If performance during intensive engineering tasks, 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming is crucial for you, the MSI Raider GE77Hx would be a better choice due to its more powerful processor and graphics card. However, it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable than the Gateway 15.6". The Gateway offers a significant cost advantage and should suffice for general use, with a lightweight design for easy transport, but its hardware may fall short for high-end, demanding applications. The MSI also has a larger and higher-resolution display, which could be beneficial for detailed work, but contributes to its heavier weight. If budget is a concern and your usage is more casual, the Gateway might be your pick, but for high-performance requirements, the MSI is the way to go. 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 15.6"
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE77Hx
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0/10
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for general use, while the Gateway 15.6" is good.
The Gateway 15.6" offers good general use capabilities with adequate processing power for everyday tasks, a solid screen for regular viewing needs, and a lightweight design that enhances its portability, making it suitable for users needing to work on the go. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE77Hx provides exceptional performance with a more powerful processor, higher quality and larger screen for an improved viewing experience, and better sound, but it's less portable due to its increased weight and size, and it offers shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
8.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
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
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
The Gateway 15.6" is less suitable for gaming and 3D because it has an integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics card and a standard screen refresh rate of 60Hz, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx boasts a dedicated high-end Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 240Hz, providing a much smoother and more immersive gaming and 3D experience. Additionally, the MSI's superior Intel i7 processor and higher quality screen contribute to its very good rating for these tasks, compared to the Gateway's mid-range Intel i5 processor and screen quality, though these factors are less crucial than the GPU and refresh rate.
Engineering and Design
6.2/10
8.8/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
The MSI Raider GE77Hx offers superior performance for engineering and design due to its more powerful Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX GPU, handling demanding tasks and graphics-intensive applications better than the Gateway 15.6", which has a less powerful Intel i5 processor and integrated GPU. However, the Gateway is lighter and may offer better battery life, which adds to its portability, but at the cost of lower screen resolution and refresh rate compared to the MSI's higher screen specs, which can be critical for design work.
Content Creation
7.0/10
8.2/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for content creation, while the Gateway 15.6" 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
6.7/10
7.9/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is good for software development, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
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
6.1/10
8.4/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE77Hx has a better screen than the Gateway 15.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gateway 15.6" likely has a basic display that offers adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks but doesn't feature the high color accuracy and gamut necessary for precision work in engineering and design. The MSI Raider GE77Hx excels in resolution and color reproduction, which is ideal for engineering and design applications, ensuring crisp images and vibrant, true-to-life colors. However, both laptops fall short for 3D applications and gaming, as regardless of their resolution and panel quality, a lower refresh rate can lead to screen tearing and less smooth visuals, which are critical for these use cases.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Gateway 15.6" has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE77Hx 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
Good
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.8 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Gateway 15.6" has good portability, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx has very good build quality, while the Gateway 15.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$380
$2,140
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Gateway 15.6" has a price of $380 and the MSI Raider GE77Hx costs $2,140.
"Some concessions have to be made when shopping for a budget laptop. Walmart's Gateway Ultra Slim laptops succeeds on the affordability front and delivers serviceable specs and good battery life, though it's hard to claim it's the best (or even particularly good) at any particular aspect. Its build quality, especially the touchpad, is mediocre, and its performance is decent but doesn't lead the way. The Gateway does undercut the cost of some competitors and offers ample storage with good connectivity, so it's not to be ignored."
"The MSI Raider GE77 offers a lot of power for a lot of money. The main components consist of a Core i9-12900HX CPU, a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP, 16 GB VRAM), and 64 GB of RAM, which makes for a high overall performance level. The GeForce GPU in particular scores some of the highest scores we have seen from this chip. Both the CPU and the GPU are able to run at continuously high clock speeds. The relatively high heat and noise emissions match our expectations for this device class. With approximately 5.5 to 6.5 hours, the battery life is good for a powerful 4K laptop."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 15.6" or the MSI Raider GE77Hx
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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