ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 vs Lenovo Legion Slim 5

109 facts in comparison

Based on 716 Reddit opinions. Slim 5 leads by 16 points.

716 opinions
Slim 5 leads by 16pts
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.

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VS
Reddit's Pick
Lenovo Legion Slim 5
90%
A
Based on
869 Redditors
Winner

Lenovo Legion Slim 5

~$1,019.32
458 opinions

tldr; Slim RTX 4070 with professional look. 2.3kg weight for travel gaming. No iGPU hurts battery life.

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Gaming PerformanceDisplayThermals & NoiseBattery LifeBuild & Portability
๐ŸŽฎGAM
๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธDIS
๐ŸŒก๏ธTHE
๐Ÿ”‹BAT
๐Ÿ”งBUI
63
Points
88
Points

Score by Category

Gaming Performance
91%91%
Display
88%90%
Thermals & Noise
65%80%
Battery Life
50%84%
Build & Portability
39%89%

Why is Legion Slim 5 better than Strix SCAR 18?

  • Higher Reddit score (90% vs 74%)
  • Better value (94% vs 42%)
  • Better build quality (89% vs 39%)
  • Better thermals (80% vs 65%)
  • Better battery (84% vs 50%)
  • Under 5 lbs - truly portable
  • โ€ Clean professional aesthetic
  • RTX 4070 gaming power
Based on 1,505 Reddit opinions
Clear Winner

Reddit prefers the Slim 5

Winning by 16 points (90% vs 74%)

Better value
Better build quality
Better thermals
High confidence (1,505 mentions)

๐Ÿ’ฌReddit Sentiment

Based on 1,505 Reddit mentions

Overall Rating

SCAR 18
7.4/10
636 mentions
Slim 5
9.0/10
869 mentions
THERMALS
SCAR 186.5/10
Slim 58.0/10
BUILD QUALITY
SCAR 183.9/10
Slim 58.9/10
DISPLAY
SCAR 188.8/10
Slim 59.0/10
GAMING PERFORMANCE
SCAR 189.1/10
Slim 59.1/10
BATTERY LIFE
SCAR 185.0/10
Slim 58.4/10
VALUE
SCAR 184.2/10
Slim 59.4/10
โš”๏ธ

Head to Head

Head to Head

SCAR 18: 0|Slim 5: 4
ThermalsSlim 5
SCAR 1865%
Slim 580%
Build QualitySlim 5
SCAR 1839%
Slim 589%
Display
SCAR 1888%
Slim 590%
Gaming Performance
SCAR 1891%
Slim 591%
Battery LifeSlim 5
SCAR 1850%
Slim 584%
ValueSlim 5
SCAR 1842%
Slim 594%
SCAR 1874%
Slim 590%
Clear winner - Slim 5 leads by 16 points

Key Specs

SpecASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18Lenovo Legion Slim 5
Processor
Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX
AMD Ryzen 7000 or 8000 Series
Graphics
Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU 24GB GDDR7
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptop GPU
Display
18 inch 2.5K (2560 x 1600) ROG Nebula HDR Mini LED 240Hz
16 inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS/OLED, up to 240Hz
Ram
Up to 64GB DDR5 5600MHz
โ€”
Storage
Up to 4TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 Performance SSD
Up to 2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD

Key Highlights

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
๐Ÿ“Œ Massive 18-inch screen
๐Ÿ“Œ Optical mechanical keyboard
๐Ÿ“Œ Up to 240Hz refresh rate
๐Ÿ”‡ Gets very loud under load
โš–๏ธ Heavy desktop replacement
Lenovo Legion Slim 5Winner
๐Ÿ“Œ Under 5 lbs - truly portable
๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿณ Clean professional aesthetic
๐Ÿ”‹ RTX 4070 gaming power
๐Ÿ”‹ No iGPU = weak battery life
๐Ÿ”ง Solid 165Hz display

Topic Battles

SCAR 18: 0|Tied: 2|Slim 5: 3
๐ŸŽฎGaming Performance
SCAR 18
91%
Slim 5
91%
๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธDisplay
SCAR 18
88%
Slim 5
90%
๐ŸŒก๏ธThermals & Noise
Slim 5 wins
SCAR 18
65%
Slim 5
80%
๐Ÿ”‹Battery Life
Slim 5 wins
SCAR 18
50%
Slim 5
84%
๐Ÿ”งBuild & Portability
Slim 5 wins
SCAR 18
39%
Slim 5
89%

