The Gigabyte A7 offers a lower price and might be more suitable for gaming with its larger screen and dedicated number pad, while the MSI Stealth GS66, although more expensive, provides better portability and a premium build. The Stealth GS66 also has a higher refresh rate display which benefits fast-paced gaming and a more powerful GPU which is favorable for demanding 3D tasks, machine learning, or high-end gaming. It additionally offers a better battery life, which could be crucial for extended use away from a power source. On the other hand, the A7 might give you a bit less performance but could still be an adequate choice for general use, engineering software, and occasional gaming, notably if budget is a significant concern. 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
The Gigabyte A7 has no clear advantages over the MSI Stealth GS66.
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS66
Very good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS66 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The Gigabyte A7 offers a capable AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and an RTX 3060 GPU, which are suitable for engineering and design tasks; however, its larger size and heavier weight make it less portable than the MSI Stealth GS66, which pairs a more robust Intel i7 CPU with an RTX 3070 Ti GPU for even better performance in demanding applications.
Screen Quality
7.3/10
8.1/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
318.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The MSI Stealth GS66 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A7 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When considering the Gigabyte A7 and the MSI Stealth GS66 for general use, the quality of their displays, which includes a sharp resolution and adequate brightness, ensures a pleasant viewing experience for daily tasks and media consumption. For engineering and design, both laptops deliver with broad color coverage, vital for accurate color work but fall behind in gaming and 3D applications due to their lower refresh rates, which are less conducive to the high frame rates needed for fast-paced visuals and smoother motion rendering. Despite having good resolution and panel types, without the higher refresh rates, they are less suitable for competitive gaming or professional 3D work where fluidity is key.
Battery
4.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 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.
Portability
Fair
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth GS66 has good portability, while the Gigabyte A7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 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.
The MSI Stealth GS66 and Gigabyte A7 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte A7 offers a decent CPU and ample RAM, paired with a large screen that provides good color accuracy, making it comfortable for both work and entertainment, yet it is relatively heavier and has a shorter battery life. In contrast, the MSI Stealth GS66 also delivers strong performance with its processor and memory, boasts a high-quality screen with superior color coverage and refresh rate, and has a more portable design with longer battery life, but it may come at a higher cost.
Gaming and AI
7.3/10
7.8/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 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.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth GS66 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
7.0/10
7.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 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.
Cost
$940
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Gigabyte A7 has a price of $940 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,000.
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How the Gigabyte A7 and the MSI Stealth GS66 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 Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A7 or the MSI Stealth GS66
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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