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The CES 2024 led to the announcement of some amazing gaming laptops, and the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 and the Alienware x16 R2 were two of the most curious launches in the 16-inch gaming laptops sphere. They are packed with some of the greatest specs, including the Nvidia RTX 4080 and the RTX 4090. With these specs inside, the two laptops can run any game that's out.
If both have similar GPU specs, which is the better gaming laptop? The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 and Alienware x16 R2? The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 is the better gaming laptop. This article explains why it's better and by how much.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 vs Alienware x16 R2: Specs
The new laptops, Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 and Alienware x16 R2 are packed with specs that would put many desktops to shame.
Here's a quick rundown of the specs of the two laptops:
A quick look at the specs and you would think these two laptops have the same configurations, and it certainly looks that way, but there are a few key differences. The CPUs of the two laptops are worlds apart. While both CPUs are powerful, the Core i9-14900HX CPU performs significantly more than the Core Ultra 9-185H.
Also, the Strix Scar 16 laptop in this configuration only has 16GB RAM, while the Alienware x16 R2 has 32GB of RAM. However, you can upgrade the RAM of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 laptop. Also, the Strix Scar 16 display supports Dolby Vision HDR support, but the other display features of the two laptops are almost the same.
The rest of the specs of the two laptops are also the same, including the GPU, storage, and battery at this price range.
Design and display comparison
The design is where there's a major difference between the two laptops. Both laptops have RGB design elements built into them. There are RGB in the keyboard, on the rear side of the chassis, the logo, and more. As for the looks, the two laptops have good designs, but the Alienware laptop features its iconic design theme that is easily recognizable.
But looks are subjective, and it's either a love-it or hate-it kind of thing. Also, the body of the Alienware x16 R2 is far more solid than the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16. The Alienware laptop is constructed with anodized aluminum and magnesium alloy throughout the body, while the ROG laptop is not entirely made of metal. The lid is made of aluminum, but the chassis is made of plastic, so the Alienware laptop takes the edge.
Regarding the displays of the two laptops, both laptops have a similar 16-inch QHD display with 240Hz refresh rate and 100% DCI-P3 color space. The only difference would be the inclusion of Dolby Vision HDR support in the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16.
Performance comparison
With the display out of the way, let's get into the performance side of things. Both laptops can be configured with up to Nvidia RTX 4090 laptop variant, but they use two vastly different CPUs. So, it will influence the gaming performance and the maximum framerate you can get from the GPUs of the laptop.
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 has the Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, which has a total of 24 cores and 32 threads, while the Alienware x16 R2 has the Intel Core Ultra 9-185H, which only has 16 cores and 22 threads. On top of that, the Core Ultra 9-185H only boosts up to 5.1GHz compared to the 5.8GHz boost clock speeds in the Core i9-14900HX.
Let's take a look at some of the benchmarks between the CPUs:
In single-core benchmarks, the Core i9-14900HX is 15 - 24% faster, while in multi-core benchmarks, the Core i9-14900HX is 35 - 70% faster. Games like more cores and higher clocks, and the Core i9-14900HX would excel at running them. The Core i9-14900HX would be able to take full advantage of the RTX 4080 or the RTX 4090 inside the laptop.
The Intel Core Ultra 9-185H would also do well, but definitely not as good as the Core i9-14900HX. But the Intel Core Ultra 9-185H has another trick up its sleeve in the battery department.
Battery comparison
The Intel Core Ultra 9-185H is based on a brand new Meteor Lake architecture that was designed from the ground up to be more battery-efficient. So, even though both Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 and Alienware m16 R2 have similar 90Wh batteries, the Alienware m16 R2 will probably provide more battery since it has a battery-efficient CPU.
Price
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 is priced at $2,899 for the Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU. The price will increase if you go for the RTX 4090 variant.
But the Alienware m16 R2 starts at $3,099 for the same Nvidia RTX 4080 variant, an increase of $200 over the ROG laptop.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 vs Alienware m16 R2: Which is the best gaming laptop?
Both laptops are fine-tuned to deliver the best gaming performance, but due to the use of a far better CPU in the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15, it gets the edge over the Alienware m16 R2. However, the Alienware m16 R2 costs $200 more at the same RTX 4080 GPU configuration but also comes with a better and stronger chassis.
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 costs less but provides far better CPU and support for Dolby Vision HDR. So, choose a laptop that best suits your needs.
