The Gateway 14.1" laptop is much less expensive and has a reputation for being budget-friendly, it offers basic performance with its Intel Celeron processor and integrated graphics; it's suitable for general use like web browsing, office applications, and video streaming. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17 is at a high-end price point and is a powerhouse with an Intel i9 processor and Nvidia RTX graphics, making it ideal for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks. While the Gateway is lighter and potentially more portable, the MSI has a larger screen and vastly superior performance, though with a reduced battery life and more weight to carry. 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 14.1"
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
Good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.6/10
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
208.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" has a much less powerful CPU and less RAM than the MSI Stealth 17, which means it will be slower and less capable of multitasking, impacting its performance for general use. Additionally, the Gateway has lower screen quality and a shorter battery life than the MSI, which offers vivid colors and longer usage time, adding to the MSI's superiority for everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
9.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" is ill-suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its basic Intel UHD Graphics 600 GPU and a screen refresh rate of only 60Hz. Additionally, the MSI's superior CPU and screen quality further enhance its performance for demanding tasks compared to the Gateway.
Engineering and Design
5.5/10
9.4/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
4.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" has a significantly less powerful CPU and GPU, less RAM, and a lower-quality screen compared to the MSI Stealth 17, making it poorly suited for the demanding tasks of engineering and design software. Conversely, the MSI Stealth 17's superior hardware, including a high-end CPU and GPU, ample RAM, and a sharper, more color-accurate screen, ensures excellent performance in engineering and design applications despite being less portable and noisier under load.
Content Creation
5.8/10
8.8/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
4.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for content creation, while the Gateway 14.1" 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
5.8/10
8.5/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
4.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the Gateway 14.1" 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
6.0/10
8.6/10
14.1in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
208.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gateway 14.1" provides adequate clarity and brightness for everyday tasks and productivity software, which is sufficient for general use and entry-level engineering work, but its limited color range and lower refresh rate leave it lacking for detailed engineering designs and poor for the demands of gaming and 3D applications. The MSI Stealth 17's high resolution and wide color gamut enhance visual precision and subtleties for both general tasks and professional engineering and design work, although its suboptimal refresh rate does not cater to the fluid visuals required for high-end gaming and 3D rendering. For users focused on general computing and complex design projects, the MSI Stealth 17 is a strong choice, while gamers or those working extensively with 3D graphics might seek alternatives that offer higher refresh rates.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Gateway 14.1" has 8 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
14.1in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 14.1" has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
7.8/10
The MSI Stealth 17 has good build quality, while the Gateway 14.1" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$99
$3,899
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gateway 14.1" has a price of $99 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
"The Gateway Ultra Slim 14" is surprisingly quiet with long battery life. The inexpensive Gateway excels at maximizing performance per dollar with lots of RAM and storage, super-quiet fan, and a long battery life. It can even house up to two M.2 SSDs which we weren't expecting from such a cheap system. However, the iffy reliability of the keyboard and USB-C port on our test unit means users should double-check for these potential issues immediately after purchasing."
"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 Gateway 14.1" or the MSI Stealth 17
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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