The king of Asus‘s ROG series, the ROG Strix SCAR, is up for preorder in South Africa. The laptop has developed a reputation as one of the best gaming laptops around, and the 2025 version only increases that gap with modular functions, allowing buyers to swap out the RAM and SSD without needing any tools.
ROG Strix SCAR 18 – moddable monster
The new ROG Strix SCAR 18 is physically largely unchanged in comparison to its debut in 2019. The lid features a customisable AniMe Matrix black-and-white LED screen. Gaming-wise, this behemoth leaves no crumbs on the plate with the RTX 5090, the best Nvidia GPU money can buy, doubled with an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and 64GB of RAM. If that still isn’t enough juice, the ROG Strix SCAR 18 allows users to replace their RAM and hard drive without tools.
The ROG Strix SCAR 18’s other big boast is an advanced cooling system, combining liquid metal cooling on the GPU and CPU (instead of thermal paste), vapor chamber cooling with a three-fan heatsink, huge rear exhaust vents, and smaller keyboard vents. The latter are mostly located on the flanks of the keyboard and can keep those parts cooler than 30°C, according to Asus. The company also says the chassis optimises cooling.
Available in 16in and 18in versions, the ROG Strix SCAR 18 specs into power over portability. Asus believes the use of flagship laptops alongside some screens and smaller accessories can one day replace PC spot as the go-to for giant, elaborate, and expensive gaming setups.
Laptops’ lack of customisability is one of their biggest indictments when compared to desktop PCs. It’s certainly worth hoping that modular laptops can become more of a trend. The new, moddable ROG Strix SCAR 18 is currently available for preorder from Asus’s website, but it will set you back an insomnia-inducing R100,000.
