The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is pricier but offers top-notch build quality, a mini LED screen with higher brightness and better color coverage, longer battery life, and it is lighter which makes it more portable. However, the ASUS ROG Strix G17 is less expensive, has a bigger screen with a significantly higher refresh rate ideal for gaming and fast motion, more storage, and it includes a number pad but is heavier and has a shorter battery lifespan. The MacBook Pro is more suitable for professional creative work, while the ROG Strix excels in gaming and intensive computing tasks like machine learning with its powerful AMD processor and Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics. 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 2023)
Very good 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 keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Strix G17
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
7.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
320.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the ASUS ROG Strix G17 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) stands out in general use due to its superior build quality, screen quality with a Mini LED display, and notably higher battery life, all contributed by its efficient CPU and higher RAM, which come at the cost of less portability due to its lighter weight.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
8.4/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) 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
8.9/10
8.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and ASUS ROG Strix G17 are both very good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) 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
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the ASUS ROG Strix G17 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
9.3/10
8.4/10
16.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
320.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Strix G17 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023), with its high-resolution, bright display, and wide color gamut, excels in delivering sharp and vibrant visuals for general use and is particularly beneficial for engineering and design professionals who require accurate color representation. While the ASUS ROG Strix G17 also offers a high-quality display with strong general use and engineering credentials, it falls short for gaming and 3D applications due to a lower refresh rate, which is less optimal for the smooth, fast-paced visuals those activities demand. Consequently, users prioritizing media creation and professional work will find the MacBook Pro's screen superior, whereas those focused on high-refresh-rate dependent tasks may find the ASUS ROG Strix G17 lacking.
Battery
17.5 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Strix G17 has 3 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
Poor
16.2in
SIZE
17.3in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has good portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix G17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS ROG Strix G17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,299
$1,394
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $2,299 and the ASUS ROG Strix G17 costs $1,394.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and ASUS ROG Strix G17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16, with its Apple M3 Pro CPU and GPU, delivers robust performance for engineering and design tasks, offering exceptional screen quality with its Mini LED display providing great color accuracy and brightness, in a lightweight and thin form factor that promotes portability.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the ASUS ROG Strix G17 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 ROG Strix G17 is an attractive but unbalanced gaming laptop. Its potent AMD Ryzen 9 processor excels in 1080p gaming, but playing at 1440p leaves the middling GeForce RTX 4060 GPU shouldering most of the burden. The display is exceptionally colorful, which is handy for content creators, but since this is a gaming laptop it would be better served with improved HDR capabilities. If battery life isn't a priority, the Strix G17 could serve as a designer by day and a gamer by night."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the ASUS ROG Strix G17
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
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