The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is an excellent choice for professional workloads including music, video editing, and design, with exceptional build quality, a high-resolution Mini LED screen, and a long battery life but comes at a higher price and is less suited for gaming. The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 offers a larger screen more suited for gaming, hardware capable of handling demanding games and creative work, and is more affordable but has a lower battery life and heavier build which affects portability. If gaming or 3D work is your priority and you're looking for a more budget-friendly option, consider the ASUS TUF Gaming A17; otherwise, for high-end professional use and better portability, the MacBook Pro might be the better option. 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 (2021)
Excellent for general use
Very good for software development
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS TUF Gaming A17
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
8.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
253.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 is very good.
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.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
8.1/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good.
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.
Content Creation
8.8/10
8.1/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and ASUS TUF Gaming A17 are both very good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) 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
8.9/10
7.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 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
9.4/10
6.8/10
16.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
253.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) with its high-resolution and bright Retina display offers exceptional clarity and color accuracy, making it great for general use and engineering work where precise color representation is crucial. However, its standard refresh rate is less suited for 3D applications that benefit from higher refresh rates for smoother visuals. In contrast, the ASUS TUF Gaming A17, while having a decent display that's adequate for everyday tasks and some engineering applications, lacks the superior color range and brightness of the MacBook, and also doesn't offer a high refresh rate display, which is less optimal for gaming and handling 3D content where fluid motion is key.
Battery
17.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 has 10 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
Fair
16.2in
SIZE
17.3in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 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 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and ASUS TUF Gaming A17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in engineering and design tasks with its powerful CPU and GPU (Apple M1 Pro), large RAM, and superior screen quality (Mini LED with high resolution and color accuracy), making it ideal for demanding applications and color-critical work. In contrast, the ASUS TUF Gaming A17, despite having a capable CPU (AMD Ryzen 9) and a high-end gaming GPU (Nvidia RTX 4070), focuses on robust performance with ample storage and a high refresh-rate screen, yet it has a lower screen resolution and less accurate color reproduction, but is more suitable for tasks involving high frame-rate visuals like gaming.
Cost
$1,999
$1,984
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a price of $1,999 and the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 costs $1,984.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 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."
"There is one big question that needs an answer. Is the TUF Gaming A17 FA707 a better purchase than the ROG Strix G17 G713R (2022)? Well, it depends. Undoubtedly, the Strix is the more premium product. Arguably the biggest advantage it has over its TUF fellow is in regards to the display. ASUS TUF Gaming A17 A707’s IPS panel has a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, and a very good contrast ratio."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the ASUS TUF Gaming A17
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
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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.
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.