The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is significantly more expensive than the Lenovo Flex 5 16, but offers superior gaming performance, a higher refresh rate screen, and better hardware for intensive engineering or 3D/machine learning tasks. However, it has a shorter battery life, is heavier, and may be less convenient for carrying around. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is more affordable and portable with a longer battery life, a sharper and brighter screen with touch capability and a higher resolution, making it more suitable for general use, but it lacks the high performance of the ASUS for gaming or professional applications. 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 display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo Flex 5 16
Good portability
Very good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.4/10
6.2/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 stands out for gaming and 3D applications with its high-performance Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a fast 360Hz screen refresh rate, essential for smooth and immersive visuals in fast-paced games. In contrast, the Lenovo Flex 5 16, while still capable, is equipped with a less powerful Intel Iris Xe integrated GPU and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, making it suitable for less demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
7.2/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 excels in engineering and design due to its high-performance CPU and superior GPU, which are essential for demanding software, but it is less portable and heavier than the Lenovo Flex 5 16, which offers good performance for engineering tasks with its capable CPU and integrated graphics, more portability, and a higher resolution touchscreen that may be useful for design work but is less suited for intense graphical tasks.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.6/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 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
7.3/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
292.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen than the Lenovo Flex 5 16 for gaming and AI, and content creation.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 both have panels with sufficient resolution and brightness, which makes them suitable for general use where clarity and visibility are key. For engineering and design tasks that demand accurate color representation, both laptops deliver with their color gamut coverage, making them a reliable choice. However, for gaming and 3D applications which thrive on smoother motion, their lower refresh rates do not provide the optimal experience, as these types of tasks benefit from higher refresh rates for more fluid visuals.
Battery
7.0 Hours
11.5 Hours
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 11.5 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
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 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
7.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$779
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a price of $2,499 and the Lenovo Flex 5 16 costs $779.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 are both good for general use.
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.
Software Development
7.5/10
7.5/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 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 Lenovo Flex 5 16 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."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a solidly equipped, 2-in-1 in the lower price segment. Performance is definitely sufficient for everyday tasks and in tests the battery proved itself to be very economical. That aside, there is a lot of standard fare on show and a search for real highlights ends in vain. The low color coverage and reflective display can be avoided by going for an optional 2.5K display but this also presumably results in poorer battery life. The cooling uses only one fan and leads to a raised temperature on one side of the device under load. Additionally, there is very loud fan noise, also under load or when gaming. On top of that, we also occasionally noticed electronic noises."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 or the Lenovo Flex 5 16
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.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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