The 2025 ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835LX is ASUS’s latest flagship gaming laptop, designed to deliver desktop-grade performance in a sleek, portable package. With top-tier hardware, a stunning Mini LED display, and innovative cooling solutions, this machine is built to dominate both gaming and creative workloads.

Design and Build
The ROG Strix SCAR 18 features a redesigned chassis inspired by automotive racing, combining aesthetics with functionality. The laptop boasts rounded corners, a reduced hinge gap of just 2mm, and a full-surround RGB lightbar that gives it a futuristic glow.

The tool-less design is a standout feature, allowing easy access to RAM, SSD, and cooling components—a first for gaming laptops. The chassis is crafted from a durable mix of ABS and polycarbonate, ensuring it stays cool to the touch even during intense sessions.

Display
The 18-inch ROG Nebula HDR Mini LED display is a game-changer. With a 2.5K resolution (2560×1600), a 240Hz refresh rate, and 3ms response time, it’s tailor-made for competitive gaming. The display supports 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, Dolby Vision, and G-SYNC, ensuring smooth, tear-free visuals.

The Mini LED technology delivers 1200 nits of peak brightness and over 2000 dimming zones, resulting in unparalleled HDR performance. ASUS’s new Ambient Contrast Ratio film further enhances the experience by reducing reflections by 55% and improving contrast by up to 4.5x.

They also feature our customizable AniMe Vision lighting array on their lids, originally pioneered on our Zephyrus machines. With an array of 810 LEDs shining through precision-milled holes, you can show off your style with a wide selection of pre-made animations, import a GIF of your choice, or animate your own image from scratch.

Specifications
Under the hood, the Strix SCAR 18 is powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, featuring 24 cores and a boost clock of up to 5.4GHz. Paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU (24GB GDDR7 VRAM), this laptop is a beast. The GPU leverages NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture, offering DLSS 4, Reflex 2, and RTX Neural Shaders for next-gen gaming and creative workloads.

The laptop supports up to 64GB of DDR5-5600 RAM and dual PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD slots (upgradeable to Gen 5), ensuring lightning-fast load times and multitasking capabilities. With a combined CPU and GPU power of up to 255W, the Strix SCAR 18 handles AAA games and demanding applications with ease.

Cooling
ASUS has revamped the cooling system with a Tri-Fan design, a sandwiched vapour chamber, and Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal. The rear-exhaust vents keep heat away from the user, while dust filters prevent internal buildup. In Turbo mode, the laptop operates at a noise level of 47dB—quieter than previous generations—while delivering maximum performance.

Audio and Connectivity
The SCAR 18 features a 4-speaker system with Dolby Atmos, offering immersive spatial audio. Wi-Fi 7 and 2.5G Ethernet ensure lag-free online gaming, while Thunderbolt 5 ports provide ultra-fast data transfer and display output. The laptop also includes a Full HD camera with Windows Hello for secure facial recognition.

The laptop is equipped with two Thunderbolt 5 ports (supporting DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery 3.1), three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.1 FRL output, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and an ASUS Slim Power Jack for charging. This comprehensive selection ensures high-speed connectivity, versatile display options, and efficient power delivery.

Software and Customisation
Armoury Crate centralizes system controls, allowing users to tweak performance modes, RGB lighting, and fan speeds. The SCAR 18 also includes GameVisual for optimized display settings and Scenario Profiles for automatic performance adjustments based on the task. A one-month PC Game Pass subscription is bundled, offering access to over 100 games.

Performance
To evaluate the Strix SCAR 18’s real-world capabilities, we conducted extensive testing using the Turbo performance profile with Advanced Optimus enabled (GPU in Standard mode) and the display running at its native 2560×1600 resolution. This configuration represents how most power users would realistically operate the laptop for demanding gaming and creative workloads, allowing us to assess its true performance potential while maintaining optimal system efficiency through NVIDIA’s dynamic graphics switching technology.

Here’s what we got:

GeekBench 6.2.2 64-bit: Multi-core: 20170, Single-Core: 3127
CineBench R15 (best run): CPU 5872 cb, CPU Single Core 321 cb
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike (DX11): 387819 (Graphics – 47910, Physics – 46620, Combined – 12940)
3DMark 13 – Time Spy (DX12): 22412 (Graphics – 21517, CPU – 14511)
PCMark 10: 9312 (Essentials – 11276, Productivity – 10391, Digital Content Creation – 18927)

Battery Life
The entire Strix series comes with sizable 90Wh batteries that deliver excellent endurance for everyday tasks like web browsing and video playback. For quick charging, the included ASUS Slim Power Jack adapter can replenish 50% of the battery in just 30 minutes.

When traveling light, you can still power up via USB-C thanks to 100W USB Power Delivery support, ensuring you’re never left without juice on the go. This combination of long battery life and flexible charging options makes the Strix lineup equally capable for both marathon gaming sessions and mobile productivity.

Verdict
The 2025 ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835LX is a triumph of engineering, blending cutting-edge hardware and performance, a breathtaking display, and innovative cooling into a single package. While its size and weight (3.3kg) make it less portable, it’s a small trade-off for unmatched performance. Whether you’re a competitive gamer, content creator, or power user, the ROG Strix SCAR 18 delivers in every regard.

Price: AED 25999

Availability: The ROG Strix SCAR 18 arrives in UAE stores by late April 2025 with a free ROG backpack. Gaming fans can experience it first at Comic Con UAE from April 18-20 before its retail launch. Early buyers will also receive the Monster Hunter Wilds game (redeemable via Armoury Crate) with purchases made before May 31, 2025. ASUS sweetens the deal with its Perfect Warranty covering AED 500 in accidental damages when registered within 90 days, plus the ROG Elite Rewards program offering redeemable points for gaming goodies and exclusive content.

