reccs.co

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 vs Lenovo Legion 5 (2021)

108 facts in comparison

Based on 676 Reddit opinions. 5 (2021) leads by 12 points.

676 opinions
5 (2021) leads by 12pts
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
74%
B-
Based on
636 Redditors

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18

~$2,699
258 opinions

tldr; 18-inch esports monster with RTX 4080/4090. 240Hz display, mechanical keyboard. Top performance but loud and heavy.

Check prices
VS
Reddit's Pick
Lenovo Legion 5 (2021)
86%
A-
Based on
759 Redditors
Winner

Lenovo Legion 5 (2021)

~$1,499
418 opinions

tldr; Solid RTX 3060/3070 value laptop. Good thermals, quality keyboard. Watch for soldering issues on early batches.

Check prices
Gaming PerformanceDisplayThermals & NoiseBattery LifeBuild & Portability
🎮GAM
🖥️DIS
🌡️THE
🔋BAT
🔧BUI
63
Points
84
Points

Score by Category

Gaming Performance
91%94%
Display
88%86%
Thermals & Noise
65%81%
Battery Life
50%71%
Build & Portability
39%80%

Why is Legion 5 (2021) better than Strix SCAR 18?

  • Higher Reddit score (86% vs 74%)
  • Better build quality (80% vs 39%)
  • Better value (92% vs 42%)
  • Better battery (71% vs 50%)
  • Better thermals (81% vs 65%)
  • Excellent value on clearance
  • Solid 1080p gaming
  • Good thermal management
Based on 1,395 Reddit opinions
Clear Winner

Reddit prefers the 5 (2021)

Winning by 12 points (86% vs 74%)

Better build quality
Better value
Better battery
High confidence (1,395 mentions)

💬Reddit Sentiment

Based on 1,395 Reddit mentions

Overall Rating

SCAR 18
7.4/10
636 mentions
5 (2021)
8.6/10
759 mentions
THERMALS
SCAR 186.5/10
5 (2021)8.1/10
BUILD QUALITY
SCAR 183.9/10
5 (2021)8.0/10
DISPLAY
SCAR 188.8/10
5 (2021)8.6/10
GAMING PERFORMANCE
SCAR 189.1/10
5 (2021)9.4/10
BATTERY LIFE
SCAR 185.0/10
5 (2021)7.1/10
VALUE
SCAR 184.2/10
5 (2021)9.2/10
⚔️

Head to Head

Head to Head

SCAR 18: 0|5 (2021): 5
Thermals5 (2021)
SCAR 1865%
5 (2021)81%
Build Quality5 (2021)
SCAR 1839%
5 (2021)80%
Display
SCAR 1888%
5 (2021)86%
Gaming Performance5 (2021)
SCAR 1891%
5 (2021)94%
Battery Life5 (2021)
SCAR 1850%
5 (2021)71%
Value5 (2021)
SCAR 1842%
5 (2021)92%
SCAR 1874%
5 (2021)86%
5 (2021) wins by 12 points

Key Specs

SpecASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18Lenovo Legion 5 (2021)
Processor
Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX
—
Graphics
Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU 24GB GDDR7
—
Display
18 inch 2.5K (2560 x 1600) ROG Nebula HDR Mini LED 240Hz
—
Ram
Up to 64GB DDR5 5600MHz
—
Storage
Up to 4TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 Performance SSD
—

Key Highlights

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
📌 Massive 18-inch screen
📌 Optical mechanical keyboard
📌 Up to 240Hz refresh rate
🔇 Gets very loud under load
⚖️ Heavy desktop replacement
Lenovo Legion 5 (2021)Winner
💰 Excellent value on clearance
🔧 Solid 1080p gaming
🌡️ Good thermal management
📌 Great keyboard layout
📌 Check for 2021 soldering issues

Topic Battles

SCAR 18: 0|Tied: 1|5 (2021): 4
🎮Gaming Performance
5 (2021) wins
SCAR 18
91%
5 (2021)
94%
🖥️Display
SCAR 18
88%
5 (2021)
86%
🌡️Thermals & Noise
5 (2021) wins
SCAR 18
65%
5 (2021)
81%
🔋Battery Life
5 (2021) wins
SCAR 18
50%
5 (2021)
71%
🔧Build & Portability
5 (2021) wins
SCAR 18
39%
5 (2021)
80%

Based on Reddit sentiment across 5 categories

📈Where They Rank

💬What Redditors Actually Say

What Redditors Say

Best praise vs top criticism for Lenovo Legion 5 (2021)

