The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) offers premium build quality, high resolution Mini LED display, and superior performance for creative tasks like video editing, with long battery life, but it comes at a higher price. It's less portable due to its weight. The ASUS TUF Gaming F17 is more affordable, better suited for gaming with its dedicated graphics card, and engineered for heat management during intensive use, but it has a lower-quality display and shorter battery life. Consider the MacBook Pro if your priority is high-end creative work and portability isn't a big concern, or the ASUS if you prefer gaming and are looking for a more cost-effective 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 engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
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 F17
The ASUS TUF Gaming F17 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
264.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in general use due to its superior CPU and RAM, high-quality screen with greater brightness and color accuracy, longer battery life, and better portability compared to the ASUS TUF Gaming F17. While the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 features a dedicated graphics card and additional ports for connectivity, it falls short in general use primarily because of its less powerful processor, lower screen quality, and shorter battery life, which are vital for everyday tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
6.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) shines in engineering and design due to its high-performance Apple M1 Pro chip with more CPU cores and a stronger integrated GPU, coupled with more RAM for demanding tasks, and a superior high-resolution Mini LED screen for precise color work.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.1/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 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.
Software Development
8.9/10
6.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 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 F17 is only fair.
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
6.9/10
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
264.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 impresses with its vibrant display offering high resolution, exceptional brightness, and wide color gamuts, which enhance visual detail and color accuracy, crucial for engineering and design tasks. The ASUS TUF Gaming F17, while providing decent resolution and brightness for everyday tasks, lacks in color space coverage, making it less ideal for professional design work. Additionally, the MacBook’s display is not optimized for 3D applications as it has a standard refresh rate, whereas the ASUS's screen quality is limited for gaming due to both the moderate refresh rate and the less crisp image, which can impact fast-paced gaming experiences.
Battery
17.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS TUF Gaming F17 has 4.5 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
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 F17 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 F17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$1,000
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a price of $1,949 and the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 costs $1,000.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) to be good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 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."
"One of the Asus TUF Gaming F17’s highlights is without a doubt its excellent gaming performance. The fact that Asus configured the RTX 3060 GPU for its specified maximum of 140 W is became immediately noticeable in our benchmarks. For a 17-inch notebook the F17 also offers a very long battery life, which makes it somewhat portable. On the flip side is the display. It may be saved by its good overall contrast ratio, but its overall brightness is simply too low, and its response times are too slow for a gaming device. The F17’s successor needs to improve upon this."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the ASUS TUF Gaming F17
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
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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.