The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is a more affordable and lightweight laptop with good performance for general use and games, offering a fairly long battery life. It's suitable for portability, but it does not have the highest color accuracy for screen colors. The MSI GP66 Leopard, while more expensive and heavier, provides superior performance, especially in 3D rendering and engineering tasks due to its more powerful GPU. Its screen is brighter and has better color accuracy, but the laptop has a shorter battery life and scores lower in heat management. Both have sufficient RAM and storage for most tasks and similar screen sizes. If ultimate performance is a priority and you're okay with a heavier laptop and shorter battery life, the MSI GP66 Leopard could be your choice. If you prefer greater portability, longer battery life, and a lower price, the ASUS TUF Dash 15 would be the way to go, especially for general and gaming uses. 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 TUF Dash 15
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
Very good overall build quality
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.0/10
7.5/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
272.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The MSI GP66 Leopard has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Dash 15 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the ASUS TUF Dash 15 and MSI GP66 Leopard have displays with ample resolution and brightness, making for crisp and clear visibility for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming. In engineering and design, users require accurate color representation, and both these laptops offer displays with good coverage of professional color gamuts, ensuring that designs and models are seen with the intended hues. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is crucial, the lack of high refresh rates on these models make them less ideal, as they can't display as many frames per second for fluid motion.
Battery
9.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 has 9 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.4 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 has good portability, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.0/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard has very good build quality, while the ASUS TUF Dash 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,150
$1,400
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 has a price of $1,150 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both good for general use.
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is suitable for general use due to its balance of a capable CPU and RAM for smooth multitasking, a quality IPS screen for clear visuals, and the convenience of a lightweight design coupled with longer battery life. In comparison, the MSI GP66 Leopard also fits general use with a robust CPU and RAM configuration, a higher-quality display for crisp images, and superior heat management, although it is slightly heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
7.8/10
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard and ASUS TUF Dash 15 are both good for gaming and AI.
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a 144Hz screen refresh rate which provides smooth gameplay, while the MSI GP66 Leopard steps up the game with an even more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, paired with the same 144Hz refresh rate, delivering enhanced graphic performance for gaming and 3D applications. Though both have high-quality IPS screens, the MSI's superior GPU will be a decisive factor for more demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.8/10
7.9/10
8.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI GP66 Leopard and ASUS TUF Dash 15 are both good for engineering and design.
The ASUS TUF Dash 15, with its combination of solid CPU, substantial RAM, and capable NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU, provides a reliable performance for engineering tasks while also offering a longer battery life for added portability. On the other hand, the MSI GP66 Leopard harnesses a more powerful NVIDIA RTX 3080 GPU and a superior screen with higher brightness and color coverage, making it more suitable for detailed design work despite being less portable and having a shorter battery life.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.4/10
8.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both 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
7.4/10
7.2/10
8.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both 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.
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How the ASUS TUF Dash 15 and the MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
"The Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR is a laptop with mobile RTX 3070 and acceptable battery life. The Asus TUF Dash F15 was made for high-performance applications like video editing, rendering, and gaming. The laptop can manage the latter in QHD resolution and at high to maximum settings. However, the focus isn't on maximum performance, but instead, it's about a compromise between performance and portability."
"The MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the ASUS TUF Dash 15 or the MSI GP66 Leopard
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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