For general use and portability, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is lighter and has a longer battery life, making it more suitable if you travel often, and it is also more affordable. However, the MSI Stealth 17 boasts superior performance, making it a better choice for demanding tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, but it's heavier and has less battery longevity, which might make it less convenient for constant mobility. Both laptops have excellent screen quality, but the ASUS has an OLED display that is generally better for vibrant colors and contrast, which can be a significant perk for visual tasks and media consumption. 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
Very 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
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
8.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
376.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is good.
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is well-suited for general use due to its high screen quality with an OLED display, lightweight and compact design for better portability, and a decent battery life; however, it offers lower RAM and a less powerful CPU compared to the MSI Stealth 17, which excels with its superior performance capabilities including a more advanced CPU and significantly higher RAM, making it very good for general use and even intensive tasks, though it is less portable and has a shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
9.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is only fair.
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.
Engineering and Design
7.7/10
9.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is good.
The MSI Stealth 17 stands out for engineering and design use with its top-tier Intel i9 processor, ample 64GB of RAM, and a powerful Nvidia RTX GPU, making it excellent for demanding tasks, albeit at the expense of greater weight and lower portability. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED offers a mid-range Intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and integrated graphics, suitable for less intensive engineering tasks while being lighter and more portable, though it may struggle with more demanding software typical in design work.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.8/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
7.5/10
8.5/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
8.6/10
8.6/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
376.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 17 for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED boasts an OLED display which ensures high contrast and vibrant colors, making it ideal for general use and detail-oriented tasks like engineering and design due to its wide color gamut. However, its screen's lower refresh rate isn't optimal for gaming and 3D applications where smoother motion is crucial. Similarly, the MSI Stealth 17 offers an excellent display with strong color reproduction for everyday tasks and professional design work, but like the Zenbook, it falls short for gaming and 3D work that benefit from a higher refresh rate.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$575
$3,899
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has a price of $575 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
"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 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 Zenbook 14X OLED 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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