Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 review (2025 G835LX model – RTX 5090, Ultra 9)
26 Comments
will blake
March 29, 2025 at 12:29 am
New models are never worth it(well, most of the time) if we look at just next gen CPU/GPU upgrade. Other things often weights more. My example: Thinkbook 16 G7->Thinkbook 16 G7+. Zen 4->Zen 5. Look the same at first glance, obviously 10%-15% more CPU,GPU,battery, something like that. Also screen is much brighter, with better resolution and frequency. Keyboard is a bit better, touchpad is hella much better, battery is bigger, cooling is a bit better, fingerprint, so on. All in all, extra money they ask totally worth it but not because CPU and GPU uplifts. (almost nothing to do with the review above, just saying. there is too much fuzz about 5xxx cards instead of more proper fuzz about what else is new?
Thank you for your detailed writeup. Question, so the m.2 slots are both Gen 5? And one can run dual gen 5 drives in RAID 0? I can't find documentation on this. Does the CPU even have that many pcie lanes available?
In fact, even in the almost top series (only for some reason the processor is not top-end, which is strange) all the same shortcomings of this Asus series:
1. Again, an extremely inconvenient location of the power plug for right-handed people on sofas and beds (and how else to relax with a laptop when your legs are just on the left?), which also sticks out perpendicular to the case, like stupid USB-C plugs. What prevented them from making it conveniently round in the corner or at the back like on the Legion? And why do people with that kind of money need this laptop on the table with its noise? They can easily put several silent desktops in the right places. Again, a question for the target audience of such models with such shortcomings in the ergonomics of the work/play area…
2. Again, a 2.5k screen, instead of 4k, which is 100% compatible with 4k/fhd video at the pixel level and gives almost perfect font clarity. Given that such panels at 120Hz have been around for a long time and by 2025 nothing will prevent them from making such ones even at 240Hz for wholesale orders.
3. Again, a broken keyboard on the numpad. Why, for what purpose? At the same time, their 17.3" series with AMD does not have this drawback, but it has a stupid 16:9 screen… This crosses out the option of using it for work in a bunch of areas of human activity, as a universal laptop. And even more so, it is poorly suited as a gaming keyboard. A huge case and a lot of free space, but the keyboard looks like an alien element here from models with a smaller diagonal…
4. At such a price and such an insignificant increase in real performance (sustained), it is simply shameful to have 2x1TB SSD (models with 1-2TB SSD today are entry level even in third world countries) in the system – you expect no less than 2×2, but rather 2×4 – the price of the solution is less than $ 500 with a full 5-year warranty even in retail.
5. Again, an outdated 2.5 Gbit / s port instead of 10 Gbit / s. This is top-end hardware, Asus.
These are obvious shortcomings that the Asus team is trying hard not to notice. It's strange – a laptop with top-end hardware has a miserable 2.5k screen in 2025 (with DP2.0/UHBR20 ports for 8k panels) and a bunch of ergonomic and operational shortcomings. And not even with a top-end processor, although even according to the tests it is clear that the 2-year-old 7945HX, with lower consumption, is still faster in multithreading. And Zen 5 Strix Halo AI Max+ 395 (which is apparently in terrible shortage even for Asus, since they are forced to use Intel hardware year after year) would clearly be much cooler here than all the Intel hardware with a new 256-bit memory controller (which would give a much bigger boost in games, especially if the chip had a PCI-E 5.0 bus, but which AMD excluded) and almost 6000 points in CBR15 at 120W in stable mode… especially considering the senseless and disastrous in 2025 (since in a laptop it is physically impossible to raise consumption like in a desktop) monster 5090 on an outdated technical process. I wonder what people would have said 15 years ago looking at a 380W laptop PSU…
However, what difference does it make – this is a rare model that will be bought by extremely rare buyers who will not care about all these obvious technical blunders and shortcomings, because they do not even think about it…
Maybe someday something will change for the better in the laptop sector, but 2025 is definitely a disastrous year in all directions – manufacturers are desperately trying to squeeze the rest of the money out of those who do not count it, on the same old technical processes in x86 (and Intel disgraced itself even with the new "3nm" node from TSMC – ArrowLake is an extremely unsuccessful series). And somewhere nearby, the shadow of Apple and the ARM sector looms ever stronger, having long removed x86 from the mobile smartphone market, apparently everything is going in the same direction here…
What is the best choice for sophisticated gamers if they want a 16/18 inch laptop this year? You said quiote clear that all have shortcomings but which one has the least in your opinion?
