The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) often presents a compromise between performance and affordability compared to the ASUS TUF Dash 15. If you prioritize longer battery life and a more premium build, favoring a slimmer and more stylish design suited for professional environments, the MacBook could be your choice. However, if your needs lean towards high-performance tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning where robust graphics capabilities are crucial, the ASUS may serve you better despite its higher price tag. The ASUS typically offers a more powerful dedicated graphics card and higher refresh rates, which are essential for intense graphical tasks, but it may lack in battery longevity and may carry a bulkier build, which affects portability. 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 16 (Late 2019)
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall build quality
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS TUF Dash 15
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.4/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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.
Software Development
7.9/10
7.4/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and ASUS TUF Dash 15 are both good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is somewhat better.
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
7.8/10
7.0/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
272.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Dash 15 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 comes with a Retina display that offers high resolution and brightness along with a wide color gamut, which makes the screen vibrant and sharp for general use and engineering tasks where color accuracy is crucial. However, its standard refresh rate is less suitable for 3D applications, which often benefit from higher refresh rates to provide smoother visuals. The ASUS TUF Dash 15, while offering good resolution and decent color accuracy for general use and engineering, may not provide the best experience for gaming and 3D due to its refresh rate not being as high as what gaming-specific laptops usually offer.
Battery
12.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The ASUS TUF Dash 15 has 9 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS TUF Dash 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$1,150
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the ASUS TUF Dash 15 costs $1,150.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and ASUS TUF Dash 15 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is excellent for general use because of its high-quality screen with great color accuracy and powerful CPU, complemented by good battery life and a lightweight design enhancing portability. On the other hand, the ASUS TUF Dash 15 also suits general use with sufficient CPU performance and RAM for multitasking, plus a high refresh-rate screen, although it has a shorter battery life and is slightly less portable due to a bit more weight.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
7.8/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is well-suited for engineering and design due to its high-quality screen, powerful CPU, and dedicated graphics card that can handle complex tasks, but its heavier weight affects portability. The ASUS TUF Dash 15 also caters to engineering and design with a robust CPU and superior gaming-capable graphics card, high refresh rate screen for smooth visuals, and better portability due to its lighter weight and more compact design, but its screen quality isn't as high as the MacBook's.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.6/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) to be very good for content creation, while the ASUS TUF Dash 15 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.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and ASUS TUF Dash 15 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the ASUS TUF Dash 15 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
"The Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR is a laptop with mobile RTX 3070 and acceptable battery life. The Asus TUF Dash F15 was made for high-performance applications like video editing, rendering, and gaming. The laptop can manage the latter in QHD resolution and at high to maximum settings. However, the focus isn't on maximum performance, but instead, it's about a compromise between performance and portability."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the ASUS TUF Dash 15
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.
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.