Choosing the Apple MacBook Air is a good move if you value portability, long battery life, and a fanless operation, which means it runs silently. It's great for general use and costs less. If you're looking for a laptop primarily for gaming or need more power for 3D rendering, machine learning, or other engineering tasks, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a more powerful GPU and CPU, better suited for those tasks but comes with less portability due to its size and weight, and it's more expensive. The MacBook Air excels in build quality and is ideal for everyday productivity. 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 Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Very good for software development
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
8.4/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023), with its Apple M2 GPU and a screen refresh rate of 60, offers decent capabilities for 3D tasks, but lacks the high performance found in gaming-dedicated GPUs and doesn't support many popular games due to MacOS platform restrictions.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.6/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for engineering and design because it has a more powerful CPU and GPU than the Apple MacBook Air 15, alongside double the RAM and storage, enhancing its performance for demanding tasks. However, the MacBook offers a higher-resolution screen and is more portable with a longer battery life and silent operation, making it good for on-the-go use and tasks that benefit from visual clarity.
Software Development
8.1/10
7.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.1/10
15.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
292.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 for general use, engineering and design, and software development, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The MacBook Air's screen stands out in general use and engineering design due to its high resolution and brightness, along with a wide color spectrum that shows colors vividly and accurately. However, its refresh rate is lower, making it less ideal for 3D applications where smooth motion is key. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, while offering good resolution and decent color reproduction for both general use and design tasks, falls short in gaming and 3D performance due to a subpar refresh rate that can't deliver as fluid an experience as higher-end gaming displays.
Battery
15.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 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.
Portability
Very Good
Poor
15.3in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 costs $2,499.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 with its lighter design and longer battery life is well-suited for users who prioritize portability and endurance, while providing excellent screen quality and enough power for everyday tasks with its Apple M2 processor. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers a powerful Intel i9 processor with more RAM and a higher storage capacity, alongside a higher-quality keyboard and better heat management, making it a better fit for demanding applications though at the expense of increased weight and reduced battery life.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both very good for content creation.
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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
"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 Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
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