Product photography by Ryan Chris

Acer announced the expansion of its mainstream Nitro gaming line with the launch of the new Acer Nitro AI laptops and the Nitro 20 desktop. The Nitro range brings a full-package gaming experience and great value for gamers and content creators, combining robust processing power, essential computing features, and more without breaking the bank. The addition of slim laptops and a compact Windows PC option also support users with limited space for their gaming set-ups.

The Nitro AI laptops are Copilot+ PCs, powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processors and equipped with the game-changing NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs to make more powerful AI rendering capabilities more accessible. The Nitro 20 desktop also utilizes AI processors and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 GPU, focusing on better energy efficiency with a smaller footprint.

The latest additions to the Acer Nitro AI series of mid-range gaming laptops feature an 18-inch and three 16-inch options, with new slim models introduced for gaming and productivity on-the-go. All the devices are Copilot+ PCs and feature up to AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processors, maximizing gaming experiences on favorite titles and efficient performance for multitasking with dedicated hardware to seamlessly run AI workloads.

The gaming laptops are also equipped with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPUs. Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell, GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs bring game-changing capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the RTX 50 Series enables new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Multiple performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generate images at unprecedented speed, and unleash creativity with NVIDIA Studio. These Nitro AI devices come with up to 32 GB of DDR5 dual memory and PCIe Gen 4 SSDs of up to 2 TB.

The Nitro 18 AI (AN18-61) offers a large 18-inch panel with up to WQXGA (2560×1600) resolution, a 165 Hz refresh rate, and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut support for immersive game views and offers a larger screen canvas for creators. Both the Nitro 16 AI (AN16-61) and slim Nitro 16S AI (AN16S-61) feature up to WQXGA-resolution displays, blazing fast 180 Hz refresh rates, and 400 nits peak brightness.

This trio of Nitro laptops also comes with NVIDIA G-SYNC display technologies that help minimize the nuisance of screen tearing, stuttering and input lag for smooth frames. The Nitro V 16S AI (ANV16S-61) comes with up to a WQXGA resolution, 180 Hz refresh rate, 400 nits brightness, and 3 ms response time.

Cooling-wise, all the devices are supported by dual-fan, quad-intake and quad-exhaust technology. The thermal systems of 18-inch and 16-inch powerhouses get an added boost with liquid metal thermal grease on the processors and vector heat pipes for optimized heat transfer.

The new Nitro 16S AI and Nitro V 16S AI showcase a modern and slim design, measuring less than 19.9 mm, topped off with a sleek metal chassis for added device durability. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 and above maximize network speeds for gaming and browsing, USB 4 for flexible connectivity, and FHD IR cameras for streaming or recording content. Users can also utilize the NitroSense software and Experience Zone to explore available AI applications and to call on AI assistance to help boost productivity.

The new Acer Nitro 20 (N20-100) is a budget-friendly PC system that can handle modern games while consuming less energy and space. The latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 GPU enables new experiences and next-level graphical performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generating images and frames at unprecedented speeds and supporting graphics-intensive games, applications and tasks. It doesn’t fall short in terms of storage support with an option for up to a 1 TB HDD and 1 TB SSD. The desktop also utilizes a Intel Core i5-13420H desktop processor.

Standing at just 15 liters, the Nitro 20 sports a cool and minimalist housing design stamped with a subtle red Nitro logo, blending seamlessly into any gaming setup. The power button is integrated with a fingerprint sensor that enables users to seamlessly unlock their device without needing a password or PIN. It is also decked out with loads of connectivity features inside and out including Wi-Fi 6E and LAN for speedy network connections, a generous offering of USB Type-C and Type-A ports located at its front and rear, and display ports that can connect to a wide array of viewing devices.

Abu Dhabi Gaming is turning up the nostalgia and next-gen fun with the launch of its first-ever Electra Zone at BRED Abu Dhabi 2025, running from April 23 to 27 at Yas Marina Circuit. Featuring a vibrant mix of retro gaming, immersive tech, and creative experiences, the Electra Zone invites festivalgoers to step into a fully interactive world where every corner is built to play, discover, and connect.

Visitors will be welcomed by a striking retro-inspired façade, Arabic typography signage, and neon installations that instantly set the tone for a one-of-a-kind experience. Inside, guests can explore a nostalgic console zone with classic titles from the ‘90s and 2000s, test their skills across iconic arcade machines, and relax in a vintage lounge styled like a 90s living room, complete with old-school TVs, books, and photo-friendly décor.

Adding to the experience, the Electra Zone also features high-end gaming PCs loaded with fan-favourite titles, a Meta Quest VR station for immersive play, and a dedicated photo booth offering instant prints and digital takeaways. From Tekken battles and Guitar Hero showdowns to retro movie loops and speedrun challenges, the zone blends creative design with high-energy play. Visitors will also have the chance to try Balance Party, a locally developed game by Abu Dhabi-based studio Afterwork Games, offering a taste of the homegrown talent shaping the region’s gaming future.

“We’re excited to bring back the Electra Zone as part of BRED Abu Dhabi 2025. This space reflects our commitment to making gaming more accessible, creative, and community-driven,” said Marcos Muller-Habig, Director of Abu Dhabi Gaming. “It’s not just about the games, it’s about creating moments that bring people together and celebrate gaming culture in all its forms.”

Presented by Hypebeast and organised by BRAG in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, BRED Abu Dhabi 2025 is a five-day neo-culture festival celebrating music, fashion, art, and youth expression. With performances from global and regional artists including Nas, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Cairokee, and Adonis, the festival promises an unforgettable experience for all audiences, and the Electra Zone will be right at the heart of the action.

The Electra Zone will be open daily from 5:00 PM to 12:00 AM on weekdays and until 1:00 AM on weekends.