Choosing between the ASUS ROG Flow X16 and the MSI Stealth 17 involves evaluating your needs against their features. The ASUS is less expensive and more portable, with a slightly better battery life and a touchscreen, making it suitable for general use and capable of some gaming and engineering tasks. Its performance is solid, but the more expensive, less portable MSI offers significantly higher performance, a larger screen, and additional features such as more RAM and storage, and a more powerful graphics card, favoring intensive engineering, 3D, machine learning, and gaming applications, despite a heavier build and comparable 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 ROG Flow X16
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.0/10
8.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
502.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both very good for general use, though the MSI Stealth 17 is somewhat better.
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 is a versatile 2-in-1 device with a good balance of portability, screen quality, and CPU performance, making it suitable for general use, despite having less storage and memory compared to its competitor. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 17 offers superior CPU and GPU performance, more storage, and a larger screen, which enhances its suitability for general use, although it is significantly less portable due to its increased size and weight.
Gaming and AI
7.6/10
9.1/10
7.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS ROG Flow X16 is good.
The MSI Stealth 17 surpasses the ASUS ROG Flow X16 for gaming and 3D performance largely due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz compared to the ROG Flow X16's Nvidia RTX 3060 and 165Hz refresh rate. While both offer quality CPUs and screens, the GPU and refresh rate differences are critical for rendering advanced graphics swiftly and smoothly in gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.3/10
9.4/10
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
7.2/10
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 ASUS ROG Flow X16 is very good.
The MSI Stealth 17 stands out for engineering and design due to its higher RAM capacity, advanced Intel i9 CPU, and a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU, which are crucial for demanding tasks and renderings, whereas the ASUS ROG Flow X16, with its AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3060, offers very good performance at a lower tier. While both have high-quality IPS screens, the MSI's larger and more color-accurate display is more suitable for precision engineering work, but the ASUS offers greater portability and is a 2-in-1, adding versatility for design usage with its touchscreen capabilities.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.8/10
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both very good for content creation, though the MSI Stealth 17 is somewhat better.
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
7.7/10
8.5/10
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 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
8.6/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
502.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Flow X16 for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
When considering general use, both the ASUS ROG Flow X16 and the MSI Stealth 17 offer screens with sharp resolution and high brightness, providing clear and vibrant displays for everyday activities like web browsing, office work, and video streaming. For engineering and design, the displays of both laptops cover a wide range of colors, ensuring that professionals who require accurate color representation for tasks like photo editing, graphic design, or CAD are well-served. However, for gaming or 3D applications where smooth motion is crucial, these laptops have lower refresh rates, meaning they won't be as responsive or fluid as models designed specifically for these purposes.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.8/10
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has very good build quality, while the MSI Stealth 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,300
$3,899
$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 Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
"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 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 ROG Flow X16 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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