The Apple MacBook Pro is less expensive with good battery life, a Mini LED display, and lightweight for portability, suitable for general use and tasks that benefit from Apple's ecosystem. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, while more expensive, offers larger storage, more RAM, high-performance hardware like the latest Intel processor and Nvidia graphics, and a high refresh rate screen, making it better suited for gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and other intensive tasks but is heavier and might not be as portable. 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 (Late 2023)
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
6.7/10
8.4/10
4.5/10
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 (Late 2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is equipped with the Apple M3 GPU, which supports 3D work with its robust GPU capabilities, and offers a high-resolution Mini LED display for great screen quality, but with a modest refresh rate of 120Hz it's less suited for high-speed gaming, especially considering some popular games do not run on macOS.
Software Development
8.2/10
7.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.0 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 (Late 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
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
489.0 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.
The MacBook Pro 14 offers high resolution and brightness, plus wide color gamut coverage, making it excellent for general use and for professionals in engineering and design who require accurate color representation for tasks such as photo editing or CAD work. Its screen might not cater well to 3D applications due to a lower refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth animations and rendering. On the other hand, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, while also having good general display characteristics, falls short for gaming and 3D because gamers and creators in this space often seek higher refresh rates for fluid motion which it lacks, despite its suitable resolution and panel quality.
Battery
17.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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 Pro 14 (Late 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
$1,499
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 costs $2,499.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) to be very good for general use, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14's high-resolution Mini LED screen and exceptional battery life make it suitable for everyday tasks and on-the-go use, although its lower RAM may limit intensive multitasking when compared to the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, which offers a larger screen and more RAM ideal for demanding applications but is less portable with shorter battery life and is heavier.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
8.6/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its high-resolution Mini LED screen and efficient Apple M3 chip, provides impressive screen quality and battery life for engineering and design tasks in a more mobile package. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers superior performance for more resource-intensive engineering and design applications thanks to its more powerful Intel i9 CPU, Nvidia RTX GPU, and double the RAM, although it is less portable and has a lower screen resolution.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) 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 (Late 2023) 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 (Late 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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