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TUF Gaming A16
Company ProductName Specs











Pulse GL66
Company ProductName Specs











Advantages of the ASUS TUF Gaming A16
  • Good overall display quality
  • Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Pulse GL66
  • Very good speakers
  • Very good keyboard

Key differences

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Screen Quality

7.5
TUF Gaming A16
Pulse GL66
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
294.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
245.0 nits
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.

Battery

12.0 Hours
TUF Gaming A16
Pulse GL66
4.0 Hours
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has 12 hours of battery life. The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 hours of battery life.

Cost

$1,100
TUF Gaming A16
Pulse GL66
$1,399
Product image
Product image

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has a price of $1,100 and the MSI Pulse GL66 costs $1,399.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.6
TUF Gaming A16
Pulse GL66
7.3
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
294.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
245.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for general use.

Gaming and AI

7.7
TUF Gaming A16
Pulse GL66
7.2
8.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for gaming and AI.

Engineering and Design

7.9
TUF Gaming A16
Pulse GL66
7.5
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for engineering and design.

Content Creation

7.6
TUF Gaming A16
Pulse GL66
7.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for content creation.

Software Development

7.3
TUF Gaming A16
Pulse GL66
7.0
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for software development.

Portability

Good
TUF Gaming A16
Pulse GL66
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Pulse GL66 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

7.2
TUF Gaming A16
Pulse GL66
7.4
The MSI Pulse GL66 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 both have good build quality.

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How the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and the MSI Pulse GL66 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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ASUS TUF Gaming A16MSI Pulse GL66
ASUS TUF Gaming A16MSI Pulse GL66

GENERAL

Price
$1,100
$1,399
Release Date
April 1, 2023March 1, 2021
Overall Dimensions
14'' x 9.9'' x 0.97''14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.94''
Weight
4.85 lbs4.63 lbs
Width
13.98"14.13"
Depth
9.92"10.2"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 7735HSIntel i7-11800H
RAM
16 GB16 GB
DDR Memory Version
54
RAM Slots
22
Storage
512 GB512 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
12 Hours4 Hours
Battery Capacity
90 Wh53 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
16"15.6"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 12001920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
165Hz144Hz
Display Brightness
294 nits245 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.2/107.4/10
Portability Score
7/107.1/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
6.8/106.5/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/108/10
Speaker Quality Score
7/108/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
23
USB-C ports
21
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
31
Thunderbolt Ports
00

Shopping

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ASUS TUF Gaming A16

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Dig into reviews and images

PCWorld

Dominic Bayley | May 2023
"The A16 makes an excellent case against more expensive laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 and the MSI Katana GF76, especially if you’re into 1080p gaming. However, although its affordable, it doesn’t skimp on performance or a robust chassis. But for me, the biggest factor that sets it apart from these options is its incredible battery life. In my time reviewing laptops, I can’t remember when I last saw a gaming laptop lasted 11 and a half hours on a single charge, which makes the A16, in my book, truly outstanding."

MSI Pulse GL66

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Christian Hintze | April 2022
"The MSI Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."

Get a great deal on the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 or the MSI Pulse GL66

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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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.

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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.

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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.

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