more or less the same. I didn't open the laptop entirely to see if there are any differences in ternal hinge design, but I'd expect those to be minimal, if any
NikoB
April 5, 2025 at 4:27 pm
If there was a choice, I would point to it, but in reality, there is essentially no choice except this Asus series and MSI Titan. And if you do not need a discrete card at all (like me and many people – I recently talked to a person who bought an 18" Asus 2024 only to work with a GTX4060 and also sadly said that he could not find an 18" business series and he understood all the shortcomings of the model before buying – but he simply had no choice) then there is no choice on the market, although there is obviously demand (as a portable desktop) in many business niches. And most importantly, there are no such solutions (and apparently there will not be in 2025) on advanced AMD chips, especially on the new Halo series (with options for 32/64/128 GB RAM), which is doubly sad for many people. This is where you definitely need a 4k screen with VRR for very high-quality text and graphics on the screen – few people are interested for games in this segment.
Tomasz
March 29, 2025 at 5:06 pm
On the ASUS website max RAM capacity is 64Gb.
Where did you find the information?
64 GB DDR5-5600 RAM – up to 128 GB (2x DIMMs)
As far as I know, Asus's website only list the configurations that they plan on selling on this laptop. However, since the Intel platform supports 128 GB this generation (up to 192) and you can find 64 GB DDR5 sodimms, 128 GB should be possible. Haven't tested it yet so needs confirmation
I still didn't get a reply from Asus, but looking further into the platform's specifics, I was likely wrong and 128 GB of RAM won't work on this platform in this sort of implementation with 2x soDIMMs.
John-Patrick McNown
April 3, 2025 at 12:18 pm
I can confirm that at least 96GB(48GBx2)5600Mhz works perfectly fine.
Thanks for reviewing all use cases! Looking at other reviews of the 5090, they are all just focused on Manual/Turbo mode FPS. There are plenty of us who would like to game on a laptop but would like sub 40dBA since we're sharing a space (it is a laptop). I'm looking forward to more data on Silent or Performance with DLSS Quality or Balanced.
I have the 5080 model pre-ordered, but now I'm not so sure. Some things I can deal with, the lid and sharp edge (I use gel pads for my wrists anyways). But the power cord might be a deal breaker. My plug is on the right side and I'm on a couch/chair. Having the cord stick that far out and then wrap all the way to the right is going to be a nightmare for me moving it to and from my lap. It also looks more fragile than the round types. I wonder if any 90 degree adapters exist? or is this a new power plug type?
Real shame, I'm coming from a ROG Flow 16. I was really looking forward to the 18" screen size increase and the full size keyboard (I really miss the numpad). The 5080 would get an FPS boost on Silent over 3070ti. And I love the mini-led screen, I can't see myself not having it or an OLED anymore.
1) Why did manufactures move to this new rectangle power intake? I noticed the MSI and Gigabyte models both have the same style now. Nobody seems to have the round type for this generation.
2) Is it possible to do any stress testing on the power cable? I'm really nervous about it's longevity. Especially in situations like mine where I'm 99% a couch user. So the power cord will be flopping to the side with the power brick on the floor. I'm worried moving it on and off my lap with slight pulls at the input will loosen it over time given this new style seems to "click" in more than the older circle types.
3) In your opinion, is the new cooling system worth the trade-offs with this years model? Not that I think I'd be able to find a 2024 model anymore. My original hope was the new cooler would allow for better FPS at lower fan speeds.
