This time with Mini LED: review of the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 2024 gaming laptop

Gaming laptops in the largest new cases have already been updated. At CES 2024, ASUS has prepared just such models, which have newer processors and displays with Mini LED backlighting. And although the largest ROG flagships of last year were very interesting without it, this time Mini LED is here as well. So today we will check how the update affected the top gaming model of the division – ROG Strix SCAR 18.

Specifications of ROG Strix SCAR 18

Package contents

The manufacturer maintains a certain stability and has not yet changed the accessories included with its flagship laptops. Therefore, the price of the ROG Strix SCAR 18 also includes two power supplies, a replaceable decorative topcase panel, a ROG Strix Impact mouse, and a large branded backpack. There are plenty of other accessories in the ROG store, but “further, of course, for money”.

Traditionally, the most useful of the bundled accessories is a backpack, because due to the overall size of the laptop, if you still have to take it somewhere, it will help you do so. It’s also nice to have a “travel” power supply, which, although not very significant, will make it easier to leave your usual place of work. Not every manufacturer has taken care of such seemingly insignificant details.

Design and usability

This is exactly the look of the ROG Strix series laptops we’ve seen before. This year, no significant changes were even expected, and none occurred. The general features have not changed at all: ROG Strix SCAR 18 2024 remains a large “desktop” laptop. Fans of portability will definitely not want such a laptop. However, it was also planned for those who primarily need performance.

The dimensions, like the case itself, are copied from last year’s version: 399×294×23.1-30.8 mm, weight – 3.1 kg. That is, the laptop requires not only a large backpack, but also a large desktop. Still, we’re talking about an 18-inch laptop, and a gaming laptop at that. So, yes, you should expect that it will be difficult to work comfortably with such a laptop on a small “desktop” from an IKEA store. Although I am sure that buyers of such laptops are already well prepared for this case.

Among the prominent elements on the topcase are the removable panels, of which there are two in the set, a pair of long backlit panels, and a large RGB logo on the top cover. All the backlighting is synchronized and has many settings options. The materials of the case were also not touched: the top cover is metal, and everything else is made of light plastic, which is partially translucent (but still relatively dull). Only the pattern on the topcase has been updated, with a diagonal ribbon with a branded inscription.

The underside still has the typical finish, a lot of ventilation holes, and six rather large rubber feet. In addition to the fact that they easily “grip” the table surface, their considerable weight also helps the laptop stay in place. Therefore, it is unlikely to move unexpectedly during any intense gaming moments.

So this time around, ROG Strix SCAR 18 won’t really surprise you with anything new in terms of design. It’s still big, heavy, and shines RGB from all sides. And as I said earlier, this year’s model has other additions. And the next section is about one of them.

Display

Let’s start with the basics. The diagonal of the manufacturer’s largest laptop is 18 inches. The screen also offers a resolution of 2560×1600 pixels, an aspect ratio of 16:10, a refresh rate of 240 Hz, a response time of 3 ms, G-Sync support, and more. This is the basic set for a model of this level.

And this time, the ROG Nebula HDR Display matrix is used here. It’s IPS, but not with conventional LED backlighting, but Mini LED. That is, there are 2304 dimming zones, which allows you to better display black in scenes where there is a lot of it. This technology has been used in laptop screens for a while now, and there are still not many models that can offer this option.

The screen can work in three modes: 

• One Zone Backlight Mode — standard mode, where the backlight works like any other screen;
• Multi Zone Balance — this is what the manufacturer offers for everyday work;
• Multy Zone Strong — which is offered for gaming and watching movies, and preferably with HDR enabled.

This way, you can change the contrast from about 2,000:1 to 10,000:1. The peak brightness of the display is 1,100 cd/m², which is also not something every laptop can afford. But it should be borne in mind that in normal mode, the user will not see much more than 500 cd/m². At the same time, the minimum brightness that our colorimeter “saw” was 31 cd/m². The matrix protection, as required for a gaming model, is matte, which will help to work in different lighting conditions. Here, too, you could be a little whimsical and ask the manufacturer for a light sensor. However, this is still not a very popular feature for other expensive laptops from simpler categories.

At the same time, the display promises to cover 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. In the settings, you can find not only presets for different scenarios (Default, Racing, FPS, etc.), but also four color profiles (Native, sRGB, DCI-P3, and Display P3). Based on the measurements of our colorimeter, the most successful combination is Native and Default. When changing modes, the difference in saturation, gamma, temperature, etc. is too noticeable. Switching between backlight modes is also noticeable. Therefore, it is better for the user to choose a comfortable option once and stay with it than to switch manually when changing tasks.

