 2090MHz at up to 175W (2040MHz Boost Clock+50MHz OC, 150W+25W Dynamic Boost)
Memory	32GB DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM Maximum capacity of 64GB RAM Dual memory channel support
Storage	1TB + 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 Performance SSD (RAID 0)
System	Windows 11 Home
Fabric	18 inches Type: Mini LED Resolution: 2K (2560×1600) anti-glare screen Refresh rate: 165 Hz Response time: 3 milliseconds Pantone Validated MUX Switch NVIDIA Advanced Optimus Dolby Vision support
Webcam	720P HD
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) (Triple band) 2*2 Bluetooth 5.3
Doors	1x 3.5mm headphone jack; 1x HDMI 2.0; 1x RJ45 LAN port; 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A; 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C DisplayPort and power delivery (10 Gigabits per second transfer); 1x Thunderbolt 4 that supports DisplayPort and power delivery.
Audio	Smart Amplification Technology Audio via Dolby Atmos AI noise-cancelling technology Hi-Res certification Built-in beam microphone 4-speaker system with Smart Amplifier Technology
Battery	90 WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Lithium-ion 330W adapter
Weight and dimensions	35.5 x 24.3 x 1.99 ~ 1.99 cm 3,10 kg
Price	R$32.999,00
Availability in Brazil	As of April 03, 2024

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ASUS launches ROG Strix 2024 line with gaming notebooks with 14th generation Intel CPU in Brazil

reviewed by Glaucon Vital in 3 / 4 / 24.