MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XWJG-035US / ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2024) G834JYR

Arrow Lake-HX generation 24-core processor (8 performance, 16 efficiency) on the Intel HM870 chipset. There is no Hyper-Threading, so each core runs one thread.

P-cores handle games and single-threaded loads, E-cores take background and multi-core work.

The laptop RTX 5090 is not the same card as the desktop RTX 5090. 150 W is the ceiling MSI sets for this thin chassis, so slightly lower GPU performance than thicker 175 W models is expected. MSI quotes 1824 AI TOPS.

175 W is the maximum GPU power when Dynamic Boost borrows budget from the CPU; the base sits at the top of NVIDIA’s 80–150 W range for this GPU. The laptop GPU is not the same product as the desktop RTX 4090.

The 16:10 panel is an LCD lit from behind by many small LED zones; local dimming gives high brightness and contrast in HDR content, though halos can appear around bright objects in dark scenes. MSI’s family page describes the panel as "IPS-Level".

Mini LED backlighting dims and lights zones behind the LCD so dark areas look deeper in HDR. 240 Hz means motion at up to 240 frames per second in suitable games; G-Sync matches refresh to frame rate to reduce tearing. 100% DCI-P3 covers the cinema colour space.

Both slots come populated, so an upgrade means replacing the modules. MSI lists support up to DDR5-6400; the actual speed depends on the memory combination and the CPU.

Both slots are populated; the modules are not soldered. ASUS notes memory speed can vary with the CPU.

There is no second SSD slot; MSI advises consulting a service centre before upgrading the SSD.

RAID 0 joins the two SSDs into one drive for speed and capacity; if one SSD fails, all data in the array can be lost. ASUS says only single-sided SSDs are supported because of components near the M.2 slot.

Thunderbolt 4 carries 40 Gbit/s data and video over the USB-C shaped port. This model has no Thunderbolt 5.

Thunderbolt 4 can also connect an external GPU enclosure or dock. The RJ45 port does not support Power over Ethernet, only data.

SD Express uses a PCIe/NVMe interface for much faster transfers with compatible cards; ordinary SD cards are still read.

The IR camera enables Windows Hello face sign-in.

99.9 Wh is just under the common airline carry-on battery limit. Full GPU performance needs the 280 W adapter.

The MUX connects the display directly to the RTX GPU to cut latency in games; Advanced Optimus can switch without a restart.

Wi-Fi 6E can use the less congested 6 GHz band with a suitable router; ASUS notes the band may be unavailable in some countries.

Full performance needs the 330 W adapter; the 100 W USB-C adapter is for light use and charging on the go. ASUS says the battery can reach 50% in 30 minutes with the proper adapter while the laptop is shut down. Bundled adapters can vary by country.