The Gigabyte Aero 17 offers good value for its upper midrange price compared to the more expensive MSI Stealth 17, with both laptops having large 17-inch screens and similar storage capacity. For high-performance tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering applications, the MSI packs more power with a superior CPU and GPU, but this comes at a higher cost and is less portable due to its slightly increased weight. The Aero has a higher resolution mini LED display, which is superior for color-sensitive work, although the Stealth's display offers a higher refresh rate for smoother visuals. Both laptops are suitable for intensive gaming, but the Stealth edges out with better overall performance, whereas the Aero is a more cost-effective option with a very high-quality display. 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
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
8.7/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and Gigabyte Aero 17 are both very good for general use, though the MSI Stealth 17 is somewhat better.
The MSI Stealth 17 is favored over the Gigabyte Aero 17 for general use because it has a more powerful processor and a significantly larger amount of RAM, enhancing multitasking and complex tasks handling. While both laptops offer high-quality screens and similar battery life, the Aero 17 is lighter, which may appeal to those prioritizing portability, but the Stealth 17's superior keyboard comfort and speaker quality provide a more pleasant overall user experience.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
9.1/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 17's strong performance is attributed to its Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card, alongside a Mini LED display panel, though it has a screen refresh rate of 120Hz which is good for gaming but lower than some premium gaming laptops.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
9.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good.
The MSI Stealth 17 offers a more powerful CPU and GPU combination than the Gigabyte Aero 17, which contributes to its excellence in demanding engineering and design tasks that require substantial processing and graphics capabilities. Additionally, the Stealth 17 comes with a significantly higher amount of RAM, which further bolsters its performance for complex projects, while the Aero 17, despite its quality display and components, has less RAM and a less powerful CPU and GPU, which makes it relatively less suited for the most intensive tasks.
Software Development
7.9/10
8.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 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
9.2/10
8.6/10
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 17 for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 stands out for general use and engineering/design users due to its superior panel that offers vivid colors and sharp resolution, alongside eye-catching brightness that ensures clarity under various lighting conditions; its comprehensive coverage of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB makes it ideal for tasks that demand a wide range of accurate colors. The MSI Stealth 17 also boasts a high-quality display with great resolution and brightness for general use and sufficient color range for professional design work, but neither laptop excels in gaming and 3D environments because they lack the high refresh rate that's crucial for a smooth visual experience in fast-paced scenes. Both laptops cater well to users prioritizing image quality and color accuracy, but gamers and 3D developers may find the slower refresh rates limiting for their particular needs.
Cost
$2,071
$3,899
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a price of $2,071 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
The MSI Stealth 17 and Gigabyte Aero 17 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.
Battery
5.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 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
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and MSI Stealth 17 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.0/10
7.8/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 17 to have very good build quality, while the MSI Stealth 17 has 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 17 and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
"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 MSI Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 17 or the MSI Stealth 17
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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