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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize a lightweight and portable laptop with a stunning display for everyday use and some productivity tasks, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is a solid choice, and it comes at a slightly lower cost with better battery life. However, if you need a high-performance laptop for gaming or intensive engineering software, consider the MSI GP66 Leopard, which offers a powerful dedicated GPU and higher refresh rate screen but is heavier and has shorter battery life. 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 ASUS Zenbook S 13
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Best in class portability
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall build quality
Key differences
General Use
8.6
7.5
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for general use, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 excels in general use due to its lightweight design, long battery life, and high-resolution OLED screen, making it ideal for everyday tasks and media consumption with better portability and display quality. In contrast, the MSI GP66 Leopard, while more powerful with a dedicated graphics card and larger screen, is heavier and has shorter battery life, making it less suited for on-the-go use but better for performance-intensive tasks like gaming or content creation.
Gaming and AI
6.5
7.8
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 offers integrated graphics that are less powerful than the MSI GP66 Leopard's dedicated Nvidia graphics, which makes the MSI better suited for intensive gaming and 3D tasks; moreover, the MSI's higher refresh rate screen delivers smoother visuals, important for gaming performance, while the ASUS has an OLED screen with better quality for general viewing but a lower refresh rate.
Content Creation
8.5
7.4
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for content creation, while the MSI GP66 Leopard 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
8.3
7.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for software development, while the MSI GP66 Leopard 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
8.1
7.5
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the MSI GP66 Leopard for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 offers superior screen attributes like higher resolution and brightness, making it excellent for general use where crisp text and vibrant visuals matter. Its wide color gamuts ensure precise color representation crucial for engineering and design work. However, its lower refresh rate limits the smoothness desired in fast-paced 3D gaming environments, where the MSI GP66 Leopard, despite having just good screen quality standards, could be more suitable due to a balance between a decent refresh rate, resolution, and panel type.
Battery
11.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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
Best in Class
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.9
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Zenbook S 13 to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 shines in engineering and design with a high-resolution OLED screen and ample RAM that facilitates multitasking and precision work, though its integrated GPU may not handle demanding 3D tasks as well as dedicated GPUs. In contrast, the MSI GP66 Leopard offers a powerful GPU and a high-refresh-rate screen which is necessary for intensive engineering simulations or design tasks requiring advanced graphics handling, but its heft and larger size reduce portability compared to the lightweight and slimmer ASUS Zenbook S 13.
Build Quality
7.6
8.0
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI GP66 Leopard to have very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,400
$1,400
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
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How the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook S 13 | MSI GP66 Leopard |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,400 | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.7'' x 8.5'' x 0.46'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.2 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.66" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.52" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1355U | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 11 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 63 Wh | 65 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1800 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 365 nits | 362 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.5/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.4/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook S 13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | May 2023
"The Asus Zenbook S 13 is the slimmest OLED ultrabook worldwide struggles with annoying fans. The new Zenbook S 13 leaves us with mixed feelings, particularly since last year's model was so good. Asus has completely reworked the device, making the laptop noticeably slimmer. The result also looks good and the case makes a great impression, particularly also in terms of the stability. The new plasma ceramic surface feels great, and there are no problems with fingerprints. In addition, it now includes some of the known connections such as an HDMI port and a regular USB-A connection, which is a good achievement in such a slim device."
MSI GP66 Leopard
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | December 2021
"The MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the MSI GP66 Leopard
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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