The ASUS ROG Flow X16 is more affordable, has a touchscreen, and is slightly more portable with longer battery life, making it suitable for general use and those who value mobility. Meanwhile, the MSI GE66 Raider commands a higher price but offers superior raw performance with more RAM and a high-end graphics card, ideal for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering tasks. However, the Raider has no touchscreen, is less portable, and has a slightly shorter battery life. If cost and touch capability are your priorities, consider the ASUS, but for top-tier performance in demanding applications, the MSI might be a better fit. 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 ROG Flow X16
Good portability
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the MSI GE66 Raider
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Good battery life
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.6/10
8.6/10
7.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS ROG Flow X16 is good.
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 with its Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate is good for gaming and 3D, while the MSI GE66 Raider elevates performance with the more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti but has a lower screen refresh rate. Although both have quality CPUs and screens, the ASUS offers versatility with a touchscreen, and the MSI prioritizes raw graphics power for demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.3/10
9.1/10
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
7.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI GE66 Raider is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS ROG Flow X16 is very good.
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 with its Ryzen 9 CPU, RTX 3060 GPU, and high-resolution touchscreen offers great flexibility for engineering and design, but with less RAM and slightly lower screen quality compared to the MSI GE66 Raider, which boasts a more powerful i9 CPU and RTX 3080 Ti GPU, providing exceptional performance for the most demanding tasks, albeit at the expense of portability and operating noise.
Software Development
7.7/10
8.4/10
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for software development, while the ASUS ROG Flow X16 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
8.5/10
8.2/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
502.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has a better screen than the MSI GE66 Raider for gaming and AI, while the MSI GE66 Raider has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 and MSI GE66 Raider have high-resolution displays with bright panels making them excellent for general use where clarity and visibility are key. Their wide color gamuts ensure precise color representation, crucial for engineering and design work which demands color accuracy. However, for gaming and 3D applications which benefit from high refresh rates for smoother visuals, both laptops' screens may disappoint due to lower refresh rates compared to specialized gaming laptops.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has good portability, while the MSI GE66 Raider has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,300
$3,199
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has a price of $1,300 and the MSI GE66 Raider costs $3,199.
The MSI GE66 Raider and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both very good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 offers versatility with its convertible 2-in-1 form factor and a well-calibrated screen with a high brightness level, but has less RAM and a less powerful CPU than the MSI GE66 Raider, making it somewhat less capable for heavy multitasking or demanding applications. Meanwhile, the MSI provides exceptional performance with a top-tier CPU and double the RAM, a higher resolution screen with superior pixel density that benefits detailed visual work, but it is heavier and has slightly lower battery life, making it less ideal for frequent travel.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.4/10
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GE66 Raider and ASUS ROG Flow X16 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.
Battery
5.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GE66 Raider has 6 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.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.5/10
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 and MSI GE66 Raider both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS ROG Flow X16 and the MSI GE66 Raider compare to other laptops
"Above all else, the Asus ROG Flow X16 is one thing - versatile! It is a thin, mobile work device, it's a 2-in-1, tablet, a powerful workstation and even a gaming PC. But something even more surprising: It does all of these things really well without making any big blunders. It's anything but a lazy compromise. Because, despite its compact dimensions and 2-in-1 functionality, the hardware isn't throttled and boasts, at least in turbo mode, above-average performance."
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Flow X16 or the MSI GE66 Raider
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
102,195
Recommendations made
22,143
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.