The ASUS Vivobook 15 is more budget-friendly and offers moderate general use performance with decent portability, but it has lower performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and intensive gaming. The battery life is suitable for light daily tasks. In contrast, the MSI GP66 Leopard is more expensive yet boasts superior performance for engineering, 3D rendering, and gaming because of its high-end processor and graphics card. Despite its higher weight and shorter battery life, it's more suitable for demanding tasks. The high refresh rate display enhances fast motion clarity, which is great for gaming and dynamic content, albeit it's still a good fit for engineering tasks. 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 15
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook 15's lower performance is due to its basic Intel i3 processor and 8GB RAM, making it less capable for demanding tasks than the MSI GP66 Leopard, which boasts a high-end Intel i7 processor and 16GB RAM. Furthermore, the Vivobook 15 offers modest battery life and screen quality, whereas the GP66 Leopard excels with a more vivid display and superior build, but at the expense of increased weight and less portability.
Gaming and AI
5.9/10
7.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is poor.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has an integrated Intel graphics unit and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, making it adequate for lighter gaming and entry-level 3D tasks. On the other hand, the MSI GP66 Leopard boasts a high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card and a 144Hz screen refresh rate, offering superior gaming and 3D performance that can handle demanding tasks with smoother visuals.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
7.9/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
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.
Content Creation
6.4/10
7.4/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 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
6.5/10
7.2/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 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
7.5/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The MSI GP66 Leopard has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 offers sufficient clarity and brightness for everyday tasks, but it may lack the color accuracy and wider color gamut that engineering and design professionals need, and the screen's refresh rate isn't high enough to satisfy the smooth visuals gamers expect. The MSI GP66 Leopard, with its superior display, provides more accurate colors and better brightness, making it suitable for engineering and design work, though like the ASUS, its screen may not refresh fast enough for the premium gaming experience. For typical activities like web browsing and office work, both laptops' screens are likely more than adequate, but professionals and gamers will notice the shortcomings.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has good portability, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.0/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$530
$1,400
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has a price of $530 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
"The Asus VivoBook 15 is a quiet office notebook with a strong screen. However, the VivoBook 15 still has room for improvement. Office and internet applications as well as simple games do not pose any major challenges for the VivoBook - this is ensured by the built-in combination of Ryzen 7 5700U APU and 16 GB of RAM. Heat and noise emissions are acceptable. But, the laptop has weaknesses that should not be present at this level: lack of keyboard lighting, a slow memory card reader, no fast USB-C port (USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt 4) with Power Delivery and DisplayPort. Battery runtimes can only be described as average."
"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 Vivobook 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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