The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is an excellent choice for portability, a sleek design, and strong performance in general use and productivity software, especially within the Apple ecosystem. It also offers a high-resolution Retina display and better battery life. However, if your focus is on gaming, 3D design, or machine learning, which require a powerful graphics card and a larger screen, the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 is more suitable as it is equipped with a robust cooling system and hardware to handle intensive tasks, but it is heavier and less portable. Keep in mind, the MacBook Pro comes at a higher price, so if budget is a consideration, the ASUS might provide more power for your dollar, albeit with a tradeoff in build quality and battery life compared to the MacBook Pro. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020)
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good overall display quality
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 TUF Gaming F17
The ASUS TUF Gaming F17 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020).
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
7.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
491.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
264.0 nits
20.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and ASUS TUF Gaming F17 are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is somewhat better.
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
7.1/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and ASUS TUF Gaming F17 are both good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is somewhat better.
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
6.7/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is good for software development, while the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 is only fair.
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
7.6/10
6.9/10
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
264.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you prioritize sharp images and vibrant colors for daily tasks or professional design work, the Apple MacBook Pro's high-resolution display and wide color gamut deliver excellent visual clarity and color accuracy. For those in engineering and design fields, this laptop's coverage of professional color spaces ensures that the colors you work with are precise and consistent. However, for enthusiasts in gaming or 3D modeling who need smooth motion and rapid screen updates, the ASUS TUF Gaming F17, with a higher refresh rate, would better meet the need for fluid visuals despite having a lower overall screen resolution and color fidelity.
Battery
20.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The ASUS TUF Gaming F17 has 4.5 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
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has very good portability, while the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,249
$1,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a price of $1,249 and the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 costs $1,000.
The ASUS TUF Gaming F17 and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) are both only fair 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
7.3/10
6.9/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) to be good for engineering and design, while the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 with its Apple M1 CPU and GPU handles engineering and design tasks efficiently with a high-quality screen that demonstrates superior color accuracy, which is essential for design work, while the ASUS TUF Gaming F17's Intel i5 processor and Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU offer powerful performance for engineering applications and benefit from a larger screen ideal for multitasking, although it trades off some portability and screen color accuracy for these features. The MacBook is favored for its portability and silent operation, whereas the ASUS is better for gaming and includes a number pad, which can be useful for certain engineering tasks.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 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."
"One of the Asus TUF Gaming F17’s highlights is without a doubt its excellent gaming performance. The fact that Asus configured the RTX 3060 GPU for its specified maximum of 140 W is became immediately noticeable in our benchmarks. For a 17-inch notebook the F17 also offers a very long battery life, which makes it somewhat portable. On the flip side is the display. It may be saved by its good overall contrast ratio, but its overall brightness is simply too low, and its response times are too slow for a gaming device. The F17’s successor needs to improve upon this."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) or the ASUS TUF Gaming F17
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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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.
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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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