ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16" Off Black 2025 Review

The ASUS ROG Strix Scar is a monster of a laptop that makes zero compromises on performance, and exactly zero compromises on being portable. If you want the absolute fastest gaming and creator machine you can buy right now, this is it. Just don't expect to carry it around without noticing the heft.

This thing is blisteringly fast. The Intel 275HX CPU sits in the 95th percentile, and the RTX 5080 GPU is right there with it at 94th. That 2TB NVMe SSD is in the 93rd percentile, so everything loads instantly. The real star is the screen, though. That 16-inch Mini-LED panel hits 1200 nits and 240Hz, making games and movies look ridiculously good.

At around $3,250, it's wildly expensive. But you're paying for components that are in the top 5% of performance. If raw power is your only metric, the value is there. If you care about portability or battery life at all, it's a terrible value.

Compared to the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max, you're trading Apple's insane efficiency, battery life, and build quality for pure Windows gaming power and a brighter screen. Next to something like the MSI Vector 16 HX, the ASUS wins on screen quality and storage, but you're in the same weight class. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i might offer similar specs for less money, but you'll miss out on this specific Mini-LED display.

Buy this if you need a desktop replacement that can game at max settings and handle intense creative workloads, and you never plan to use it on your actual lap for long. It's a fantastic stationary powerhouse. For anyone who needs to move around, the MacBook Pro or a lighter gaming laptop is a better choice.