For general use with a focus on portability and battery life, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 is more suitable. It’s lighter, has longer battery life, and offers a higher quality display. However, if performance in 3D rendering, machine learning, or intensive gaming is crucial, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is a better fit due to its more powerful processor and graphics card. It's also more suited for engineering tasks, though it’s heavier and less portable with shorter battery life. The MacBook is usually less expensive, but the ASUS has a larger screen and offers features targeting gamers, like a high refresh rate and customizable keyboard lighting. 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 Pro 13 (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Best in class 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 for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
8.4/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
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 Pro 13 (2020) 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
7.3/10
8.6/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3.9/10
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 Pro 13 (2020) is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers a more powerful CPU, a significantly better GPU, and more RAM, providing superior performance for engineering and design tasks where computational power and high-end graphics are critical, although this comes with a trade-off in portability due to its larger form factor and weight. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is more portable, has a high screen quality with great color accuracy suitable for design work, and operates quietly, which might make it a better choice for on-the-go professionals who prioritize portability and a quieter working environment over raw performance.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.1/10
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
292.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 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, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) offers a high-resolution display and exceptional brightness, making it well-suited for general use, and its wide color gamut ensures accuracy for engineering and design tasks; however, its modest refresh rate limits the experience in 3D applications. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, although having a good resolution and decent brightness, may not match the MacBook Pro in color accuracy, which is crucial for professional design work, but surprisingly, its typically gamer-focused fast refresh rate screen falls short for 3D uses, possibly due to tradeoffs made to reach a balance between performance and cost. For users prioritizing general use and professional design, the MacBook Pro is superior, while the ASUS may offer benefits for users needing a balance between various applications, despite its shortcomings in 3D.
Battery
20.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 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
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) 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 Pro 13 (2020) 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
$1,249
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a price of $1,249 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 costs $2,499.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) are both good for general use.
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
7.8/10
8.2/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 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 Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) 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
7.8/10
7.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 compare to other laptops
"The MacBook Pro 13 is still a very good subnotebook. The 2022 MacBook Pro 13 might look like recycling at first, because the device is completely identical to the old model expect for the new M2 SoC. We have to admit that we were surprised to see another iteration of the MBP 13 as well. The laptop is obviously familiar, but this does not change the fact that it is still a very good subnotebook. You get an excellent chassis with good stability, a very good display, good input devices and the new M2 chip is very powerful and efficient."
"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 Pro 13 (2020) 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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