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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Gigabyte A5 offers a lower price and better battery life, making it suitable for those on a tighter budget and in need of longer unplugged usage. Conversely, the MSI GP66 Leopard touts a more powerful graphics card, leading to higher performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming. Its higher screen brightness and more robust build also give it an edge for those priorities. However, this comes at the cost of being heavier, more expensive, and having shorter battery life, which might matter if portability and budget are concerns. Both have similar screen sizes and resolution, and neither supports touchscreen. 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 Gigabyte A5
- Good portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.1
7.8
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Gigabyte A5 are both good for gaming and AI, though the MSI GP66 Leopard is somewhat better.
The Gigabyte A5 is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a screen refresh rate of 144Hz, which are essential for gaming and 3D tasks; however, the MSI GP66 Leopard offers a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU with the same refresh rate, providing potentially superior graphics performance for the most demanding games and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.3
7.9
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Gigabyte A5 are both good for engineering and design, though the MSI GP66 Leopard is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
7.2
7.5
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The MSI GP66 Leopard has a better screen than the Gigabyte A5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
High-resolution panels with good brightness contribute to the Gigabyte A5 and MSI GP66 Leopard's suitability for general use by offering clear and vibrant displays. For engineering and design, while these laptops have good screen resolution and brightness, their color gamut coverage may not be as high as needed for the most accurate color work. However, for gaming and 3D tasks that benefit from smoother motion and rapid action, the lower refresh rates of these models make them less ideal compared to laptops designed with faster screens.
Battery
6.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A5 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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.
Build Quality
7.2
8.0
The MSI GP66 Leopard has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte A5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$830
$1,400
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Gigabyte A5 has a price of $830 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.3
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Gigabyte A5 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte A5's AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU make it suitable for general use due to its good balance of performance and screen quality, with reasonable portability and battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard, with a more powerful Intel i7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, offers excellent performance suitable for general use as well, but with slightly less emphasis on portability due to its heavier weight.
Content Creation
7.3
7.4
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Gigabyte A5 are both 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
7.0
7.2
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Gigabyte A5 are both 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte A5 to have good portability, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gigabyte A5 and the MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte A5 | MSI GP66 Leopard |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2022 | May 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.2'' x 1'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.68 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.21" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.15" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600H | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 49 Wh | 65 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 362 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Gigabyte A5
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | September 2022
"Ignoring price, the Gigabyte A5 has a hard time against the similarly fast competition. Besides the loud noise in 3D mode (performance mode), the high temperature development of the components should be mentioned on the downside. Despite the relatively thick case, the laptop gets very warm and loud under load, which does not exactly speak for the cooling system. The plastic surfaces look rather cheap and also tend to rattle. In most other disciplines - be it the input devices, the screen, the connectivity or the battery runtime - the Gigabyte laptop does not stand out from the crowd, neither positively nor negatively. However, those who primarily pay attention to the price-performance ratio will get a pretty good offer with the Gigabyte A5."
MSI GP66 Leopard
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | December 2021
"The MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A5 or the MSI GP66 Leopard
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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