Let's consider your needs to help you choose between the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16. If you're looking for a laptop mainly for gaming or other graphics-intensive tasks, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is typically designed with high performance in graphics and processing power, which is suitable for those purposes. However, this usually comes at the cost of reduced battery life and heavier weight, making it less portable. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is likely more balanced for general business use or for professionals who need a durable and portable laptop with good performance and battery life, but it may not match the ASUS in gaming or high-end graphics capabilities. Consider what's more important for your daily activities—peak performance for gaming and heavy tasks, or a balance of performance and portability for everyday professional work. 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
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Good portability
Best in class speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
8.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
292.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for general use, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, equipped with a powerful CPU and high RAM capacity, excels in performance, though its bulkiness and mediocre battery life may limit portability. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers a superior screen quality with its high-resolution OLED display and greater RAM, which benefits multitasking and visual tasks, while being more portable and having the same battery life.
Gaming and AI
8.4/10
6.7/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 stands out for gaming and 3D with its high-refresh-rate IPS display and an Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, offering fast and smooth visuals critical for gaming performance, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, though offering a high-quality OLED screen and an AMD RX 6500M GPU, is limited by a lower refresh rate more suited to general use and professional tasks rather than fast-paced gaming.
Software Development
7.5/10
8.2/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for software development, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 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
8.1/10
8.5/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
292.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, while a gaming laptop, has a lower refresh rate which, despite a decent resolution and panel type, doesn't deliver the smooth visuals crucial for gaming and certain 3D applications. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 shines in engineering and design tasks, boasting a vibrant display with a high color accuracy and coverage that would benefit professionals working with color-critical applications; however, its lackluster refresh rate still falls short for gaming and 3D content. For general use, both laptops offer solid screen resolutions and brightness, but the Lenovo edges out with a display better tuned for a variety of color-sensitive tasks.
Portability
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has good portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,499
$1,120
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a price of $2,499 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 costs $1,120.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is equipped with a high-performance CPU, ample RAM, and a powerful GPU, which make it well-suited for demanding engineering tasks, and its high-refresh rate screen ensures smooth visuals, although its bulkier form makes it less portable. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers a premium screen with higher resolution and vibrant colors, more RAM for complex multitasking, and a thinner and lighter design that enhances portability, but this comes at the cost of having a less powerful GPU compared to the ASUS model, which might not handle highly graphical tasks as effectively.
Content Creation
8.2/10
8.5/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 are both very good for content creation.
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.
Battery
7.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has 7 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.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
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How the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 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 ThinkPad Z16 tries has some success in its effort to tweak the ThinkPad formula. The laptop is attractive, yet still tame, and material quality is on par with the best Windows competition. I also like the smooth, responsive haptic touchpad and the wide range of modern connectivity. Yet the Z16 doesn’t fix ThinkPad’s typical weakness: value. Starting around $1,550, and more typically near $1,700, the Z16 finds itself facing alternatives that have better performance or an improved display for the same price, or less."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
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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