ASUSTeK Computer Inc., known as ASUS, is a Taiwanese multinational computer hardware and electronics company was founded in 1989 in Taiwan. ASUS is one of the world's largest computer hardware companies. Its products include desktops, PC peripherals, laptops, smartphones, tablets and hybrid devices. The company has made Android phones powered by Intel and Qualcomm SoCs.
I'll start by saying that this is the most insane gaming laptop I've ever reviewed. While I've used several gaming laptops, including the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (Review), this is on a different level. The ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is a top-of-the-line gaming laptop with an AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D 16-core processor. It features AMD's exclusive 3D V-cache technology that boosts performance by at least 15 percent compared to the standard 7945HX chip. Apart from the new processor and additional Ryzen AI features, there's nothing new with the ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D compared to the non-X3D variant.
It's not everyday that I'm excited about a new piece of tech. Phones and laptops have been using the same form factor for so many decades now that there's nothing really exciting when it comes to design. However, when I first laid my hands on the new Asus Zenbook Duo 2024, I was immediately super excited for the future of laptop design. ‘In Search of Incredible' has been Asus' tagline since 2013, and I think they've truly achieved something incredible with the Zenbook Duo 2024. This laptop is going to change the portability game.
I've been a fan of gaming laptops ever since my first gaming laptop - the Alienware M11x- almost a decade ago. They're unique and powerful but expensive. I've owned a couple of gaming laptops, mostly Alienware's, and have spent a fair share of my younger years building gaming PCs. The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 takes me back to the days when I could stay up all night playing games. Asus' laptop is big, flashy, and a gaming powerhouse. Yes, there's also RGB lighting that screams, ‘I'm a gamer'.
Asus unveiled a new fleet of ROG and TUF gaming laptops for 2023 at CES this January. The company the launched the first wave of high-end gaming laptops in India in March, followed by a second wave of mid-range models in May. The laptop we're reviewing today, the ROG Strix Scar 18 (2023), is from the earlier batch. This beastly gaming laptop is priced starting at Rs. 2,79,990 in India but the variant we're reviewing has Nvidia's top-most current laptop GPU and costs Rs. 3,59,990.