ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) review: Ultimate Performance

Yes, we have the ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) in for review and while you might have seen it or known it, well let’s see how good this 13th Gen powered beast is actually, supercharged by new RTX 40-series mobile GPUs. Already 13th Gen Intel-powered gaming laptops have been in the market for a few months now, and buying them isn’t a big deal with a plethora of options.

However, as we all know ASUS ROG gaming laptops have their own advantage in terms of premium performance and is reliable for long-term usage. We have been reviewing these ROG laptops for years now and the quality keeps getting better with each iteration, this 2023 variant has a lot of expectations undoubtedly.

With new hardware and the same cool design, the ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) gaming laptop is a flagship device, made for high-end gaming needs. The variant here we got is the RTX 4080 powered one with Core i9-13980HX processor which starts at ₹2,79,990, this Mini-LED variant costs ₹2,84,990, but you can get up to RTX 4090 costing up to ₹3,39,990. After weeks of using this gaming laptop, let’s find out how good it is in 2023:

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ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) Specifications

• Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13980HX Processor 2.2 GHz Base Speed (36MCache, up to 5.6 GHz Max Turbo Speed, 24 cores: 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores)
• Memory: 32GB (16GB SO-DIMM *2) DDR54800MHz Support Up to 64GB Using 2x SO-DIMM slots | Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 Performance SSD with additional 1x M.2 Slot for SSD Storage Expansion
• Display: 16-inch (40.64cms) QHD+ 16:10 (2560 x 1600, WQXGA) ROG Nebula Display, 240Hz Refresh Rate, IPS-level Anti-glare display, 500nits, Contrast Ratio: 1200:1, 100% DCI-P3 Color Gamut, Pantone Validated
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU 12GB GDDR6 VRAM MUX Switch with 2330MHz* at 175W (2280MHz Boost Clock+50MHz OC, 150W+25W Dynamic Boost)
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home with Lifetime Validity | Software Included: Pre-installed Office Home and Student with Lifetime Validity| McAfee (1 Year)
• Design: 2.26 ~ 3.04 cm Thin | 2.50 Kg | 90WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Lithium Polymer Battery | Up to 14.7 hours battery life; Note: Battery life depends on conditions of usage
• Keyboard: Backlit Chiclet Keyboard Per-Key RGB, Supports NumberPad
• I/O Port: 1x 2.5G LAN port, 1x Thunderbolt 4 support DisplayPort / G-SYNC, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort / power delivery / G-SYNC, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack

Design & Build Quality

The ROG Strix Scar 16 comes with the same bold design and it’s a pretty large gaming laptop with an extended area for better performance. Then you have the same 16:10 aspect ratio with an almost bezel-less display with loads of RGB all-around the gaming laptop which makes it look cool, giving that gamery vibe to it.

From the ROG logo on the rear to the RGB across the bottom line, the ROG Strix Scar 16 looks and feels fantastic, whereas the build quality is also solid. The hinge is strong and can be opened with one hand, with hard plastic and metal combo, ASUS has managed to keep the weight around 2.5 Kg which is bearable to carry around.

Display

The ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 16 (2023) comes with ROG Nebula Display for best quality, however, users can choose from an IPS LED panel and a Mini LED one. Both have excellent QHD+ displays with 240Hz refresh rates with Dolby Vision support, less than 3ms response time and covering 100% DCI-P3 color gamut.

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The Mini-LED variant is better for those who want a higher contrast ratio, while the standard IPS variant has a 1200:1 ratio, which is also quite good for most users but that extra-ordinary 100,000:1 contrast ratio on the flagship one is next-level. So, it depends on you which road you want to go for, however, our review unit is the regular variant and talking about its display quality, it’s quite good.

The sleek bezels with Blue Light Filter gave me no issues at all using it for daily work and when gaming, the ROG Strix Scar 16’s display goes up to 1100 nits of peak brightness to make the onset even more detailed and accurate. The color accuracy is also quite good, you will enjoy doing everyday work, media consumption and gaming on this laptop’s display comfortably.

Here are some display benchmarks of this ROG Strix Scar 16 that ran on our SyperX Pro:

As you see the laptop is extremely color accurate, covering 100% DCI-P3 and sRGB color gamut alongside high peak brightness and extreme contrast ratio which makes it highly recommendable for even professional work as well. Overall, you cannot get deceived buying this flagship gaming laptop which boasts a very superior panel, optimized typically for gaming/productivity.

Performance

The new ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) is a beast, powered by the flagship Intel Core i9-13980HX processor with 24 cores and goes up to 5.6 GHz to give the best performance money has to offer. Also, it’s overclockable and you can further tune the laptop for extra performance, with 32GB DDR5 RAM and 1TB PCIe Gen 4 storage for smooth daily usage.

Also, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU sporting 12GB GDDR6 VRAM is a flagship GPU which gives you extreme gaming performance with modern-day DLSS 3. The GPU can go up to 2330MHz fast drawing up to 175W TGP, making this gaming beast powerful enough to give an edge to all your productivity as well as gaming needs.