Best Praise
+42 pts
“The legion 5 has the same 16" OLED screen, the same CPU, and a better GPU. For less money. You have no idea what you're talking about.”
r/GamingLaptops
View
Top Criticism
+14 pts
“Yeah, I've had the bad luck of having a corrupted vbios twice in my legion 5. There's no acknowledge nor resolution coming from nvidia for these cases. I have to risk it all and flash my vbios with some random rom from TechPowerUp following a 7 year old video by JayTwoCents. And no, I don't even tweak my vbios.”
r/GamingLaptops
View
3 more quotes available below

What Redditors Say

Best praise vs top criticism for ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18

Best Praise
+38 pts
“Forgive me for my really scuffed setup, I was just so excited to get this up and running already. But I felt extremely lucky yesterday to have found this amazing deal on the Scar 18. I went to Best Buy to finally get a gaming laptop after using a Surface Pro 7 for years now. SP7 just wasn't able to handle my photo and video editing needs anymore along with the games I wanted to play. I was already dead-set on the Scar 18, but found that there were no new models in stock. But the amazing employee kept digging until we noticed an open box unit labeled as "fair". At first I was a little hesitant since I didn't want a used device, but when I inspected it, it looked almost unused. According to the employee, it was a display model that was stored back in. I've spent a day with it now and I'm very happy to say that nothing is wrong with it. Even the battery's still pretty decent. Hopefully I can setup my desk with it soon so I can make it look more presentable.”
r/GamingLaptops
View
Top Criticism
+29 pts
“>the worse decision in my life I'd say dropping out of school prematurely was the worst decision yet as a next step write a book: "How Asus Rog Scar 18 (2025) has destroyed my life". Benchmarks and pictures inside”
r/GamingLaptops
View
3 more quotes available below

📈Historical Price Data

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
Lenovo Legion 5 (2021)
$1500$2000$2500Jun '25Aug '25Sep '25Oct '25Nov '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Low: $2699Low: $1274.99Current: $1799
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
All-time low: $2537.06(2025-09)
$0 below 90-day avg
Lenovo Legion 5 (2021)
All-time low: $1199.99(2025-11)
$140 below 90-day avg

Which is Better?

Lenovo Legion 5 (2021) Wins
86%
(2021)
vs
74%
18

Lenovo Legion 5 (2021) leads by 12 points based on 1,395 Reddit opinions.

Why 5 (2021)Winner
  • Better Value for Money (92% vs 42%)
Why SCAR 18
  • 📌 Massive 18-inch screen
  • 📌 Optical mechanical keyboard

❤️The Love/Hate Breakdown

Sentiment Breakdown

48%Positive
Positive
48%
Neutral
44%
Negative
8%
Based on 759 Reddit opinions

Sentiment Breakdown

30%Positive
Positive
30%
Neutral
59%
Negative
11%
Based on 636 Reddit opinions
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18Check prices Lenovo Legion 5 (2021)Check prices

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Lenovo Legion 5 (2021) or ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18?
Based on 1,395 Reddit comments, Lenovo Legion 5 (2021) is the preferred choice with 86% positive sentiment vs ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18's 74%. Lenovo Legion 5 (2021) leads by 12 percentage points.
Should I buy Lenovo Legion 5 (2021) or ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18?
If you want the safer choice based on community sentiment, Lenovo Legion 5 (2021) has stronger approval ratings (86% vs 74%). However, ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 may still be better depending on your specific needs, budget, or use case.
What do Redditors love about Lenovo Legion 5 (2021)?
Reddit users highlight: Excellent value on clearance. Solid 1080p gaming. Good thermal management. With 759 mentions and 86% approval, it's a well-regarded choice in the community.
What do Redditors say about ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18?
Reddit users highlight: Massive 18-inch screen. Optical mechanical keyboard. Up to 240Hz refresh rate. With 636 mentions and 74% approval, it remains a popular alternative.
How many Reddit reviews were analyzed?
This comparison analyzed 1,395 Reddit comments: 759 about Lenovo Legion 5 (2021) and 636 about ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18. Data was sourced from Gaming Laptops community discussions.
How accurate are these ratings?
Our sentiment analysis is approximately 80-85% accurate compared to manual review. Well-discussed products with many mentions tend to have more reliable scores than niche items with fewer data points.
Why trust Reddit over professional reviews?
Reddit users bought products with their own money and have no incentive to mislead. You're seeing hundreds of real opinions across different use cases, not just one reviewer's take. This crowdsourced approach surfaces both common praise and recurring complaints.

676 Reddit opinions analyzed · Last updated 6/11/2026

View full Gaming Laptops guideBrowse all guides