ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2025) G835LX / MSI Titan 18 HX AI A2XWJG-070

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

MSI says OverBoost Ultra can allocate up to 270 W combined to the CPU and GPU; the actual figure depends on the application.

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 version does not share the desktop RTX 5090’s configuration or power, so its performance is not the same either.

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.

MSI lists VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification and about 100% DCI-P3 colour coverage. Mini LED splits the backlight into zones, deepening blacks in dark scenes, though a faint halo can appear around bright objects.

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

This configuration ships at MSI’s stated maximum; both slots are filled, so memory cannot be added, only swapped.

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.

MSI lists four M.2 slots: one PCIe 5.0 x4 and three PCIe 4.0 x4. This SKU ships with three drives; MSI mentions Super RAID 5 support.

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.

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.

Dynamic Boost shifts spare power to the GPU when the processor draws less; 175 W is the upper limit for this laptop GPU.

USB-C charging is capped at 140 W; MSI recommends a 65–140 W USB-PD adapter. Full performance needs the included 400 W adapter.

It gives vibration feedback instead of a physical click; the surface is merged into the palm rest.

The IR sensor enables Windows Hello face sign-in.

A vapor chamber spreads heat over a wide surface, helping the CPU and GPU sustain high power for longer.

The global spec table lists up to 96 GB of DDR5-6400 for this chassis; actual memory speed can vary with the module and processor combination.