ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 16 (2025) G635LX / MSI Vector A18 HX A9WIG-223US

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.

This is the Zen 5 version with 64 MB of L3 cache; the 9955HX3D with 128 MB of cache is a separate processor. AMD gives a 55 W default TDP with a 55–75 W configurable range.

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 5080 is a different chip from the desktop RTX 5080. 175 W is the top power limit for this GPU; with MSI OverBoost Ultra the combined CPU and GPU power reaches 260 W. The GPU is soldered and cannot be replaced.

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.

The same family also has SKUs with FHD+ 144/165 Hz, UHD+ 220 Hz and UHD+ Mini LED 120 Hz panels. 240 Hz shows motion more smoothly in fast games, provided the game reaches high frame rates.

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.

There are two SO-DIMM slots; MSI supports up to 96 GB. Actual speed depends on the memory combination and the processor.

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.

Of the two M.2 slots one is PCIe Gen4 and the other PCIe Gen5 compatible; a second SSD can be added.

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.

MSI describes the USB-C ports as Thunderbolt 4 compatible. HDMI 2.1 outputs 8K at 60 Hz or 4K at 120 Hz. The USB-A generation differs between MSI documents, so it is not given here.

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.

Gaming performance is available on the adapter; power limits drop on battery.

Adapter weight not included.

The IR camera enables Windows Hello face sign-in.