As you see the scores for this Core i9-13980HX processor are extremely strong with mind-blowing numbers, giving desktop-calibre performance in a laptop. If you are looking to do serious work on this ROG Strix Scar 16, you can easily do so with this formidable CPU+GPU combo easily.

In terms of SSD speeds, the PCIe Gen 4 option used here is fast but not the fastest I would say especially when it comes to write speeds, going up to 6782MB/s for read and up to 3065MB/s for write speeds.

Now, here are some productivity benchmarks from 3DMark to showcase how this ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) performs for professional tasks:

The numbers speak for themselves and to be honest, in 2023, the ROG Strix Scar 16 is adequately fast enough to be used for years down the road with lots of room for upgradability. So, if you need a performance monster the ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) does give you the beastly performance you are looking for.

Gaming

Obviously, this ROG Strix Scar 16 gaming laptop is made for gaming with both the latest Intel and NVIDIA hardware forming a formidable combo to give more FPS be it any game. From modern-day triple-A titles to classics like GTA V, this gaming laptop will deliver the best frame rates at the highest settings possible without any hiccups at Turbo or Performance mode.

If the games have DLSS 2 or 3, the RTX 4080 will give some extra FPS, helping you out when you want to enjoy games in QHD at the highest settings with Ray Tracing. We have tested a lot of games ourselves and you can enjoy great frame rates at Turbo mode to unlock the best performance but generates a substantial amount of heat.

However, the FPS are consistent with no drop even after hours of gaming which is a good sign indeed, we have played a number of games at the highest settings possible and here are the results:

I/O & Connectivity

In terms of I/O, ASUS has given a plethora of options indeed on this ROG Strix Scar 16, with one Thunderbolt 4 port that supports DisplayPort / G-SYNC, another USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, a 2.5G LAN port and a headphone jack on the left-hand side. Whereas on the right-hand side, you get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports as well, so you will have no issues connecting any device to this laptop.

Coming to connectivity, you get the latest Wi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) (Triple band) 2*2 and Bluetooth^® 5.3 which work as expected. The Wi-Fi speeds were consistent with no issues during gaming or even at work, also, connecting multiple devices like headphones, mouse, or controllers is very easy and efficient.

Thermals & Upgradability

The triple fans inside do help in air circulation and reduce the heat faster while generating a lot of sound, especially in Turbo mode, while in Performance, the sound is not so high but for best results, you can go for Turbo, else Performance mode is fine for most. The Thermal Grizzly compound does help to tame the formidable 13th Gen Core i9 and RTX 4080 combo, helping to endure heavy sustained load for a longer period of time, though it gets heated up that doesn’t impact the performance.

In terms of upgradability, ASUS has left no cards unturned, for the users, it has support up to 64GB DDR5 RAM using 2x SO-DIMM slots whereas you can also expand the storage up to 4TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe^® 4.0 SSD with an additional 1x M.2 Slot for SSD Storage expansion. So, anyone who wants to invest long-term in this ROG Strix Scar 16 can easily do so.

Keyboard & Trackpad

The new ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) still comes with a clicky Backlit Chiclet Keyboard with Per-Key RGB which is ideal for everyday usage and heavy gaming as well. For me, I had no issues typing for long and enjoyed that extra key travel it offers, whereas the RGB is next-level, a standard for high-end gaming laptops.

The trackpad is obviously a huge one, now supports NumberPad which was there on the ZenBooks previously, and comes in very handy during the night. The quality of the trackpad is also great and can be used for occasional usage, while for gaming most people will use their gaming mouse anyways.

Audio & Webcam

The ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) features quad Dolby Atmos-powered speakers that deliver incredibly loud sound, when tuned in with Dolby Audio or Video, it sounds amazing. Even during gaming, you will hear an adequate sound to the game even without headphones, then you have Hi-Res audio & 2 Way AI Noise Cancelation support to make things even better.

The 720p webcam has not been upgraded which is a shame in 2023, and could surely be upgraded, so do not expect great video quality during streaming.

Battery Life

In terms of battery life, you cannot expect much from a gaming laptop like this ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023), but disabling the GPU and keeping the mode Silent does help to some extent. So, you can juice around 2-3 hours of normal usage which for gaming is enough, and again you have to carry the brick 330W AC Adapter, which does charge the laptop very fast.

Verdict

Now, comes the most important question, should you spend all your hard-earned money on this ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023)? Well, if you are a serious gamer and need the absolute best performance with a flagship display for gaming, this is it, carrying the reliability of ASUS ROG, this ROG Strix Scar 16 is a bit pricey but worth it for the specs it offers you.

You can use this gaming laptop both for heavy productivity and gaming, but make sure you get the Mini-LED one and enjoy high-paced gaming at the highest settings. Overall, with no minor cons here, the 2023 variant ROG Strix Scar 16 is still a gaming beast that keeps getting better.

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