Asus has unveiled a new version of its flagship gaming laptop and the specs are every bit as over-the-top as you’d expect.
The new ROG Strix SCAR 18 packs an enormous 18-inch 4K mini-LED display and up to an RTX 5090 laptop GPU. It also has enough power to make most desktop PCs sweat a little.
The headline feature here is the display. Asus says the Strix SCAR 18 is the world’s first laptop to use an 18-inch 4K 240Hz mini-LED panel with its new ROG Nebula ELMB tech. In simpler terms, it’s aiming for the holy grail of gaming screens: ultra-sharp visuals and ultra-smooth motion at the same time.
That panel also supports HDR with up to 1600 nits peak brightness, over 2,000 dimming zones, and full DCI-P3 colour coverage. Asus has even added a new anti-glare coating designed to reduce reflections without washing out the image. This is something glossy gaming laptops still struggle with.
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Under the hood, this thing is just as excessive. The top-spec model pairs Intel’s Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU. Meanwhile, Asus claims the system can sustain up to 320W of combined power. That is an absurd amount for a laptop. However, ASUS says its revamped cooling system is built to handle it.
The SCAR 18 uses a larger vapour chamber, thicker heatsinks, upgraded fans, and rear exhaust vents to keep temperatures under control during heavy gaming or creative workloads. ASUS also says airflow has improved by 91% compared to the previous generation.
Interestingly, Asus has made upgrades easier this year, too. The bottom panel can now be removed without tools, giving users direct access to the RAM and SSD slots. This is a small change, but one that PC gamers will probably appreciate more than another RGB lighting mode.
That said, the RGB is still very much here. The laptop keeps the full-wrap Aura lighting bar and AniMe Vision LEDs on the lid. This is for anyone wanting maximum gaming-laptop energy.
The ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 is available now starting at £5499.99. RTX 5090 configurations are sold through retailers including Currys, Amazon, Scan and others.
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