The Gigabyte A7 is more affordable and offers reasonable performance for general use and gaming with a mid-range price and less expense overall. Opt for the MSI if top-tier performance and a higher resolution screen are priorities and budget is less of a concern; choose the Gigabyte A7 for more casual use or gaming where price is a more significant factor. 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 GS77.
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS77
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good battery life
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
318.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth GS77 is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The MSI Stealth GS77 offers superior general use performance over the Gigabyte A7 due to a more powerful CPU, double the RAM and storage, a higher-resolution screen with better color coverage, and a significantly longer battery life. Despite these advantages, it is also less portable due to being slightly heavier, with additional consideration to the higher price tag that accompanies its enhanced features.
Gaming and AI
7.3/10
7.9/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS77 and Gigabyte A7 are both good for gaming and AI, though the MSI Stealth GS77 is somewhat better.
The MSI Stealth GS77 offers a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, which contributes to its very good performance in gaming and 3D tasks, compared to the Gigabyte A7 which comes equipped with a Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a 144Hz refresh rate, rendering it merely good for the same tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS77 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The MSI Stealth GS77, with a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a superior GPU compared to the Gigabyte A7, offers a robust performance advantage for engineering and design tasks. Additionally, the Stealth GS77 has a higher resolution and better color coverage on its screen, which is ideal for detail-oriented design work, despite being less portable and potentially noisier under load.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth GS77 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
8.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS77 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
8.3/10
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
318.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The MSI Stealth GS77 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A7 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both laptops have panels that offer clear, sharp images and sufficient brightness to handle most tasks comfortably, but the MSI Stealth GS77's slight edge in resolution can make text and images look even crisper. In engineering and design, the MSI Stealth GS77 likely provides wider color gamuts, ensuring more accurate color representation which is crucial for professional graphic work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where refresh rates are paramount for smooth visuals, both laptops fall short as their screens do not prioritize high refresh rates which are needed for these activities.
Battery
4.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS77 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.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth GS77 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
$2,499
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gigabyte A7 has a price of $940 and the MSI Stealth GS77 costs $2,499.
"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 GS77 is better than the GS76... mostly. The GS77 is a few steps forward and a few steps back from the GS76. Improvements are numerous including the stronger and more rigid skeleton, higher resolution webcam, larger clickpad, easier serviceability, relatively similar battery runtimes, newer display options, and higher performance at about the same TDP and TGP levels as before. CPU performance is better than expected even when compared to other laptops with Core i7 or Core i9 processors. The newer model feels more substantial than the outgoing one for higher quality impressions as well."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte A7 or the MSI Stealth GS77
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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