If you prioritize a high-resolution display, a faster refresh rate for smooth visuals, and a longer-lasting battery, then the MSI Raider GE77Hx is a superior choice. However, it comes with a higher price and more weight, making it less portable. On the other hand, the Gigabyte A7 costs less and is slightly more portable but offers a lower resolution screen and shorter battery life. Both have a 17.3-inch display, ample storage, and are equipped with a numeric keypad and backlit keyboards, catering to gaming and ensuring comfortable general use. The MSI is well-suited for demanding engineering tasks and intense gaming due to its higher performance components, whereas the Gigabyte A7, while capable, is less powerful in comparison. 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 Raider GE77Hx
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
318.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The Gigabyte A7, with its reasonable portability and fair battery life, offers a good balance for general use, supported by a capable processor and decent screen quality. The MSI Raider GE77Hx, although less portable and with only a moderately better battery life, is considered very good for general use due to a superior processor, higher screen resolution, and excellent keyboard quality, making it more suitable for intensive tasks albeit at a higher price point.
Gaming and AI
7.3/10
8.7/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The MSI Raider GE77Hx offers superior gaming and 3D performance with its Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, compared to the Gigabyte A7's Nvidia RTX 3060 and 144Hz screen. While both have IPS screens for quality visuals, the MSI further edges out with a higher resolution display, contributing to crisper images.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.8/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE77Hx 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
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx and Gigabyte A7 are both good for software development, though the MSI Raider GE77Hx is somewhat better.
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
8.4/10
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
318.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE77Hx has a better screen than the Gigabyte A7 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gigabyte A7 offers a good balance of resolution and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and detailed engineering work, but falls short for gaming due to its lower refresh rate which is crucial for smooth visuals in fast-paced scenes. The MSI Raider GE77Hx, with its higher resolution and bright display, provides crisp and vibrant images that benefit both daily users and professionals in engineering and design, thanks to its wider color gamut coverage. However, despite its superior panel specifications for regular use and color-sensitive tasks, the lower refresh rate of the MSI Raider GE77Hx limits its appeal to gamers and creators working with 3D applications where fluid motion is key.
Battery
4.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE77Hx has 5.5 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.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx 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
$2,140
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Gigabyte A7 has a price of $940 and the MSI Raider GE77Hx costs $2,140.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte A7 to have only fair portability, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Gigabyte A7 and the MSI Raider GE77Hx compare to other laptops
"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 GE77 offers a lot of power for a lot of money. The main components consist of a Core i9-12900HX CPU, a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP, 16 GB VRAM), and 64 GB of RAM, which makes for a high overall performance level. The GeForce GPU in particular scores some of the highest scores we have seen from this chip. Both the CPU and the GPU are able to run at continuously high clock speeds. The relatively high heat and noise emissions match our expectations for this device class. With approximately 5.5 to 6.5 hours, the battery life is good for a powerful 4K laptop."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A7 or the MSI Raider GE77Hx
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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