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Updated January 12, 2024·
When choosing between the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 and the MSI Stealth 17, consider what you value most. The Acer Predator offers a lower price for solid performance, which is suitable for general use and moderate gaming. However, the MSI Stealth 17 has much higher specifications, offering top-end performance particularly ideal for intensive 3D work, machine learning, and high-end gaming. It also has a larger and higher resolution display but comes at a higher price. While both have similar battery performance, note that the MSI may have a slight edge in battery capacity. The Acer is likely to be more portable due to its smaller size and lighter weight. If affordability and decent performance for everyday tasks are key, go with the Acer. If you require advanced capabilities for specialized tasks and can invest more, the MSI is the better option. 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 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16
- The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has no clear advantages over the MSI Stealth 17.
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.6
8.7
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
373.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is good.
The MSI Stealth 17 stands out for general use over the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 due to its stronger CPU and more RAM, which translate to faster and smoother performance in everyday tasks. Additionally, while the MSI excels with superior screen quality, its advantage in portability and a longer battery life further enhances its suitability for varied general-purpose activities.
Gaming and AI
7.5
9.1
8.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is good.
The MSI Stealth 17 is considered excellent for gaming and 3D because it houses a significantly more powerful GPU, the Nvidia RTX 4090, and has a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, which offers smoother visuals during fast-paced games compared to the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16, which comes with a less powerful Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a lower refresh rate of 165Hz.
Engineering and Design
8.3
9.4
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is very good.
The MSI Stealth 17, with more advanced CPU and GPU, along with a higher screen resolution and larger RAM capacity, is exceptionally well-suited for demanding engineering and design work, which explains its higher excellence rating. In contrast, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16, while still very good, has a less powerful CPU and GPU, lower screen resolution, and less RAM, making it suitable for engineering tasks but with constraints on the most intensive workloads.
Content Creation
7.7
8.8
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 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.
Software Development
7.5
8.5
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
7.8
8.6
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
373.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 offers a balance between resolution and brightness, making it suitable for everyday tasks and detailed engineering work, yet it falls short for gaming and 3D due to a lower refresh rate. The MSI Stealth 17 provides a high-resolution display with excellent brightness, enhancing the visual experience for both general use and precision tasks required in engineering and design; however, like the Helios, it's not optimized for 3D applications where a high refresh rate is crucial for smooth motion rendering. Both laptops excel in color accuracy for professional design work, thanks to their wide color gamuts, but gamers might seek alternatives designed with faster screen refresh capabilities.
Cost
$799
$3,899
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has a price of $799 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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Key similarities
Battery
5.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 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
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth 17 and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
7.8
The MSI Stealth 17 and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 | MSI Stealth 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$799 | $3,899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.11'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.73 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.2" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-13500HX | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 373 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.2/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | August 2023
"The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 sacrifices portability and a truly budget price in the name of additional power. While remaining relatively budget-friendly, this gaming laptop packs serious processing chops, and Acer optimizes its internals to deliver respectable 1080p (or 1200p) gameplay from an RTX 4050. Its keyboard and chassis design won't win it any awards, but its display is a cut above for the price."
MSI Stealth 17
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NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | April 2023
"The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 or the MSI Stealth 17
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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