When considering the Asus Vivobook S 15 and the MSI Titan 18 HX, the Asus is more budget-friendly and offers enough performance for everyday tasks and moderate multitasking, along with being lightweight and easier to carry around. On the other hand, the MSI Titan is built for power users, with high-performance capabilities suitable for demanding 3D work, gaming, and engineering software. This increased performance comes at a higher cost, both in terms of price and reduced portability due to its larger size and weight, along with typically shorter battery life due to its more powerful components. Choose the Asus for a balance of affordability and casual use or the MSI if your work requires top-tier performance and you are less concerned with price and portability. 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 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
7.7/10
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
267.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is good.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 offers a balance of portability and sufficient performance for everyday tasks with its lighter weight and decent screen quality; however, it might not match the longevity in battery life or the higher processing power for more demanding applications that the MSI Titan 18 HX provides, which although better in CPU and RAM, becomes less practical for frequent travel due to its size and weight. Additionally, the Titan's superior screen and speakers make it more appealing for multimedia use but this could result in reduced battery life compared to the Vivobook.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
9.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
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 S 15 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a modest GPU and screen refresh rate, making it serviceable for casual gaming and 3D tasks, whereas the MSI Titan 18 HX, with its high-end GPU and superior screen refresh rate, offers top-tier graphics performance crucial for demanding gaming and 3D applications. Additionally, the MSI's more powerful CPU and better screen quality enhance the overall experience, though the ASUS provides adequate capabilities for less intensive use at a likely lower price point.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
9.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
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 S 15 is good.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15, while suitable for engineering and design tasks, may not handle the most demanding software as smoothly as the MSI Titan 18 HX, which comes with a more powerful CPU, GPU, and additional RAM, enhancing its performance for complex computations and graphics-intensive projects. The MSI Titan also boasts a higher screen quality, but it trades off portability due to its larger size and potentially louder operating noise compared to the more compact and quieter ASUS Vivobook, which also offers a respectable keyboard and speaker quality for everyday use.
Content Creation
7.6/10
9.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
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 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
8.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
1920 x 1080
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 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
9.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
18.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
267.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The MSI Titan 18 HX has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook S 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
ASUS Vivobook S 15 offers an adequate display with respectable resolution and brightness for everyday tasks, but it lacks the wide color gamut necessary for precise engineering and design work. The MSI Titan 18 HX provides a high-quality screen with excellent resolution, brightness, and color accuracy that benefits both general users and professionals in engineering or design, making it ideal for detailed and color-critical tasks. However, for gaming and 3D applications, neither laptop has a high refresh rate, limiting the smoothness and responsiveness that gamers typically seek.
Battery
9.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has 9 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
15.6in
SIZE
18.0in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 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 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
$4,800
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a price of $908 and the MSI Titan 18 HX costs $4,800.
"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."
"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 S 15 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.
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