Considering the ASUS VivoBook 16 and the MSI Stealth GS66, you should think about what's most important for your needs. The VivoBook is generally less expensive, offering a larger 16-inch screen with a lower resolution but a higher battery life for everyday tasks and ample storage. It's lighter and more portable, good for general use, but it may not handle intensive 3D or engineering tasks as well as the MSI. Meanwhile, the Stealth GS66, although pricier, is optimized for higher performance, with a stronger GPU and CPU, making it suitable for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning. It has a very high refresh rate screen, which is better for fast-motion scenarios, but this comes with reduced battery life and a heavier build. If portability and general use are your priorities, the VivoBook is a strong choice, but if you need high performance for specialized tasks or gaming, the Stealth GS66 would be the better 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 16
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS66
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
7.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1200
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 16 is only fair.
The MSI Stealth GS66 boasts a higher-end Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a far superior screen refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth, detailed gaming and 3D applications, unlike the ASUS Vivobook 16 which employs an integrated AMD Ryzen Vega 8 GPU and a standard refresh rate. While the ASUS VivoBook focuses on home use with decent graphics for casual gaming, the MSI Stealth GS66, with its gaming-grade graphics and fast display, is a better fit for intensive gaming and 3D work, though it may come at a higher cost and decreased battery life due to its high-performance components.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
8.2/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS66 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 is equipped with an AMD CPU and integrated GPU suitable for general engineering and design tasks, while the MSI Stealth GS66 includes a high-performance Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, offering more powerful processing for demanding applications and better screen color accuracy and refresh rates for detailed design work. Despite the ASUS having a higher battery life and slightly lighter weight, making it more portable, the MSI's superior keyboard quality and lower operating noise provide better usability in professional settings.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
8.1/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
295.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The MSI Stealth GS66 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 16 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The ASUS Vivobook 16, with its fair screen resolution and brightness, provides sufficient clarity and visibility for tasks like browsing and document editing, which are typical in general use. Engineers and designers would find the color accuracy lacking as the Vivobook does not effectively cover professional color gamuts like Adobe RGB and DCI-P3. Gamers and 3D professionals require higher refresh rates for fluid visuals, and in this case, the Vivobook's lower refresh rate leads to less smooth on-screen action, making it less suitable for these applications.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 16 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 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$669
$1,718
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has a price of $669 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,718.
The MSI Stealth GS66 and ASUS Vivobook 16 are both good for general use.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 offers a balance for general use with its solid CPU and RAM for multitasking, a quality IPS display for clear visuals, and a decent battery life for mobility; meanwhile, the MSI Stealth GS66, while also providing strong CPU and RAM, emphasizes graphics performance with a high-end GPU, higher screen refresh rate desirable for smoother visuals, and superior thermal management for sustained performance, though these features come at the expense of heavier weight and shorter battery life. Both laptops are equipped with quality keyboards and enough storage, with the ASUS being slightly more portable and the MSI being better suited for demanding applications beyond general use.
Content Creation
7.5/10
7.7/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth GS66 and ASUS Vivobook 16 are both good for content creation.
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
7.5/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 and ASUS Vivobook 16 are both good for software development.
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.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth GS66 and ASUS Vivobook 16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Vivobook 16 and the MSI Stealth GS66 compare to other laptops
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."
"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 16 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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
99,795
Recommendations made
21,623
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.