The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is a top-tier gaming and engineering laptop with a powerful Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and AMD Ryzen 9 processor, offering unparalleled performance for intensive tasks and gaming. Its large 17.3-inch display with a high refresh rate and resolution is ideal for fast-paced action and detailed visuals, though it's not a touchscreen. However, its size and weight make it less portable, and it has a shorter battery life, which is typical for high-performance gaming laptops.
In contrast, the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is designed for general use and productivity with its more compact and lightweight design, making it highly portable with excellent battery life. The AMD Ryzen 7 processor and Radeon 680M GPU provide solid performance for everyday tasks, and the 14-inch touchscreen display with a 16:10 aspect ratio is great for work and entertainment. While it's not suited for intensive gaming or heavy engineering tasks, it offers a better balance for those who prioritize portability and versatility over raw power. It also has a number pad and advanced security features like facial recognition, which might be important for business users.
Ultimately, if you need a laptop for high-end gaming or demanding engineering work and don't mind a bulkier device with less battery life, the Asus is the way to go. However, if you value portability, versatility, and a balance of performance and battery life for general use, the HP Dragonfly Pro would be the better choice. 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
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
Very good overall build quality
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
9.2/10
6.5/10
9.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is excellent for gaming and AI, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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
7.6/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
9.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is excellent for engineering and design, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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.
Screen Quality
8.3/10
7.1/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
350.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
405.0 nits
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has a better screen than the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
3.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has 3 hours of battery life. The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has 10 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
0.7in
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good portability, while the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good build quality, while the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$3,500
$1,400
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has a price of $3,500 and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" costs $1,400.
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D and HP Dragonfly Pro 14" are both very good for general use.
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.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.9/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D to be very good for content creation, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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
7.9/10
7.8/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D and HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" compare to other laptops
"I’d say that the HP Dragonfly Pro checks off most of the boxes for this freelancer. It feels nice to use, is zippy and responsive, has great speakers, and even has a relatively sane price. Although it’s an unorthodox choice to pick AMD for this kind of machine, it’s clear that when Ryzen is given a chance to shine, it can kick a lot of butt."
Get a great deal on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D or the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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.