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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Gigabyte A7 offers a larger screen and a number pad, making it more suitable for users who prefer a spacious display and convenient data entry. However, it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, which means it's less portable than the MSI Cyborg 15. The Cyborg 15 has a better battery life and is lighter, which makes it easier to carry around, but has less RAM as default, potentially impacting multitasking and high-end tasks. If gaming is a priority, the Cyborg's newer graphics card gives it an edge. For general use and portability, the MSI Cyborg 15 may be the better option, whereas for gaming and more demanding tasks, the Gigabyte A7 could be preferable, despite its reduced portability and battery life. 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 A7
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.3
6.8
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
318.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The Gigabyte A7 has a better screen than the MSI Cyborg 15 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has a better screen for content creation.
The Gigabyte A7 likely has a higher resolution and superior panel type with better brightness, making it more suitable for everyday tasks where reading text and viewing images are essential, which benefits general use, and its accurate color representation serves well for engineering and design work. However, its lower refresh rate may not be ideal for gaming and 3D applications, where smooth motion is critical. In contrast, the MSI Cyborg 15 provides a balanced experience with moderate screen attributes across the board, but it does not specialize in any particular area, leading to a fair but not exceptional display quality for both everyday and professional tasks, and similarly lackluster performance for gaming and 3D purposes due to its refresh rate limitations.
Battery
4.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 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
Fair
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Cyborg 15 has good portability, while the Gigabyte A7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.3
7.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
318.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 and Gigabyte A7 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte A7 stands out in general use with a larger screen and higher RAM, which contributes to smooth multitasking and a spacious view for productivity and entertainment. Meanwhile, the MSI Cyborg 15 offers better portability and battery life, making it a solid choice for on-the-go usage while still providing a powerful CPU and latest GPU for reliable performance.
Gaming and AI
7.3
7.2
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte A7 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for gaming and AI.
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
7.6
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte A7 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte A7 with a strong AMD processor, more RAM, and a robust Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, is well-suited for engineering and design tasks that demand computational power and graphics performance, plus it has a larger, quality screen which is crucial for detailed work. In comparison, the MSI Cyborg 15 has an Intel processor and a newer generation Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU which could offer similar performance but has less RAM; however, it is more portable and has a higher-quality keyboard, making it a good choice for on-the-go professionals who still require solid performance for engineering and design work.
Content Creation
7.3
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Cyborg 15 and Gigabyte A7 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
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 and Gigabyte A7 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.
Build Quality
7.2
6.7
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte A7 to have good build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$940
$924
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Gigabyte A7 has a price of $940 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $924.
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How the Gigabyte A7 and the MSI Cyborg 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte A7 | MSI Cyborg 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$940 | $924 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2022 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 10.3'' x 1.19'' | 14.2'' x 9.9'' x 0.9'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.58 lbs | 4.37 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.59" | 14.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.31" | 9.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i7-12650H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4.5 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 49 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 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 | 318 nits | 234 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6/10 | 7.3/10 | |
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 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Gigabyte A7
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mike Wobker | October 2021
"In terms of looks, the Gigabyte A7 X1 is certainly not a trendy, slim, and ultra-mobile gaming laptop. But it does what it's supposed to do, namely bringing games smoothly onto the screen, very well. Both the processor and the GeForce RTX 3070 are able to unleash their performance without restrictions thanks to the well-ventilated case. The Gigabyte A7 X1 brings modern games smoothly onto the screen and offers excellent maintenance options."
MSI Cyborg 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | April 2023
"The focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A7 or the MSI Cyborg 15
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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