Thanks again for all the work you are doing. Testing gaming performance with the 100w USB-C adapter is something I don't see anyone else doing and is really helpful.
No idea on 1. As far as 2 goes, the connection seems flimsy to me and the connector easily moves up and down and left to right in its socket. It's not affecting the actual connection, though, there's no power cut on anything of this sort. Hard top put it in words, though. Not sure how that would affect long-term longevity, I'll just say that I prefer the older format – sturdier and bend back to 90 degrees, so even if it's more central on the chassis, I can much easier route the cable near the laptop and to the back. I'll try to shoot a short video for a comparison article that I plan writing after the review, this Scar vs my 2023 scar.
On the other hand, the plug takes a some effort to pull out, so I don't think it can be easily unplugged accidentally, but not sure how that would change over time with this wobbling connector.
3. Not sure yet. My gripe is with the price of this new series and overall value. Performance can be excellent at low fan noise, but ideally you'd want to set up a custom Manual mode, as the default Silent mode just dials back GPU power too aggressively to 55W and this way the overall performance is less than half of Turbo. That means low temperatures, but the sweetspot can be a little higher imo. Thing is, you can get a good optimized Manual mode on the previous Scar as well. I'll need to do more testing before figuring out the performance gap at 40 dBA and ideally at a 35 dBA on a Manual optimized mode between generations.
PhilippH
April 15, 2025 at 12:24 pm
Fully agree. I am also mostly interested in best possible performance at quiet, non-disturbing fan noise. It is not so important for me, what a cooling can do at super loud max fans, but how well it scales down to lower noise levels.
"Silent mode just dials back GPU power too aggressively to 55W and this way the overall performance is less than half of Turbo. That means low temperatures, but the sweetspot can be a little higher imo."
Fully agree on this one. I don't understand why Asus throttles down so heavily. We don't want cooler temperatures. We want only quieter fans. If you can freely adjust performance and fan noise, you can fix it. But not every manufacturer lets you freely adjust power limits and fan noise. Looking at you, Lenovo :-(
@Andrei: Could you please tell us which db value you would consider to not require headphones? This is highly subjective, but at which db value would you say, that the fans are still clearly audible but quiet enough for playing without headset? I guess the 42db of Performance mode are still a bit too distracting if you don't play with very high sound volume?
35 dBA is what I'm looking at, or lower. On this series, I was able to put up a Manual Silent profile that runs at around 36-37 dBA with 120TGP and temperatures in the hihg-70s on the GPU and low 80s on the CPU. This could probably run even quieter, but Armoury Crate has some limitations in GPU speeds for the 3rd system fan. Haven't yet tried tuning with GHelper, but I might. Will have a different article on this topic.
Dev
March 31, 2025 at 6:43 pm
Your review has been extremely helpful.
I have one question:
Is it possible to install a 2.38mm thick double-sided SSD in the 2025 ROG Strix Scar model?
The official ASUS website, as always, states that it is not supported.
However, I know that in many past models, such SSDs could be installed without issue.
Well nuts, I just caught that this model only has a matte screen. Combined with the weird power plug, I think I might cancel my pre-order. Not sure I can give up the color pop from the glossy screen that comes with my Flow X16 since it's mostly for gaming. Looking at the other article, looks like none of the 18" ones will have a glossy screen either.
Maybe in a year or 2 we'll see 18" OLED screens, usually they tend to be glossier.
For games/video AM(OLED) is a normal choice, but the screen will glare heavily even at home with difficult lighting around. With semi-matte it is easier with difficult lighting. In reality, no one has made matte screens for a long time. The last one I saw was about 15 years ago – where there really was not even a hint of reflection from the side in any lighting. They have a serious problem – "crystal effect" due to strong etching of the surface and because of this increase in problems with increasing resolution. That is why they stopped producing them with such strong etching of the surface.
But even Apple, under pressure from customers (who need to work at the screen for many hours), was forced to offer semi-matte screens (which it calls matte) with "nano coating" in new series.
