Best Asus gaming laptops in 2024

The ROG Strix Scar 16 is an outstanding gaming machine. As one of the most highly-specced gaming laptops in the Asus arsenal, it packs some impressive features that elevate it above the rank and file. One example is the vivid and detailed 16-inch Nebula Mini-LED display with its super-smooth 240Hz refresh rate and 2500 x 1600-pixel resolution. Teamed with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (or 4090 in the step-up model) graphics card, it’s one of the best laptop screens we’ve encountered.

While the case is formed from plastic rather than sumptuous CNC-milled aluminum, this is a distinctive-looking package with a semi-transparent chassis that lets you take a peek at what’s happening under the hood. There’s also plenty going on in the lights department, with customizable RGB lighting for individual keys and light bars across the front and rear of the chassis. An imposing ‘ROG’ logo on the lid completes the look.

Given the volume of high-performance components in the Scar 16, it’s no surprise that it’s not the leanest or lightest gaming laptop on the market. It’s more a desktop replacement than a portable powerhouse, but the performance is well worth the compromise.

If you are looking for a do-it-all desktop replacement machine, it’s worth bearing in mind that the ports are mounted down either side of the chassis. That means peripheral cables can get untidy if you plan to keep the laptop in situ semi-permanently.

The Scar 16 is powerful enough to take on all comers and versatile enough to handle video editing, image manipulation, animation, or any other processor-intensive task you care to mention.

Yes, some of the higher-spec TUF 15 models break the magic $1000/£1000 barrier, so it’s no budget gaming laptop, but the base spec models are powerful enough to run all but the most processor-intensive games and are still priced comfortably. For that, you get a laptop stripped of many of the frills to maximize the performance of its internals. The question is, does skimping on price mean compromise where it matters?

Build quality is fine. You don’t get a unibody design for this money, but you do get a variety of aluminum elements with a plastic underbody, which is perfectly adequate and looks far more premium than the price suggests.

The screen isn’t the brightest but can handle fast-paced cut scenes creditably, and although it doesn’t deliver the deeper blacks of some of the higher-end laptop screens on test here, neither does it cost as much as a high-end Swiss watch.

The large trackpad delivers plenty of finger-sliding real estate, but button clicks are less than positive–not Acer Nitro 5 bad, you understand–but not up there with Asus’s higher-end models. We recommend opting for a proper gaming mouse to alleviate the issue.

The F15s speakers are adequate at lower volumes but push them to the louder end of the spectrum, and they become shrill and distort relatively quickly, which will have you reaching for a pair of headphones. Battery life is respectable, delivering around 6-8 hours of mixed use.

The F15 is an affordable but powerful entry point into the world of dedicated gaming laptops with an extensive spec list to suit most users.

The new-for-2023 Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE is among the pick of Asus’s gaming laptops. Styling is understated compared to the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, with some of the more striking touches from last year’s machine subtly toned down. The Scar 17 also lacks the highly regarded Mini LED Nebula display of the larger Scar 18, but its 17.3-inch screen does a solid job of delivering detailed gaming visuals, even if it isn’t the most cutting-edge display here.

A powerful processor is a crucial element of any laptop, gaming or otherwise, and the Scar 17 SE is a beast, making this machine the choice for gamers who want no-compromise gaming performance. This 2023 iteration has switched from Intel’s Core i9-12950HX to AMD’s Ryzen 9 7945HX, and performance has benefited exponentially. Not only is it now one of the most powerful gaming laptops on the market, but the efficiencies gained mean less heat generated and less fan noise to interrupt your gaming.

That efficiency translates to better battery life, too. The battery woes that afflicted the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2022) are absent from this newer version. Where that model managed just an hour of gaming on battery alone, the 2023 incarnation clocks in at over twice that figure.

The Scar 17 lacks nothing in the audio department, with Dolby Atmos-certified speakers providing plenty of grunt for music and in-game effects and the virtual surround system producing effective directional sonics.

This is one of the most powerful gaming laptops we’ve come across. While not the most portable, it makes up for that by offering cutting-edge, big-screen laptop gaming with few compromises.

At first glance, the Asus ROG Flow X16 looks like any other gaming laptop. On closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that this machine has other things on its mind. Yes, it’s billed as a gaming laptop, but the 360-degree hinge that allows it to operate in various form factors makes it unique among this company.

Introducing flexibility into a device often limits its potential in one or more disciplines. In this instance, we were surprised to find the punchy Intel Core i9-13900H under the hood. However, the X16 is modestly specced in other areas compared to the other machines in this test. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card is a mid-range rather than a high-end model, for example. If graphics performance is an issue, you can always opt for an external GPU for increased performance–the ROG XG Mobile external GPU dock is available in both NVIDIA and AMD trim. Rounding out the spec list are 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage.

The X16 is no mobile gaming powerhouse, but where it does excel is its ability to be all things to all people. In ‘kiosk’ or ‘tented’ form, it’s a fantastic multimedia entertainment workhorse. It’s also the only machine here that can function as a giant screen with a controller or a touchscreen gaming device for casual, sofa-based play.

So, while it can’t hope to compete with the most powerful gaming machines out there, it does offer an awful lot of options for those who want an all-round entertainer for the kids, to take away on holiday or as a machine that can handle all but the most processor-intensive games but also turn its hand to music, movies, intuitive touchscreen web browsing, and even the odd spreadsheet. Provided the hefty price tag doesn’t put you off, of course.

Gaming laptops and hulking screens don’t always go hand-in-hand, as demonstrated by the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, a machine that packs power and finesse in a compact chassis.

You’d be forgiven for thinking a laptop this compact couldn’t possibly contain the necessary elements for cutting-edge gaming performance. You’d be wrong. The Zephyrus G14 packs some serious processing and graphics firepower courtesy of AMD’s Ryzen 9 7940HS processor and a choice of NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4090, 4080, or 4070 in the base model. The display is stunning; featuring a native resolution of 2560 x 1600, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 3ms response time, it’s a more than capable foil for the graphic processing power on offer.

As we’ve already mentioned, this is a compact machine, but what’s most impressive is that the battery life is still excellent, delivering a class-leading 10-hour stint of video playback. It’s mighty impressive for a high-performance gaming laptop.

The Zephyrus G14 is an incredible combination of power and portability that defies what’s possible for genuine, no-compromise gaming. It’s not cheap, but this is the closest thing to desktop power in a compact chassis you’ll find from any manufacturer.