The new M1 MacBook Pro proves to us how powerful and efficient it can be with the new M1 chip. Now, with the release of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 recently, the M1 Mac finally meets its match. Read on to know which laptop is better in our MacBook Pro M1 vs Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 comparison.
Design
At first glance, we can easily see that both laptops have a very different appearance. While the M1 MacBook Pro still features its aluminum finish, Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 has a matte white led infused top cover. Even though both devices look very sleek, I think the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 design does look a bit more solid than the M1 MacBook Pro. Despite being a gaming ultrabook, the Zephyrus G14 still looks a bit thicker and it’s also heavier than the M1 (3.6 lbs vs 3 lbs). Additionally, you can open the lid on both laptops easily with just 1 hand.
When it comes to the build quality, the M1 Mac does have some advantages here. Like its previous model, the M1 Mac still offers the complete aluminum build that we love. Meanwhile, the Zephyrus G14 only features an aluminum top and bottom cover. So, if toughness is what you’re concerned about, then the M1 MacBook Pro is slightly better.
Performance
From raw performance to graphic tests, we’ve put these machines through every benchmark in order to give you the best insight. And, here are our test results:
Geekbench 5
Before starting, I should mention that both machines are 8-core processors. But, the G14 has 8 high-performance cores compared with 4 power-efficient and 4 performance cores in the M1.
While the Zephyrus G14 only reached 1218 points, the M1 MacBook Pro scored up to 1713 points in the singer-core performance. Moving on to multi-core, we have 7923 points (Zephyrus G14) compared to 7544 points (M1 MacBook Pro).
Cinebench R23
This stress test is designed to max out the CPU and give us the raw performance of each laptop. As a result, the G14 beat the M1 Mac with 9988 pts compared to 7686 pts. Thanks to the AMD chip, the Zephyrus G14 definitely won this round with 25% higher better performance.
GFX Gaming Test
Moving on to gaming performance, we have 81 fps on the MacBook Pro M1 and 119.8 on the G14 while running “Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Aztec Ruins”. Well, that is obviously a big difference here. However, this doesn’t surprise us because we all know that the Mac isn’t designed for gaming.
Lightroom Classic Photo Editing
It’s worth mentioning that the Lightroom Classic isn’t optimized for the M1 chip yet. Despite that, the Mac still performed slightly faster with simple photo editing tasks. For rendering speed, the M1 Mac results were very impressive with only 2 minutes and 38 seconds compared with 3 minutes and 14 seconds on the G14. Honestly, I expected the G14 to surpass the M1 mac due to compatibility with the app.
4K Video Editing
Both machines can play 4K video very smoothly. But, this test is all about video rendering speed. While the M1 MacBook Pro took at least 5 minutes to render a 4k video, the Zephyrus G14 only needed around 2 minutes and 46 seconds. It is almost twice as fast for the G14! So, in terms of graphics performance, the Zephyrus G14 simply destroys the M1 MacBook Pro.
Web Browser Test
Let’s start by comparing the web browsing speed between Microsoft Edge Browser and Safari. And, the result was 139.5 on the G14 compared to 220 on the M1. Moving on to Chrome, the results were quite similar with 129.9 on the G12 and 209 on the M1. Ultimately, you will have better web browsing performance on the Mac.
CPU Temperature & Fan Noise
After the tests, we did check the temperature on both machines by using thermal cameras. Surprisingly, the CPU temperatures were identical at about 30-33 degrees. While the hottest part of the G14 was around its ICD display, the Mac heat signal was mostly on the left keyboard area. Also, it’s worth mentioning that the Zephyrus G14 design offers way more vents than the M1 does.
However, the main difference here is the fan noise. With a dual-fan design, the Zephyrus G14 sounds much louder than the M1 MacBook Pro, even when doing simple tasks like web browsing.
Battery and Ports
With the efficiency improvements thanks to the M1 chip, the MacBook Pro 58.2WHr battery life far exceeds the previous model. It can last for up to 17 hours for browsing and up to 20 hours for watching movies.
In comparison, we didn’t expect the battery life to be particularly impressive for the Zephyrus G14. After all, gaming laptops are known for their short endurance. However, the Zephyrus G14 does make the difference with an outstanding 12 hours of continuous web browsing at 150 nits screen brightness. That’s longer than what we have already seen on Dell G7 15, the Scar III, or even the Razer Blade 15.
Speaking of laptop ports, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gives you more than enough with two USB-C, two USB-A, and one HDMI. On the other hand, the MacBook Pro M1 only offers 2 USB-C.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons | |
| MacBook Pro M1 |
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| Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 |
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Prices
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a compact 14-inch gaming laptop that comes at a surprisingly affordable price.
Now, the M1 MacBook Pro is available for purchasing online or at Apple Stores. And, there are only 2 configurations for the 13-inch MacBook Pro:
- $1,299 for 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD.
- $1,499 for 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD.
The Bottom Line
So, does the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 beat out the Apple M1 MacBook Pro? Well, the answer is Yes! Even though the Zephyres G14 can’t keep this high performance when it isn’t plugged in, this is still one of the most powerful laptops on the market at this price range. On the other hand, the M1 MacBook Pro with slightly less power but is much quieter and fairly cool overall.
If you’re looking for a laptop for gaming purposes, then the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is the way to go here. While you can game on the M1 MacBook Pro, it is simply not designed for that purpose.
Let us know what you think about the MacBook Pro M1 vs Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 in the comments below!
Read more: 8GB vs 16GB Apple M1 MacBook Pro: Which One is Right for You?
