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Updated January 10, 2024·
Considering your needs, the Acer Nitro 16 is the less expensive option and offers solid performance for general use and gaming, thanks to its up-to-date AMD processor and Nvidia RTX graphics. It may also have a slightly better battery life and a higher portability score, making it an attractive choice if you move around often. Conversely, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, while more costly, packs a powerful Intel i9 processor and a higher GPU model, which may deliver superior performance for engineering applications, 3D rendering, machine learning, and high-end gaming. It features a faster screen refresh rate but be aware that its screen has a lower resolution than the Acer's. If weight is a concern, both laptops are somewhat heavy and may not be ideal for frequent travel. Additionally, while the ASUS has a better keyboard quality score, its webcam is rated lower. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 16
- The Acer Nitro 16 has no clear advantages over the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17.
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.3
8.1
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
292.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 for general use, and engineering and design, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen for gaming and AI, and software development.
If you prioritize a vivid display with crisp resolution and ample brightness for daily tasks or professional design work, the Acer Nitro 16 stands out, but when it comes to fast-paced gaming, its lower refresh rate may disappoint. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, while offering a good balance for everyday and engineering tasks with decent color range and clarity, falls short for gaming and 3D applications due to its less impressive refresh rate. Your decision should balance screen attributes with the specific demands of your most frequent activities, and you'll need to compromise on gaming performance with either laptop.
Battery
9.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has very good build quality, while the Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,050
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 costs $2,499.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.9
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
292.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Acer Nitro 16 are both good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers superior performance due to its Intel i9 processor, which is more powerful than the AMD Ryzen 7 in the Acer Nitro 16, and it also boasts double the storage, enhancing its suitability for intensive applications. However, its larger screen and higher refresh rate come at the cost of portability and battery life, where the Acer Nitro 16, although less powerful, offers a more manageable size and weight for on-the-go use.
Gaming and AI
8.0
8.4
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Acer Nitro 16 are both very good for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.2
8.6
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Acer Nitro 16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 16, with its high refresh rate display and AMD Ryzen CPU coupled with an RTX 4070 GPU, excels in areas critical to engineering and design such as CPU performance and graphical power, while its screen provides good color coverage and contrast for detailed visual work. On the other hand, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 leverages an Intel i9 processor with a RTX 3070 Ti GPU, offering robust processing capabilities for engineering simulations and design applications, and although its screen has a lower resolution, it compensates with a higher refresh rate suitable for design tasks that benefit from smooth motion. Both have tradeoffs in portability and noise, with respectable keyboard and speaker qualities, but their high-performance components prioritize power over these attributes.
Content Creation
7.8
8.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 to be very good for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.7
7.5
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Portability
Fair
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
1.0in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Nitro 16 to have only fair portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Nitro 16 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 16 | ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,050 | $2,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | 15.6'' x 11.1'' x 1.02'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 6.39 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.18" | 15.55" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 11.1" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Intel i9-12900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 360Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 494 nits | 292 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 5.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | No Webcam | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2023
"Video editing, rendering and, of course, gaming represent the Nitro 16's core competencies with a Ryzen 7 7735HS and GeForce RTX 4070 providing the necessary power. Both chips run at consistently high clock speeds. A fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the required storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Nitro 16 AN16-41, Acer has a well-specced, mid-range gaming laptop in its portfolio."
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2021
"Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 laptop review: liquid metal 7 nm AMD Zen 3 is stunning. The raw performance increase is absolutely bonkers if you're upgrading from a laptop on Coffee Lake-H or older. The 45 W Ryzen 9 5900HX is neck-to-neck with the thicker, heavier, and hotter Schenker Ultra 17 running on a desktop-class Core i9-11900K despite their wide TDP differences. The performance-per-watt advantages can make Intel Rocket Lake feel like a last generation platform at times. As for the chassis itself, it's a huge light show with RGB LEDs on almost all sides of the system."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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