Just thought it worth mentioning that the G935L model (5090/64GB/2TBx1) I picked up at Microcenter in Dallas TX, did not include a 100w USB-C charger. I feel like we've all seen this before with variations depending on where in the world the laptop is bought. Some include accessories, others don't.
Hello,
I have pre-ordered this exact model and will hopefully receive it in a few weeks.
Please can someone give me some advice regarding the 2tb ssd configuration in Rad 0?
I wanted to add a 2nd ssd (Crucial T500 2TB). I wasn't aware that this model had 2x 1tb ssds as a posed to one 2tb. As I wanted to and Crucial T500 2TB could activate 4tb of storage.
Anyway…..
Will it still be possible to add a 2nd ssd without losing the pre installed dara the laptop comes with?
Do the ssds have to be the same brand and size as configured in RAD 0?
Will I need to start messing around with bios settings to get this working?
Basically, I just want to add the new 2tb ssd to create 3tb of storage and sell one of the ssds that come with this model.
Apologies as I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to this.
Appreciate your time
Regards
Simon.
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In this brief article we’re discussing gaming at 4K display resolution on the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 HX + Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 configurations tested...
will blake
March 29, 2025 at 12:29 am
New models are never worth it(well, most of the time) if we look at just next gen CPU/GPU upgrade. Other things often weights more. My example: Thinkbook 16 G7->Thinkbook 16 G7+. Zen 4->Zen 5. Look the same at first glance, obviously 10%-15% more CPU,GPU,battery, something like that. Also screen is much brighter, with better resolution and frequency. Keyboard is a bit better, touchpad is hella much better, battery is bigger, cooling is a bit better, fingerprint, so on. All in all, extra money they ask totally worth it but not because CPU and GPU uplifts. (almost nothing to do with the review above, just saying. there is too much fuzz about 5xxx cards instead of more proper fuzz about what else is new?
John-Patrick McNown
March 29, 2025 at 2:09 am
Thank you for your detailed writeup. Question, so the m.2 slots are both Gen 5? And one can run dual gen 5 drives in RAID 0? I can't find documentation on this. Does the CPU even have that many pcie lanes available?
Andrei Girbea
March 31, 2025 at 12:33 pm
I've asked and will get back with a reply if/when I get an answer
NikoB
March 29, 2025 at 2:22 pm
In fact, even in the almost top series (only for some reason the processor is not top-end, which is strange) all the same shortcomings of this Asus series:
1. Again, an extremely inconvenient location of the power plug for right-handed people on sofas and beds (and how else to relax with a laptop when your legs are just on the left?), which also sticks out perpendicular to the case, like stupid USB-C plugs. What prevented them from making it conveniently round in the corner or at the back like on the Legion? And why do people with that kind of money need this laptop on the table with its noise? They can easily put several silent desktops in the right places. Again, a question for the target audience of such models with such shortcomings in the ergonomics of the work/play area…
2. Again, a 2.5k screen, instead of 4k, which is 100% compatible with 4k/fhd video at the pixel level and gives almost perfect font clarity. Given that such panels at 120Hz have been around for a long time and by 2025 nothing will prevent them from making such ones even at 240Hz for wholesale orders.
3. Again, a broken keyboard on the numpad. Why, for what purpose? At the same time, their 17.3" series with AMD does not have this drawback, but it has a stupid 16:9 screen… This crosses out the option of using it for work in a bunch of areas of human activity, as a universal laptop. And even more so, it is poorly suited as a gaming keyboard. A huge case and a lot of free space, but the keyboard looks like an alien element here from models with a smaller diagonal…
4. At such a price and such an insignificant increase in real performance (sustained), it is simply shameful to have 2x1TB SSD (models with 1-2TB SSD today are entry level even in third world countries) in the system – you expect no less than 2×2, but rather 2×4 – the price of the solution is less than $ 500 with a full 5-year warranty even in retail.
