ASUS ROG Strix 18" G18 Eclipse Gray 2025

The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is a heavy 18-inch gaming laptop with an RTX 5070, 32GB of RAM, and a 144Hz display. It delivers strong gaming performance but falls short on portability, screen refresh rate, and VRAM for the price. It's best for desk-bound gamers who want a big screen and don't mind the weight.

The RTX 5070 sits in the 87th percentile for GPU performance in our database. That puts it among the stronger laptop GPUs available right now, though it's not the absolute top of the charts. The 8GB of VRAM is enough for 1440p gaming in most current titles, but it may feel tight in a couple of years as games get hungrier. The Core i9-14900HX lands in the 70th percentile for CPU performance. It's a 24-core chip that chews through multithreaded workloads, but it's not the fastest mobile CPU we've tracked.

32GB of DDR5 RAM is a standout, ranking in the 87th percentile. That's more than enough for gaming, streaming, and heavy multitasking. The 1TB SSD is solid at the 80th percentile, though some competitors offer 2TB at this price. In practice, this laptop will run most games smoothly at high settings, and the 144Hz panel keeps things looking fluid as long as your frame rates stay up there.

Against the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10, the Strix G18 has a bigger display and more RAM in this configuration, but the Legion often offers better port selection and a higher refresh rate panel for similar money. The MSI Raider is another direct competitor, typically matching or beating the Strix on cooling and screen specs. If you want raw CPU power, the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max is in a different league for creator work, but it's not a gaming laptop in the traditional sense and macOS limits your game library.

The HP OMEN Transcend 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition are much more portable, but they sacrifice GPU power and screen size. The Strix G18 is for people who want a big screen and strong gaming performance and don't care about carrying it around. If portability matters at all, look elsewhere.

Value is tricky here because the Strix G18 is expensive and the screen refresh rate doesn't match the price tag. In the UK, you're looking at 3,216 GBP. In Spain and Italy, it's around 3,788 to 3,790 EUR. For that money, you can find laptops with higher refresh rate displays and more VRAM. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 and MSI Raider often compete closely on specs. The Strix G18 earns its keep with strong RAM and GPU performance, but the average screen and limited ports make it harder to justify at full price.

The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is a big, unapologetic desktop replacement gaming laptop. It's built around an 18-inch 144Hz display, an Intel Core i9-14900HX, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 with 8GB of VRAM. You get 32GB of DDR5 and a 1TB NVMe SSD. Pricing in our database sits around 3,216 GBP in the UK and 3,788 to 3,790 EUR in Spain and Italy. This is not a budget machine, and it doesn't pretend to be.

If you're searching for an 18-inch gaming laptop that can handle modern titles at high settings, the Strix G18 is aimed squarely at you. The 144Hz refresh rate is fine for most games, though some buyers will wonder why a machine this expensive doesn't push 240Hz or higher. The 16:10 aspect ratio gives you a bit more vertical space, which is nice for both gaming and general desktop use.

Portability is not part of the pitch. At 4.54kg, this thing is a tank. It's the kind of laptop you set up on a desk and leave there. The compact score in our database is dead last, literally the 0th percentile. That's not a flaw if you want a big screen and strong cooling, but it's worth knowing before you buy.

Skip the Strix G18 if you need any kind of portability. At 4.54kg, it's one of the heaviest laptops we've tracked, and the compact score is the worst in our database. If you want a high refresh rate display for competitive gaming, the 144Hz panel may disappoint. Creators who need more VRAM for rendering or AI work should look at laptops with 12GB or 16GB GPUs. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i or MSI Raider are better picks if you want similar power with better screens and ports.

Should you buy the ASUS ROG Strix G18? If you want a large-screen gaming laptop with strong GPU and RAM performance and you don't plan to move it often, it's a solid choice. The RTX 5070 and 32GB of DDR5 will handle modern games and heavy multitasking without breaking a sweat. The big 18-inch display is immersive, and Wi-Fi 7 is a nice future-proofing touch.

But the 144Hz screen feels underwhelming at this price, and 8GB of VRAM is a concern for long-term gaming. The weight is extreme, and the port selection is below average. If you can find it on sale, it's worth considering. At full price, the Legion Pro 7i or MSI Raider may give you more for your money.