ASUS Strix Scar 18 (2025)

Configs to buy / avoid: A laptop of this size is only really worth it with the RTX 5080 or 5090 GPUs, as the extra space let's you get the most out of the powerful hardware. As a result, except a higher price tag. Testing notes: The Scar 18 delivered excellent RTX 5090 gaming performance, cool keyboard temps under load, one of the best CPU results we have tested, tool-less RAM and SSD access, two PCIe Gen 5 M.2 slots, fast Wi-Fi 7, great sounding speakers, Advanced Optimus, G-Sync, and the brightest laptop screen we have measured at close to 1200 nits. Trade-offs: The main compromises were the high price, heavier weight, Mini-LED blooming, only a 90Wh battery despite the bigger chassis, no rear ports, no Type-C on the right side, and similar power limits to the smaller Scar 16. Alternatives: ASUS's Scar series rarely has sales. If the Scar 18 is too expensive, we recommend Lenovo's Legion 9i or Alienware's 18 Area-51, both of which are better 18 inch gaming laptops based on our testing.