If you prioritize a lightweight and more affordable laptop for everyday use and travel, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is a good choice. However, if you require a powerful machine for gaming, 3D rendering, or intensive engineering software, and are willing to invest more, the MSI Stealth 17 will suit those needs better at the cost of being heavier and potentially having shorter battery life. Remember, with the ASUS, you pay less and it's more portable, but the MSI offers superior performance for demanding tasks at a higher price and less convenience in terms of portability. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook S 13
Best in class portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
9.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
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 ASUS Zenbook S 13 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is equipped with integrated graphics and a standard screen refresh rate, making it suitable for gaming and 3D applications within its hardware limits. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17 boasts a high-end dedicated graphics card and a much higher screen refresh rate, providing a superior experience for gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
9.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13, with high-quality CPU and RAM, is well-suited for demanding engineering applications and its screen ensures crisp visuals for design work; however, the MSI Stealth 17, with a superior GPU and larger, high-resolution screen, excels in both engineering simulations and graphic-intensive tasks. While the Zenbook offers greater portability and a quieter operation, the Stealth provides a more tactile keyboard and robust speakers, enhancing the overall user experience for long engineering sessions.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
8.6/10
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 17 for engineering and design, while the MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
When looking for a laptop suitable for general use, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and MSI Stealth 17 both offer sharp displays with high resolution and brightness, making them ideal for everyday tasks like web browsing and video streaming. The screens on both models excel in engineering and design due to their wide color gamuts, ensuring that professionals in these fields see accurate and vibrant colors. However, for gaming and 3D applications, these laptops fall short because they lack high refresh rates, which are critical for smooth motion and better gaming experiences.
Battery
11.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 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
Best in Class
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,400
$3,899
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS Zenbook S 13 are both very good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 offers great general use with its high-quality OLED screen, lightweight design, and all-day battery life, making it an excellent choice for portability and day-to-day tasks. The MSI Stealth 17, on the other hand, is equipped with a more powerful processor and graphics card, abundant RAM, and larger storage, but it trades off some portability and battery life for these high-performance features, ideal for more demanding applications and multi-tasking.
Content Creation
8.5/10
8.8/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS Zenbook S 13 are both very good for content creation.
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
8.3/10
8.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS Zenbook S 13 are both very good for software development.
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.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.8/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS Zenbook S 13 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 ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
"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."
"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 ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the MSI Stealth 17
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.
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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