The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 provides a larger screen and more gaming-oriented graphics, making it better suited for intensive tasks like gaming or 3D modeling. It has a higher capacity storage but is heavier and larger, impacting its portability. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, on the other hand, offers a unique flexible hinge design that enables it to be used as both a laptop and a tablet, a feature beneficial for artists or professionals who benefit from a touchscreen interface. Its smaller size and lighter weight make it more portable, but with less powerful graphics than the ASUS, it's less suited for high-end gaming or heavy graphic work. Both have adequate memory for multitasking; your choice depends on whether you prefer gaming performance or 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 TUF Gaming A17
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.0/10
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
253.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 provides a high-quality CPU, more storage, and a larger screen which makes it very good for general use, although it is less portable and has a shorter battery life than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, which offers a unique flexible hinge for tablet use, better screen resolution, and touch capability, making it good for general use and more versatile for creative tasks. While both have good RAM and screen quality, the Surface Laptop Studio's lighter weight and longer battery life make it more convenient for on-the-go use, despite having half the storage capacity of the ASUS TUF Gaming A17.
Gaming and AI
8.1/10
6.6/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 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
8.3/10
7.3/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17, with its AMD Ryzen 9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, delivers excellent performance for engineering and design tasks, further complemented by a larger screen and higher refresh rate, making it ideal for resource-intensive applications; however, it's heavier and has less screen resolution when compared to the more portable Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, which also offers a premium touch screen with higher resolution and better color accuracy, favorable for precision design work yet its CPU and GPU are slightly less powerful for the most demanding tasks. While both have good-quality keyboards and speakers, the Surface Laptop Studio excels in portability with lower operating noise, which may enhance the working environment, but trade-offs like RAM capacity and GPU performance need to be considered based on the intensity of the engineering and design work involved.
Content Creation
8.1/10
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 TUF Gaming A17 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
6.8/10
8.0/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
253.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for software development, and content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17, with fair screen attributes, may offer a balance between resolution and brightness for general use and work-related tasks, but its color accuracy may not be high enough for precision tasks involved in engineering and design. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio boasts very good screen quality with superior resolution, brightness, and color gamut coverage, making it well suited for professionals who demand accurate color representation for detailed work. However, both laptops have screens that aren't optimized for gaming or 3D applications, likely due to lower refresh rates which can result in less smooth visuals in fast-paced scenarios.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 has 10 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
Fair
Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,552
$1,700
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 has a price of $1,552 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A17 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS TUF Gaming A17 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
"There is one big question that needs an answer. Is the TUF Gaming A17 FA707 a better purchase than the ROG Strix G17 G713R (2022)? Well, it depends. Undoubtedly, the Strix is the more premium product. Arguably the biggest advantage it has over its TUF fellow is in regards to the display. ASUS TUF Gaming A17 A707’s IPS panel has a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, and a very good contrast ratio."
"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 TUF Gaming A17 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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
100,395
Recommendations made
21,753
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.