The Gigabyte A7 is a more affordable option and might suffice for general use and some gaming, but if you are looking for top-tier performance and are willing to invest more, consider the MSI GE66 Raider, as it is better suited for demanding tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, or high-end gaming, given its more advanced features, including ray tracing and DLSS. Remember, the MSI is higher priced and may be less portable due to its build, so for those concerned with budget and travel ease, the Gigabyte could be more appropriate. 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
Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GE66 Raider
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good battery life
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
318.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The MSI GE66 Raider surpasses the Gigabyte A7 in CPU and RAM, which translates to faster performance and better multitasking capabilities; it also boasts a higher-resolution screen, adding to visual clarity for general use. However, while the Raider offers a more compact and longer-lasting battery experience, the A7 provides a larger screen and very good speaker quality, but it sacrifices portability and battery life compared to the Raider.
Gaming and AI
7.3/10
8.6/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The MSI GE66 Raider offers superior performance in gaming and 3D tasks, thanks to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, despite a slightly lower screen refresh rate compared to the Gigabyte A7's Nvidia RTX 3060. The Raider also boasts higher screen quality, with greater resolution enhancing visual detail, a factor that complements its robust GPU for an immersive experience.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
9.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI GE66 Raider is excellent for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The MSI GE66 Raider is excellent for engineering and design use due to its more powerful Intel i9 processor, twice the RAM, and a significantly superior Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU, alongside a higher resolution screen for finer detail, compared to the Gigabyte A7 which has a less powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, half the RAM, Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, and lower resolution screen. However, the Raider trades off superior specs for less portability and possibly higher operating noise, which are factors the Gigabyte A7 may handle better.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte A7 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
8.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte A7 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
7.3/10
8.2/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
318.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The MSI GE66 Raider has a better screen than the Gigabyte A7 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When choosing between the Gigabyte A7 and the MSI GE66 Raider for general use, consider that the MSI, with a crisper display and better brightness, provides a more vibrant and clear viewing experience. For engineering and design tasks, both laptops offer high-fidelity colors, but the MSI's wider color gamuts offer more precision, crucial for professional color work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, despite their clear and colorful displays, both laptops lack high refresh rates, which can compromise the smoothness of fast-paced visuals and render less than optimal gaming experiences.
Battery
4.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GE66 Raider has 6 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
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI GE66 Raider and Gigabyte A7 both have only fair portability, though the MSI GE66 Raider has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The MSI GE66 Raider has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte A7 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$940
$3,199
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gigabyte A7 has a price of $940 and the MSI GE66 Raider costs $3,199.
"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."
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A7 or the MSI GE66 Raider
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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