The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is designed for high-end gaming and demanding tasks with robust performance, but it is usually more expensive and could be less portable due to its size and weight. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is more budget-friendly, offers decent performance for everyday tasks and work applications, and is typically lighter and easier to carry. If your primary focus is gaming or intensive tasks and you don't mind spending more and dealing with the heft, go for the ASUS. If you value portability, better battery life, and are looking at more general use without the need for top-tier performance, the Lenovo would serve you well. 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 IdeaPad 3 17"
Good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
292.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both good for general use, though the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is somewhat better.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers superior performance for general use with a high-end CPU and ample RAM, alongside a quality screen; however, its portability and battery life are compromised due to its gaming-oriented design. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" provides adequate performance for everyday tasks and has a better battery life and portability, but it trades off with a less powerful processor and lower RAM, which may affect multitasking and demanding applications.
Gaming and AI
8.4/10
6.1/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 excels in gaming and 3D tasks due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics unit and a high screen refresh rate of 360, allowing for smoother visuals and gameplay. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" provides a fair gaming experience with its integrated AMD Vega 7 graphics and a standard refresh rate of 60, which means it can handle games but not as smoothly or with as much detail as the ASUS.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
6.6/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is equipped with a high-end Intel i9 processor, ample RAM, and a powerful Nvidia RTX GPU which enhance its capability for demanding engineering and design tasks, alongside a high refresh rate display for smooth visuals.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.4/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
6.7/10
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
292.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a high-resolution display with good brightness and panel type, offering clear and vivid images for everyday tasks and detailed enough for engineering software, but its refresh rate isn't optimal for the fast-paced visuals in gaming and 3D rendering. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" also provides a clear and bright screen for general computing and engineering, ensuring that designs and plans are displayed with precision. However, similar to the ASUS, it falls short for gaming and 3D applications, where the screen's refresh rate is less capable of delivering the smooth motion that these tasks demand.
Battery
7.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has 9 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
17.3in
6.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
6.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$784
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a price of $2,499 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" costs $784.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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 IdeaPad 3 17" 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 3 17" defies expectations. Indeed, it is just a minor upgrade over last year. However, this doesn’t make the laptop any less terrific. It’s got a great performance, courtesy of the Ryzen 5x25U processors. In addition, you get a pretty good battery life. Perhaps, the 2-hour decrease in video playback, compared to last year is not great, but still, 10 hours of Web browsing and 7 hours of video playback is okay for 17-inch notebooks."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17"
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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