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ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) vs. MacBook 12” 2016: Full specs comparison

We thoroughly analyzed technical specifications for ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) and MacBook 12” 2016 models, including CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Compare With Please enter device name or part of it ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) See at Amazon	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook 12” 2016 See at Amazon

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) Pros

Reasons that ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) is better than MacBook 12” 2016.

2017 vs. 2016

Intel Core i7-7700HQ inside ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) has a 130% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core m7-6Y75 inside MacBook 12” 2016.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) - Intel Core i7-7700HQ

3,208

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) - Intel Core i5-7300HQ

2,685

MacBook 12” 2016 - Intel Core m7-6Y75

1,390

MacBook 12” 2016 - Intel Core m5-6Y54

1,295

MacBook 12” 2016 - Intel Core m3-6Y30

1,058

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) supports a larger memory capacity than the MacBook 12” 2016. It supports up to 24GB versus 8GB of system memory on the MacBook 12” 2016.

Max system memory size

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)

24 GB

MacBook 12” 2016

8 GB

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) supports a faster memory speed than the MacBook 12” 2016. It supports up to 2400MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the MacBook 12” 2016.

Memory type and speed

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) - DDR4

2,400 MHz

MacBook 12” 2016 - LPDDR3

1,866 MHz

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GDDR5 with Max-Q vs. integrated

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) comes with two M.2 slots that you can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device.

Slots	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
M.2	Yes x2	Onboard

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) has a 15.6-inch screen size 30% larger than the 12-inch MacBook 12” 2016.

Display size

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)

15.6-inch

MacBook 12” 2016

12-inch

MacBook 12” 2016 Pros

Reasons that MacBook 12” 2016 is better than ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017).

MacBook 12” 2016 weighed 2.03 pounds, 59% lighter than the 4.85 pounds ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017).

Weight	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
Pound	4.85 lbs.	2.03 lbs.
Kilogram	2.20 kg	0.92 kg

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) Price
	ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) Gaming Laptop, 16” 16:10 FHD 165Hz Display, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4060, Intel Core i7-13650HX, 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Windows 11, G614JV-AS74 By ASUS $1,339.99	See at Amazon
	ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2023) Gaming Laptop, 16” 16:10 FHD 165Hz, GeForce RTX 4070, Intel Core i9-13980HX, 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Windows 11, G614JI-AS94, Eclipse Gray By ASUS $1,649.99 $1,999.99 18% OFF	See at Amazon
	Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Gaming Laptop 14" QHD+ 165Hz 500nits AMD 8-Core Zen4 Ryzen 9 7940HS (>i9-12900H) 16GB RAM 1TB SSD GeForce RTX 4060 8GB Graphic Backlit USB4 Fast Charging Win11 White + HDMI Cable By Asus $1,269.00	See at Amazon
MacBook 12” 2016 Price
	2017 Apple Macbook with 1.2GHz Intel Core m3 (12-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $351.85	See at Amazon
	Apple Early 2016 MacBook with 1.3GHz Intel Core m7 (12 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $375.00	See at Amazon
	Apple Macbook Retina Display 12 Inch Core M-5Y31 1.1GHz 8GB RAM 256GB SSD (Renewed) By Apple $319.68	See at Amazon

Availability	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
Released	2017	2016
Release Date	-	Announced on April 19, 2016 Available on April 19, 2016
Pricing	-	$1,299 Intel Core m3-6Y30 \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,599 Intel Core m5-6Y54 \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD

Exterior	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
Dimensions	14.92” x 10.31” x 0.66 ~ 0.70” (379 x 262 x 16.9 ~ 17.9 mm)	11.04” x 7.74” x 0.14 - 0.52” (280.5 mm x 196.5 mm x 3.5 - 13.1 mm)
Weight	4.85 lbs (2.2 kg)	Starting at 2.03 pounds (920 g)
Colors	-	Silver Space Gray Gold Rose Gold
Keyboard and Trackpad	AURA RGB Backlit chiclet keyboard Marked QWER / WASD keys Hot keys: Ten-key Function / ROG Gaming Center 1.4mm travel distance	Full-size backlit keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) individual LED backlit keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys with ambient light sensor Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures

