MSI Raider A18 HX A9WIG-082US / ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2024) G834JYR

175 W is the highest GPU power MSI gives in this chassis; CPU and GPU together can draw up to 260 W (OverBoost Ultra). The desktop RTX 5080 is a separate card.

175 W is the maximum GPU power when Dynamic Boost borrows budget from the CPU; the base sits at the top of NVIDIA’s 80–150 W range for this GPU. The laptop GPU is not the same product as the desktop RTX 4090.

The processor’s stacked extra cache, called 3D V-Cache, keeps frequently used game data close, which helps frame rates especially in large open-world games.

P-cores handle games and single-threaded loads, E-cores take background and multi-core work.

The Mini LED backlight dims zones individually for high HDR brightness and deeper blacks; DisplayHDR 1000 is the tier certifying 1,000-nit peak brightness. Because of the high resolution, refresh is limited to 120 Hz.

Mini LED backlighting dims and lights zones behind the LCD so dark areas look deeper in HDR. 240 Hz means motion at up to 240 frames per second in suitable games; G-Sync matches refresh to frame rate to reduce tearing. 100% DCI-P3 covers the cinema colour space.

Both slots come filled; reaching 96 GB means fitting two 48 GB modules.

Both slots are populated; the modules are not soldered. ASUS notes memory speed can vary with the CPU.

The second M.2 slot runs at Gen4; an added SSD there tops out at Gen4 speed.

RAID 0 joins the two SSDs into one drive for speed and capacity; if one SSD fails, all data in the array can be lost. ASUS says only single-sided SSDs are supported because of components near the M.2 slot.

The USB4 ports are listed as compatible with Thunderbolt 4 accessories, but MSI does not state separate Thunderbolt certification; PD 3.1 allows USB-C charging, while full gaming power needs the 400 W adapter.

Thunderbolt 4 can also connect an external GPU enclosure or dock. The RJ45 port does not support Power over Ethernet, only data.

UHS-III gives faster reads than UHS-II with compatible cards; the full-size slot reads camera cards without an adapter.

The IR camera enables Windows Hello face sign-in; the physical shutter blocks the camera.

99.9 Wh is just under the limit for laptop batteries allowed on planes.

The weight excludes the 400 W adapter.

The MUX connects the display directly to the RTX GPU to cut latency in games; Advanced Optimus can switch without a restart.

Wi-Fi 6E can use the less congested 6 GHz band with a suitable router; ASUS notes the band may be unavailable in some countries.

Full performance needs the 330 W adapter; the 100 W USB-C adapter is for light use and charging on the go. ASUS says the battery can reach 50% in 30 minutes with the proper adapter while the laptop is shut down. Bundled adapters can vary by country.