The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers a larger and higher-resolution Mini LED display, superior battery capacity, and more powerful processing and graphics, making it well-suited for intensive engineering tasks, 3D rendering, and gaming but is less portable due to its size and weight. In contrast, the MSI Cyborg 15 is more affordable, lighter, and offers longer battery life for typical usage, and boasts a high refresh rate IPS display, which is adequate for gaming and general use but with less firepower for demanding tasks. Choose the Aero if top performance is essential and budget permits; opt for the Cyborg for better portability and value. 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 17
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
Good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
7.3/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for general use, while the MSI Cyborg 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
7.2/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for gaming and AI, though the Gigabyte Aero 17 is somewhat better.
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
8.8/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Cyborg 15 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 stands out for engineering and design due to its higher RAM capacity, more powerful GPU, and superior screen quality, including a Mini LED display with higher resolution and color accuracy, all of which are critical for demanding software and detailed visuals needed in such fields. While the MSI Cyborg 15 has a lighter build which increases portability and has good performance features for engineering tasks, its smaller RAM, less robust GPU, and standard IPS display with lower resolution make it less optimal for intensive design work compared to the Aero 17.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for content creation, while the MSI Cyborg 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
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 17 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
9.2/10
6.8/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a better screen than the MSI Cyborg 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers a higher resolution and superior brightness, which enhances visuals for everyday activities and detail-oriented tasks like engineering and design, alongside a broader color spectrum supporting professional color work. However, the MSI Cyborg 15 provides an adequate display for daily tasks and creative work but lacks the higher quality needed for such precision. For gaming and 3D applications, both fall short due to limited refresh rates which are crucial for smooth motion rendering and fast-paced visuals.
Battery
5.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 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.
Portability
Fair
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Cyborg 15 has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.0/10
6.7/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has very good build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,071
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a price of $2,071 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $1,100.
"Not only is the Aero 17 a very good laptop for gamers but also for content creators. With the upgrade to the Intel Core i9-11980HK, Gigabyte particularly improved the system performance. In addition, the hardware package is rounded by the extremely fast SSD and 32 GB of working memory in dual-channel mode. Compared to the predecessor, the battery life is reduced only moderately, and the 4K display also basically keeps its good qualities."
"The focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 17 or the MSI Cyborg 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.
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