Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 G634JZR-CM932WS (2024) - Review

In February, Asus India launched the 2024 variants of its ROG Strix Scar 16, Scar 18 and Zephyrus G16. Like the previous year, the Scar 16 and Scar 18 come with the Intel Core i9 processor 14900HX and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or 4090 GPUs. The 2024 refresh features minor tweaks to the ROG formula across different laptop lineups.

Weeks after the launch, Asus shared a review unit of the Scar 16 with RTX 4080 GPU with us. This allows us to put the laptop through our testing process to see if this refresh is worth your money. Here is our review of the ROG Strix Scar 16 (2024) for all your questions about the latest gaming laptop from Asus.

Asus ROG Scar 16 (2024) specifications

Performance Benchmarks of ROG Strix Scar 16 (2024)

Gaming performance

As with the 2023 edition, the ROG Strix Scar 16 (2024) gaming laptop offers impressive performance across several titles. We tested it with a variety of both old and new games, and it performed admirably across the board. You can check the laptop's performance in the chart below at QHD (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) resolution at maximum graphics settings:

It is important to note that we only used the standard operating mode of the laptop with no ray tracing or use of upscaling technologies like DLSS. Other important notes for the testing include no V-Sync and no motion blur.

Classic games like GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 performed admirably at 185 and 90 fps, respectively. However, Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5 clocked in at 46 fps and 60 fps, respectively, with ray tracing disabled. Most other games, such as Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Borderlands 3, Gears 5, Hitman 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Horizon Zero Dawn, run above 98 fps. The results will be much better at 1080p resolution. You can also get slightly better results by switching the performance profile to "Turbo Mode."

Synthetic and productivity benchmarks

Upon examining the synthetic benchmarks we run on all laptops we review, you can observe the impressive performance figures the laptop achieves. In the chart below, you can compare the ROG Strix Scar 16 (2024) performance metrics and discern that it offers good performance relative to its price point.

The Scar 16 (2024) tops the performance charts in mode benchmarks with a few exceptions. It is also interesting to note that the only other laptops that compete with it are the ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023), the Scar 17 (2023), MSI Titan GT77 HX and Acer Predator Helios 16 (2023).

There are some benchmarks where the laptop falls behind, like Intel XTU 2.0, Cinebench R23 Multi-Core, and 3DMark Time Spy, but these are likely exceptions in otherwise dominant performance.

Thermals

Asus’ “ROG Intelligent Cooling” uses full-surround vents, tri-fan technology, and Thermal Grizzly’s Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal to maintain the laptop’s temperature. I can confirm that this technology is not just marketing hype; it genuinely works. In my experience, this is one of the few laptops I have used that offers excellent thermals.

I observed the CPU consistently hovering around 80 degrees Celsius during gaming sessions, even when playing demanding titles like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Even with Cyberpunk 2077, notorious for its demanding performance, the CPU peaked at 85 degrees Celsius at most. Forza Horizon 5 mostly kept the CPU around 80 degrees Celsius.

Surprisingly, Borderlands 2 pushed the temperature to 94 degrees Celsius in some areas but remained at 80 degrees Celsius otherwise. These temperatures are quite impressive for a gaming laptop, as they typically exceed 90 degrees Celsius in many games while delivering comparable performance.

Scar 16 (2024): Design and Display

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2024) isn’t designed to be thin and light. With top-of-the-line specifications, it weighs a hefty 2.65 kg. Add the 330W power brick and charging cable, and you are looking at lugging around 3.65 kg in your backpack.

The laptop spares no expense in adding RGB lighting. It brings per-key RGB on the keyboard, RGB lighting along the rear vents, and the illuminated ROG logo on the lid. Additionally, the front RGB strip wraps around the sides of the laptop. This RGB lighting is tastefully done and adds to the aesthetic appeal of the gaming laptop.

Scar 16 (2024) has exceptional build quality, with a metal lid and minimal keyboard flex. The rest of the laptop, including the bottom, is made from durable plastic. Considering the laptop's price, more metal construction would have been preferable. However, it would have made the laptop even heavier, impacting its portability. Despite these constraints, Asus keeps it fun with the translucent plastic finish and ROG branding patterns that are not in your face.

The 16-inch QHD+ Nebula HDR Mini LED display of the ROG Strix Scar 16 is stunning. At this price range, it is, of course, fully specced out for gaming and comes with a 240Hz refresh rate and a response time of 3ms. The display is exceptionally bright, reaching a peak brightness of 1,100 nits. I found no issues using the laptop in a brightly lit environment. Besides gaming, the 16:10 aspect ratio display also caters to media consumption (thanks to its support for HDR and Dolby Vision), productivity and even content creation with its support for 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut.

Keyboard, Trackpad, and Audio

The keys of the Scar 16's keyboard offer a 2mm travel, providing a satisfying typing experience despite being chiclet-style. It didn’t take me long to adapt to the keyboard for both typing and gaming. Like most ROG laptops, the Scar 16 (2024) keyboard has five dedicated hotkeys at the top. These offer various functions such as volume adjustment, mic mute, launching the "Armoury Crate" application, or changing the operating modes. These hotkeys are quite convenient and can be customised for other functions and macros. We also get four media control keys on the right side.

While the ROG Strix Scar (2024) doesn't include a traditional, dedicated Numpad, one is built inside the glass touchpad. Asus calls it NumberPad, and one can enable this illuminated touch Numpad by holding the Numlock button at the top right corner of the touchpad. Though it is a good inclusion and does its job, I didn’t use it much. It feels more like a gimmick, as using a traditional Numpad is much better. But it is still better than having no Numpad at all.

The laptop's quad speakers deliver decently loud sound. Even with the ceiling fan on, I could still hear the game music clearly. While you should not expect to catch every nuanced note in music or every line of dialogue in a movie, these are notably better than speakers on most other gaming laptops.

Software

The Scar 16, powered by Windows 11 Home, comes with the "Armoury Crate" app, which is standard for any Asus device. This app allows you to control and adjust multiple laptop parameters, including performance, lighting, and more. Customisation features in the app, like Aura Creator, allow for finer control of the RGB lighting. The laptop also comes bundled with McAfee antivirus software, essentially bloatware.

Pricing and Value for Money

The Asus ROG Scar 16 (2024) is priced at ₹2,89,990 in India.

The main upgrades in the 2024 version of the Scar 16, compared to the 2023 Scar 16 we previously reviewed, include the Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU and the mini LED display. Additionally, the display on the latest model features 2000 dimming zones, doubling from the 1000 dimming zones in the previous model. This results in better brightness and contrast levels.

For the price, if you are looking for the most updated gaming laptop, Scar 16 (2024) is an excellent option. Though it only brings nominal improvements to the performance over the Scar 16 (2023), it has enough on the table with a better display and slightly better thermals.

If you want the best gaming performance, you should get the Scar 16 (2024) with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, priced at ₹3,29,990. Alternatively, if you want to save some money, consider either the Scar 16 (2023) or the RTX 4080 variant of the ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023) with AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU, priced at ₹2,49,990.

If you want something other than Asus, check out the Acer Predator Helios 16. It is equipped with an Intel Core i9 13900HX CPU and RTX 4080 GPU and is also priced at ₹2,49,990.