For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers excellent build quality, an outstanding screen, and good portability due to its lower weight and longer battery life. It's suitable for engineering tasks but may lag behind in 3D rendering or machine learning. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is a bulkier option with a bigger screen and a higher refresh rate, being more suited for intensive gaming and high-demand engineering applications due to its powerful Intel processor and Nvidia GPU. It is less portable and has a shorter battery life, but excels in 3D and machine learning tasks. If you need more storage out of the box, the ASUS also comes with double the storage capacity compared to the base model of the MacBook Pro. 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 14 (2021)
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Excellent overall display quality
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 gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
8.4/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14's M1 Pro chip provides strong 3D capabilities for creators but its gaming potential is limited by a lesser availability of popular titles and a refresh rate suitable for productivity rather than high-end gaming. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, with its high refresh rate and powerful Nvidia RTX GPU, excels in gaming performance, making it more suited for fast-paced games and advanced 3D tasks.
Software Development
8.3/10
7.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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
9.2/10
8.1/10
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
292.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the MacBook Pro's Retina display offers vibrant colors and crisp visuals due to its high resolution and brightness, making tasks like browsing and video streaming a premium experience. When it comes to engineering and design, its screen's wide color coverage, including DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, ensures that designers and engineers see accurate and consistent colors. However, for 3D applications, which demand high refresh rates for smooth motion, the MacBook Pro falls short compared to laptops with displays designed specifically for gaming that support faster refresh rates, which may not be ideal for 3D modeling or gaming use cases.
Battery
13.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 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
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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 14 (2021) 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
$1,905
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has a price of $1,905 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 costs $2,499.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) to be very good for general use, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is well-suited for general use due to its high-resolution mini LED screen offering excellent color accuracy and screen quality, coupled with a powerful Apple M1 Pro CPU and long battery life, which enhances portability. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 also suits general use with its larger screen and more storage but leans towards gaming needs, featuring a high-refresh-rate display and potent Intel i9 CPU with RTX 3070 Ti GPU, sacrificing portability for higher performance and heat management due to its heavier build and shorter battery life.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a high-quality Mini LED screen and an efficient Apple M1 Pro chip that balances power with battery life, making it well-suited for engineering and design with the added benefit of portability and lower operating noise. On the other hand, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, with its powerful Intel i9 processor, superior Nvidia RTX GPU, and larger screen, offers top-notch performance for intensive tasks at the expense of being heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.2/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 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 Pro 14 (2021) and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 compare to other laptops
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
"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 14 (2021) 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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