Display	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
Size	15.6 Inches	12 Inches
Info	15.6-inch Full HD (1920x1080) IPS-level panel, 120Hz, 100% sRGB	Retina display 12-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology 2304-by-1440 resolution at 226 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors 16:10 aspect ratio Supported scaled resolutions: 1440 by 900 1280 by 800 1024 by 640

Ports	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C over Thunderbolt™ 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x 3.5mm headphone and microphone combo jack 1 x Kensington lock	One USB Type-C port with support for: Charging USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps) Native DisplayPort 1.2 video output VGA output using USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter (sold separately) HDMI video output using USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter (sold separately)

Internal Specs	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
Processor	7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ 4 cores, 4 threads, 2.50 → 3.50 GHz, 6MB Cache, 45W 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.80 → 3.80 GHz, 6MB Cache, 45W	6th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-6Y30 2 cores, 4 threads, 0.90 → 2.20 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m5-6Y54 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 2.70 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m7-6Y75 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W
Integrated Graphics	7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ Intel® HD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1000 MHz 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ Intel® HD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz	6th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-6Y30 Intel® HD Graphics 515 24 Execution Units, 300 → 850 MHz 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m5-6Y54 Intel® HD Graphics 515 24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m7-6Y75 Intel® HD Graphics 515 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Memory	Up to 24GB DDR4 2400MHz SDRAM	8GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Discrete Graphics	NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 (Max-Q) 8GB GDDR5X VRAM. NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 (Max-Q) 8GB GDDR5X VRAM.	-
Storage	256GB 512GB 1TB 2 x M.2 NVMe PCIE 3.0 x 4	256GB 512GB PCIe-based onboard flash storage.

Connectivity	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
Wi-Fi	802.11ac 2x2 WLAN	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.1	Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
Ethernet	Gigabit LAN Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.	-

Battery	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
Size	-	41.4 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 2 hours of battery life	Up to 10 hours of wireless web Up to 11 hours of iTunes movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply	230W power adapter	29W USB-C Power Adapter

Software	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
OS	Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro	Shipped with OS X El Capitan
Built-in Apps	ROG Gaming Center ROG GameFirst ROG GameVisual Sonic Studio & Sonic Radar Aura Core XSplit Gamecaster (Free) Android App	Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Safari Mail Messages FaceTime Calendar Notes App Store iTunes iBooks Maps Contacts Reminders

Camera & Audio	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
Camera	HD Front-facing webcam.	480p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	2 x 1W speaker with Smart AMP technology Array microphones	Stereo speakers Dual microphones 3.5 mm headphone jack Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone

Misc	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
Security	Kensington lock slot	-
In the box	-	MacBook 29W USB-C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
Warranty	-	Limited Warranty and ServiceYour MacBook comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend your service and support to three years from your computer’s purchase date. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts and the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple-authorized technicians using genuine Apple parts. For more information, visit Apple Support or call 800-823-2275.
More	-	Video Support Intel HD Graphics 515 Dual display and video mirroring: simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels at 30Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors

Key Features	ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)	MacBook 12” 2016
At Glance	Released in 2017 16:9 FHD 15.6” 1080p 120Hz Weight 4.85 lb 2.20 kg Up to Intel Core i7-7700HQ 4C/8T, 2.80 → 3.80 GHz Geekbench 5 852 Single Core Geekbench 5 3,208 Multi-Core With integrated Intel® HD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz Up to 24GB 2400 MHz DDR4 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GDDR5 with Max-Q	Released in Early 2016 16:10 QHD 12” 1440p 60Hz Weight 2.03 lb 0.92 kg Up to Intel Core m7-6Y75 2C/4T, 1.20 → 3.10 GHz Geekbench 5 639 Single Core Geekbench 5 1,390 Multi-Core With integrated Intel® HD Graphics 515 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz 8GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3