ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 Review: An Overloaded Gaming Laptop, And That's It?

The ROG Strix Scar 16, launched by ASUS shortly after the end of CES 2023, is among the first products to be equipped with Intel’s new “Raptor Lake HX” processors and Nvidia’s latest mobile RTX 4000s under Ada Lovelace architecture are.

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With its 16-inch format, the model loaned to us by ASUS France was practically the best on the market today. A next-generation armament, synonymous with stratospheric performance on all current AAAs. But with a starting price of just under 4000 euros in France, the device must be impeccable. So is it real? We’ll see that in our full review.

What we liked about the ROG Strix Scar 16

ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 at the best price Base price: €3,799

Its screen: mini LED technology and stars in our eyes

Let’s start with what you can’t miss: the viewing quality offered by this new Strix Scar. The device makes progress on all sides this year, adopting a 16-inch mini LED panel and a 16:10 ratio for a QHD+ definition (2560 x 1600 pixels) for the first time.

Compared to the IPS technology previously used in this series, the Mini-LED (powered by Apple on the latest MacBook Pro) offers significantly more precise zone backlighting – thanks to a significantly increased LED density. This technology enables a better maximum luminance and a significantly lower contrast than with more conventional LCD technologies.

ASUS tops it all off with its new “Nebula” label, which reminds us a bit of what Apple is doing with its Retina screens. The idea? Suggest a point of reference to the consumer. When the Nebula label is present, the display quality is bound to be top-notch.

And in this case the promise is kept: the screen of our ROG Strix Scar 16 simply shines… In every sense. Not only does the 16:10 aspect ratio allow for a larger display area and tiny bezels, the mini-LED also offers a premium viewing experience.

In detail, this screen, manufactured by the Chinese company BOE, allows a luminance of up to 640 cd/m2 and a lateral contrast value of 19738:1. The peak of brightness is therefore dazzling and the contrast superb … even if we fall slightly short of the absolutely perfect blacks allowed by OLED screens.

ASUS also made sure to perfectly calibrate its screen. We measure a DeltaE of 0.7 and a color temperature of 6456 Kelvin estimated by our tools, perfect values offered by default without user involvement through manual adjustments.

To shorten it ASUS brings us here one of the most beautiful screens currently available on a gaming laptop. Gaming on the Strix Scar is a guarantee that you will literally be amazed and will be able to enjoy your favorite titles in the best possible conditions. Quite easy.

The device’s G-Sync-certified mini-LED panel can also reach up to 240 Hz while being limited to just 3 ms response time. If some competing devices go even further on the frequency side, we are also more or less the best on the market. When it comes to the display, ASUS is setting the bar very high with its new Strix.

Her appearances: when Raptor Lake teams up with Ada Lovelace

If its screen impresses from the first minutes of use, It’s really the performance of the Strix Scar 16 that gives the product its flavor. The model that we received on loan was actually very heavily armed.

On the menu is the most powerful Intel currently has in stock in the mobile market: a Core i9-13980HX currently paired with 32GB of DDR5 at 4800MHz and a brave RTX 4080 (175W by TGP: 150W + 25W via Dynamic Thrust).

While it’s possible to opt for a different model, this time equipped with an even faster RTX 4090, our configuration had enough power under the hood to motorize any AAA in QHD+ without asking too many questions, and with the highest graphics settings.

The proof is in Cybyerpunk 2077, or Dying Light 2. The two titles were animated very diligently by our Strix, very resource-hungry, everything in QHD+ definition, with activated ray tracing, DLSS in Auto and other graphics parameters set to Ultra. Under these conditions, we averaged over 100 FPS on the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark, compared to just over 70 FPS on Dying Light 2 under the same conditions.

Also note that both titles support DLSS 3.0 technology to boost their fluidity. Reserved for the latest RTX 4000, it works a bit like motion compensation on your TV.

In short, the AI built into the graphics card then inserts man-made images between “authentic” images, this time generated by the GPU. Result ? Significantly improved fluidity but with a slight latency. Therefore, although very successful, this technology is mainly reserved for single-player games.

Be that as it may, CPU performance also plays a part in the Strix Scar 16. Under Cinebench R23, Intel’s Core i9-13980HX, perfectly utilized, manages to collect 28,976 points in the multi-core calculation and some 2,150 points in the single-core calculation. Core. We’re on par with what some high-end desktop processors can deliver.