Another significant point, in my opinion, is working with an external monitor. Not every display is capable of producing such an image, and the large ROG Strix SCAR 18 is essentially a desktop substitute. It is possible that the user will work with the laptop display as an additional one. Probably, in this case, it will not make much sense to spend money on the ROG Nebula HDR Display option, because the difference in image capabilities will be too noticeable. On the other hand, if the laptop screen is also the main screen for work, this is a great option that is really nice to work with.

One of the things I didn’t like was the still noticeable “aura” around light objects on a dark background. It’s hard to say whose fault this is – the manufacturer’s or the operating system’s. We have already seen the same effect in other models last year. Not that it’s a big deal, but in certain circumstances (for example, when working with graphics) it can be inconvenient. Switching to the standard backlight mode will help you get rid of the effect.

Ports

Structurally, ROG Strix SCAR 18 has ports only on the side panels. Among them, on the left side of the topcase, the user will have access to a combined 3.5 mm Jack, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (with DP and PD support), Thunderbolt 4 (DP), HDMI 2.1, RJ-45 (2.5 GB) and a power port. On the other side are two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2.

Other models in the ROG Strix line do have ports on the back. However, the 16-inch and 18-inch versions are not one of them. This also causes some inconvenience, because the same USB-A ports are located under your right hand. And there are only two of them. I wouldn’t say that it was completely difficult and that it’s an incorrigible story. But it would still be more convenient if there were more ports and a different location. Personally, in my case, I couldn’t do without an additional hub for full-fledged work.

Manipulators and multimedia

Without significant changes to the case, we shouldn’t have expected any updates to the manipulators. We have seen a keyboard like the ROG Strix SCAR 18 this year before. The keys with a 2 mm travel are just as pleasant to use, not loud, and conveniently located. You only need to get used to the slightly narrowed NUM pad, but when playing games or typing, there are no problems and you don’t need to take your eyes off the display. What’s still missing is a fingerprint scanner, for example, on the power button.

The large trackpad measuring 130×85 mm is centered relative to the main part of the keyboard, i.e. it is shifted to the left of the center of the topcase. It didn’t bother me during games, but you can disable it either through a proprietary utility or with the Fn+F10 combination. There are no questions about its operation either, because it is easy to control the cursor with it, and everything is fine with the reaction to gestures. If the user prefers to use the trackpad or combine it with the mouse, there should be no drawbacks.

The sound system consists of two tweeters and two more subwoofers located around the perimeter of the topcase. In their class, these are still some of the best speakers with which you can listen to fresh track selections in streaming services, organize an accompaniment for watching a movie, and so on. They won’t beat external options, of course, and it’s still more pleasant to play with headphones (due to the cooling system). However, as for laptop speakers, the speakers are very good, probably one of the best to date.

The webcam hasn’t evolved either. The ROG division has recently brought them back to their laptops, and they’re still at maximum HD quality. Despite this, its image is sufficient both in daylight and artificial light. There may be errors with white balance here and there, but there will be no significant problems for video communication with family and colleagues. For streaming, of course, a third-party camera will be a much better solution.

A pair of microphones next to a webcam is still an indescribable pleasure. Most likely, they are also not very fresh, but with the help of AI, they can cope with the sounds of the keyboard, cooling system, or other ambient noise. Additionally, the user has several options for adjusting the noise reduction sensitivity and conditional microphone directional angle. Again, for gaming voice chats and broadcasts, it’s better to have a headset or a separate microphone, but the same regular calls on the Internet can be made with the built-in solution (without forgetting to turn on noise cancellation, otherwise the microphones are more sensitive than necessary).

Performance and software

Buyers of this year’s version of ROG Strix SCAR 18 will also find new Intel processors. This is now the 14th generation. However, they do not provide for a super-powerful performance increase, and separate NPU units for processing artificial intelligence tasks are provided by other lines (perhaps because of this, game models on the keyboard did not get a new key to call Copilot).

