Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) Review: Built for Relentless Performance

Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 was first revealed at CES 2023 back in January. The gaming laptop landed in India in March 2023. It was launched alongside the Strix Scar 17 and 18, Zephyrus M16 and Zephyrus Duo 16.

Unlike the AMD-powered Scar 17, Scar 16 comes with upto a 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13980HX processor. The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 2023 G634 model packs a punch with two variants available in the market. While the CPU remains the same on both, one variant comes with Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU and the second one features the RTX 4090 GPU.

We got a chance to put Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) with RTX 4080 GPU through its paces for this review. Let’s dive right in to see what this gaming laptop offers in the real world.

Specifications

Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) specifications

Benchmarks of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023)

Gaming performance

We tested around 8 AAA titles on the ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) to evaluate its gaming capabilities. The list of titles include Cyberpunk 2077, Hitman 3, Borderlands 3, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Control, Forza Horizon 5, Grand Theft Auto V, and Doom Eternal.

Looking at the performance benchmark below, you can see that the laptop offers an easy 80+ fps in most games at maximum graphics settings when set at 1080p resolution. Here are the performance and gaming benchmark results of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 2023 gaming laptop.

As mentioned above, the laptop packs a punch, and as it should, given the price. The laptop’s performance benchmarks reflect its ability to withstand and deliver whatever you throw at it. It also enables you to check the relative performance of Strix Scar 16 (2023) against the competition available in the market.

Naturally, the Intel 13th-Gen i9 processor and RTX 4000 series delivered results that are in a different ballpark altogether, as compared to the competition.

Battery and Thermals

Asus Strix Scar 16 handled the benchmark overloads and running the demanding AAA games fairly well while keeping the laptop’s temperatures in check.

The laptop managed to keep the temperature in check at around 96° degree Celsius throughout the tests, gaming sessions and benchmarks.

As for the battery, the gaming laptop offers 90WHrs battery life which sounds great on paper but I didn’t see it practically hold up during my usage of the laptop.

The gaming laptop didn’t last more than 3 hours for normal day-to-day use such as browsing the internet, surfing social media, watching YouTube clips, movies and what not. Though it is not surprising given most gaming laptops perform in a similar manner. But, I was hoping for something better while performing non-gaming tasks.

The current battery performance adds a lot more dependency on keeping the laptop plugged in even when you’re not gaming. Weight of the laptop coupled with a heavy charger can turn into a discomfort for some travelling with the laptop, and discourages the portability of the laptop.

ROG Strix Scar 16 Display and Design

Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 comes with a 16-inch QHD+ Mini LED Nebula HDR display with a 16:10 aspect ratio (2560 x 1600 pixels). The 240Hz support along with the combination of top-tier CPU and GPU allows Scar 16 to offer an impressive and smooth gaming experience. Strix Scar 16 2023 also supports Dolby Vision HDR which adds to the quality of visuals.

I’ve watched several movies on the laptop along with AAA games during the review period. This display does justice to rest of the specifications offered with the laptop in the real world.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 carries a similar look to the previous Scar models with little variation. There is a clear intention of giving the laptop that raw look while ensuring it has enough RGB lights to keep the gamers happy.

The material used by Asus for the body looks neat but won’t stay that way for long without regular cleaning and maintenance. The material is prone to fingerprints, but it can be easily cleaned.

It’s fair to say that the gaming laptop is a bit bulky and it’s naturally bound to be, given the specs it offers. It is not a slim gaming laptop for anyone wondering about the slimness factor.

Asus has added get a couple of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports on the right side and a pair of USB Type-C ports on the left side. One of the Type-C ports supports Thunderbolt 4 protocol with DisplayPort and the other one supports Power Delivery. On the left side, you’ve also got an HDMI 2.1 port and a 2.5G ethernet port.

This design choice to keep all the ports at the side, including the charging port allows the back of the gaming laptop to feature a complete air vent panel for keeping the temperatures in check.

Keyboard and Trackpad

Say what you will about the design of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 but its keyboard definitely deserves some love. Typing on this gaming keyboard was much more satisfying than my expectations. Customizable backlit RGB lights added to the typing and usage experience.

The spacing between the keyboard and trackpad was also not an issue during gaming sessions. The touchpad is aligned to the center of the laptop below the keyboard. It also comes with a NumberPad mode for extra accessibility.

Speakers and Softwares on Scar 16 (2023)

The speakers on the Scar 16 (2023) laptop deliver good-quality sound and are loud enough to enjoy a movie without having to worry about connecting a speaker or searching for your headphones.

You can head over to Dolby Access and switch to the ‘Dynamic’ option in the Dolby Atmos tab for slightly better audio performance. By default, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 2023 comes with the ‘Music’ setting for music lovers. The music preset offers lower volume levels when you are playing a movie or streaming a video online.

As with any other Asus ROG laptop, Scar 16 (2023) also comes with Armoury Crate to monitor and control the performance. There’s a lot of room for customisation through various GPU and CPU profiles for different modes aimed at different tasks. The list of tasks include gaming, content creation or simple tasks such as browsing the internet.

Aura Creator app allows users to customise the RGB lights of the keyboard and LED strips on the laptop. MyAsus application will let users keep a check on the battery’s health, optimise their system, download updates, and upgrade the laptop BIOS.

Value for Money?

Now, let’s tackle the ever-present question of the value and price for the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023). Scar 16 (2023) with RTX 4080 GPU commands a hefty price tag of INR (₹) 3,29,990.

Currently, the laptop is available as part of a sale on Amazon India which brings the price down to INR (₹) 2,79,990. Good as it may be, it is likely not the best laptop on the market in the INR 3 lakh range. If gamers are looking for the absolute best then they can look at the RTX 4090 GPU variant of the ROG Strix Scar 16 for even better performance.

ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) with the RTX 4080 GPU offers a step down in price than the 4090 option. It perhaps not the best value for anyone hunting for value and they would want to wait for some sale for discounts. But, if you have the money and it satisfies your needs then go for it because it will not disappoint.