If budget is not a concern and you require top performance for demanding tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, the MSI Stealth 17 is superior with a more powerful processor and graphics card, more RAM, and a higher resolution, faster display. However, it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. The ASUS Vivobook S 15, on the other hand, is more affordable, lighter, and offers longer battery life, making it better for general use and greater portability, but it doesn't match the MSI's performance for intensive tasks. 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
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
267.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is good.
The MSI Stealth 17 stands out for general use with its superior CPU and larger RAM, enhancing multitasking and performance, along with a high-quality screen that offers better resolution and color accuracy than the ASUS Vivobook S 15. However, the Vivobook's lighter weight and longer battery life offer greater portability and convenience for on-the-go use compared to the heavier and more power-intensive Stealth 17.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
9.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 offers modest gaming and 3D capabilities with its integrated AMD graphics and standard screen refresh rate, making it suitable for casual gaming, while the MSI Stealth 17, with its high-end Nvidia graphics card and a much higher screen refresh rate, provides a premium gaming and 3D experience designed for demanding games and tasks. The Stealth 17 also boasts a superior CPU and screen quality, further enhancing its performance for gaming and 3D applications compared to the Vivobook S 15.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
9.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is good.
The MSI Stealth 17 outperforms the ASUS Vivobook S 15 in engineering and design use mainly because it has a more powerful CPU and GPU, a greater amount of RAM, and a higher-resolution screen, enhancing the laptop's ability to handle demanding engineering applications and detailed design work. However, the tradeoff is that the Stealth 17 is less portable due to its larger size and weight, and it has a shorter battery life compared to the Vivobook S 15, which may be important considerations for users who need to work on the go.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.8/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 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
7.4/10
8.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 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
6.3/10
8.6/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
267.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook S 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the MSI Stealth 17's higher resolution and brighter display provide crisper and more vivid visuals, making it more pleasant to use for everyday tasks than the ASUS Vivobook S 15. When it comes to engineering and design, the MSI Stealth 17's better coverage of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB ensures more accurate color representation, which is crucial for professionals in these fields. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short as their screens have lower refresh rates, which means less fluid motion and potentially more screen tearing during fast-paced visuals.
Battery
9.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has 9 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
7.8/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 both have good build quality, though the MSI Stealth 17 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$908
$3,899
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a price of $908 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
"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."
"The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Vivobook S 15 or the MSI Stealth 17
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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