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Updated January 10, 2024·
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X is an upper midrange laptop that typically costs less than the MSI Raider GE78, which is high-end and more expensive. For demanding tasks like 3D rendering or machine learning, the MSI with its higher-end CPU and GPU offers superior performance. The ASUS, on the other hand, balances performance and portability, being lighter and thinner, suitable for general use and some creative work with its high-resolution OLED touchscreen display. If battery life is important, the ASUS may be the better option. However, if the best gaming or engineering capabilities are necessary, the MSI, despite being larger and heavier, would be the better choice. 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 Pro 16X
- Good portability
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE78
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Best in class for gaming and AI
- Very good overall build quality
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5
9.5
6.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is best in class for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X is good.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X offers solid gaming and 3D performance with its Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a 60Hz screen refresh rate, which is respectable for many tasks but less fluid compared to higher rates. The MSI Raider GE78, however, stands out as the better choice for gaming and 3D because it comes equipped with the more powerful Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and a speedy 240Hz screen refresh rate, providing smoother visuals and potentially an edge in high-frame-rate gaming.
Engineering and Design
8.6
9.4
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
6.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE78 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X is very good.
The MSI Raider GE78 offers superior CPU, double the RAM, and a stronger GPU than the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X, making it excellent for demanding engineering and design tasks. However, the Zenbook Pro 16X features a higher resolution OLED screen for better screen quality, and it is more portable due to its lighter weight and slightly longer battery life.
Screen Quality
8.3
8.6
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
354.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has a better screen than the MSI Raider GE78 for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI Raider GE78 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X and MSI Raider GE78, with their high resolution and bright displays, offer clear and sharp images which are vital for daily tasks and professional engineering or design work. They can represent colors accurately, covering wider color gamuts, ensuring that engineers and designers see precise hues and tones for their projects. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their lower refresh rates compared to specialized gaming laptops may result in less fluid motion, making them less ideal for fast-paced games and some 3D tasks that benefit from smoother visuals.
Portability
Good
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has good portability, while the MSI Raider GE78 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The MSI Raider GE78 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,300
$4,386
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has a price of $1,300 and the MSI Raider GE78 costs $4,386.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.3
8.7
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
354.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X are both very good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X offers a high-quality OLED screen and is lightweight, making it suitable for general use with better portability compared to the MSI Raider GE78, which, however, has more powerful CPU and RAM for demanding tasks but is heavier and has lower battery life.
Content Creation
8.5
8.8
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE78 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X are both very good for content creation.
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
8.2
8.5
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X are both very good for software development.
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.
Battery
7.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has 7 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.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X and the MSI Raider GE78 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X | MSI Raider GE78 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,300 | $4,386 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.9'' x 0.7'' | 15'' x 11.7'' x 1.13'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.29 lbs | 6.83 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.98" | 14.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.88" | 11.73" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12700H | Intel i9-13980HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 96 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 354 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.4/10 | 5.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Marc Herter, Alex Wätzel | November 2023
"The new Zenbook Pro 16X is more powerful, quieter and doesn't need to shy away from dedicated workstations and gamers. It is also comparatively compact, and our test device is the best Zenbook that we've reviewed so far. It seems equally suitable for content creators and gamers or anyone looking for a very powerful laptop that is still slim."
MSI Raider GE78
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2023
"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 Pro 16X 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.
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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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