Pros

• Excellent performance
• '90s flair thanks to semi-transparent plastic cover
• High refresh rate

The newest Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 is one of the brand’s latest, most balanced gaming laptops, earning critical and user acclaim for its consistent performance and sharp display.

Its LED display can handle a refresh rate of 240 Hz, practically diminishing lag and choppiness. Thanks to the latest in powerful hardware, it also has a powerful GPU, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 (an RTX 4090 version is also available), which fuels its robust graphic performance. Plus, it’s aesthetically pleasing: it has semi-transparent plastic that gives it a ’90s flair, much like an old-school Game Boy Color.

One of this laptop’s major drawbacks is its weight—a common problem with gaming laptops. The ROG Strix Scar 16 is nearly 6 pounds and comes with a 2.5-pound power brick. That weight adds up when you’re on the go, but it also gives it—according to several critics—up to 7 hours of battery life while gaming.

Reach for the ROG Strix Scar 16 if you’re looking for the latest big deal from Asus and a solid entry point to gaming laptops in general.

Key Specs

Not everyone has thousands of dollars to spend on a new gaming laptop, but even those on a tight budget can grab Asus’s TUF Dash F15 without compromising much performance. Usually hovering at around $1,200 or less, the Dash F15 is a great example of how the bare essentials can still deliver excellent gaming performance.

The mid-range CPU and GPU perform very well at gaming in 1080p and, combined with the 144Hz screen, render up some very smooth gameplay. Like ASUS’ other top-tier laptops, the Dash 15 has excellent battery life, lasting an entire day of browsing or a little over an hour of intense gaming.

While the inside may feature more mid-range specs and the outside relies more on plastic, the price more than makes up for the Dash F15’s shortcomings. And if you want to save even more, reach for a lower-spec build for a laptop under $1,000.

Key Specs

Pros

• Great battery life
• Solid performance
• Comfortable design

Of all of Asus’s laptop offerings, the ROG Zephyrus G15 is the easiest to recommend as it strikes a near-perfect balance between performance, design, and price.

The combination of its Ryzen 9 5900HS CPU and RTX 3070 GPU deliver incredible performance on graphically intense games like Starfield, our tester found, and can run both at max settings without issue.

We love the G15’s design, too. The keyboard, touchpad, and speakers are all excellent, especially compared to options from more budget brands like Lenovo and Acer.

But the G15’s most impressive feature might be its stellar battery life, which can cruise through an entire workday on one charge or crank out about an hour and a half of intense gaming unplugged.

The only real drawback is that, like many Asus gaming laptops, the G15 lacks a webcam.

Key Specs

Do you miss the MacBook’s Touch Bar? Asus’s ScreenPad Plus offers the same functionality with the ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, but even better. This laptop has a 14-inch 4K secondary touchscreen display that adds a convenient menu of shortcuts when you need it, making streaming, gaming, and editing more intuitive.

Of course, it’s also a powerful gaming machine thanks to an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H Mobile Processor. It comes with plenty of RAM and storage to handle massive gaming libraries and data dumps; plus, according to many user reviews, its refresh rate can smoothly run popular FPS games like Halo and Call of Duty at max settings.

However, some users say its second screen splits its processing power, which can stutter during more demanding gameplay. If you’re looking for a work laptop you can also game on, this may be your best bet.

Key Specs

Pros

• Compact size
• Excellent value-to-performance ratio
• No compromises on RAM or storage

Anyone seeking a gaming laptop with a more compact form factor should check out Asus’s ROG Zephyrus G14. Initially released in 2020 and updated since, this laptop made waves with its incredible battery life, excellent performance, and affordable price point, all features not commonly associated with smaller laptops.

The 2022 Zephyrus G14 is still relevant today thanks to its robust CPU and GPU, making it Asus’s best compact laptop. While the screen isn’t extraordinary, this laptop’s CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage specs make it a solid performer, especially considering its price point.

And like the Zephyrus G15, the G14 boasts excellent battery life, a great keyboard, a responsive touchpad, and, unfortunately, no webcam.

Key Specs

The fully loaded Strix Scar 18 is a true powerhouse and maybe even a desktop replacement. It features some of the fastest components available in a gaming laptop, with a potent CPU and GPU working alongside a whopping 32GB of RAM to deliver stunning performance on any video game.

Gamers swapping between several games will appreciate the two 1-TB SSDs loaded into this laptop, providing more than enough space for most libraries. Design-wise, the Strix Scar 18 is more eye-catching than the Zephyrus line, with tons of RGB lighting and more angular accents. Another pleasant surprise is the mechanical keyboard, which feels springier and clickier than Asus’s other laptops.

Several critics say this is one of the most powerful gaming laptops today and comment on its crispy display and superb speakers. Both critics and users say the fans whir loudly when the computer is working hard, though, so be mindful if you plan on playing Destiny 2 anytime soon.

Key Specs