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Updated January 10, 2024·
If price is a significant factor, the Gigabyte A7 is somewhat less expensive and may offer you better value for general use and some gaming. Consider the Gigabyte A7 if you prefer a larger screen and a somewhat better battery life, but it's heavier which may affect portability. The MSI Pulse GL66, on the other hand, is lighter and may be more convenient to carry around. 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
Advantages of the MSI Pulse GL66
- Good portability
- Very good keyboard
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
245.0 nits
The Gigabyte A7 has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Gigabyte A7 offers a vibrant display with good resolution and brightness, making it comfortable for various tasks like browsing and video streaming, which are common in general use. For engineering and design, its color gamut coverage ensures accurate color reproduction essential for detailed work. However, the MSI Pulse GL66, with a lower refresh rate, may not be as suitable for gaming and 3D applications, where smoother motion and quick screen updates are crucial for optimal experience.
Portability
Fair
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Pulse GL66 has good portability, while the Gigabyte A7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$940
$1,399
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Gigabyte A7 has a price of $940 and the MSI Pulse GL66 costs $1,399.
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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
245.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte A7 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte A7 stands out with a larger screen and excellent speaker quality, catering well to multimedia and general productivity tasks, while the heavier weight and lower battery life might limit mobility. Conversely, the MSI Pulse GL66, though it has a smaller screen, offers greater portability and a higher battery life, making it suitable for on-the-go usage without compromising on essential performance thanks to its capable CPU and RAM configuration.
Gaming and AI
7.3
7.2
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
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 Pulse GL66 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Gigabyte A7 and MSI Pulse GL66 are excellent for gaming and 3D due to their powerful GPUs—RTX 3060 and RTX 3070 respectively—which are crucial for high-fidelity graphics and smooth gameplay, alongside their screens that offer high refresh rates of 144Hz enabling more fluid motion during fast-paced action. While the A7 sports a larger screen and high brightness contributing to its screen quality, the GL66 leverages a more potent CPU which may offer a slight edge in CPU-intensive tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.6
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte A7 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte A7 and MSI Pulse GL66 are suitable for engineering and design due to their powerful CPUs (AMD Ryzen 7 5800H and Intel i7-11800H, respectively), ample 16GB of RAM, and robust GPUs (Nvidia RTX 3060 for the A7 and RTX 3070 for the GL66), which are crucial for intensive computing tasks and rendering. While both have quality IPS displays with decent color coverage, the A7's larger screen and higher brightness make it better for design work, though the GL66 is more portable and has a higher quality keyboard.
Content Creation
7.3
7.2
7.4/10
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 Gigabyte A7 and MSI Pulse GL66 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
7.0
7.4/10
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 Gigabyte A7 and MSI Pulse GL66 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.
Battery
4.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Pulse GL66 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.
Build Quality
7.2
7.4
The MSI Pulse GL66 and Gigabyte A7 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Gigabyte A7 and the MSI Pulse GL66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte A7 | MSI Pulse GL66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$940 | $1,399 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2022 | March 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 10.3'' x 1.19'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.58 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.59" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.31" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | 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 | 4.5 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 49 Wh | 53 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 | 245 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6/10 | 7.1/10 | |
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 | 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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
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 Pulse GL66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | April 2022
"The MSI Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A7 or the MSI Pulse GL66
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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