Pros | Cons |
+ Extreme performance | - Expensive |
+ Best display | - Heavy |
+ Effective heat dissipation | - Ports on the side |
ROG Strix SCAR 16
Price: RM13 999
Many may think that gaming laptops heat up for sustained peak performance is a common drawback associated with portable gaming. But the ROG Strix SCAR 16 seems capable of doing both to keep the heat away from your fingertips while delivering top performance at the same time.
Design
The ROG Strix SCAR 16 is made of matte black plastic with different textures on the entire body including the fine-looking translucent chassis. You may find the charming RGB backlighting on both the vents at the back and front which keeps the image of a true gaming laptop.
The lid maintains the usual design you can find on the Strix SCAR series, with a diagonal stripe and a large backlit ROG logo “carved” on the metal lid.
Besides that, ROG knows that gamers would love to have more fancy toys to customize their setups. Thus, the Armor Cap got to live on the ROG Strix SCAR 16. You can download a 3D model from the ROG official website and customize a unique Armor Cap on your own with a 3D printer.
At first glance, the keyboard layout on the Strix SCAR 16 looks weird, but after switching on the Numpad on the glass touchpad, it puts me in the chair of a hacker man given how great the feel that the lights emit on the touchpad is.
While the rear of the Strix SCAR 16 is parked with the radiators, you can only find the I/O Ports on both sides of the chassis which include: 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, 1x HDMI 2.1 FRL, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1x 2.5G LAN port, and 1x Thunderbolt 4.
Other than that, the Strix SCAR 16 also comes with nice-looking air vents with an “SD card holder” on the white layer with some ROG printings on the side, making the gaming laptop look good from the bottom to the top.
Display
The ROG Strix SCAR 16 comes with a 16-inch Mini LED Display known as ROG Nebula HDR Display. It carries a WQXGA resolution of 2560 x 1600 with a 16:10 aspect ratio to deliver the “Nebula” level of viewing experience that you cannot find on a typical laptop screen.
It is coated with an Anti-glare display to ensure that no harsh lights can penetrate the screen while you’re playing games on the go, keeping out another obstacle on your path to professional.
Speaking of professionals, ROG’s Nebula HDR Display guarantees a fast 240Hz refresh rate monitor alongside a 3ms response time that also supports Nvidia G-Sync and Nvidia Advanced Optimus, ensuring an absolute gaming experience on the Strix SCAR 16.
Specifications
The ROG Strix SCAR16 is powered by the most powerful 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13980HX processors with a base frequency of 2.2 GHz along with Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU.
It stacks up to a total of 64GB DDR5-4800 memory and a 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD storage to cater to the needs of the demanding games and software that require lots of storage and memory available to run smoothly. Therefore, the Strix SCAR16 is ideal for both creators and hardcore gamers.
The Strix SCAR 16’s battery life is quite decent for gaming laptops, it reaches around 4-5 hours while on standby or doing documentation work. However, it is recommended to remain plugged in while gaming for the best performance possible.
On top of that, the Strix SCAR 16 comes with two chargers, the 330W AC Adapter, and the 100W Type-C Charger, which allows users to choose whether to bring a power brick or a more lightweight charger according to any occasion.
Benchmark & Gaming Performance
Keep in mind we will be running the benchmark test on the Strix SCAR 16 using different GPU modes from the Armoury Crate to obtain different results for better references.
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15 is rendering software that allows you to test the processing power of your system while rendering a 3D scene. The Cinebench R15 results for the 13th Generation Intel Core i9-13980HX are 4979.
Cinebench R20
Cinebench R20 maximizes your system's CPU to test whether your PC/laptop can handle a high-CPU load. The Intel Core i9-13980HX can score a total of 11834 in Cinebench R20 which is just as powerful as the Intel Xeon CPU.
Time Spy
The Strix SCAR 16 scores 16606 in Performance mode with Standard GPU mode; 17561 in Turbo mode with Standard GPU mode; and 18613 in Turbo mode with Ultimate GPU mode.
Port Royal
And for the Port Royal benchmark, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU scores 11217 in Performance mode and 11789 in Turbo mode, gaining a slight boost in ray tracing.
Fire Strike Extreme
The Strix SCAR 16 Fire Strike Extreme benchmark scores a total of 13190 in Performance mode with Standard GPU mode; 21680 in Turbo mode with Standard GPU mode; and 21846 in Turbo mode with Ultimate GPU mode.
CPU Profile
Last, here are the CPU Profile benchmark test on the 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13980HX processors in a breakdown of how the CPU performs with max threads, 16 threads, 8 threads, and more.
Game Test - Forza Horizon 5
We will be running Forza Horizon 5 on the ROG Strix SCAR 16 with Extreme settings and High ray tracing. Besides, the Armoury Crate will be running Turbo Mode with Ultimate GPU mode to unleash the full potential of the Strix SCAR 16 in gaming.
Undoubtedly, the Strix SCAR 16 handles the game smooth like butter like a criminal undercover, maintaining an average of 180 FPS throughout many different sections of the game including forest, desert, and mountainside.
The Strix SCAR 16 delivers the smoothest gameplay experience even when you drive across the river, there will be minor fps drop but it will not affect the overall gameplay unless you’re busy looking at the FPS counter.
Another good thing about the Strix SCAR 16 is the cooling efficiency, even though I’m playing the game on Extreme settings with ray tracing on, you can only feel the “warm” on both sides of the vent which is comfortable enough for you to rest your hands on there without getting burned.
Buy or no buy?
To sum up, the ROG Strix SCAR 16 is indeed one of the strongest ultimate gaming laptops you can find in this price range. The Strix SCAR 16 does stand out in contrast to its competitors with its cutting-edge design, updated chassis, and customizability that certainly find its fans around the world.
Still, those who seek powerful hardware for gaming & content creation today will likely choose desktop computers with this high budget available. Though, the ROG Strix SCAR 16 provides surprisingly persuasive value considering its performance, portability, and efficiency.
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