When choosing between the Gigabyte Aero 16 and the MSI Prestige 15, consider that the Aero 16 typically has a higher price and offers a robust performance with a higher-end graphics card suitable for intensive tasks like 3D work, machine learning, or gaming. It also has a higher resolution OLED display, which is beneficial for creative work but can draw more power, potentially reducing battery life. On the other hand, the Prestige 15 is more affordable, lighter, and thinner, making it easier to carry around. Its lower-tier graphics card still performs adequately for general use and some engineering tasks, but not as well as the Aero 16 for more graphics-intensive applications. The Prestige 15 may also have better battery endurance due to its lower resolution IPS screen, which is less demanding on power. Consider your needs for portability, specific performance requirements, and budget to determine which laptop suits you best. 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 15
Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
6.3/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
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
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 15 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 excels in gaming and 3D applications because it has a robust Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, which is significantly more powerful and better suited for such tasks than the MSI Prestige 15's Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU. While both laptops have the same refresh rate, the Gigabyte's sharper OLED screen also contributes to a better visual experience compared to the MSI's IPS display.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Prestige 15 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 16, with a more powerful Intel i7 processor, superior Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics, and a higher-resolution OLED screen, is better equipped for demanding engineering and design tasks than the MSI Prestige 15, which offers a more modest Intel i5 processor, Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics, and a standard full HD screen.
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 15 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
7.2/10
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 15 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
6.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When considering general use, the Gigabyte Aero 16's excellent resolution and brightness offer a crisp and vivid display, suitable for everyday tasks and multimedia consumption, while the MSI Prestige 15 provides a similarly pleasant experience with slightly lower brightness. For engineering and design, the Aero 16 stands out due to its wider color gamuts, ensuring more accurate color representation for professional work, but the Prestige 15 still maintains good color accuracy for such tasks. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short with their lower refresh rates, which can hinder the smoothness of fast-paced visuals that are crucial in these scenarios.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Prestige 15 and Gigabyte Aero 16 both have good portability, though the MSI Prestige 15 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,260
$1,044
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a price of $1,260 and the MSI Prestige 15 costs $1,044.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to be very good for general use, while the MSI Prestige 15 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 excels in screen quality with its large, high-resolution OLED display and superior color coverage, making it ideal for visual tasks, but it is less portable and has a shorter battery life compared to the MSI Prestige 15, which offers a more compact size, longer battery life, and sufficient performance for general use with a solid main processor and ample RAM.
Battery
7.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 15 has 7.5 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
7.8/10
7.4/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and MSI Prestige 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Gigabyte Aero 16 and the MSI Prestige 15 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 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 16 or the MSI Prestige 15
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
98,895
Recommendations made
21,428
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.