If budget is a primary concern and general use such as browsing, office applications, and media consumption are your main activities, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 offers a premium experience with a high-quality display and build, along with a strong ecosystem, particularly if you already use other Apple devices. On the other hand, if you need a laptop for gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning tasks, the ASUS TUF Gaming F15, despite being more expensive, provides the dedicated graphics and cooling performance needed for those intensive tasks and can handle demanding software better, but it will be heavier and might have shorter battery life, making it less ideal for on-the-go use. The MacBook Pro may not be suited for heavy gaming or specialized engineering software that requires Windows or powerful graphics processing. Consider your primary use case and whether portability and integration with Apple services or higher performance for specialized tasks is more important for you. 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
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS TUF Gaming F15
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
8.0/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
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
6.7/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming F15 is very 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.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.2/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS TUF Gaming F15 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The ASUS TUF Gaming F15 offers a newer, high-performance CPU and a stronger GPU with gaming features like ray tracing and DLSS, essential for demanding engineering simulations and design work, while the MacBook Pro 16 focuses on high screen resolution and color accuracy, which are crucial for detailed design tasks. However, the MacBook is more portable with a lighter design and longer battery life, but the ASUS provides better connectivity options and is more upgradable, with additional RAM and storage slots, which may appeal to users requiring future enhancements.
Software Development
7.9/10
7.3/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
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 Gaming F15 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
6.9/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
257.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's high-resolution Retina display delivers crisp text and vivid images, making it excellent for general use and suitable for detailed engineering and design work due to its wide color gamut coverage. However, its typical 60Hz refresh rate is less than ideal for 3D applications where higher refresh rates can provide a smoother experience. The ASUS TUF Gaming F15, while offering good resolution and adequate brightness for general tasks, falls short in providing the color fidelity needed for precise engineering and design, and its screen does not match the high refresh rates preferred for the smoothest gaming and 3D visualization.
Battery
12.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The ASUS TUF Gaming F15 has 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
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and ASUS TUF Gaming F15 both have good portability, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$1,399
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 costs $1,399.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and ASUS TUF Gaming F15 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) offers a strong balance for general use with its high-resolution display, ample battery life, a quieter operating noise, and less weight making it more portable, especially complemented by Apple's ecosystem and a software optimized for the hardware.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.7/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
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 Gaming F15 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 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."
"Aside from all the chassis updates, the new TUF Gaming is most notable for its much higher TGP target of 140 W compared to only 95 W on the previous generation. PC makers everywhere are using the same GeForce GPUs this year since Nvidia has yet to launch the successor to the mobile RTX 3000 series. The more demanding processors of the new TUF Gaming has directly impacted battery life and the size of the AC adapter. Don't expect runtimes to be longer than on the previous generation under most conditions and be prepared to carry around an even larger AC adapter than before."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the ASUS TUF Gaming F15
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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