The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is the Best Gaming Laptop at CES 2025 — and much, much more

Asus ROG Strix Scar 18.

If there's one thing guaranteed at CES every year, it is a new batch of high-end gaming laptops, but the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is more than just an incrementally updated massive gaming laptop. It caught my eye due to its user-friendly new design, Intel Arrow Lake CPU, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU. That's a clean sweep of new high-end gaming hardware inside, and a design change that could make gaming laptops a much more viable option for desktop gamers.

Best Gaming Laptop of CES 2025: Asus ROG Strix Scar 18

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Why it wins

Gaming laptops have gone hard into the RGB aesthetics and translucent panels this year, but one laptop went hard into RGB and LED customization while also offering a slick solution for self-repair and upgradeability.

Not only is the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 a high-end desktop-replacement beast of a laptop with the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 processors, the Strix Scar also features 64GB of DDR5 5600MHz memory, a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, a clicky keyboard, AnimeVision LED lights, and a Mini-LED Nebula display.

What truly sold us on the Strix Scar was the custom easy-open latch to upgrade your memory to 6400MHz memory easily and PCIe Gen 5 storage or even clean out your intake fans. While laptops still don’t match the upgradeability of a desktop, we love seeing manufacturers offer easier access for simple upgrades.

Release and availability wrap-up

The Strix Scar 18 is a monster desktop replacement laptop with top-line specs and it commands a price to match. The Strix Scar 18 (2025) G835 is $3,299 and it’s expected to ship by March 31, 2025.