The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is a premium laptop which offers powerful performance suitable for intensive tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering software. It features a high-end graphics card, a large and fast display, and robust processing power. However, it’s less portable due to its size and weight, and its battery life may not be as long as more energy-efficient models. On the other hand, the MSI Prestige 15 is more budget-friendly and offers decent performance for everyday tasks and light creative work. It’s more portable and has better battery life, but it's not suited for heavy gaming or intensive graphics work. Your decision should be based on your primary needs: high-performance tasks and gaming lean towards the ASUS, whereas general use and portability favor the MSI. 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
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 15
Good portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.4/10
6.3/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
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
7.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 15 is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 delivers superior gaming and 3D performance because it is equipped with a more powerful GPU, the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti, and a higher screen refresh rate of 360Hz, compared to the MSI Prestige 15 which has a modest Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q and a refresh rate of 60Hz. While both have quality screens and capable CPUs, the greater graphics processing power and smoother visual performance of the ASUS make it better suited for high-end gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
7.2/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Prestige 15 is good.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is superior for engineering and design due to its high-end CPU, powerful GPU, and faster screen refresh rates, making it well-suited for CPU-intensive tasks and graphical rendering; however, it is heavier and less portable than the MSI Prestige 15, which offers a more balanced approach with decent performance for design tasks and better portability, but it has a less capable CPU and GPU for the most demanding engineering applications.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.5/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
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 MSI Prestige 15 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
6.8/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
292.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and MSI Prestige 15 both offer screens with high resolution and brightness, making them suitable for general tasks like browsing and video playback. For engineering and design, these laptops provide a wide range of colors covering most of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB spectrums, ensuring accurate color representation for professionals. However, for gaming and 3D applications where the refresh rate is crucial for smooth motion, both laptops fall short as they prioritize color accuracy and resolution over high refresh rates.
Portability
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
6.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Prestige 15 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
7.4/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has very good build quality, while the MSI Prestige 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,499
$1,044
$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 MSI Prestige 15 costs $1,044.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and MSI Prestige 15 are both good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, with a high-performance CPU and advanced GPU, excels in general use and offers a larger, high-refresh-rate screen, though it's less portable and has a shorter battery life than the MSI Prestige 15, which offers good general performance with sufficient RAM and a quality screen, in a more compact and lighter form factor with slightly better battery life.
Software Development
7.5/10
7.2/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and MSI Prestige 15 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
7.5 Hours
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 15 has 7.5 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and the MSI Prestige 15 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 MSI Prestige 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 or the MSI Prestige 15
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
101,295
Recommendations made
21,948
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.