ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) vs. 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3): Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) and 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) Pros

Reasons that ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) is better than 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3).

Newer manufacturing

2017 vs. 2016

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-7700HQ inside ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) has a 82% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-6567U inside 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3).

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
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) - Intel Core i7-6567U
1,761
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) - Intel Core i5-6287U
1,742
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) - Intel Core i5-6267U
1,641
Supports larger memory

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) supports a larger memory capacity than the 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3). It supports up to 24GB versus 16GB of system memory on the 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3).

Max system memory size
ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)
24 GB
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
16 GB
Supports faster memory

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) supports a faster memory speed than the 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3). It supports up to 2400MHz versus 2133MHz of system memory on the 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3).

Memory type and speed
ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) - DDR4
2,400 MHz
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) - LPDDR3
2,133 MHz
Supports discrete graphics

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

Upgradable storage

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.

SlotsROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
M.2
Yes x2
Onboard
17% larger display

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) has a 15.6-inch screen size 17% larger than the 13.3-inch 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3).

Display size
ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)
15.6-inch
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
13.3-inch

2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) Pros

Reasons that 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) is better than ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017).

About 38% lighter

The 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) weighed 3.02 pounds, 38% lighter than the 4.85 pounds ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017).

WeightROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
Pound
4.85 lbs.
3.02 lbs.
Kilogram
2.20 kg
1.37 kg

Prices

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

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) Price
ASUS 2023 ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming Laptop, MUX Switch, 16” FHD 165Hz, Latest 10-Core i7-13620H CPU, RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6, Thin & Light, RGB, Win 11 H, W/Mouse Pad (32GB RAM | 2TB PCIe SSD)
ASUS 2023 ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming Laptop, MUX Switch, 16” FHD 165Hz, Latest 10-Core i7-13620H CPU, RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6, Thin & Light, RGB, Win 11 H, W/Mouse Pad (32GB RAM | 2TB PCIe SSD)
By ASUS
$1,379.90
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 (2022) Gaming Laptop, 16” 165Hz IPS Type WUXGA 16:10 Display, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, 16GB DDR5, 1TB SSD, Windows 11, GX650RM-ES74
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 (2022) Gaming Laptop, 16” 165Hz IPS Type WUXGA 16:10 Display, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, 16GB DDR5, 1TB SSD, Windows 11, GX650RM-ES74
By ASUS
$2,009.99
$2,499.99 20% OFF
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 Gaming Laptop, MUX Switch, 14.0" QHD(2560 x 1440) 16:10 165Hz Display, AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, GeForce RTX 4050 6GB GDDR6, Win 11 Home, w/Mouse Pad (16GB RAM |1TB PCIe SSD)
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 Gaming Laptop, MUX Switch, 14.0" QHD(2560 x 1440) 16:10 165Hz Display, AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, GeForce RTX 4050 6GB GDDR6, Win 11 Home, w/Mouse Pad (16GB RAM |1TB PCIe SSD)
By ASUS
$1,156.99
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) Price
Apple 2016 MacBook Pro Laptop with Core i7 3.3GHz (13 inch 16GB RAM 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
Apple 2016 MacBook Pro Laptop with Core i7 3.3GHz (13 inch 16GB RAM 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$469.97
Apple MacBook Pro Retina MF843LL/A 13” Laptop, 3.1GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB Memory, 512GB SSD, macOS 10.14 Mojave (Renewed)
Apple MacBook Pro Retina MF843LL/A 13” Laptop, 3.1GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB Memory, 512GB SSD, macOS 10.14 Mojave (Renewed)
By Apple
$440.00
2017 Apple MacBook Pro with 3.1GHz Intel Core i7 (15-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB Storage) Space Gray (Renewed)
2017 Apple MacBook Pro with 3.1GHz Intel Core i7 (15-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB Storage) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$558.99
$639.95 13% OFF

Availability

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
Released20172016
Release Date-
  • Announced on October 27, 2016
  • Available on November 15, 2016
Pricing-
  • $1,799
    Intel Core i5 6267U | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $1,999
    Intel Core i5 6267U | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
Applicable Models-
  • 2016 MacBook Pro 13
  • 2016 MacBook Pro 13 with Four Thunderbolt 3 pors
  • 2016 MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar
  • 2016 MacBook Pro 13 with Touch ID
Generations-

