A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 offers a balance for everyday use, with good performance and longer battery life at a lower cost, and is relatively lightweight for better portability. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE78 is at the high end and caters to specialized needs such as intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering tasks with top-tier graphics and processing power, larger screen, and higher resolution; however, it is heavier and has a shorter battery life which impacts its portability. Choose the ASUS if you prefer affordability and mobility for common tasks or the MSI for superior performance in demanding applications if the budget allows. 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 S 15
- Good portability
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE78
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Best in class for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.7
8.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
267.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is good.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 is suitable for general use with its adequate CPU, substantial RAM, and a solid screen but stands out with greater portability and longer battery life, offering a good balance for everyday tasks. Conversely, the MSI Raider GE78 offers superior performance with a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, exceptional screen quality, and excels in keyboard and speaker quality and heat management, ideal for demanding applications though at the expense of portability and battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.3
9.5
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is best in class for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a modest AMD graphics unit and a standard refresh rate screen, making it fair for casual gaming and 3D applications. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE78 boasts a high-end Nvidia graphics card and a high refresh rate screen, offering best-in-class gaming and 3D performance.
Engineering and Design
7.1
9.4
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE78 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is good.
The MSI Raider GE78 surpasses the ASUS Vivobook S 15 in engineering and design use primarily due to its significantly more powerful Intel i9 processor, double the RAM, and a superior Nvidia RTX GPU, which contribute to exceptional performance in computationally intensive tasks.
Content Creation
7.6
8.8
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 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
7.4
8.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 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
6.3
8.6
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
267.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE78 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook S 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15's panel may offer adequate sharpness and visibility for everyday tasks, and it supports enough color range for most engineering work, but it lacks the high refresh rates desired for smooth gaming and 3D modeling. The MSI Raider GE78, with a higher-quality display, provides sharp and bright images suitable for precision in both general and professional engineering environments, as well as covering a broader color spectrum needed for accurate design work. However, despite its superior resolution and color accuracy, it falls short for gaming and 3D due to a refresh rate that doesn't meet the standards for those activities, where fluid motion is critical.
Battery
9.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has 9 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE78 has 6 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
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has good portability, while the MSI Raider GE78 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0
8.5
The MSI Raider GE78 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$908
$4,386
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a price of $908 and the MSI Raider GE78 costs $4,386.
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How the ASUS Vivobook S 15 and the MSI Raider GE78 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Vivobook S 15 | MSI Raider GE78 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$908 | $4,386 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.2'' x 0.74'' | 15'' x 11.7'' x 1.13'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 6.83 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.17" | 14.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.17" | 11.73" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i9-13980HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 70 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 267 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 5.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS Vivobook S 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | February 2023
"Internals make Asus VivoBook S15 laptop a compelling option. The Asus multimedia laptop may look rather below-average with its modest black chassis, lack of a dedicated GPU, limited RAM and meagre port selection without Thunderbolt support. But your impression of the device will start changing once you set your eyes on its high-contrast OLED capable of producing deep blacks and highly accurate colours. And your opinion will change completely when the VivoBook is switched on. The AMD CPU can effortlessly keep up with powerful rivals from Intel. The integrated Radeon graphics blows away Intel's iGPU when it comes to graphics workloads such as rendering and simpler games."
MSI Raider GE78
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2023
"Performance-wise, the GE78 offers a significant boost over the GE77 for just slightly higher power consumption. You'll have to get the RTX 4080 or 4090 configurations to see the performance advantages, however, as the RTX 4070 is closer in performance to the older RTX 3080 Ti. In terms of design, some users might prefer the 16:9 minimalistic look of the older GE77 over the 16:10 retro-inspired GE78 and vice versa. We wouldn't call one better than the other in terms of aesthetics, but we'll give the edge to the GE78 for its stronger hinges and larger keys and clickpad."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Vivobook S 15 or the MSI Raider GE78
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.
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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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