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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024· Prices updated 24 hours ago
The MSI GP66 Leopard offers better graphics performance with its Nvidia RTX 3080, making it more suitable for demanding gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks compared to the Gigabyte A7 which has an RTX 3060. It also is slightly lighter and has a smaller footprint, which enhances portability. In contrast, the Gigabyte A7 has a larger 17.3-inch screen, which may be more enjoyable for multimedia but compromises on portability due to its increased size and weight. The MSI has an Intel CPU whereas the Gigabyte comes with an AMD CPU; user preferences and specific application optimizations may make one more favorable than the other. Additionally, the Gigabyte A7 is labeled as often somewhat less expensive than the MSI GP66 Leopard, which means you may opt for the Gigabyte if you are on a tighter budget. 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 GP66 Leopard
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.3
7.5
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
318.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The MSI GP66 Leopard has a better screen than the Gigabyte A7 for content creation.
While both the Gigabyte A7 and MSI GP66 Leopard offer satisfactory panels with decent resolution and brightness for everyday tasks like browsing and watching videos, making them suitable for general use, their screens fall short for gaming due to lower refresh rates, which could result in less fluid visuals. For engineering and design, where color accuracy is key, their color gamut coverage is adequate, but not top-of-the-line, which could be a limitation for professionals needing the utmost color precision. Lastly, for 3D applications and gaming, the Gigabyte A7 and MSI GP66 Leopard might not provide the smoothest experience, as their limited refresh rates can't deliver the higher fluidity often preferred in these scenarios.
Portability
Fair
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Gigabyte A7 both have only fair portability, though the MSI GP66 Leopard has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
8.0
The MSI GP66 Leopard 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
$1,400
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Gigabyte A7 has a price of $940 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
318.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Gigabyte A7 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte A7 and MSI GP66 Leopard are good for general use because they both offer robust CPUs, ample RAM, and quality IPS displays, which are crucial for multitasking and clear visuals. However, the A7 is bulkier and has a shorter battery life than the GP66 Leopard, which is lighter and more portable, but both are not the highest performers in portability or battery life.
Gaming and AI
7.3
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 A7 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
7.9
7.4/10
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 A7 are both good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte A7 suits engineering and design use with its solid CPU and GPU performance, paired with ample screen real estate for multitasking, while the MSI GP66 Leopard offers a high-end GPU for demanding tasks, though with a slightly more compact screen size. Both laptops provide plenty of memory and high-quality screens; however, if portability and superior keyboard quality are considerations, the lighter MSI GP66 Leopard has the upper hand, despite the Gigabyte A7's larger display that might be preferred for detailed work.
Content Creation
7.3
7.4
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 MSI GP66 Leopard 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
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 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.
Battery
4.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 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.
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How the Gigabyte A7 and the MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte A7 | MSI GP66 Leopard |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$940 | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2022 | May 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 10.3'' x 1.19'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.58 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.59" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.31" | 10.51" | |
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 | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 49 Wh | 65 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 | 362 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6/10 | 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 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 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 A7 or the MSI GP66 Leopard
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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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