The Gigabyte Aero 16 offers higher performance especially for 3D, machine learning, and engineering tasks due to its more powerful processor and graphics card, but it comes at a higher price and is less portable. Its OLED screen is superior, providing high color accuracy and better resolution, but this results in a shorter battery life compared to the MSI Prestige 14. The MSI Prestige 14, on the other hand, is more affordable, more portable with its lighter design, and offers longer battery life. It still performs adequately for general use, but falls short for intensive graphics or engineering work due to its less powerful integrated graphics. 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
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 14
Very good portability
Good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
6.2/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 14 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is well-suited for gaming and 3D because it sports a high-performance Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card, which is significantly more powerful than the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics found in the MSI Prestige 14. Additionally, the Aero 16's OLED screen may offer better color reproduction despite both having the same screen refresh rate, further enhancing the visual experience for gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
7.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Prestige 14 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is equipped with a robust CPU and GPU combo, along with a high-resolution OLED screen, which is ideal for demanding engineering tasks and detailed design work, but these features also make the laptop less portable and likely louder under load. Conversely, the MSI Prestige 14, while still good for engineering and design due to its capable CPU and pleasant screen, offers greater portability and potentially quieter operation, but it may fall short in performance-intensive tasks due to its less powerful GPU and lower screen resolution.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for content creation, while the MSI Prestige 14 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
7.9/10
7.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and MSI Prestige 14 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 16 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
8.4/10
6.9/10
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When choosing a laptop based on screen quality, the Gigabyte Aero 16 stands out for general usage and engineering tasks due to its high resolution and brightness, ensuring crisp, vibrant images, along with wide color gamut coverage, which is crucial for color accuracy in design work. While the MSI Prestige 14 also delivers clear and bright visuals suitable for everyday tasks and has decent color reproduction for professional design, it doesn't match the Aero's range in color performance. However, for gaming and 3D work, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can lead to less fluid motion compared to screens designed specifically for these applications.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 14 has 8.5 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
Good
Very Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Prestige 14 has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,260
$1,040
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a price of $1,260 and the MSI Prestige 14 costs $1,040.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to be very good for general use, while the MSI Prestige 14 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is suited for general use because it has a high-quality OLED screen with excellent color coverage and a powerful CPU and GPU combination, which translates to smooth performance in varied tasks, but it's heavier and has shorter battery life, compromising portability. The MSI Prestige 14, while also good for general use, offers greater portability with its lighter weight and longer battery life, and it has a decent IPS screen but falls short in graphics performance due to its integrated GPU, making it less suitable for visually demanding tasks.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.4/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and MSI Prestige 14 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Gigabyte Aero 16 and the MSI Prestige 14 compare to other laptops
"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."
"The MSI Prestige 14” is excellent for productivity and business use cases, but it is not ideal for creators or visual content editors. The Prestige was able to power through days of email, spreadsheets, and text documents without breaking a sweat and was a joy to use. The additional ports were a breath of fresh air, as most laptops seem to be moving towards just Thunderbolt ports. The security options made signing in effortless, with two quick, more secure, and faster options than even the most complex alphanumeric passcode."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 16 or the MSI Prestige 14
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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