ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) and MacBook Air 13” 2017 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) Pros

Reasons that ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) is better than MacBook Air 13” 2017.

Newer manufacturing

2018 vs. 2017

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-8750H inside ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) has a 190% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-5650U inside MacBook Air 13” 2017.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) - Intel Core i7-8750H
4,470
MacBook Air 13” 2017 - Intel Core i7-5650U
1,538
MacBook Air 13” 2017 - Intel Core i5-5350U
1,350
Supports larger memory

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) supports a larger memory capacity than the MacBook Air 13” 2017. It supports up to 24GB versus 8GB of system memory on the MacBook Air 13” 2017.

Max system memory size
ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)
24 GB
MacBook Air 13” 2017
8 GB
Supports faster memory

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) supports a faster memory speed than the MacBook Air 13” 2017. It supports up to 2666MHz versus 1600MHz of system memory on the MacBook Air 13” 2017.

Memory type and speed
ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) - DDR4
2,666 MHz
MacBook Air 13” 2017 - LPDDR3
1,600 MHz
Supports discrete graphics

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

17% larger display

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) has a 15.6-inch screen size 17% larger than the 13.3-inch MacBook Air 13” 2017.

Display size
ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)
15.6-inch
MacBook Air 13” 2017
13.3-inch

MacBook Air 13” 2017 Pros

Reasons that MacBook Air 13” 2017 is better than ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018).

About 39% lighter

MacBook Air 13” 2017 weighed 2.96 pounds, 39% lighter than the 4.85 pounds ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018).

WeightROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
Pound
4.85 lbs.
2.96 lbs.
Kilogram
2.20 kg
1.34 kg

Prices

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

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) Price
ASUS ROG Zephyrus GX501 Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop, 15.6” FHD 144Hz 3ms IPS-Type G-SYNC, GeForce GTX 1080, Intel Core i7-8750H, 16GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe SSD, Win 10 Pro, GX501GI-XS74
ASUS ROG Zephyrus GX501 Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop, 15.6” FHD 144Hz 3ms IPS-Type G-SYNC, GeForce GTX 1080, Intel Core i7-8750H, 16GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe SSD, Win 10 Pro, GX501GI-XS74
By ASUS
$2,199.00
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 2023 ROG Zephyrus 15.6/ inch WQHD 165Hz Gaming Laptop, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, 40GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB PCIe SSD, RGB Backlit Keyboard, GeForce RTX 3060, Win 11, Gray, 32GB SnowBell USB Card
Asus 2023 ROG Zephyrus 15.6/ inch WQHD 165Hz Gaming Laptop, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, 40GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB PCIe SSD, RGB Backlit Keyboard, GeForce RTX 3060, Win 11, Gray, 32GB SnowBell USB Card
By ASUS
$1,649.00
MacBook Air 13” 2017 Price
Apple 13in MacBook Air (2017 Newest Version) 1.8GHz Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD (Renewed)
Apple 13in MacBook Air (2017 Newest Version) 1.8GHz Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD (Renewed)
By Apple
$238.99
$255.00 6% OFF
2017 Apple Macbook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Silver (Renewed)
2017 Apple Macbook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$244.99
$289.99 16% OFF
Mid 2017 Apple MacBook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Silver (Renewed)
Mid 2017 Apple MacBook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$274.68
$290.00 5% OFF

Availability

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
Released20182017
Release Date-
  • Available on June 6, 2017
Pricing-
  • $999
    Intel Core i5 5350U | 8GB RAM | 128GB SSD
  • $1,199
    Intel Core i5 5350U | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
Generations-

Exterior

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
Dimensions14.92” x 10.31” x 0.66 ~ 0.70” (379 x 262 x 16.9 ~ 17.9 mm)12.8” x 8.94” x 0.11 - 0.68” (325 mm x 227 mm x 3 - 17 mm)
Weight4.85 lbs (2.2 kg)Starting at 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)
Colors-
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:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement) with ambient light sensor
  • Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities

Display

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size15.6 Inches13.3 Inches
Info15.6-inch Full HD (1920x1080) IPS-level panel, 144Hz, 3ms, 100%s RGB
  • Widescreen display
  • 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors
  • Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio and 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio

