The ASUS Zenbook 13 is suitable if you prioritize battery life, portability, and an OLED display for vibrant colors, which is ideal for general use. Its AMD Ryzen processor handles everyday tasks well and it's more affordable. In contrast, the MSI GF65 Thin, with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a higher refresh rate screen, is tailored for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks. However, it has shorter battery life and is heavier, affecting its portability. Consider the ASUS for regular use and the MSI if you need high performance for specific applications, but note that it comes at a higher price and with added bulk. 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 Zenbook 13
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the ASUS Zenbook 13.
Key differences
General Use
7.4/10
6.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
378.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The ASUS Zenbook 13 is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.3/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GF65 Thin and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the MSI GF65 Thin is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Content Creation
7.6/10
6.8/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook 13 is good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
6.3/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook 13 is good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
7.8/10
6.8/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
378.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS Zenbook 13, with a higher resolution and brightness, offers a sharp and vivid display that greatly benefits general tasks and detailed engineering work, plus its wide color coverage ensures accurate color representation crucial for design professionals. However, its lower refresh rate may not be optimal for 3D applications and gaming, where fluid motion is key. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin provides adequate clarity and color for everyday use and professional tasks, but like the Zenbook, it falls short in refresh rate, making it less ideal for fast-paced gaming or rendering smooth 3D animations.
Battery
9.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has 9 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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
Excellent
Good
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has excellent portability, while the MSI GF65 Thin has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
6.7/10
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has good build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$890
$1,100
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a price of $890 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Zenbook 13 to be good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook 13, with its Ryzen CPU and integrated Vega 8 graphics, offers a high-quality OLED screen and excellent portability due to its smaller size and longer battery life, but may lag in more demanding engineering applications when compared to the MSI GF65 Thin, which comes equipped with a faster Intel i5 CPU and a superior RTX 3060 GPU, enabling better performance for engineering and design tasks at the cost of increased weight and lower battery life.
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How the ASUS Zenbook 13 and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
"The Asus ZenBook 13 is a compact 13-inch laptop with a fast Ryzen 7 5800U and OLED display. The subnotebook is also light and the modern design is convincing. The selection of high-quality materials make the device not only light, but also very stable. In addition, the visuals and haptics of the device offers a high-quality impression. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U is a very good fit for the ZenBook 13, ensuring a high performance in the test. However, in terms of the 3D performance, we also notice that the Vega architecture is beginning to hit its limits."
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 13 or the MSI GF65 Thin
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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