If you prioritize portability and battery life, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is lighter and has a longer battery life, meaning it's more convenient to carry around and use on the go. For tasks like web browsing, office applications, and media consumption, the ASUS with its OLED display offers vibrant colors and sharper visuals. However, if you're interested in gaming or tasks requiring more graphics power, such as video editing or 3D rendering, the MSI GF65 Thin, with its dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, delivers better performance for such intensive tasks but is heavier and has shorter battery life. The MSI also has a gaming laptop appearance, which might not be desirable for all, while the ASUS has a more premium business look. 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 14X OLED
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good portability
Good battery life
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED.
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
6.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
376.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED offers a superior screen with higher resolution and OLED technology, providing better color accuracy and vibrancy, which, combined with its lightweight design and longer battery life, makes it more suited for general use than the MSI GF65 Thin, which, while slightly heavier with a lower battery life and a standard IPS screen, does have better heat management and is equipped with a high-performance dedicated graphics card, making it more suitable for gaming than general productivity tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.7/10
6.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED boasts superior screen quality with an OLED display and high resolution which is beneficial for design work, although it offers integrated graphics, which may be limiting for some engineering applications, while the MSI GF65 Thin includes a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU for more intensive graphical tasks but with a lower-quality IPS screen. Portability and battery life are better on the ASUS due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, making it more suitable for on-the-go work, whereas the MSI has the edge in speakers and thermal management, which could be preferable for extended use sessions.
Content Creation
7.6/10
6.8/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
7.5/10
6.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
8.6/10
6.8/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
376.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED boasts a superior display with high resolution and OLED technology which provides excellent color contrast and brightness, enhancing the experience for general use and professional engineering and design work through its broad color gamut coverage. The MSI GF65 Thin, with its fair screen quality, may not provide the same level of vibrancy or sharpness due to its standard LCD panel, but it still offers adequate resolution for everyday tasks and basic design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short as their screens do not have the high refresh rates required for smooth motion rendering, which could detract from the visual fluidity in fast-paced gaming scenarios or working with 3D content.
Battery
6.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has 6 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
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has very good portability, while the MSI GF65 Thin has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
6.7/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
$575
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has a price of $575 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
The MSI GF65 Thin and ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED offers a high-resolution OLED screen which is great for vibrant colors but may not match the MSI GF65 Thin which has a lower resolution but comes with a powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card better suited for gaming and 3D applications. The Zenbook has a potent Intel processor and a decent onboard GPU which is suitable for less demanding games and 3D tasks, whereas the GF65 Thin couples its robust GPU with a high screen refresh rate, crucial for smoother gaming visuals.
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How the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
"While one of the more budget-friendly configurations of the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED may make a compelling case as a top value pick, it’s difficult to be disappointed with the more expensive model we reviewed here. At its core, for all models, it’s a luxury-built laptop with extreme portability and a gorgeous OLED display. Our unit rocks with a snappy Core i9 processor for getting real work done, and the discrete GPU—even if it has a clear power ceiling—is a bonus for creative pros."
"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 14X OLED 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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