Choosing between the Gigabyte Aero 16 and the MSI Raider GE78 primarily depends on your budget and intended usage. The Aero 16 tends to be more affordable while the Raider GE78, though more costly, offers a higher-end processor and graphics card, making it better suited for intensive activities such as 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming. The Raider GE78 also has a larger screen, more RAM, and higher performance scores in these areas, but is heavier and comes with a bulkier power brick, making it less portable than the Aero 16. The Aero 16 has an OLED display which provides vibrant colors and deep blacks, while the Raider GE78 has an IPS display with a much higher refresh rate, beneficial for fast-moving visuals in gaming. If portability and cost are vital to you, with a focus on general use and good screen quality for creative tasks, the Aero 16 might serve your needs well. However, if peak performance, larger screen, and high refresh rates are priorities, and you're willing to invest more, the Raider GE78 would be more suitable, especially for gaming and professional engineering applications. 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 Raider GE78
Excellent for engineering and design
Best in class for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.0/10
8.7/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
7.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both very good for general use, though the MSI Raider GE78 is somewhat better.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 offers a lightweight and more portable design with a high-resolution OLED screen, making it well-suited for general use with good battery life, though its performance is slightly behind due to a less powerful CPU and less RAM compared to the MSI Raider GE78, which provides superior performance with a top-tier CPU and double the RAM, a larger screen, and better overall build quality at the expense of portability and battery life.
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
9.5/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is best in class for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 is good.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
9.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE78 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good.
The Gigabyte Aero 16, with its high-quality OLED screen and solid performance components like the Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics, is very good for engineering and design due to its balance between visual clarity and processing power. The MSI Raider GE78, however, steps up as excellent for these tasks with its more powerful Intel i9 processor, top-tier Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics, and double the RAM, which greatly enhances multitasking and complex computational abilities, despite being less portable.
Content Creation
8.2/10
8.8/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE78 and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both very good for content creation, though the MSI Raider GE78 is somewhat better.
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
8.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is 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.
Screen Quality
8.4/10
8.6/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen than the MSI Raider GE78 for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI Raider GE78 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
Consider choosing the Gigabyte Aero 16 if you prioritize a vibrant display for tasks like photo editing or CAD work due to its wide color gamut coverage, which ensures more accurate colors. However, if you engage in regular computer activities that don't require color precision, both laptops will serve you well, offering clear and bright displays. For gaming or 3D work, neither is ideal because their screens don't offer high refresh rates, which is crucial for smooth motion and a better visual experience in fast-paced scenarios.
Portability
Good
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has good portability, while the MSI Raider GE78 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 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
$4,386
$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 Raider GE78 costs $4,386.
"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."
"Performance-wise, the GE78 offers a significant boost over the GE77 for just slightly higher power consumption. You'll have to get the RTX 4080 or 4090 configurations to see the performance advantages, however, as the RTX 4070 is closer in performance to the older RTX 3080 Ti. In terms of design, some users might prefer the 16:9 minimalistic look of the older GE77 over the 16:10 retro-inspired GE78 and vice versa. We wouldn't call one better than the other in terms of aesthetics, but we'll give the edge to the GE78 for its stronger hinges and larger keys and clickpad."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 16 or the MSI Raider GE78
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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