The ASUS Vivobook 15X comes at a lower price and offers good performance for general use with reasonable battery life, making it an economical choice for everyday tasks. It's also quite portable, has a number pad on the keyboard, and supports USB-C charging. In contrast, the MSI Stealth GS66, while more expensive, boasts superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering, thanks to a more powerful processor and graphics. Though less portable due to its weight and shorter battery life, it compensates with a high-refresh-rate display for smooth visuals, making it well-suited for intensive gaming and professional creative work. Both have similar screen sizes and resolutions, but the MSI offers better color accuracy and brightness. If cost is less of a concern and you need high performance for demanding applications or gaming, the MSI is a compelling choice; if you prioritize affordability and portability for everyday tasks, the ASUS is a strong option. 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 battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS66
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.1/10
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 and ASUS Vivobook 15X are both good for general use, though the MSI Stealth GS66 is somewhat better.
The MSI Stealth GS66 is better suited for general use than the ASUS Vivobook 15X thanks to its more powerful Intel processor, larger RAM, and superior GPU, which significantly improve overall performance for various tasks. Additionally, the MSI has a higher quality keyboard and better speaker quality, but it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable than the ASUS, which offers a fair balance of features for general use, at a possibly lower weight and longer battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
7.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 15X is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
6.3/10
8.2/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS66 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 15X is only fair.
The MSI Stealth GS66 is very good for engineering and design due to its higher-end CPU, more RAM, and a more powerful GPU, which are crucial for demanding tasks and software used in such fields, as well as its superior screen quality which provides clearer and more accurate color representation. On the other side, the ASUS Vivobook 15X is considered fair for these uses because, despite being adequate, its components are not as high-performing and its screen quality isn't as high, impacting the overall experience in intensive engineering and design work.
Content Creation
7.1/10
7.7/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth GS66 and ASUS Vivobook 15X are both good for content creation, though the MSI Stealth GS66 is somewhat better.
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
6.9/10
7.5/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 is good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 15X 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
6.2/10
8.1/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The MSI Stealth GS66 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 15X for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, where clarity, brightness, and resolution enhance the viewing experience, the MSI Stealth GS66 offers a superior screen compared to the Asus Vivobook 15X. In use cases like engineering and design, color accuracy and range are crucial; the MSI's screen provides better color gamuts, rendering it more suitable for these professions. However, for Gaming and 3D applications, where a high refresh rate is vital for smooth motion, neither laptop excels, as both have screens that prioritize different aspects over refresh rate.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 15X has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 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.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook 15X has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$525
$1,718
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS Vivobook 15X has a price of $525 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,718.
"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 Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Vivobook 15X or the MSI Stealth GS66
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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