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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Gigabyte Aero 16 offers a high-resolution OLED display which is excellent for color work, but has a lower refresh rate, making it less suited for fast-paced gaming compared to the MSI GE66 Raider. Gigabyte's laptop is also less expensive, lighter, and has a larger screen, which may appeal to those seeking portability and value for money. On the other hand, the MSI GE66 Raider features a more powerful processor and graphics card, with more RAM, enhancing performance for demanding tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and intensive gaming, but it comes at a higher price and has a slightly heavier build. 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 Aero 16
- Good portability
Advantages of the MSI GE66 Raider
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8
8.6
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 is good.
The MSI GE66 Raider, with a higher-tier RTX 3080 Ti GPU and a faster 120Hz screen refresh rate, offers superior gaming and 3D performance compared to the Gigabyte Aero 16, which has an RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a lower 60Hz refresh rate. While the Aero 16's OLED screen provides excellent quality and color accuracy, the Raider's advantage in GPU and refresh rate is more critical for gaming and 3D applications.
Screen Quality
8.4
8.2
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen than the MSI GE66 Raider for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI GE66 Raider has a better screen for gaming and AI, and content creation.
For general use, the Aero 16's display excels with sharp images and vivid colors due to its high resolution and brightness, making it comfortable for everyday tasks. Engineering and design professionals will appreciate the Aero 16's wide color gamuts, offering accurate color reproduction crucial for their work. However, gamers and 3D designers might find the Aero 16 lacking due to its lower refresh rate, which results in less fluid motion compared to the MSI GE66 Raider that could offer smoother experiences even with its moderate resolution and panel quality.
Build Quality
7.8
8.5
The MSI GE66 Raider has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,260
$3,199
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a price of $1,260 and the MSI GE66 Raider costs $3,199.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.0
8.4
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI GE66 Raider and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both very good for general use.
The Gigabyte Aero 16, with its high-resolution OLED screen, is well-suited for general use, offering vibrant colors and crisp visuals, although it has less RAM than the MSI GE66 Raider, which may provide snappier multitasking performance with its more robust processor and RAM combination. While both laptops have similar battery capacity and portability, the MSI GE66 with its excellent keyboard and superior heat management system might be a more comfortable choice for extended use, despite a slightly lower battery life expectancy in comparison.
Engineering and Design
8.6
9.1
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI GE66 Raider to be excellent for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good.
The MSI GE66 Raider boasts a more powerful CPU and double the RAM of the Gigabyte Aero 16, along with a superior GPU, which is crucial for demanding engineering tasks and design work requiring high processing power and graphics performance. Despite the Aero 16's excellence with its ample storage, high screen quality with an OLED display, and color accuracy, the Raider's higher-end specs make it exceptionally well-suited for intensive computational tasks and running complex simulations often encountered in engineering and design fields.
Content Creation
8.2
8.4
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GE66 Raider and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both very 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
7.9
8.4
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI GE66 Raider to be very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 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.
Battery
7.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI GE66 Raider 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to have good portability, while the MSI GE66 Raider has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gigabyte Aero 16 and the MSI GE66 Raider compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte Aero 16 | MSI GE66 Raider |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,260 | $3,199 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.88'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.07 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.78" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12700H | Intel i9-12900HK | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 2048 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 3840 x 2160 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 368 nits | 347 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.1/10 | 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 | 6.8/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Gigabyte Aero 16
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Isaac Rouse | May 2022
"The Gigabyte Aero 16 is a workstation laptop for light gaming. It's design is still muted, with a silver chassis alongside a black keyboard and trackpad that provides some contrast. The Gigabyte Aero’s full-size chiclet-style keyboard is enjoyable to type on thanks to its snappy feel and responsiveness. The 4K+ AMOLED display is good, but it could be better. It doesn’t handle true black very well and suffers from strong reflections and glare. The Gigabyte Aero excels at productivity performance and can keep up with other gaming laptops in 1080p. But it has very few ports and its refresh rate leaves a bit to be desired."
MSI GE66 Raider
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Patrick Schüdzig | June 2022
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 16 or the MSI GE66 Raider
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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