The Gateway 11.6" is budget-friendly and suitable for general use with average performance and portability; its smaller screen size makes it easy to carry around. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE78 is a high-end machine with top-tier performance for intensive gaming, 3D modeling, machine learning tasks, and engineering software, but it's less portable and significantly more expensive. The Raider offers a larger, higher-quality display and more powerful hardware but has less battery life. If your main focus is on everyday tasks, the Gateway offers good value; however, for heavy-duty computing tasks and better display, the MSI is a superior choice despite the higher price and reduced ease of transport. 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 Gateway 11.6"
Excellent portability
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE78
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Best in class for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.6/10
8.7/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" falls short in general use due to its basic Intel Celeron processor, meager 4GB of RAM, and lower-resolution screen, which may hinder multitasking and clarity of display, whereas the MSI Raider GE78 excels with its powerful Intel i9 processor, ample 32GB of RAM, and higher-resolution screen, enhancing performance and visual experience despite being less portable and having a shorter battery life. Furthermore, the MSI's superior build quality, keyboard, speakers, and heat management contribute to a more premium user experience, justifying its greater size and weight compared to the ultra-portable Gateway.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
9.5/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is best in class for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.4/10
9.4/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE78 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" has an entry-level Intel Celeron processor, basic integrated graphics, and a low-resolution screen, making it unsuitable for demanding engineering and design tasks. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE78 boasts a high-end Intel i9 processor, a powerful Nvidia RTX GPU, and a high-resolution, high-quality display, thus providing the necessary performance and visual clarity for such specialized work.
Content Creation
5.7/10
8.8/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for content creation, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.7/10
8.5/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for software development, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.7/10
8.6/10
11.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE78 has a better screen than the Gateway 11.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize a clear and sharp display for everyday tasks like browsing the web or working on documents, the MSI Raider GE78's superior resolution and brightness make it a strong choice over the Gateway. For engineering and design work, where color accuracy is key, the MSI's wide color gamuts ensure precise color representation, a crucial factor absent in the Gateway. However, if your main focus is gaming and 3D applications, the MSI's lack of high refresh rate could lead to less fluid visuals than what dedicated gaming laptops offer, despite its good resolution and panel quality.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Gateway 11.6" has 8 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
11.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Gateway 11.6" has excellent portability, while the MSI Raider GE78 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 has very good build quality, while the Gateway 11.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$89
$4,386
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gateway 11.6" has a price of $89 and the MSI Raider GE78 costs $4,386.
"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 Gateway 11.6" or the MSI Raider GE78
About Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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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