5. Again, an outdated 2.5 Gbit / s port instead of 10 Gbit / s. This is top-end hardware, Asus.
These are obvious shortcomings that the Asus team is trying hard not to notice. It's strange – a laptop with top-end hardware has a miserable 2.5k screen in 2025 (with DP2.0/UHBR20 ports for 8k panels) and a bunch of ergonomic and operational shortcomings. And not even with a top-end processor, although even according to the tests it is clear that the 2-year-old 7945HX, with lower consumption, is still faster in multithreading. And Zen 5 Strix Halo AI Max+ 395 (which is apparently in terrible shortage even for Asus, since they are forced to use Intel hardware year after year) would clearly be much cooler here than all the Intel hardware with a new 256-bit memory controller (which would give a much bigger boost in games, especially if the chip had a PCI-E 5.0 bus, but which AMD excluded) and almost 6000 points in CBR15 at 120W in stable mode… especially considering the senseless and disastrous in 2025 (since in a laptop it is physically impossible to raise consumption like in a desktop) monster 5090 on an outdated technical process. I wonder what people would have said 15 years ago looking at a 380W laptop PSU…
However, what difference does it make – this is a rare model that will be bought by extremely rare buyers who will not care about all these obvious technical blunders and shortcomings, because they do not even think about it…
Maybe someday something will change for the better in the laptop sector, but 2025 is definitely a disastrous year in all directions – manufacturers are desperately trying to squeeze the rest of the money out of those who do not count it, on the same old technical processes in x86 (and Intel disgraced itself even with the new "3nm" node from TSMC – ArrowLake is an extremely unsuccessful series). And somewhere nearby, the shadow of Apple and the ARM sector looms ever stronger, having long removed x86 from the mobile smartphone market, apparently everything is going in the same direction here…
Adi
April 1, 2025 at 8:45 pm
@NikoB
What is the best choice for sophisticated gamers if they want a 16/18 inch laptop this year? You said quiote clear that all have shortcomings but which one has the least in your opinion?
Bobby
April 3, 2025 at 9:19 am
How are the hinges on these models? Are the reliable? Are they similar to previous models?
Andrei Girbea
April 3, 2025 at 9:43 am
more or less the same. I didn't open the laptop entirely to see if there are any differences in ternal hinge design, but I'd expect those to be minimal, if any
NikoB
April 5, 2025 at 4:27 pm
If there was a choice, I would point to it, but in reality, there is essentially no choice except this Asus series and MSI Titan. And if you do not need a discrete card at all (like me and many people – I recently talked to a person who bought an 18" Asus 2024 only to work with a GTX4060 and also sadly said that he could not find an 18" business series and he understood all the shortcomings of the model before buying – but he simply had no choice) then there is no choice on the market, although there is obviously demand (as a portable desktop) in many business niches. And most importantly, there are no such solutions (and apparently there will not be in 2025) on advanced AMD chips, especially on the new Halo series (with options for 32/64/128 GB RAM), which is doubly sad for many people. This is where you definitely need a 4k screen with VRR for very high-quality text and graphics on the screen – few people are interested for games in this segment.
Tomasz
March 29, 2025 at 5:06 pm
On the ASUS website max RAM capacity is 64Gb.
Where did you find the information?
64 GB DDR5-5600 RAM – up to 128 GB (2x DIMMs)
Andrei Girbea
March 31, 2025 at 12:31 pm
As far as I know, Asus's website only list the configurations that they plan on selling on this laptop. However, since the Intel platform supports 128 GB this generation (up to 192) and you can find 64 GB DDR5 sodimms, 128 GB should be possible. Haven't tested it yet so needs confirmation
Andrei Girbea
April 9, 2025 at 9:29 pm
I still didn't get a reply from Asus, but looking further into the platform's specifics, I was likely wrong and 128 GB of RAM won't work on this platform in this sort of implementation with 2x soDIMMs.
John-Patrick McNown
April 3, 2025 at 12:18 pm
I can confirm that at least 96GB(48GBx2)5600Mhz works perfectly fine.
amazon.com/dp/B0C79K5VGZ?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1
Kalima
March 29, 2025 at 6:36 pm
Thank you for your review.