Ports

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) Ports
Image Source: ASUS
  • 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C over Thunderbolt™
  • 2 x USB 3.1 Gen1
  • 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0
  • 1 x 3.5mm headphone and microphone combo jack
  • 1 x Kensington lock
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 2 port
    Supports data transfers up to 20 Gbps.
  • 2 x USB 3.0 ports
    Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps.
  • 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • 1 x SDXC card reader
  • 1 x MagSafe 2 power port

Internal Specs

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
Processor
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.20 → 4.10 GHz, 9MB SmartCache, 45W
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.80 → 2.90 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
MemoryUp to 24GB DDR4 2666MHz SDRAM
4GB 8GB
 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Discrete GraphicsNVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 (Max-Q)
8GB GDDR5X VRAM.
-
Storage
256GB 512GB 1TB
2 x M.2 NVMe PCIE 3.0 x 4
128GB 256GB
Configurable to 512GB flash storage.

Connectivity

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
Wi-Fi802.11ac 2x2 Wave 2 WLAN
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
Ethernet Gigabit LAN
Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.
-

Battery

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size-54 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery LifeUp to 2 hours of battery life
  • Up to 12 hours wireless web
  • Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback
  • Up to 30 days standby time
Power Supply230W power adapter45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.

Software

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
OS
  • Windows 10 Home
  • Windows 10 Pro
Shipped with macOS Mojave
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 iTunes Books App Store Time Machine

Camera & Audio

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
CameraHD Front-facing webcam.720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio
  • 2 x 2W speaker with Smart AMP technology
  • Array microphones
  • Stereo speakers
  • Dual microphones
  • Headphone port
  • Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone

Misc

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
Security
  • Kensington lock slot
-
In the box-
  • MacBook Air 13″
  • Power adapter
  • AC wall plug
  • Power cord
Warranty-Limited Warranty and ServiceYour MacBook Air 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 800-823-2775.
More-Video Support
  • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors
    • Thunderbolt digital video output
    • Native Mini DisplayPort output
    • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and dual-link DVI output using adapters (sold separately)

Key Features

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017
At Glance
Released in
2018
16:9 FHD
15.6”
1080p 144Hz
Weight
4.85 lb
2.20 kg
Powered By
Intel Core i7-8750H
6C/12T, 2.20 → 4.10 GHz
Geekbench 5
975
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,470
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
Up to
24GB
2666 MHz DDR4
ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) Ports
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 1080
8GB GDDR5 with Max-Q
Released in Mid
2017
16:10 WXGA+
13.3”
900p 60Hz
Weight
2.96 lb
1.34 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-5650U
2C/4T, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz
Geekbench 5
737
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,538
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 6000
48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Up to
8GB
1600 MHz LPDDR3

Comparison Summary

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017

ASUS has released the ROG Zephyrus GX501 , a 15.6-inch machine, in 2018. It is powered by a hexa-core Intel Core i7-8750H with a boost clock speed up to 4.10 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 Air 13” 2017 was introduced by Apple about a year earlier in mid-2017. It comes with up to a dual-core Intel Core i7-5650U with a boost clock speed up to 3.10 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® HD Graphics 6000 (48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)1
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H975100.00%
MacBook Air 13” 20171
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U65467.08%
2
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U73775.59%
0975

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)1
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H4,470100.00%
MacBook Air 13” 20171
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U1,35030.20%
2
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U1,53834.41%
04,470

The ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) has a 15.6-inch display which is considerably larger than the 13.3-inch MacBook Air 13” 2017. In addition, the ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) weighs 4.85 lbs. about 63% heavier than the 2.96 lbs. MacBook Air 13” 2017. Moreover, measured at 14.92” x 10.31” x 0.70”, the ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) is much bulkier than the MacBook Air 13” 2017 at 12.8” x 8.94” x 0.68”.

ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018)MacBook Air 13” 2017

Moving over to upgradability, ASUS claims that the ROG Zephyrus GX501 (2018) supports up to 24GB 2666 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 MacBook Air 13” 2017, it supports up to 8GB 1600 MHz LPDDR3 memory.

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