The ASUS Vivobook 14 is a budget-friendly option, providing sufficient performance for general use with its moderate storage and RAM. Its lighter weight and smaller screen make it more portable than the MSI Stealth 17, which can be an advantage for those who travel frequently. The Vivobook also offers longer battery life for typical usage. However, the MSI Stealth 17 is a high-end machine with substantially more storage and RAM, alongside a powerful processor and top-of-the-line graphics card, making it ideal for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks. It also features a larger, higher resolution, and faster refresh rate display for a superior visual experience but has lower battery life and is less portable due to its larger size and heavier weight. 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 Vivobook 14
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9/10
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
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.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
9.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
The MSI Stealth 17 boasts a high-end Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and a high 240Hz screen refresh rate, making it excellent for gaming and 3D applications, whereas the ASUS Vivobook 14, with its integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, is adequate but less equipped for such intense graphics processing. The MSI's superior GPU and refresh rate will deliver smoother and more detailed visuals, but the ASUS offers a more budget-friendly alternative for less demanding gaming and 3D activities.
Engineering and Design
6.3/10
9.4/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook 14 has a basic CPU and integrated graphics suitable for less demanding tasks, and its smaller screen and lower weight make it more portable, but its lower RAM and storage capacity limit its capability for engineering and design work. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17 offers a powerful CPU and GPU, abundant RAM and storage, and a larger, high-quality display, which provides the necessary performance and screen real estate for complex engineering tasks and design work, although it is heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
6.9/10
8.8/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
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
6.8/10
8.5/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
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
6.3/10
8.6/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Vivobook 14 may not provide the crispness and detail desirable for engineering due to modest resolution and limited color gamut, but it still offers an acceptable display for everyday tasks with adequate brightness. The MSI Stealth 17 boasts a higher resolution and wider color coverage, enhancing the clarity and fidelity crucial for engineering and design, while also rendering sharp and vivid images for general use. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D applications as neither offers the high refresh rates that contribute to smoother visuals and better gaming experiences.
Battery
7.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 14 has 7 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Vivobook 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
7.8/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS Vivobook 14 both have good build quality, though the MSI Stealth 17 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$421
$3,899
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Vivobook 14 has a price of $421 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
"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 Vivobook 14 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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