If price is a major concern and you need a laptop for everyday tasks with some gaming, the Gigabyte A5 offers a more budget-friendly option. However, for demanding tasks like engineering, heavy 3D rendering, machine learning, or high-end gaming, the MSI Titan would deliver superior performance at a higher cost. Keep in mind the MSI Titan's larger size and weight reduce its portability, and it may also have a shorter battery life compared to the Gigabyte A5, which is easier to carry around but doesn't quite match the Titan's power. 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
Advantages of the MSI Titan 18 HX
Very good for general use
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Gigabyte A5 offers a decent balance of CPU power and RAM, making it capable for day-to-day tasks, with a quality screen and satisfactory battery life that suits general use while remaining fairly portable. In contrast, the MSI Titan 18 HX delivers superior performance for more demanding applications due to its higher-end CPU and larger RAM, with a top-tier screen, but it is less portable and has a shorter battery life, which might not suit those on the move.
Gaming and AI
7.1/10
9.4/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Gigabyte A5 has a solid GPU and high screen refresh rate making it suitable for gaming and 3D applications, providing smooth visuals and responsive gameplay. The MSI Titan 18 HX, on the other hand, includes a more advanced GPU and even higher refresh rate, delivering top-tier performance and exceptionally fluid graphics for the most demanding games and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
9.9/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
The MSI Titan 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
The Gigabyte A5 has solid CPU, RAM, and GPU capabilities suitable for engineering tasks, but the MSI Titan 18 HX, with its superior screen quality and top-tier performance components, excels in demanding design applications. While the A5 is more portable, the Titan 18 HX, despite being less so, offers a better keyboard and quieter operation, making it a preferable workstation for extensive design work.
Content Creation
7.3/10
9.0/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Gigabyte A5 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
7.0/10
8.9/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
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
7.2/10
9.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
18.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The MSI Titan 18 HX has a better screen than the Gigabyte A5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Gigabyte A5 offers a decent combination of resolution and brightness, providing a clear and vibrant display, but the MSI Titan 18 HX surpasses it with a superior panel that delivers sharper images and more luminosity, enhancing everyday tasks like browsing and watching videos. When it comes to engineering and design, the MSI Titan 18 HX again stands out with a wider color gamut, which ensures more accurate color representation crucial for professional work, whereas the Gigabyte A5, although adequate, doesn't quite match up. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D tasks as their screens don't have the high refresh rates preferred for smooth motion rendering, despite having satisfactory resolution and panel types.
Battery
6.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A5 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Titan 18 HX has 4 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
18.0in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Gigabyte A5 has good portability, while the MSI Titan 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX 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
$4,800
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gigabyte A5 has a price of $830 and the MSI Titan 18 HX costs $4,800.
"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."
"With no new Nvidia GPU this year for laptops, MSI had to refresh everything surrounding the graphics card to make up for it. Users are getting a new 18-inch chassis design, new 14th gen Intel HX CPU, new AC adapter, larger keys, and a new 120 Hz HDR1000 mini-LED 4K display to accompany the high price tag. Most of these changes are a step up from last year's GT77, but users are ultimately getting the same gaming performance out of both models."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A5 or the MSI Titan 18 HX
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.
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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