You can detail bios setting for this gen ?
We can still disable Intel Virtualization ? Make undervolt ? Set dgpu only ?
I also see kingston validated csodimm 6400mhz kit for this laptop. I don't know if can be nice improvement or not.
Thank you.
John
March 29, 2025 at 7:07 pm
Thanks for reviewing all use cases! Looking at other reviews of the 5090, they are all just focused on Manual/Turbo mode FPS. There are plenty of us who would like to game on a laptop but would like sub 40dBA since we're sharing a space (it is a laptop). I'm looking forward to more data on Silent or Performance with DLSS Quality or Balanced.
I have the 5080 model pre-ordered, but now I'm not so sure. Some things I can deal with, the lid and sharp edge (I use gel pads for my wrists anyways). But the power cord might be a deal breaker. My plug is on the right side and I'm on a couch/chair. Having the cord stick that far out and then wrap all the way to the right is going to be a nightmare for me moving it to and from my lap. It also looks more fragile than the round types. I wonder if any 90 degree adapters exist? or is this a new power plug type?
Real shame, I'm coming from a ROG Flow 16. I was really looking forward to the 18" screen size increase and the full size keyboard (I really miss the numpad). The 5080 would get an FPS boost on Silent over 3070ti. And I love the mini-led screen, I can't see myself not having it or an OLED anymore.
John
March 31, 2025 at 3:59 pm
A couple questions:
1) Why did manufactures move to this new rectangle power intake? I noticed the MSI and Gigabyte models both have the same style now. Nobody seems to have the round type for this generation.
2) Is it possible to do any stress testing on the power cable? I'm really nervous about it's longevity. Especially in situations like mine where I'm 99% a couch user. So the power cord will be flopping to the side with the power brick on the floor. I'm worried moving it on and off my lap with slight pulls at the input will loosen it over time given this new style seems to "click" in more than the older circle types.
3) In your opinion, is the new cooling system worth the trade-offs with this years model? Not that I think I'd be able to find a 2024 model anymore. My original hope was the new cooler would allow for better FPS at lower fan speeds.
Thanks again for all the work you are doing. Testing gaming performance with the 100w USB-C adapter is something I don't see anyone else doing and is really helpful.
Andrei Girbea
March 31, 2025 at 4:10 pm
No idea on 1. As far as 2 goes, the connection seems flimsy to me and the connector easily moves up and down and left to right in its socket. It's not affecting the actual connection, though, there's no power cut on anything of this sort. Hard top put it in words, though. Not sure how that would affect long-term longevity, I'll just say that I prefer the older format – sturdier and bend back to 90 degrees, so even if it's more central on the chassis, I can much easier route the cable near the laptop and to the back. I'll try to shoot a short video for a comparison article that I plan writing after the review, this Scar vs my 2023 scar.
On the other hand, the plug takes a some effort to pull out, so I don't think it can be easily unplugged accidentally, but not sure how that would change over time with this wobbling connector.
3. Not sure yet. My gripe is with the price of this new series and overall value. Performance can be excellent at low fan noise, but ideally you'd want to set up a custom Manual mode, as the default Silent mode just dials back GPU power too aggressively to 55W and this way the overall performance is less than half of Turbo. That means low temperatures, but the sweetspot can be a little higher imo. Thing is, you can get a good optimized Manual mode on the previous Scar as well. I'll need to do more testing before figuring out the performance gap at 40 dBA and ideally at a 35 dBA on a Manual optimized mode between generations.
PhilippH
April 15, 2025 at 12:24 pm
Fully agree. I am also mostly interested in best possible performance at quiet, non-disturbing fan noise. It is not so important for me, what a cooling can do at super loud max fans, but how well it scales down to lower noise levels.
"Silent mode just dials back GPU power too aggressively to 55W and this way the overall performance is less than half of Turbo. That means low temperatures, but the sweetspot can be a little higher imo."
