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Updated January 10, 2024·
For better performance, particularly in 3D, machine learning tasks, or engineering applications, the MSI Stealth 17 is the superior choice as it has a more powerful processor and graphics card. However, the ASUS ROG Strix G18 is more cost-effective and offers excellent gaming capabilities. The Stealth 17 has a higher resolution display and is lighter, making it more portable, though it has a slightly smaller screen. Both laptops have similar build quality and are suitable for intensive gaming, but the Stealth 17 has a slightly better battery life and advanced features like a fingerprint reader and facial recognition, which the G18 lacks. If portability and top-tier performance are your priority, and budget is less of a concern, the MSI Stealth 17 is the way to go; otherwise, the ASUS provides a balance between cost, performance, and gaming needs. 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 Strix G18
- Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.7
8.6
18.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
422.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Strix G18 for content creation.
For general use, both the ASUS ROG Strix G18 and the MSI Stealth 17 offer high resolution and brightness with panel types that provide clear, crisp images, making them suitable for a variety of tasks like web browsing and video streaming. Engineering and design professionals will appreciate the wide color gamuts on both laptops, allowing for more accurate color representation in tasks such as photo editing or CAD software. However, their screens fall short for gaming and 3D applications due to lower refresh rates, which could lead to less fluid motion and slower response times during fast-paced scenes or interactive modeling.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 has 8 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
Poor
Fair
18.0in
SIZE
17.3in
6.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,900
$3,899
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 has a price of $1,900 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.3
8.7
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
422.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS ROG Strix G18 are both very good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 offers ample RAM and a high-performance CPU, which make it highly responsive for daily tasks, and it has a high-quality screen, contributing to a crisp and clear visual experience. However, the MSI Stealth 17 packs even more RAM for multitasking, a similarly powerful CPU for smooth operation in general use, and a top-tier screen, all while being slightly more portable due to its lower weight, despite both laptops having relatively limited battery life, which could impact their use on the go.
Gaming and AI
8.7
9.1
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth 17 to be excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18, with an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and a high 240Hz screen refresh rate, provides a strong gaming and 3D experience, yet the MSI Stealth 17 surpasses it with a superior Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU while matching the 240Hz refresh rate for superior visual fluidity in games and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.9
9.4
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth 17 to be excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 offers solid performance for engineering and design with its robust CPU, high-tier GPU, and ample screen space, making it very good for visually intensive tasks despite lesser RAM compared to the MSI Stealth 17, which stands out with greater RAM and storage, a top-tier GPU, and a high-quality display, providing excellent capability for complex engineering simulations and design work; however, both are large and not highly portable, with quality keyboards and quiet operation but varying battery life, with the ASUS offering more extended use away from power sources.
Content Creation
8.6
8.8
9.9/10
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 Strix G18 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
8.1
8.5
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS ROG Strix G18 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
7.8
7.8
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 and MSI Stealth 17 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 ROG Strix G18 and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS ROG Strix G18 | MSI Stealth 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,900 | $3,899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 11.6'' x 1.06'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.61 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.71" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.57" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13980HX | 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 | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 18" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 422 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.7/10 | 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 | 7.3/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.6/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 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 | 2 | 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
ASUS ROG Strix G18
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | March 2023
"With the ROG Strix G18, Asus has made an almost consistently good debut in the still quite new 18-inch laptop segment. The base unit case shows a few signs of weakness in the area of stability and is something which has an effect on the perceived quality of the input devices (the chassis tends to rattle a bit). Nevertheless, thanks to generous port features (incl. Thunderbolt 4), a striking design, and extensive lighting (keyboard, LED strip on the front), gamers get a fitting gaming platform."
MSI Stealth 17
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Dig into reviews and images
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 ASUS ROG Strix G18 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.
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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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