The ASUS Zenbook 14 is a more affordable and portable option, ideal for everyday tasks and light productivity with its efficient processor and good battery life; however, the MSI Raider GE78, which is significantly more expensive, offers a substantial increase in performance with a high-end processor and top-tier graphics card, making it well-suited for demanding gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning tasks. The Raider GE78 also has a larger and high-refresh-rate screen, but it is much heavier and may have shorter battery life due to its powerful components. Choose the Zenbook 14 for portability and value or the Raider GE78 for cutting-edge performance and gaming capabilities. 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 14
Very 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 build quality
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.2/10
8.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
339.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 provides a fair experience for general use with its average processor and RAM, and although it offers good portability and an OLED screen, the battery life and storage are limited, which can affect multitasking and prolonged use without charging.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
9.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is best in class for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 is fair for gaming and 3D because it has an Intel Iris Xe GPU that's capable for light gaming and a decent screen refresh rate of 90Hz, but the MSI Raider GE78 is best for gaming and 3D as it features a top-tier Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 240Hz, offering superior graphics and smoother motion. The Raider GE78 also has a more powerful CPU and better overall screen quality, which when combined with its gaming-oriented GPU, makes it a more suitable choice for intensive gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
9.4/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE78 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 with a moderate processor, graphics, and screen quality is suitable for engineering and design, while the MSI Raider GE78, boasting a top-tier processor, high-end graphics, and superior screen quality, excels in these tasks. However, the Zenbook 14 offers better portability and quieter operating noise compared to the heavier and louder Raider GE78.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.8/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 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
7.2/10
8.5/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 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
8.3/10
8.6/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen than the MSI Raider GE78 for engineering and design, while the MSI Raider GE78 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the ASUS Zenbook 14 and MSI Raider GE78 offer pleasing visuals due to their high-resolution displays and brightness, making viewing documents and browsing the web enjoyable. In engineering and design tasks, both laptops provide wide color coverage, essential for accuracy in tasks like photo editing or CAD work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their screens fall short because they lack high refresh rates, which can limit the smoothness and responsiveness that these activities typically demand.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 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
Very Good
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Raider GE78 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$300
$4,386
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the MSI Raider GE78 costs $4,386.
"Users who travel frequently and are looking for a portable laptop are in the right place with the Asus ZenBook 14. The sleek case is extremely light (1.2 kg) and surprisingly thin (1.5 cm). Outdoor use is also enjoyable thanks to the bright Full HD display, which is something that can rarely be said about laptops with TN or IPS panels. The excellent battery life complements this as well. Longer trips are no problem with the ZenBook 14. Another plus point is the high-performance Ryzen 7 5700U, which often leaves the Intel competition in the dust thanks to its large number of cores."
"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 Zenbook 14 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.
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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