The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is a top-tier gaming and engineering powerhouse with unparalleled performance, but it's heavy, expensive, and not very portable, making it best suited for stationary use. Its high refresh rate and powerful GPU are ideal for intensive gaming and professional graphics work. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED offers a balance of performance and portability with its slim design, touchscreen, and excellent battery life, making it a great everyday laptop that can handle general tasks and some light gaming or photo editing. It's also more budget-friendly. Choose the ROG for stationary performance; opt for the Zenbook for versatility and portability. 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 X3D
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED
Very good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
7.5/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
350.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
376.0 nits
3.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.3/10
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
9.2/10
6.5/10
9.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
9.1/10
7.7/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
9.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is good.
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
7.6/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
8.3/10
8.6/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
350.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
376.0 nits
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has a better screen for general use, and engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
3.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has 3 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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.
Portability
Poor
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
6.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has very good portability, while the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$3,500
$825
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has a price of $3,500 and the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED costs $825.
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D and ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
7.4/10
7.8/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED and Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D and the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED compare to other laptops
"While one of the more budget-friendly configurations of the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED may make a compelling case as a top value pick, it’s difficult to be disappointed with the more expensive model we reviewed here. At its core, for all models, it’s a luxury-built laptop with extreme portability and a gorgeous OLED display. Our unit rocks with a snappy Core i9 processor for getting real work done, and the discrete GPU—even if it has a clear power ceiling—is a bonus for creative pros."
Get a great deal on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D or the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED
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 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.
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.