ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 16 (2025) G635LX / MSI Katana 15 HX B14WFK-487

ASUS's US spec page shows two G635LX configurations: Windows 11 Home, 1×32 GB, 1 TB, and Windows 11 Pro, 2×16 GB, 2 TB. The G635LW with the RTX 5080 Laptop GPU is a separate model.

Intel rates the chip at 55 W base and 160 W maximum turbo power. In this laptop ASUS allocates 55 W to the CPU in Turbo mode and an extra 25 W in Manual mode; its graphic shows up to 80 W for the CPU.

Raptor Lake-HX Refresh generation; 8 performance and 8 efficient cores, 24 threads. There is no separate NPU for AI.

TOPS is trillions of operations per second the neural accelerator can perform (Int8). 13 TOPS is below the 40 TOPS Microsoft asks for Copilot+ PCs.

175 W is the ceiling including 25 W Dynamic Boost shifted to the GPU when the CPU is lightly loaded; it is not a constant draw in every game. The RTX 5090 Laptop GPU is not the desktop RTX 5090. Graphics memory is soldered.

The laptop RTX 5060 is not the same card as the desktop RTX 5060; NVIDIA lists 45–100 W for the laptop version, and MSI reaches 115 W by shifting an extra 15 W with Dynamic Boost. That is the top power class for the RTX 5060 Laptop GPU; performance depends on cooling and power mode. MSI quotes 572 AI TOPS.

Advanced Optimus can route the panel straight to the discrete GPU when a game starts without a reboot, and fall back to integrated graphics on the desktop to save battery.

ASUS quotes more than 2,000 local dimming zones and 1,200 nits peak; the peak applies to small HDR highlights, not sustained full-screen brightness. The panel is Pantone Validated.

144 Hz shows game motion more smoothly at up to 144 frames per second. US versions of the same family use a 165 Hz QHD panel; this SKU is Full HD.

G-SYNC matches the panel refresh to the GPU frame rate to reduce tearing. The spec sheet also lists G-SYNC for external displays connected over Thunderbolt 5.

ASUS says the layer reduces reflections and improves contrast by 4.5x; this is a manufacturer claim.

SO-DIMM modules are not soldered and can be swapped under the bottom cover. The single 32 GB module configuration runs single-channel until the second slot is filled. The product page mentions DDR5-6400 elsewhere; the spec sheet value of 5600 is used here.

The two modules run in dual channel; because the slots are socketed, memory can be upgraded later.

SSDs are held by tool-less Q-Latch clips. The ASUS product page calls the slots “PCIe Gen 5 ready”, but the spec sheet says PCIe 4.0 and one independent test reported no 5.0 support. Because of nearby components, only single-sided SSDs are supported.

This SKU has a single M.2 slot; to add storage the installed SSD has to be replaced with a larger one.

120 Gbit/s is the Thunderbolt 5 one-way Bandwidth Boost rate; the normal bidirectional bandwidth is 80 Gbit/s. There is no card reader. The HDMI version is not stated on the spec sheet.

The USB-C port can drive an external display and accept up to 100 W USB-PD charging; a 240 W adapter is supplied. There is no Thunderbolt or card reader.

The third auxiliary fan moves heat from the GPU and VRAM to the heatsinks. The up-to-15 °C drop ASUS quotes for liquid metal comes from its internal test against the previous-generation compound.

These are the manufacturer ceilings under simultaneous full load; in Silent mode the GPU runs at a far lower limit.

ASUS says the mainboard frame comes off with a few screws. An independent test reported that the Wi-Fi module is soldered.

Overstroke registers a press earlier in the key travel. ASUS rates the switches for 20 million presses and lists n-key rollover.

All lighting can be switched off.

The camera has no mechanical shutter.

The Thunderbolt 5 ports accept power delivery; with a lower-power USB-C charger the battery can still drain under gaming load.

Adapter weight not included.

These terms are for the German SKU; warranty may differ in other countries.