The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is a fantastic choice for general use, offering excellent battery life, a high-quality display, and a robust build, making it highly portable and suitable for everyday tasks. Its performance is solid for general use, and it operates silently with a fanless design. However, it's not designed for intensive gaming or specialized engineering tasks.
On the other hand, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is a powerhouse designed for high-end gaming and demanding tasks like 3D rendering and machine learning, thanks to its top-tier GPU and CPU. It also has a high refresh rate screen, ideal for fast-paced gaming. But it's heavier, less portable, and has a much shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Air. Additionally, its build is more suited for a stationary setup rather than frequent travel.
In summary, if you prioritize portability, battery life, and a versatile machine for everyday tasks, the MacBook Air is the way to go. But if you need superior performance for gaming, 3D work, or machine learning, and you don't mind a bulkier, less travel-friendly laptop, then the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is the better option. 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 X3D
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
9.2/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
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
7.6/10
9.1/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.3/10
15.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D for software development, while the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has a better screen for gaming and AI, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
15.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has 3 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
6.6 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$3,500
$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 X3D costs $3,500.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D to be very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D 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.
Software Development
8.1/10
7.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for software development, while the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D 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."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
103,395
Recommendations made
22,403
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.