Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 (2025) review: A gamers’ delight

Rating: 8.5/10

There are machines, and then there are machines that demand your attention the moment you place them on your desk. The 2025 ROG Strix SCAR 16 G635 falls squarely into the latter camp — not just for the neon glow it casts in a dimly lit room, or the unapologetic design that screams performance, but for what lies inside: a pairing of Intel’s Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA’s new RTX 5090 GPU. For the kind of gamer who wants bleeding-edge power and is willing to pay for it, this year’s SCAR 16 doesn’t just refresh the specs — it brings the whole future with it.

I’ve spent just over three weeks using this monster of a machine as my go-to laptop. I edited videos, played games for hours, transferred terabytes of files, and watched its RGB glow gently in the dark like a spacecraft parked in my study. This isn’t just about raw numbers — it’s about how the SCAR 16 handles pressure when you throw everything at it. And make no mistake: I did. Let’s break it down.

Design and build

If you’ve seen any SCAR laptop in the past few years, you’ll instantly recognise the sharp edges, pronounced hinges, and the thick back vent. What’s different this year is subtle but impactful. Asus has now adopted a tool-less design for the internals, making upgrades far easier. The SSD can be swapped in seconds thanks to a new Q-latch system, and the RAM is just as easy to access. I personally think that Asus is going back to its original roots. And, you can’t remember, there was the Asus G74SX launched back in 2011, which has the same single-screw system for part replacements.

ROG Strix Scar 16 keyboard

With this new design, the opening and closing of the latch is much easier and convenient, and it also offers more access than the G74SX, and that’s expected – in 2025.

The chassis, made from a blend of metal and high-density plastic, still feels as rugged as ever, though the finish doesn’t resist fingerprints well. But the highlight, design-wise, is the upgraded AniMe Vision on the lid. It’s no longer just a gimmick — this version features 810 LEDs across 8,000+ perforations, and the effects are smoother, brighter, and actually useful. I had my name looping across the back during a LAN session. It turned heads.

The full-surround RGB lightbar underneath adds that signature SCAR glow, giving the illusion that the machine is levitating off your table. It still syncs with Aura and your peripherals, and the transitions now feel less stuttered compared to the 2023 model.

At 2.8kg, it’s not the most portable machine, but if you’re buying a SCAR, you already know you’re not commuting with it every day. It’s a statement piece — not just a tool. And, you like looking at it when it is resting on your desk – hovering over it in the dark.

Display

If last year’s Nebula HDR panel was excellent, this year’s version is…even better. The SCAR 16 now ships with a 16-inch Mini-LED WQXGA panel (2560x1600) that pushes out a 240Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of up to 1200 nits. But numbers only tell part of the story.

When I booted up Cyberpunk 2077 in HDR mode, I was impressed. The specular highlights — the shine of neon puddles, the reflections of cars in rain — popped like I was looking at an OLED. Asus has pushed hard with Dolby Vision and Pantone validation, and the result is that both creators and gamers now get to share the same screen space without compromise.

ROG Strix Scar 16

There’s support for G-SYNC, which helps smooth out variable frame rates, especially in CPU-bound titles. Motion handling is excellent, with ghosting virtually non-existent thanks to the 3ms response time. Even fast-paced shooters like Apex Legends felt razor-sharp.

Brightness control is localised thanks to the Mini-LED backlighting, which allows HDR content to really shine, especially in dark rooms. Watching Blade Runner 2049 on this screen was almost cinematic. If anything, it’s almost a waste to use this panel only for gaming — this is good enough for professional post-production.

When it comes to display in premium gaming laptops, Asus has managed to excel in this department.

Performance

Let’s talk about power.

The SCAR 16 G635 is one of the first machines to pack Intel’s Core Ultra 9 275HX, a 24-core chip with 5.4GHz peak frequency, paired with the new NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPU with 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM and a max TGP of 175W. This combo is absurdly powerful. And, I was thrilled to give it a try and push it, till it breaks. And, I failed

On Shadow of the Tomb Raider at ultra settings, with ray tracing and DLSS 4 enabled, I got over 150 fps average. Cyberpunk 2077 in full ray-tracing mode — the infamous Overdrive preset — delivered around 100 fps with DLSS 4 frame generation.

