If you value dual-screen productivity and a higher-resolution touch display, the ASUS Zenbook Duo with its unique second screen can be beneficial, especially for multitasking and creative tasks, but you will have to cope with a shorter battery life and it's slightly heavier, making it less portable. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin focuses on gaming with its powerful dedicated graphics card and high refresh rate screen making it better for intensive gaming, but you'll sacrifice screen resolution and touch functionality. Additionally, the MSI might offer a more cost-effective option if budget is a key concern, but you may need to consider upgrading the RAM later on. 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 Duo (2024)
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
Very good portability
Good battery life
Good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4/10
6.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
400.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
8.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) 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.
Content Creation
7.5/10
6.8/10
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) 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
7.4/10
6.3/10
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) 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
7.9/10
6.8/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
400.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
8.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 has 8.5 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
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) 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 Duo (2024) 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
$1,500
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) has a price of $1,500 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
The MSI GF65 Thin and ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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
7.1/10
6.7/10
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) to be good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
"The Asus ZenBook Duo's second screen is like the Apple Touch Bar, but better. Most would agree that having two screens instead of one can really boost productivity and the ZenBook Duo is no different in this regard. It's tough going back to just one screen after becoming accustomed to spacious dual-screen setups. For a laptop form factor, however, users will have to accept some compromises. Firstly, weight is the most obvious drawback as the system is several hundred grams heavier than a regular ZenBook 14. Additionally, colors on the second screen will not be as vivid as the main display."
"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 Duo (2024) 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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