The ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 G834J is the ROG’s latest flagship gaming laptop that packs some serious muscle. Buckle up and get ready to see what this laptop is capable of.
Video Review
Design
Let’s start with the design. It’s a big, bold laptop with a sleek, angular design and a brushed metal finish.
RGB fans will be delighted with the SCAR 18 as the chassis has plenty of illumination that includes the front and rear lightbars.
Even the keyboard is per-key RGB that you can customise the colour scheme in the Armoury Crate software.
The Armoury Crate software.
Display
The 18-inch QHD+ Nebula HDR display dominates the front, offering stunning visuals with vibrant colors and deep blacks. Plus, the 240Hz refresh rate ensures buttery smooth gameplay especially suitable for competitive game titles.
I/O
For a laptop of this size, I expect to see plenty of ports and it does not disappoint. On the left we have a barrel charging port, 2.5Gbps ethernet port, HDMI 2.1 port, 2x USB-C ports whereby the left supports Thunderbolt 4 while the right supports USB 3.2 Gen2. Beside the USB-C port is a 3.5mm combo audio jack
On the right you will find two USB 3.2 Gen2 type A ports.
Even though this is a laptop, but it is not exactly a lap-friendly laptop. It weighs in at a hefty 3.1Kg, so it is definitely more of a desktop replacement. But hey, if you want high performance laptop right? This is what you will be getting.
Also, one thing I want to remind you, it is best to invest in a large laptop bag to carry it around together with its chonky 330W power adapter.
Performance
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Let’s move on to the focus of this review – the specs and performance. We the latest Intel Core i9-14900HX processor paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU. That’s a combo that can easily crush any game you throw at it. Backing that up is a whopping 64GB of DDR5 memory and up to 2TB of super-fast PCIe NVMe SSD storage. Basically, this laptop is built for speed and can handle even the most demanding workloads.
Cyberpunk 2077 at the highest settings with Ray Tracing Over Drive + DLSS Frame Generation easily averages at 83 fps without any hiccups. This is all thanks to the powerful RTX 4090 laptop chip with the max TGP of 175W.
We even tested the laptop playing Cyberpunk 2077 on the 100″ Hisense U7K 4K TV and we could game on a comfortable 60fps at the same settings.
Of course, we are not only talking about gamers when it comes to a laptop’s raw performance. Content creators and creative industry will also benefit from this laptop especially I know plenty of wedding photographers would use a gaming laptop to export photos and videos.
Battery Life
When it comes to the battery life, I would say it is decent. the 90Whr battery can last around 4~5 hours of light use. Given that the NVIDIA optimus technology would intelligently switch between the intergrated graphics and the RTX 4090 depending on the workload.
I wouldn’t recommend you to game on the battery for 2 reasons – 1, the experience is not going to be pleasant as the CPU and GPU would throttle to save battery life. 2, even with the power saving attempt, you would still drain the battery entirely in about 1 hours or so. Thus, do carry the power adapter with you.
Conclusion
So, is the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 G834J worth your money? Well, if you’re a hardcore gamer or a creative professional who needs a desktop replacement with top-of-the-line performance, then absolutely. This laptop is a beast that can handle anything you throw at it. However, the hefty price tag and size might deter some casual users.
Ultimately, the decision comes down to your needs and budget. But if you’re looking for the absolute best in gaming laptops, the ROG Strix Scar 18 G834J is a serious contender.
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