When choosing between the ASUS Vivobook 16 and the MSI Titan 18 HX, consider that the ASUS offers a balance between cost and performance, suited for everyday tasks and some light creative work, with the added benefit of being more portable due to its smaller size. The MSI, on the other hand, provides higher performance for demanding activities like gaming, 3D rendering, or intensive engineering software, but this comes with a steeper price tag and reduced portability due to its larger size and likely heavier weight; also, battery life could be shorter on such powerful machines. 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
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Titan 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 overall build quality
Excellent speakers
Best in class 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
401.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
The ASUS Vivobook 16, with its competent CPU and sufficient RAM, offers reliable performance for everyday tasks, and its screen quality is adequate for general use, but it falls short in portability and battery life. The MSI Titan 18 HX, on the other hand, boasts a more powerful CPU and larger RAM for smoother multitasking and superior screen quality for a better viewing experience, yet it's less portable and has a shorter battery life, with its added benefits in storage, keyboard, and speaker quality being offset by increased operating noise and heat.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
9.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
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
7.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook 16, while capable for casual gaming and 3D tasks, has a modest graphics card and a standard refresh rate, making it less ideal for high-end gaming where smooth graphics are key. In contrast, the MSI Titan 18 HX is equipped with a top-tier graphics card and a high refresh rate display, offering an immersive and fluid experience for demanding games and 3D applications, albeit with a higher price and less portability due to its size.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
9.9/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
The MSI Titan 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 offers solid CPU and GPU performance suitable for most engineering tasks, with ample RAM and good screen quality but compromises slightly on portability and operating noise. In contrast, the MSI Titan 18 HX delivers top-of-the-line CPU and GPU power ideal for the most demanding engineering and design work, has superior RAM and screen quality, but is less portable and might have a noisier operation due to its high-performance components.
Content Creation
7.5/10
9.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Titan 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
8.9/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The MSI Titan 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
9.2/10
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
401.0 nits
The MSI Titan 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.
For general use, the Vivobook's screen may not be as sharp or vivid due to its lower resolution and brightness compared to the MSI Titan, which offers crisper visuals and more vibrant colors. Engineering and design professionals may find the Titan more suitable as it likely covers a wider color gamut, providing more accurate color representation which is crucial for their work. However, both laptops have screens that aren't optimal for gaming or 3D modeling since their refresh rates are on the lower side, not delivering the smooth motion that is highly preferred for these activities.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Titan 18 HX has 4 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.
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 Titan 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.5/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX 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
$4,800
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has a price of $669 and the MSI Titan 18 HX costs $4,800.
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."
"With no new Nvidia GPU this year for laptops, MSI had to refresh everything surrounding the graphics card to make up for it. Users are getting a new 18-inch chassis design, new 14th gen Intel HX CPU, new AC adapter, larger keys, and a new 120 Hz HDR1000 mini-LED 4K display to accompany the high price tag. Most of these changes are a step up from last year's GT77, but users are ultimately getting the same gaming performance out of both models."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Vivobook 16 or the MSI Titan 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.
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.