– Total system power increases to up to 320W (145W CPU + 175W GPU) with the RTX 5090 still capped at 175W; Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus can deliver up to 200W sustained power in some scenarios.
– A 450W power adapter provides significantly more headroom than the 380W used on 2025 models.
– 4K Mini LED display with 1,600 nits peak brightness and Nebula ELMB motion clarity (40 zones) without compromising brightness or refresh rate.
– Expect at least two SKUs (RTX 5080 and RTX 5090) with 64GB RAM and up to 8TB storage (dual SSDs on the 5090), plus a 90Wh battery.
Asus has finally revealed more details about its latest ROG Strix Scar 18, a machine that seems to be aimed at serious gamers and multitaskers alike. First teased in March, the ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026) G835 was said to deliver a ‘much higher total system TDP than the 2025 model’, with Asus adding that this change would allow the ROG Strix Scar 18 to ‘fully stretch its legs like never before’. The company now points to new power settings and a bigger focus on cooling to justify the leap.
Performance and power claims
Fast forward almost two months, and Asus has confirmed the various ways in which the ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026) G835 departs from its 2025 predecessor (curr. $2,699). Unfortunately, the company has been unable to extract any additional wattage from Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU. While this remains locked at up to 175 W, Asus’ 2026 model can push 54% more wattage to its CPU in Turbo Mode and 81% in Manual Mode.
Power distribution and CPU/GPU limits
As a result, the ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026) can draw up to 320W, with 145 W assigned to its CPU and 175W to its GPU. Asus adds that the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus can deliver up to 200W of sustained power too, albeit without clarifying under what circumstances. The new laptop will also ship with a 450 W power adapter for a 18% higher headroom than the 380W equivalent that came with 2025 models.
Display technology leap
This massive power increase is joined by a new Mini LED display. Previously, Asus has offered the ROG Strix Scar 18 with a 2.5K and 240 Hz Mini LED panel. Not only does the 2026 model jump to a 4K resolution, but it also gets 33% brighter at 1,600 nits peak brightness (3% APL). Asus claims that the Scar 18 is the first ROG laptop that supports ROG Nebula ELMB too, which is said to use 40 zones to improve motion clarity by up to 16x without affecting brightness or refresh rates.
Availability and variants
Currently, Asus has not clarified when it will begin selling the ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026) G835. At least two SKUs should be available, though, distinguished by GeForce RTX 5080 and GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs, as well as 64 GB of RAM and 8 TB of storage split across two SSDs in the latter’s case. Both variants will ship with the same 4K Mini LED display and 90 Wh battery. Please see the company’s website for more details.
Looking ahead, Asus frames the Scar 18 (2026) as a premium platform with two SKUs powered by RTX 5080 or RTX 5090, 64 GB of RAM and 8 TB of storage spread across two solid-state drives, all in a chassis designed to handle a 90 Wh battery for longer gaming sessions. The 4K Mini LED panel remains as the bright centerpiece, Nebula ELMB is included, and overall the system is built to push heavy workloads while preserving image quality and stability across frames.
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