Based on Reddit sentiment across 5 categories

๐Ÿ“ˆWhere They Rank

๐Ÿ’ฌWhat Redditors Actually Say

What Redditors Say

Best praise vs top criticism for Lenovo Legion Slim 5

Best Praise
+33 pts
โ€œThe Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is better. The 4060 is a much better choice than the 4050 for gaming. The CPU on the Acer is faster but the GPU is bottlenecking it too much. Also the 7640hs on the Slim is one of AMD's newer Zen 4 CPUs which is more than enough for games, whilst also being better on battery. At $899.99 the Legion Slim 5 is a really good deal. Build quality and thermals should be good on both laptops. Screens should be similar, no significant differences. Battery on the Slim is better. I think both are upgradable in RAM and SSD but you should double-check if that's a concern for you.โ€
r/GamingLaptops
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Top Criticism
+7 pts
โ€œ1. Screen: Slim 5 16" doesn't have OLED, only IPS, it's the 14" that's OLED. Confirm the display resolution/refresh rate. If it's the 1920x1200 panel, decline it, it's only 45% NTSC, around 62.5% SRGB, poor washed out colors. If it's a 2560x1600 panel, confirm whether it's the 165hz-300nit or 240hz-500 nit panel. Both are fine. Avoid the 1920x1200p Panel. 2. Battery: Confirm the battery, these AMD chips are efficient but you shouldn't rely on the chip alone, it could be 60wh or 80wh, you'll want the larger one. 3. Specs: For the price and a 4060, it's not a bad deal, 7640HS + 760M is a binned down (7840/7940HS + 780M) chip. Note: I have a 7840HS + 4060, it's a near perfect combo but the CPU bottlenecks the GPU in certain games like Cyberpunk 2077 when you try to go beyond 60 to 80fps, CPU utilization drops to 80 to 90%. In most games, this isn't a problem. The 7640HS is 6 Cores, 12 Threads VS 8 Cores 12 Threads on the 7840HS. You'll be bottlenecked in some high fps games, if you are like me and play mostly single player games at 60 to 80fps, you should be fine. Conclusion: If it's at least 2560x1600 165hz/240hz, 80wh battery, for $700, I'd say go for it. Model Spec Sheet: [https://psref.lenovo.com/Product/Legion/Legion\_Slim\_5\_16APH8](https://psref.lenovo.com/Product/Legion/Legion_Slim_5_16APH8)โ€
r/GamingLaptops
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3 more quotes available below

What Redditors Say

Best praise vs top criticism for ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18

Best Praise
+38 pts
โ€œForgive 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.โ€
r/GamingLaptops
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Top Criticism
+29 pts
โ€œ>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 insideโ€
r/GamingLaptops
View
3 more quotes available below

๐Ÿ“ˆHistorical Price Data

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
Lenovo Legion Slim 5
$1200$1800$2400Jun '25Aug '25Sep '25Oct '25Nov '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Low: $2699Low: $920.04Current: $1499.99
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
All-time low: $2537.06(2025-09)
$0 below 90-day avg
Lenovo Legion Slim 5
All-time low: $899.99(2025-11)
$25 below 90-day avg

Which is Better?

Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Wins
90%
5
vs
74%
18

Lenovo Legion Slim 5 leads by 16 points based on 1,505 Reddit opinions.

Why Slim 5Winner
  • Better Value for Money (94% vs 42%)
  • More discussed (869 vs 636)
Why SCAR 18
  • ๐Ÿ“Œ Massive 18-inch screen
  • ๐Ÿ“Œ Optical mechanical keyboard

โค๏ธThe Love/Hate Breakdown

Sentiment Breakdown

48%Positive
Positive
48%
Neutral
47%
Negative
5%
Based on 869 Reddit opinions

Sentiment Breakdown

30%Positive
Positive
30%
Neutral
59%
Negative
11%
Based on 636 Reddit opinions

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Lenovo Legion Slim 5 or ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18?
Based on 1,505 Reddit comments, Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is the preferred choice with 90% positive sentiment vs ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18's 74%. Lenovo Legion Slim 5 leads by 16 percentage points.
Should I buy Lenovo Legion Slim 5 or ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18?
If you want the safer choice based on community sentiment, Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has stronger approval ratings (90% 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 Slim 5?
Reddit users highlight: Under 5 lbs - truly portable. Clean professional aesthetic. RTX 4070 gaming power. With 869 mentions and 90% 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 1,505 Reddit comments: 869 about Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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.

716 Reddit opinions analyzed ยท Last updated 6/11/2026