For general use, the ASUS Vivobook 16 offers excellent value with its lower midrange price, ample RAM, and a capable processor that will handle everyday tasks with ease. Its screen is sharp with good color accuracy, though not as vibrant as higher-end models. It's also lightweight and has a decent battery life, making it a strong contender for everyday productivity and portability.
On the other hand, the MSI Raider 18 HX is a powerhouse designed for high-performance tasks such as gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning. With its top-tier GPU and CPU, it excels in scenarios that demand intense computational power. The Mini LED display boasts exceptional brightness and color coverage, along with a high refresh rate for smooth visuals, which is ideal for gaming and professional graphics work. However, its high-end price, heavier weight, and shorter battery life make it less practical for general mobility and everyday casual use.
If you prioritize portability, battery life, and a balance of performance and price for everyday tasks, the ASUS Vivobook 16 is the way to go. However, if you're looking for a laptop that can handle the most demanding applications and you're willing to pay a premium for that performance, along with a superior display for intensive gaming or professional graphics, the MSI Raider 18 HX is the better choice, albeit with sacrifices in portability and battery life. 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 16
Good portability
Advantages of the MSI Raider 18 HX
Very good for general use
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.6/10
8.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
295.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
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
6.3/10
9.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 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
7.0/10
9.6/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
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
7.5/10
9.1/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
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
7.3/10
8.8/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
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
6.4/10
9.4/10
16.0in
SIZE
18.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
295.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Raider 18 HX has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Portability
Good
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
18.0in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has good portability, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$669
$3,999
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has a price of $669 and the MSI Raider 18 HX costs $3,999.
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, Yannick Khong | May 2023
"The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is a budget Windows laptop. It's available with various AMD Ryzen 5000 and 7000 U-series CPUs and integrated graphics. You can only get 8GB of RAM; however, there's an empty SO-DIMM slot if you want to upgrade it. It has an FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 16:10 IPS display, a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, a 720p webcam, and Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity. Ports include three USB-As, one USB-C, an HDMI, and a headphone jack. The USB-C supports charging but no video output."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Vivobook 16 or the MSI Raider 18 HX
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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