If performance in demanding situations like gaming or heavy graphics work is crucial for you, and budget is less of a concern, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 would be the superior option. However, it is larger and less portable. On the other hand, if you prioritize ease of transport, better battery life, and a more budget-friendly price, the ASUS Zenbook 14 is likely to be more aligned with your needs. Keep in mind that its performance won't match that of the powerful ROG Strix Scar 17, especially in resource-intensive tasks. 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 ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
292.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for general use, though the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is somewhat better.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers excellent gaming performance with its high-end CPU and ample RAM, which also makes it ideal for heavy multitasking and general use, albeit at the cost of being bulkier and having a shorter battery life than the ASUS Zenbook 14; the Zenbook, on the other hand, provides a remarkable OLED screen with superior color coverage and higher resolution suited for media consumption and general use, in a more compact and lighter form factor with longer battery life, though it may not match the Scar 17's raw computational prowess due to its less powerful CPU and RAM.
Gaming and AI
8.4/10
6.1/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 excels in gaming and 3D applications due to its high-performance Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card paired with a high 360Hz screen refresh rate, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 has a more modest Intel Iris Xe graphics with a lower 90Hz refresh rate, making it less suited for demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
7.2/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is superior for engineering and design due to its more powerful Intel i9 processor, higher RAM, and dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU which excel in computational and graphics-intensive tasks. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook 14 offers a more portable and high-quality OLED screen experience, though its Intel i5 processor and integrated graphics are less suited for demanding engineering software but more than sufficient for lighter design work.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.3/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 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.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
8.3/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
292.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 14 for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen for general use, and engineering and design.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 likely has a high-resolution display with good brightness levels and a panel type that renders sharp and vibrant images, hence it is good for general use and engineering, but its refresh rate may not meet the demands of high-end gaming and 3D applications. The ASUS Zenbook 14, with its very good display quality, probably offers a combination of high resolution, superior brightness, and a high-quality panel that ensures crisp and accurate color representation for both general tasks and professional design work, but like the Strix, it may lack a high refresh rate for fluid motion in gaming and 3D. Since both laptops have shortcomings in their refresh rates, they fall short for gaming and 3D work, where smoother visuals are a priority.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 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
Poor
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
6.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.8/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a price of $2,499 and the ASUS Zenbook 14 costs $300.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for software development.
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.
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How the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and the ASUS Zenbook 14 compare to other laptops
"Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 laptop review: liquid metal 7 nm AMD Zen 3 is stunning. The raw performance increase is absolutely bonkers if you're upgrading from a laptop on Coffee Lake-H or older. The 45 W Ryzen 9 5900HX is neck-to-neck with the thicker, heavier, and hotter Schenker Ultra 17 running on a desktop-class Core i9-11900K despite their wide TDP differences. The performance-per-watt advantages can make Intel Rocket Lake feel like a last generation platform at times. As for the chassis itself, it's a huge light show with RGB LEDs on almost all sides of the system."
"Users who travel frequently and are looking for a portable laptop are in the right place with the Asus ZenBook 14. The sleek case is extremely light (1.2 kg) and surprisingly thin (1.5 cm). Outdoor use is also enjoyable thanks to the bright Full HD display, which is something that can rarely be said about laptops with TN or IPS panels. The excellent battery life complements this as well. Longer trips are no problem with the ZenBook 14. Another plus point is the high-performance Ryzen 7 5700U, which often leaves the Intel competition in the dust thanks to its large number of cores."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 or the ASUS Zenbook 14
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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