Fully agree on this one. I don't understand why Asus throttles down so heavily. We don't want cooler temperatures. We want only quieter fans. If you can freely adjust performance and fan noise, you can fix it. But not every manufacturer lets you freely adjust power limits and fan noise. Looking at you, Lenovo :-(
@Andrei: Could you please tell us which db value you would consider to not require headphones? This is highly subjective, but at which db value would you say, that the fans are still clearly audible but quiet enough for playing without headset? I guess the 42db of Performance mode are still a bit too distracting if you don't play with very high sound volume?
Thank you for your great reviews!!!
Andrei Girbea
April 15, 2025 at 12:31 pm
35 dBA is what I'm looking at, or lower. On this series, I was able to put up a Manual Silent profile that runs at around 36-37 dBA with 120TGP and temperatures in the hihg-70s on the GPU and low 80s on the CPU. This could probably run even quieter, but Armoury Crate has some limitations in GPU speeds for the 3rd system fan. Haven't yet tried tuning with GHelper, but I might. Will have a different article on this topic.
Dev
March 31, 2025 at 6:43 pm
Your review has been extremely helpful.
I have one question:
Is it possible to install a 2.38mm thick double-sided SSD in the 2025 ROG Strix Scar model?
The official ASUS website, as always, states that it is not supported.
However, I know that in many past models, such SSDs could be installed without issue.
Andrei Girbea
March 31, 2025 at 8:26 pm
I don't have one to test. I'd expect it should fit, but can't tell for sure.
John
April 2, 2025 at 11:35 pm
Well nuts, I just caught that this model only has a matte screen. Combined with the weird power plug, I think I might cancel my pre-order. Not sure I can give up the color pop from the glossy screen that comes with my Flow X16 since it's mostly for gaming. Looking at the other article, looks like none of the 18" ones will have a glossy screen either.
Maybe in a year or 2 we'll see 18" OLED screens, usually they tend to be glossier.
Andrei Girbea
April 3, 2025 at 9:41 am
there's no 18 inch OLED panel for now. so either IPS or mini LED, which are matte. But the mini LED looks great
NikoB
April 5, 2025 at 4:15 pm
For games/video AM(OLED) is a normal choice, but the screen will glare heavily even at home with difficult lighting around. With semi-matte it is easier with difficult lighting. In reality, no one has made matte screens for a long time. The last one I saw was about 15 years ago – where there really was not even a hint of reflection from the side in any lighting. They have a serious problem – "crystal effect" due to strong etching of the surface and because of this increase in problems with increasing resolution. That is why they stopped producing them with such strong etching of the surface.
But even Apple, under pressure from customers (who need to work at the screen for many hours), was forced to offer semi-matte screens (which it calls matte) with "nano coating" in new series.
John-Patrick McNown
April 3, 2025 at 12:38 pm
Just thought it worth mentioning that the G935L model (5090/64GB/2TBx1) I picked up at Microcenter in Dallas TX, did not include a 100w USB-C charger. I feel like we've all seen this before with variations depending on where in the world the laptop is bought. Some include accessories, others don't.
Simon Miles
April 12, 2025 at 9:58 pm
Hello,
I have pre-ordered this exact model and will hopefully receive it in a few weeks.
Please can someone give me some advice regarding the 2tb ssd configuration in Rad 0?
I wanted to add a 2nd ssd (Crucial T500 2TB). I wasn't aware that this model had 2x 1tb ssds as a posed to one 2tb. As I wanted to and Crucial T500 2TB could activate 4tb of storage.
Anyway…..
Will it still be possible to add a 2nd ssd without losing the pre installed dara the laptop comes with?
Do the ssds have to be the same brand and size as configured in RAD 0?
Will I need to start messing around with bios settings to get this working?
Basically, I just want to add the new 2tb ssd to create 3tb of storage and sell one of the ssds that come with this model.
Apologies as I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to this.
Appreciate your time
Regards
Simon.
Andrei Girbea
April 14, 2025 at 10:51 am
you'd have to disable the Raid from BIOS. Not sure if you can keep the info on the drive, you'll need to watch some guides on Youtube.