If you're looking for high-end gaming or intensive tasks like video editing, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, despite being more expensive, offers superior performance. However, it's larger and heavier, making it less portable than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio. The Surface, on the other hand, offers better portability, a more versatile design with its convertible form factor, and is suitable for general use, lighter creative tasks, or business applications, and comes at a lower price point. The battery life on the Surface is also likely to be better than the gaming-oriented ASUS, benefiting users who need to work on the go. Give Feedback
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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
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
Good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
292.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for general use, though the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is somewhat better.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers high CPU and RAM capabilities, making it excel at demanding tasks and multitasking, alongside superior screen quality suitable for detailed work and entertainment, but it sacrifices portability and has shorter battery life. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, while also delivering satisfactory performance for general use, emphasizes a balance of good screen quality, more manageable portability, and longer battery life, though it might not match the peak performance of the ASUS for very intensive tasks.
Gaming and AI
8.4/10
6.6/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
7.3/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, with a top-tier Intel i9 processor and a high-end Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card, is exceptionally well-suited for demanding engineering and design tasks, although it's less portable due to its size and weight. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers good performance with a capable Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, and stands out for its flexibility with a touchscreen and a hinge that supports tablet mode, making it a versatile choice for on-the-go design work, despite having a slightly smaller screen and lower GPU performance.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.4/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
8.0/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
292.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen for general use, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio boasts a high-resolution display with vibrant colors and brightness, ensuring crisp text and clear images, making it superior to the Asus ROG Strix's display. Engineers and designers will find the Surface Laptop Studio's display more suitable due to its wider color gamuts, allowing for greater accuracy when working with color-critical applications compared to the Asus. However, gamers and 3D users might find both the Asus and Microsoft models lacking, as higher refresh rates crucial for smooth visuals in fast-paced environments are not a strength of these laptops.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
6.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
$1,700
$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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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."
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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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