Consumercarts is reader-supported. Learn more
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 vs Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2: Comparison
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 vs Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2: the vram difference
On vram the spread is 33%, ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 24 GB against Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 16 GB, so ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 takes it. Add refresh rate to that, 240 Hz on the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 versus 360 Hz on the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2, and the pattern holds.
Which should you buy, ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 or Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2?
Buy the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 for desktop-replacement setups where portability is not a priority, though it is not the pick for buyers prioritizing portability or battery life and budget-conscious buyers, this is a flagship-tier price point. It also earns its place with buyers wanting the fastest available mobile GPU for gaming or GPU-accelerated creative work. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 is the one to take for color-critical creative work at high refresh and buyers who want RAM/storage headroom, though it is the wrong buy for portability-focused buyers.
Where the two are identical
The common ground is wider than the gap: region sold, cpu brand, cpu cores, sustained power source and gpu brand are identical here. They match on 11 further specifications as well.
Read the full breakdown: Best Laptops for Game Development: Only 13% Meet Epic's Own Spec
Do the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 and Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 differ on series id?
Yes. Series ID reads rog-strix-scar-18-2026 on the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 versus lenovo-thinkpad-p16-gen2 on the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2.
Is the Graphics Switching the same on the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 and Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2?
It is. Both are listed at MUX Switch, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- ASUS
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- Lenovo
Series
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- ROG Strix SCAR 18
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- ThinkPad P16
Series ID
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- rog-strix-scar-18-2026
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- lenovo-thinkpad-p16-gen2
SKU Name
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2026) G835LXG-TQ558X, RTX 5090 64GB 8TB
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (i9-13980HX, RTX 5000 Ada, 64GB, 1TB)
Chassis Code
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- G835
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 21FA/21FB
Region Sold
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- Global
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- Global
Laptop Class
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- Desktop Replacement
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- Mobile Workstation
Release Year
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 2026
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 2024
Operating System
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- Windows 11 Home
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- Windows 11 Pro
Weight
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 3.73 kg
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 2.95 kgBest
CPU Brand
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- Intel
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- Intel
CPU Model
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- Core i9-13980HX
CPU Cores
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 24
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 24
Sustained Power Source
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- Not Measured
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- Not Measured
GPU Brand
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- NVIDIA
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- NVIDIA
GPU Model
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- RTX 5000 Ada Laptop GPU
VRAM
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 24 GB
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 16 GB-33%
Graphics Switching
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- MUX Switch
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- MUX Switch
RAM Capacity
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 64 GB
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 64 GB
RAM Type
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- DDR5
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- DDR5
RAM Speed
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 6400 MT/sBest
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 5600 MT/s
Memory Form Factor
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- SO-DIMM
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- SO-DIMM
Memory Soldered
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- No
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- No
Max RAM Supported
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 128 GB
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 192 GB
RAM Slots
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 2
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 4
RAM Slots Free
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 0
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 2
Storage Slots
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 2
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 2
Storage Slots Free
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 0
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 1
Storage Form Factor
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- M.2 2280
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- M.2 2280
Storage Interface
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- PCIe 5.0 x4
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- PCIe 4.0 x4
SATA Bay Present
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- No
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- No
Storage Capacity
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 8000 GBBest
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 1000 GB
Storage Type
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- NVMe SSD
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- NVMe SSD
Display Size
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 18 inches
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 16 inches
Resolution Width
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 3840 px
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 3840 px
Resolution Height
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 2400 px
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 2400 px
Refresh Rate
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 240 Hz-33%
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 360 HzBest
Panel Type
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- Mini LED
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- OLED
Touchscreen
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- No
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- Yes
Battery Capacity
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- 90 Wh
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- 94 WhBest
Thunderbolt Support
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- Thunderbolt 5
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- Thunderbolt 4
WiFi Standard
- ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
- WiFi 7
- Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
- WiFi 6E
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 if you want the higher VRAM (24 GB vs 16 GB).
Choose Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 if you want the higher refresh rate (360 Hz vs 240 Hz).
Verdict
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18
9.2 / 10 Expert Rating
This 18-inch desktop replacement pairs a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus with an RTX 50 series GPU carrying 24GB of VRAM and 64GB of DDR5.
Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2
9.2 / 10 Expert Rating
The ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 is a large mobile workstation with a Core i9-13980HX, RTX 5000 Ada workstation graphics with 16GB of VRAM and 64GB of DDR5.