Exterior

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
Dimensions14.92” x 10.31” x 0.66 ~ 0.70” (379 x 262 x 16.9 ~ 17.9 mm)11.97” x 8.36” x 0.59” (304.1 mm x 212.4 mm x 14.9 mm)
Weight4.85 lbs (2.2 kg)Starting at 3.02 lb (1.37 kg)
Colors-
Space Gray Silver
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:
  • 64 (U.S.) or 65 (ISO) keys including 4 arrow keys
  • Touch Bar with integrated Touch ID sensor
  • 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)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
Size15.6 Inches13.3 Inches
Info15.6-inch Full HD (1920x1080) IPS-level panel, 120Hz, 100% sRGBRetina display
  • 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
  • Supported scaled resolutions:
    • 1680 by 1050
    • 1440 by 900
    • 1024 by 640
  • 500 nits brightness
  • Wide color gamut (P3)

Ports

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
  • 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
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) Ports
Image Source: Apple
Left (2)
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) Ports - Left
Image Source: Apple
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Charging, Displayport
Right (3)
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) Ports - Right
Image Source: Apple
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Charging, Displayport

Internal Specs

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
Processor
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ
    4 cores, 4 threads, 2.50 → 3.50 GHz, 6MB Cache, 45W
  2. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.80 → 3.80 GHz, 6MB Cache, 45W
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6267U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.90 → 3.30 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 28W
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6287U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 3.10 → 3.50 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 28W
  3. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6567U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 3.30 → 3.60 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 28W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ
    Intel® HD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1000 MHz
  2. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ
    Intel® HD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6267U
    Intel® Iris® Graphics 550
    48 Execution Units with 64 MB eDRAM, 300 → 1050 MHz
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6287U
    Intel® Iris® Graphics 550
    48 Execution Units with 64 MB eDRAM, 300 → 1100 MHz
  3. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6567U
    Intel® Iris® Graphics 550
    48 Execution Units with 64 MB eDRAM, 300 → 1100 MHz
MemoryUp to 24GB DDR4 2400MHz SDRAM
8GB
configurable to 16GB of 2133MHz 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
configurable to 1TB SSD

Connectivity

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
Wi-Fi802.11ac 2x2 WLAN
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 4.1Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology
Ethernet Gigabit LAN
Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.
-

Battery

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
Size-49.2 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery LifeUp to 2 hours of battery life
  • Up to 10 hours wireless web
  • Up to 10 hours Apple TV app movie playback
  • Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply230W power adapter61W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
OS
  • Windows 10 Home
  • Windows 10 Pro
Shipped with macOS Sierra
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 Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player

Camera & Audio

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
CameraHD Front-facing webcam.720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio
  • 2 x 1W speaker with Smart AMP technology
  • Array microphones
  • Stereo speakers with high dynamic range
  • Three microphones
  • 3.5mm headphone jack

Misc

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
Sensors-
  • Ambient light sensor
Security
  • Kensington lock slot
-
In the box-
  • 13‑inch MacBook Pro
  • 61W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
Warranty-Your MacBook Pro comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one‑year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.
More-
Video Support
Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:
  • One display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
  • Up to two displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
  • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  • VGA, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)

Key Features

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)
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 Late
2016
16:10 WQXGA
13.3”
1600p 60Hz
Weight
3.02 lb
1.37 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-6567U
2C/4T, 3.30 → 3.60 GHz
Geekbench 5
753
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,761
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Graphics 550
48 Execution Units with 64 MB eDRAM, 300 → 1100 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
2133 MHz LPDDR3
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) Ports

Comparison Summary

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) vs. 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)

ASUS has released the ROG Zephyrus GX501 , a 15.6-inch machine, in 2017. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ with a boost clock speed up to 3.80 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 with 8GB GDDR5 with Max-Q.

On the other hand, we have the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) was introduced by Apple about a year earlier in late-2016. It comes with up to a dual-core Intel Core i7-6567U with a boost clock speed up to 3.60 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Graphics 550 (48 Execution Units with 64 MB eDRAM, 300 → 1100 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)1
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ84899.53%
2
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ852100.00%
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)1
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6267U70883.10%
2
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6287U74587.44%
3
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6567U75388.38%
0852

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)1
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ2,68583.70%
2
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ3,208100.00%
2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)1
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6267U1,64151.15%
2
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6287U1,74254.30%
3
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6567U1,76154.89%
03,208

The ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) has a 15.6-inch display which is considerably larger than the 13.3-inch 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3). In addition, the ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) weighs 4.85 lbs. about 60% heavier than the 3.02 lbs. 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3). Moreover, measured at 14.92” x 10.31” x 0.70”, the ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) is much bulkier than the 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3) at 11.97” x 8.36” x 0.59”.

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017)2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3)

Moving over to upgradability, ASUS claims that the ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017) supports up to 24GB 2400 MHz DDR4 memory. It also comes with two M.2 slots that users can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device.

For 2016 MacBook Pro 13 (4TB3), it supports up to 16GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Unlike ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2017), it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Furthermore, it also has an integrated storage module and has no M.2 slots for replacement.

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