There’s Advanced Optimus and Dynamic Boost working in the background to ensure that when you’re plugged in, the system knows how to maximise performance without you having to tweak power profiles. It’s smart, and I rarely felt the need to intervene.

The 2TB PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD read and wrote at over 7GB/s in my tests, and the 32GB of DDR5 RAM at 5600MHz never once felt like a bottleneck. This is a desktop-class experience in laptop clothing.

Thermals and cooling

With great power comes great heat — and Asus knows that. The cooling system here is a multi-pronged beast. You get a full-length vapor chamber, the company’s now-signature Tri-Fan Technology, and the use of Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal on both the CPU and GPU.

In Turbo mode, fans ramp up aggressively — you’ll hear them. But thermal efficiency is impressive. Even under prolonged gaming loads, the CPU rarely crossed 89°C and the GPU hovered around 78°C. That’s remarkable for a laptop pushing this many watts.

The keyboard deck stayed cool enough to game on comfortably, though the area above the function keys did get noticeably warm. Asus still provides Silent, Performance, Turbo, and Manual modes — and if you want to go full DIY, Armoury Crate gives you fan curves and power targets to tweak.

ROG Strix Scar 16

Fan noise in Turbo mode peaked at around 54 dB. It’s loud but not shrill — more of a deep whoosh than a whine. Pop on headphones and you’re good. And, again it is a gaming laptop, you don’t want it to be quiet while pushing it to the limits.

Keyboard, audio, and I/O

The optical mechanical keyboard returns, and it’s a joy to use. The key travel is just right, with a tactile bump that makes long gaming sessions comfortable. Each key is individually RGB-lit, and the lighting syncs well with Aura.

The glass touchpad is large and accurate. Still not my primary method of navigation (I always plug in a mouse), but great when you’re browsing or doing light edits.

Audio gets a quiet upgrade, too. The quad-speaker setup with Dolby Atmos is surprisingly punchy. There’s clarity in the highs, some real depth in the mids, and just enough bass for music to sound decent. It won’t replace external speakers, but it holds its own for Netflix or YouTube.

Ports are well laid out. You get:

2x Thunderbolt 5 (with DP 2.1 and PD 3.1)

3x USB-A Gen 2

1x HDMI 2.1 FRL

1x 2.5G LAN

1x combo audio jack

1x ASUS slim power jack

There’s Wi-Fi 7 onboard, Bluetooth 5.4 is there too, future-proofing you for the next few years.

Battery and charging

With a 90Whr battery, expectations were modest. And rightfully so. In Balanced mode with light browsing, I got around 4.5 hours. Toss in some video editing or gaming, and it drops to around 90–100 minutes. This is very much a plug-it-in kind of machine. The good news? The 380W charger is robust and tops up the battery from 10% to 100% really quick.

It also supports USB-C PD charging (up to 100W), though that’s best used for travel or emergencies — don’t expect full performance on Type-C juice alone.

Verdict

The ROG Strix SCAR 16 G635 is either the machine for you or not for you. There’s no grey area here. It’s relatively sized, loud when it needs to be, and expensive. But it’s also one of the most complete gaming laptops I’ve used — not just in terms of performance, but in terms of finish and overall experience. It’s heavily priced too – Rs 3,79,990 is no ordinary cost to pay for a gaming laptop.

At the same time, it combines the raw power of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and RTX 5080 with meaningful upgrades to design, cooling, AI performance, and display tech. It’s a machine that doesn’t compromise, and one that feels smarter in almost every aspect.

If you’re a gamer, streamer, creator, or someone who just wants the best and doesn’t care about portability, this is the machine to beat in 2025. It doesn’t just play games — it dares them to challenge it.