How to open ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 16 G634 (2024) – disassembly and upgrade options

Undo the 11 Philips-head screws securing the bottom panel. Note that the screw in the front right corner is captive and will slightly raise the panel up.
Start prying the front with a thin plastic tool or a lever tool.
Raise the two front corners a bit higher to pop the sides slightly past the end of the LED stripe.
Fully pry the sides and the back to remove the bottom panel.

More info: On the inside of the bottom panel, there are many plastic elements for greater internal structural support and dust filters for the three fans.

Battery Removal

Locate the battery connector positioned below the lower fan.
Undo the two Philips-head screws securing the connector. Wear gloves to avoid short circuits.
Unplug the battery connector from the motherboard.
Undo the 4 Philips-head screws securing the battery.
Lift the battery to remove it from the device.

Note: The device uses a 90Wh battery, providing approximately 7 hours of video playback.

Memory Upgrade

Locate the memory area covered with foil.
Remove the foil to access the SODIMM slots.
According to ASUS, the two SODIMMs can handle up to 64GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM in dual-channel mode. The CPU can support up to 192GB, so the laptop likely wouldn’t have issues running more than the official manufacturer’s specified limit.

Note: There are no thermal pads for the memory modules, which is unusual given the laptop’s price.

You can buy compatible RAM modules here: Buy from Amazon.ca (#CommissionsEarned)

Storage Upgrade

Locate the two M.2 slots compatible with Gen 4 SSDs.
Remove the foil covering the left SSD slot.
Remove the preinstalled SSD and the tiny cooling pad below it, if present.
Install the new SSD in the slot. RAID 0 is supported.

Hint: Don’t forget to check out our Top M.2 SSDs Performance Rankings for insights on the best storage options available.

You can buy compatible SSDs here: Buy from Amazon.ca (#CommissionsEarned)

Wi-Fi Card

The Wi-Fi card is positioned in front of the left NVMe slot. This can cause potential connection problems when an SSD is installed.

Cooling System Overview

The thermal system includes three fans: two orthodoxly placed and the third one on top of the chipset.
Three heat pipes are shared between the processor and the graphics card, with one additional heat pipe for each chip.
The smaller U-shaped pipe is placed on the metal plate above the GPU and also cools its VRMs and memory modules.
There are three top-mounted heat sinks and two on the sides of the fans.
The small seventh heat pipe connects the metal plate for the GPU and the heat spreader for the GPU.
ASUS has preapplied liquid metal on both CPU and GPU dies for enhanced cooling performance.

Note: The thermal system is large and designed to provide efficient heat management for the high-performance components of the laptop.

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 16 (G634, 2024) in-depth review

The ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 16 G634 (2024) is a powerful 16-incher that offers virtually the same hardware as its 18-inch sibling, the G834. This means a 32-thread Core i9-14900HX and the full-powered (175W) versions of the GeForce RTX 4080 or 4090. That sounds like a pretty potent combination, especially for such a form factor. Still, ASUS was able to fit an enormous cooling that looks practically identical to the one of the 18-inch "cousin". Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal has been applied on both CPU and GPU dies.There is just one display variant for this Strix series and that's the so-ca[...]

Read the full review

Pros

Good upgrade options
Performs at the levels of the 18-inch version
High CPU frequencies and power limits during heavy loads in "Turbo" mode (3.40 GHz P-core clock + 141W)
Great "Performance" preset - lower fan noise combined with 2.9 GHz P-core clock + 160W GPU TGP
G-Sync + MUX Switch + NVIDIA Advanced Optimus
Good port selection
Full DCI-P3 coverage + accurate color with our "Design and Gaming" profile (BOE0C24)
240Hz refresh rate and 1600p resolution (BOE0C24)
High max brightness of 546 nits in SDR and 1330 nits in HDR mode (BOE0C24)
The Armoury crate app offers tons of customization options
Comfortable and quiet RGB backlit keyboard + accurate touchpad
Decent battery life given the powerful hardware (~7 hours of video playback)
The fans aren't too noisy even in "Turbo mode"
Many customizable RGBs
Metal lid + stable base
Huge cooling solution with a third fan over the chipset
CPU undervolt option in the BIOS

Cons

Hefty (22.6 - 30.4 mm / 2.65 kg)
Lacks Wi-Fi 7, Gen 5 SSD slot, thermals pad for the memory, and bigger pads for the NVMe
The battery connector is placed below the third fan
Plastic base
PWM usage (BOE0C24)

#CommissionsEarned