The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers top-tier gaming and engineering performance with a high refresh rate display, but it's heavier and less portable. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i also supports engineering applications and has a high-resolution display with better color coverage, making it suitable for creative professionals. It's more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size. The ASUS has a more prominent gaming appearance, and you'll pay more for its capabilities. In contrast, the IdeaPad Pro 5i is less expensive and has a more understated design. Your decision should weigh the importance of portability, performance, display quality, and price. 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 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 Pro 5i
Good portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.4/10
7.4/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
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 IdeaPad Pro 5i is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is highly regarded for gaming and 3D because it features a powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a very high screen refresh rate, which are crucial for rendering complex graphics smoothly. In comparison, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i, while also good for gaming and 3D, has a less powerful Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a lower screen refresh rate, which means graphics may not be as fluid or detailed as on the ASUS.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
7.8/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
292.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
409.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i for gaming and AI, and content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has a better screen for general use.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 may fall short for gaming and 3D due to a lower refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth motion rendering in fast-paced environments. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i offers superior panel type, resolution, and brightness, which are pivotal for sharpness, color accuracy, and visibility in various lighting conditions, making it excellent for general use. However, although both have screens that cater well to engineering and design through color representation, they don’t quite meet the highest standards needed for professional 3D work and gaming.
Portability
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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
7.6/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$950
$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 Pro 5i costs $950.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i are both good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, with superior CPU and larger storage, excels in performance, making it very suitable for general use, but this comes at the cost of lower portability due to its greater weight and size. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i's high-resolution display contributes to an overall good experience for general use and it offers better portability, featuring a lighter build and smaller dimensions, though it has less storage and a slightly less powerful CPU.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
8.1/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i are both very good for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.7/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 to be very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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
7.5/10
7.7/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and ASUS ROG Strix Scar 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.
Battery
7.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has 6 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.
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How the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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."
"Lenovo’s IdeaPad Pro 5i represents an impressive opening salvo for Meteor Lake in the ultraportable space against familiar foes from AMD and Apple. Not only does the Core Ultra 5 125H processor provide good performance across the board, but battery life remains a strong point against the Acer Swift Edge 16 with its AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor. It can’t quite match the endurance of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but the gap is shrinking."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
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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