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Updated January 10, 2024·
Select the Dell XPS 13 Plus for a more affordable and portable option with a high-resolution OLED touchscreen, great for general use and offering good battery life. Choose the MSI Raider GE78 for top-of-the-line performance in gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, if budget isn't a concern and portability is less critical due to its larger screen and heavier build. The Raider also boasts significantly higher storage capacity but has a shorter battery life compared to the XPS 13 Plus. Both have excellent build quality and keyboard performance, but the Raider's edge in raw power makes it suitable for more demanding applications. 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 XPS 13 Plus
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE78
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Best in class for gaming and AI
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4
9.5
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is best in class for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus is only fair.
The MSI Raider GE78 outshines the Dell XPS 13 Plus in gaming and 3D capabilities primarily due to its significantly more powerful Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which are crucial for smooth and detailed gaming visuals. While the Dell has a high-quality OLED screen, its integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and standard refresh rate are less suited for the high demands of gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.2
9.4
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE78 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus, with its high-resolution OLED screen, is very good for engineering and design due to a strong CPU and ample RAM, balanced with excellent portability and an outstanding screen. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE78's extremely powerful CPU and top-of-the-line GPU make it excellent for the most demanding engineering and design tasks, though it sacrifices portability and has a lower screen resolution than the XPS 13 Plus.
Screen Quality
8.4
8.6
13.4in
SIZE
17.3in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
374.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The Dell XPS 13 Plus 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.
For general use, the Dell XPS 13 Plus offers a high-resolution display with excellent brightness and clarity; however, its refresh rate isn't suited for the fast-paced visuals required in gaming and 3D. The MSI Raider GE78 also has a high-resolution screen with great brightness, making it ideal for daily tasks and engineering software where precise color representation and clarity are crucial. But, its display falls short for gaming and 3D modeling where a high refresh rate is key to a smooth visual experience.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has 10 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.
Portability
Excellent
Poor
13.4in
SIZE
17.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the MSI Raider GE78 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,849
$4,386
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a price of $1,849 and the MSI Raider GE78 costs $4,386.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.4
8.7
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
374.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both very good for general use.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is excellent for general use because it combines a powerful CPU and plenty of RAM with a high-quality OLED screen and long battery life in a lightweight and thin package, making it highly portable. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE78 also offers a high-performing CPU and ample RAM, along with excellent speakers and keyboard; however, it is less portable due to its larger size and heavier weight but compensates with a bigger screen and better heat management for more demanding tasks.
Content Creation
8.3
8.8
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE78 and Dell XPS 13 Plus 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
8.3
8.5
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 and Dell XPS 13 Plus 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.
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and MSI Raider GE78 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Dell XPS 13 Plus and the MSI Raider GE78 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell XPS 13 Plus | MSI Raider GE78 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,849 | $4,386 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | 15'' x 11.7'' x 1.13'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.71 lbs | 6.83 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.63" | 14.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.84" | 11.73" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1280P | Intel i9-13980HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 55 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.4" | 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 | 374 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.2/10 | 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 | 8.8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 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 | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell XPS 13 Plus
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The XPS 13 Plus is powerful, but has its drawbacks. Dell did not only update the processor generation, but also decided to offer two completely different models from now on. The XPS 13 Plus gets the faster Intel Alder Lake-P chips, and the Core i7-1260P in our review unit offers good performance figures. However, the device once again shows the problems of the current Intel CPUs, because the high performance requires a lot of power. This affects the battery runtime as well as temperatures, so the new model (even with the Optimized power profile) is louder than the older model."
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 Dell XPS 13 Plus or the MSI Raider GE78
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.
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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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