The ASUS Vivobook 15X is often less expensive than the MSI GF65 Thin and provides cost-efficiency with comparable storage, RAM, and screen size, which makes it suitable for general use and budget-conscious customers. If your work involves engineering tasks or you favor gaming, the MSI GF65 Thin, despite being more expensive, offers more powerful graphic capabilities and a higher screen refresh rate, giving you a smoother visual experience, which also means it's better for intensive gaming. 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 15X
Good for general use
Good for content creation
Good overall build quality
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.1/10
6.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The ASUS Vivobook 15X is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook 15X has adequate components like an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and 8GB of RAM for everyday tasks, but its limited battery life and mediocre speaker quality might detract from its overall performance for general use. The MSI GF65 Thin, while similar in RAM and also has a fair speaker quality, offers a more powerful Intel i5 CPU and dedicated Nvidia graphics, which could result in better performance in some applications, yet its shorter battery life and heavier build reduce its portability for daily carry.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
6.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GF65 Thin and ASUS Vivobook 15X are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the MSI GF65 Thin is somewhat better.
The ASUS Vivobook 15X is equipped with an integrated Vega 7 GPU and a 60Hz screen refresh rate, which could limit gaming and 3D performance compared to the MSI GF65 Thin that offers a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a higher 144Hz refresh rate, providing smoother visuals for fast-paced games. While both laptops have similar CPUs and screen qualities, the GPU and screen refresh rate are more critical for gaming and 3D applications, making the MSI model the better option for these tasks.
Software Development
6.9/10
6.3/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS Vivobook 15X and MSI GF65 Thin are both only fair for software development, though the ASUS Vivobook 15X is somewhat better.
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
6.2/10
6.8/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The ASUS Vivobook 15X has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for software development, and content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Vivobook 15X and MSI GF65 Thin offer satisfactory visuals, but their screen brightness and resolution might not be top-of-the-line, affecting clarity and detail. Engineers and designers may find the color accuracy and range lacking for precision work due to limited coverage of professional color gamuts. Gamers and those into 3D applications will notice that the lower refresh rates on both models can result in less fluid motion and responsiveness during fast-paced scenes.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 15X has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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.
Cost
$525
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Vivobook 15X has a price of $525 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
The MSI GF65 Thin and ASUS Vivobook 15X are both only fair for engineering and design.
The ASUS Vivobook 15X has a Ryzen CPU and integrated Vega graphics, which are generally less powerful for engineering and design tasks than the MSI GF65 Thin's Intel CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, leading to better performance on the latter. Furthermore, while both have similar amounts of RAM and IPS displays, the MSI GF65 Thin stands out with a higher screen refresh rate, which may be beneficial for smoother visuals during design work.
Content Creation
7.1/10
6.8/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Vivobook 15X to be good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin 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.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS Vivobook 15X and MSI GF65 Thin both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
6.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Vivobook 15X to have good build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS Vivobook 15X and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
"All in all, my day on the Vivobook had its ups and downs. It is a really pretty and well-built device, and it had all of the functionality I needed to get me through my browser-based workload. But the speakers weren’t my favorite, and the battery life was just too short."
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Vivobook 15X or the MSI GF65 Thin
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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