ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2025) G835LX / MSI Stealth 18 HX AI A2XWJG-035US

The cores are a mix of performance and efficiency cores; there is no Hyper-Threading, so core and thread counts are equal.

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.

1647 MHz is the 1597 MHz boost clock plus a 50 MHz ASUS overclock. 175 W is the highest total graphics power; the 25 W Dynamic Boost share moves to the GPU when CPU load is low. The GPU is soldered and cannot be upgraded.

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.

The MUX switch connects the internal display directly to the NVIDIA GPU to reduce latency in games; Advanced Optimus does this switch without a restart.

The Mini LED backlight dims in many small zones independently, which keeps dark areas dark in HDR content; it is not as precise as pixel-level OLED control.

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".

Both slots are filled in this variant and ASUS’s stated maximum is already reached; an upgrade means replacing the modules.

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.

RAID 0 combines the two drives into one fast volume; if either drive fails all data can be lost, so regular backups matter. ASUS states that only single-sided SSDs are supported.

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

Thunderbolt 5 can offer up to 120 Gb/s in one direction, useful for fast external storage and high-resolution monitors. Independent testing criticised the lack of rear ports.

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

A compatible router is needed to benefit from Wi-Fi 7 speeds.

The 380 W adapter is needed for gaming performance; the 100 W USB-C adapter is for light use and charging on the go. ASUS notes that box contents can vary by region.

The carried weight rises noticeably with the adapters.

ASUS notes that accessories can vary by region.

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.