For a high-end user experience, the MSI Stealth 17 offers a more comprehensive package with its superior battery life, professional-grade operating system, and slimmer design, making it more portable despite its robust performance capabilities. It's also well-suited for intensive tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning with its ample RAM and top-tier processor. However, if your primary focus is on engineering tasks and you desire the absolute best performance without concern for portability or battery life, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D, with its specialized 3D V-Cache processor, is tailored for that purpose. Keep in mind, the Asus is bulkier and has a shorter battery life, which might not be ideal if you need to work on the go. 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 Scar 17 X3D
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has no clear advantages over the MSI Stealth 17.
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
Very good for software development
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
8.7/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
350.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
3.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D are both very good for general use, though the MSI Stealth 17 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
8.2/10
8.8/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 and Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D 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
7.9/10
8.5/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2560 x 1440
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 Strix Scar 17 X3D 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
8.3/10
8.6/10
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
350.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D for gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
3.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has 3 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
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
6.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability, while the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$3,500
$3,899
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D has a price of $3,500 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D and MSI Stealth 17 are both excellent for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
9.1/10
9.4/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
9.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 and Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D are both excellent for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.8/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D both have 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 Strix Scar 17 X3D and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
"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 Scar 17 X3D 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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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.
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Laptops Expert
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