This doesn’t make the test model any less exciting. The laptop contains a 24-core Intel Core i9-14900HX (8 powerful cores up to 5.8 GHz, 16 energy-saving cores up to 4.1 GHz, 32 threads, 36 MB cache, up to 65 W), NVIDIA GeForce RTX4090 (16 GB GDDR6, up to 2040 MHz, up to 175 W), 32 GB DDR5-5600 RAM (with support for up to 64 GB) and 2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe (RAID 0). And yes, the user still has the option of adding RAM and replacing drives on their own.

There were no updates to the wireless modules, where support for Wi-Fi 6E 2×2 and Bluetooth 5.3 remained. If possible, you can also connect to the network using a wired 2.5-gigabit connection.

The proprietary ARMOURY CRATE utility still offers Silent, Performance, and Turbo modes (you can also transfer control of the system to the operating system or configure the necessary parameters yourself). There is also an option to select the number of active cores if you need to extend battery life. You can also make some adjustments to the graphics. For example, by selecting the Ultimate mode, the discrete card will be active all the time, and the image will be sent directly to the monitor. The other options Standard, Eco, and Optimized speak for themselves. The peculiarity of switching between Ultimate and other graphics modes in the form of a necessary reboot is also still in place.

As expected, synthetic benchmarks showed a few extra points in some places, and this is mainly related to the processor. However, it’s hard to say that these are in any way fundamental figures. Therefore, in principle, it would be quite logical for those who want to buy such a laptop without an updated Mini LED matrix to first of all see if there are any previous versions with possible discounts. Although it’s hard to say that the new model disappoints with its performance.

Battery life also traditionally loses a considerable amount of performance. But it’s still more than that of “office” laptops. It’s unlikely that simple tasks will see a noticeable loss of performance. And it’s unlikely that anyone will play games without a suitable power supply connected (and the battery will still “change” the type of leisure time relatively quickly).
 

For its intended purpose, ROG Strix SCAR 18 also does not disappoint. Although this model has not seen a significant improvement in performance in games (compared to last year’s ROG flagships), you can still play any game with high graphics settings comfortably. However, this time it is the display that will add more impressions.

For some reason, this is not the first time with flagship laptops, but in stability testing, the monitoring indicators did not display everything correctly. For example, it showed the average processor temperature at 28°C, which hardly corresponds to the real temperature. However, the temperature of the cores was more like the truth and almost did not exceed 80°C. The main thing is that under heavy load during long gaming sessions, the user will not feel any heat under their hands. The working surface does not resemble a frying pan and really keeps cool for a long time.

This is done by the cooling system, which was updated last year and includes three fans, 7 heat pipes, and thermal interfaces using liquid metal on the CPU and graphics accelerator. However, the noise is a classic story for such laptops. Coolers operate at different speeds, and depending on the selected mode, it can reach 5,200, 5,800, and 7,500 rpm, and you can hear it from the next room (which is why you need headphones for gaming). Additionally, the hot air exhaust can heat up everything around. But on the other hand, in Silent mode and simple office work, cooling can be mostly passive, allowing you to answer emails or browse the Internet in complete silence.

In the center of the necessary proprietary utilities, MyASUS remains for some updates, battery settings and problem diagnostics, as well as ARMOURY CRATE, where you can select system and display modes, adjust the backlight, ROG accessories, etc. MyASUS has recently been updated externally, but there were no significant changes in functionality, and ARMOURY CRATE retains its familiar look and features. That is, for those buyers who will not be working with a laptop of this series for the first time, there is nothing new in the software.

Battery life

The 90 Wh battery is also capable of operating without a power supply. When simulating office work with a display brightness level of 100 cd/m², the charge lasted for 5 hours and 44 minutes. Under the same conditions, the gaming test depleted it in an hour. Two hours of watching a movie with comfortable brightness and sound settings consumes a third of the charge. Hardly anyone expects to work on such a system all day without a power supply, let alone play games. So the results are quite satisfactory. And compared to the not-so-distant past, they are actually excellent (within this category of laptops, of course).

Having two power supplies on hand is also quite convenient. The bigger one weighs 970 grams, provides 330 W of power, and takes an hour and 20 minutes to fully charge the battery. The smaller one weighs 400 grams and provides up to 100 watts of power, which will increase the battery’s full charge time by an hour (with a little bit of a hook). The main one is connected via a large Barrel Jack port, and the “portable” one is connected via USB-C. And it is worth considering that the latter will not provide enough power for the “Ultimatum” mode and the corresponding image quality settings in games. Therefore, with the “portable” unit, you will rather have to rely on simpler tasks, and play or work with demanding tasks with the main unit.