The Core i5-13600K, for example, is beaten, as are the competition in portable PCs… but beware of the abysmal drop in performance seen on battery power. On this point, Intel still has a long way to go to keep up with Apple and the energy efficiency of its latest Apple Silicon chips.

ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 at the best price Base price: €3,799

What we didn’t like

Its soundscape: deafening radiation and a hint of coil whine as a bonus

On the other side of the coin with these admirable performances, ASUS had to equip its PC with a cooling system that was beefy to say the least… and deadly loud, very loud.

It has to be said that ASUS relies on no fewer than three separate fans to cool the newcomers from Intel and Nvidia. And these three mills clearly give a voice: in-game, the noise quickly becomes deafening and tiring during long sessions. Fortunately, activating the “Silent” mode allows you to work on the device quietly, even if it’s more reserved for everyday use, for example in office automation and multimedia.

Despite the noise seen when the CPU/GPU duo is heavily loaded, the Strix 16’s three fans aren’t quite enough to keep it from overheating. While touch temperatures remain low almost everywhere on the case, they quickly climb to over 95 degrees on the CPU.

The GPU, on the other hand, remains fairly cool overall, averaging around fifty degrees during a session on Dying Light 2 and a few peaks at 70 degrees.

Finally, it’s difficult to ignore the coil whine issues seen on our rental model. This crackle, while occasional, proved annoying, especially when exiting sleep, launching a game, or after restarting the PC.

Its design: mourn discreetly

As usual with its ROG products, ASUS offers us a rather aggressive design, very typical “gamer”.

Some love it, others much less, but if the quality of assembly and finishes is back, we regret that the Taiwanese manufacturer has focused so much on the integration of RGB lighting … multiplied by plastic materials, by the way, for better to play about the effects of transparency.

Some will surely find their account, but the result is not really to our liking. This new Strix Scar is not only a real eye-catcher, it also doesn’t exactly meet our idea of a high-end product. At a starting price of 4000 euros, we would have liked to have found less plastic and more aluminum or other noble alloys.

Another regret at this price level: the lack of a mechanical keyboard. Unlike some competitors, notably from MSI and Alienware, the device doesn’t feature a flat mechanical keyboard like that offered by the Cherry brand. However, the latter offer a real plus over the high-end models.

Finally, it is very difficult to swallow that such an expensive device does not offer a biometric identification mode (face recognition, fingerprint reader). Here you need to connect the old way. In a word: it sucks.

On the other hand, the device compensates with a fairly compact format and therefore an appropriate size in view of the performance offered: 35.4 x 26.4 x 3.04 cm weigh 2.5 kilos.

Its autonomy: the day on battery power is just a sweet dream

Laptops are rarely champions of autonomy, but ASUS and its Strix Scar 16 still show ill will on this point. During video playback The device goes no longer than 1 hour 50 minutes before switching off.

With more classic office automation and multimedia use, we usually get just under two to three hours depending on the settings chosen, but without ever going much further, despite the activation of the iGPU mode in all cases (via the ‘Nvidia Optimus utility).

To charge the 90 Wh on-board battery, the supplied 330 watt charger also takes a little more than 1 hour and 20 minutes from the mains.

ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 at the best price Base price: €3,799

Our opinion on the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16:

With its thunderous performance and mini-LED screen capable of surpassing its predecessor in every way, the new Strix Scar 16 has everything on paper to make gamers dream… especially those who love RGB -Love effects.

However, with an admission ticket of 4000 euros, we can look beyond these (very good) arguments. And in this case, the device isn’t enough to justify its price: deafening conduction system (and not always effective), problems with coil whine, very plastic case, lack of a mechanical keyboard, lack of biometrics, rickety autonomy… so many more or less disturbing details that unfortunately cloud the overall experience when you line them up.

So yes, the Scar 16 is a power beast and benefits from one of the best screens out there, but it should do even better in our opinion to set itself apart from the equally well-equipped competition in two areas.

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16

3999€

design and finishes

7.5/10

autonomy and charging

3.0/10

Price-performance ratio

6.5/10

We love

The beautiful mini LED screen
The demonic power level
Rather compact size
RGB galore (if you like that)

We love less

Deafening noise from the three fans
Deterrent price
No mechanical keyboard / no biometrics
Wobbly autonomy