ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 G834JY 18.0” 240Hz Gaming Laptop (Intel i9-13980H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, 16GB RAM, 2TB SSD, Windows 11) Includes ROG HDR Nebula Display

I’ve been testing the 2025 ASUS ROG Strix G18 (G815) (RTX 5080) for several days, and it has exceeded every expectation for a desktop replacement. If you are looking for raw performance and a cooling system that actually keeps up with high-end silicon, this is it. 1. Benchmarks & Raw Power In Cinebench 2024, this machine is a beast. I managed to hit a Multi-Core score of 2212 points. To put that in perspective, that is roughly 25-30% faster than last year’s i9-14900HX and even trades blows with high-end desktop processors. CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 Cores / 24 Threads) GPU: NVIDIA RTX 5080 (175W TGP) Memory: 32GB DDR5 2. GPU Performance & Cooling (FurMark Test) The RTX 5080 in this chassis is a cooling marvel. I ran a FurMark stress test at 2560x1440 resolution for a steady 2-minute burn: Performance: A rock-solid 172 FPS. Temperatures: The GPU core stayed at an icy 68°C, and the Junction (Hot Spot) only reached 70°C. Power Draw: It pulled the full 175W TGP without breaking a sweat. A 2-degree delta between the core and the hot spot is insane for a laptop—it proves the vapor chamber and tri-fan setup are doing a legendary job. 3. Thermal Performance (The "Real" Test) The Tri-Fan cooling system and Vapor Chamber are not just marketing gimmicks. During the Cinebench stress test, I logged the following via HWiNFO: Peak CPU Package Power: 172.5W (PL2). It actually hits the advertised limits without instantly thermal throttling. Sustained Power: Settles beautifully around 125W. Temperatures: Peak CPU temp hit 97°C during the initial burst, but stabilized quickly. GPU Temps: Incredibly cool, staying in the mid-60s°C even under heavy load, with a Hot Spot (Junction) only reaching about 70°C. 4. Build & Screen The 18-inch 2.5K 240Hz Nebula Display is massive and immersive. Color accuracy is spot on for creative work, and the brightness is plenty for a bright room. The chassis is mostly high-quality plastic, but it feels like a tank—zero deck flex. 5. Pros: Desktop-Class Performance: 2212 (!!!) in CB2024 is top-tier for 2025 Excellent Liquid Metal Application: My core-to-core temperature delta was only about 8-9°C, meaning the factory application of Conductonaut Extreme is perfect. Quiet "Silent" Mode: It stays remarkably quiet during daily tasks. 6. Cons: Size/Weight: It’s an 18-inch laptop; you aren't going to carry this in a standard backpack. It’s a "desk laptop." Power Brick: The 330W adapter is large, but necessary for these scores. Final Verdict: If you care about the "Silicon Lottery," ASUS seems to be binning these Ultra 9 chips very well. Scoring over 2200 in Cinebench out of the box with stock settings is incredible. Highly recommended for gamers and professional creators who need zero compromises. Tip for buyers: Check your HWiNFO logs! If you see your P-cores hitting 4.1GHz+ under full load, you’ve got a winner. ASUS's 2025 cooling revision is their best yet.

So if you’re looking at this laptop, you’re looking for top tier. Sure the MSI titan manages to squeeze a tad more performance out of the same components, but flying that close to the sun comes at a cost, financially and reliability. So with only a few others hitting this sweet spot, why should you choose this? Intro: My nearly 4 year old Alienware Area51 2080ti is starting to show its age. It’s fast enough, but struggles on the latest ray tracing titles, the call of the newest and bestest is getting stronger. I chose that laptop as really at the time it was the king of the big desktop replacement laptops. I travel a lot for my job so I wanted performance as close to my high end desktop as possible on the move. I was close to pulling the trigger on the Alienware M18 with the same hardware as the ROG, but after reviewing everything, it seems it, like many of the current gen top end laptops has thermal issues. Not so with the SCAR 18. It’s almost magical how this thing can perform and keep performing under load without hitting any thermal throttle! The 13980 i9 and RTX4090 is an awesome combo! The SSD is lightning fast, and the 2tb is generous compared to others! Out the box it’s already as fast as my previous gen i9 3090 desktop, which is silly for a laptop. The fans kick in and ate a bit noisy, but no more so than my old Alienware. It’s also a lot thinner. And it might be strange to say this, but despite the massive screen, this thing is sleek and comparatively light, next to that old thing! I’d happily carry it in a rucksack! Performance: Make sure you update the bios and you can unlock the under volt offsets and really get some performance out of it! I’m talking silly speeds! Frame rates well over 100 in any game on ultra is reasonable to expect. No longer do you need to worry about slowing down. This thing can even play star citizen at max settings with very high frames, which is nuts! It’s never going to be as fast as a desktop 4090 best, as it’s s fraction of the power available, but it’s benchmark is on par with some high end 4080 i9 desktops. So not bad for something you can pick up in your hand! Lighting: The RGB lighting is the best I’ve seen on a laptop, loads of presets to choose from and awesome knight rider like effect when it goes to sleep! The screen is beautiful and the keyboard is nice to use. I’d use this thing to work on too frankly. Sound: So most people will probably just get headphones on for this kind of machine, but the speakers are really impressive. Very crisp and good base. If you want to sit in a hotel room and turn it into a cinema, this thing does the trick. That said you’d need it loud if heavy gaming as the fans will need to be drowned out. Downsides: The power brick is a bit big, but nothing like the two lumps from the Alienware I used to have to carry. The track pad is a bit crap too, it feels nice, but been a bit funny to used, but I’d rarely not use a mouse. And you have to mention the fan noise on any gaming laptop. When you crank this thing, it kicks out a lot of air… no worse than others I’ve tried, but none are good! That said, you can use a quiet mode for reduced performance, which is still good… oh and it might be a laptop, but this thing eats power, it’s not going to last long not plugged in. And those are my only cons. Conclusion: If you want what could easily be considered one of the best, that continues to improve from bios updates, then this is the one. I have zero regrets! Unreasonable power, great screen and design and a fantastic package overall.

I've had my laptop from just before Christmas and I'm so happy with it. It's an absolute beast and will play anything you throw at it. It's also a very cool running machine. I actually can't find a single fault with it.

Great product, great for all my needs, happy with the purchase

Although I really like it big, fast but not exactly portable but that is ok since I knew that. A couple of things I would like the backlight keyboard to be brighter but think I might be able to do it with Aura sync and use the 4 zone keyboard as well as other things but does not seem to be supported yet by Aura creator maybe since it has just come out so not been done yet. I think it is advertised as you being able to use the creator with it but so far not yet and was looking forward to having different light zones on the keyboard think the older models are supported but not this one yet.

Cracking laptop for the price, the right components as far as I'm aware

Not left handed friendly! some bright spark decided to move the cursor keys into the numpad keys, if you are left handed, you probably don't use the WAD keys for movement while Gaming, but use the Cursor keys instead and the numpad as extra keys. as we are all used to a standard keyboard layout, moving these keys around really mess's up your control. why are left handed people never considered? so annoying after paying 1.5k

Just fantastic in All aspects