The Dell Inspiron 14 7425, with its lower price and smaller form factor, is more suited for general use and gives you satisfactory performance with good portability and battery life, making it a solid choice if you prioritize convenience and value. However, if your focus is on high-end performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, or intensive gaming, the MSI Stealth 17 is the better option despite its higher price, as it boasts superior processor and graphics capabilities, more memory, and storage, but with the tradeoff of a larger size and reduced battery life which impacts portability. The MSI's premium features and robust build further align with professional and gaming needs, while the Dell balances cost with competent capabilities for everyday tasks. 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 Dell Inspiron 14 7425
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
Very good overall display quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
8.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
260.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
7.5 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 Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is good.
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425, being lighter and with slightly better battery life, offers decent performance with its AMD Ryzen processor and good portability for everyday tasks, making it a solid choice for general use. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 17, although heavier and with shorter battery life, comes with a more powerful Intel i9 processor and superior Nvidia graphics, larger and higher quality screen, more RAM, making it an excellent option for more demanding general use and multitasking.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
9.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is only fair.
The MSI Stealth 17 delivers excellent gaming and 3D performance due in large part to its far superior GPU and very high screen refresh rate, which ensures smoother visuals in fast-paced games. Meanwhile, the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is only fair because it has a less powerful integrated GPU and a standard screen refresh rate, which may not handle demanding gaming and 3D applications as well.
Engineering and Design
6.9/10
9.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is only fair.
The MSI Stealth 17 is rated excellent for engineering and design largely due to its superior CPU, RAM, and GPU – it features a powerful Intel i9 processor, abundant RAM, and a top-of-the-line Nvidia RTX GPU, which together deliver exceptional performance for demanding applications. The Dell Inspiron 14 7425, while good for engineering and design with a capable AMD Ryzen CPU and integrated Vega graphics, falls short of the MSI in raw power and screen quality, though it offers better portability and a touchscreen, which may be valuable for some design tasks.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.8/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
7.3/10
8.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1200
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 Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
6.2/10
8.6/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
260.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize a clear and vibrant display for activities like browsing and watching videos, the MSI Stealth 17's higher resolution and brighter screen will serve you well, while the Dell Inspiron's fair screen will suffice for these tasks at a potentially lower cost. For engineering and design professionals dealing with color-critical work, the MSI's superior color gamut covering wider ranges of DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB will ensure more accurate color representation compared to the Dell. However, for gaming and 3D rendering, neither laptop is ideal due to their poor screen refresh rates, despite the decent resolution and panel types they might offer for other uses.
Battery
7.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has 7.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 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
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$800
$3,899
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has a price of $800 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
"Overall, this Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 offers a lot to like, especially at its oft-discounted price of $800. It’s a sturdy laptop with strong performance, a convertible touchscreen, loud speakers, and a convenient fingerprint reader. But the trade-offs you’ll make in pursuit of that lower price—most notably the dim display and stiff trackpad—might just keep you from outright loving it."
"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 Dell Inspiron 14 7425 or the MSI Stealth 17
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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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