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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 12, 2024·
The Gigabyte Aero 5 offers a good balance at a midrange price, with solid performance for general use and engineering tasks thanks to its Intel i7 processor and RTX 3070 Ti graphics. It boasts a high-resolution OLED screen which is excellent for visual work but its refresh rate is lower, making it less ideal for fast-paced gaming. On the other hand, the MSI GE66 Raider, while significantly more expensive, provides top-tier performance with its Intel i9 processor and RTX 3080 Ti graphics, making it better suited for intensive gaming, 3D work, and machine learning tasks. The Raider also has a higher refresh rate display suitable for fast-paced games, but it's slightly heavier which might affect portability. Consider the Aero 5 for a more wallet-friendly option with considerable capabilities but pick the Raider if your work or gaming needs demand the highest performance, and you're okay with a heftier price and less portability. 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 5
- The Gigabyte Aero 5 has no clear advantages over the MSI GE66 Raider.
Advantages of the MSI GE66 Raider
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.9
8.6
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 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.
Screen Quality
8.6
8.2
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
446.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a better screen than the MSI GE66 Raider for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI GE66 Raider has a better screen for content creation.
The Gigabyte Aero 5's impressive resolution and brightness make it ideal for daily tasks and viewing details clearly, while its wide color gamut support enhances the accuracy for engineering and design work. The MSI GE66 Raider, with similar panel quality and high brightness, ensures sharp and vivid images for general use and precision in creative tasks, but lacks the color range of the Aero 5. However, neither of these laptops excel in gaming and 3D applications due to their lower refresh rates, which are crucial for the smooth visual experience demanded by these fields.
Build Quality
7.8
8.5
The MSI GE66 Raider has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,250
$3,199
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a price of $1,250 and the MSI GE66 Raider costs $3,199.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
8.4
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
446.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI GE66 Raider to be very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 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.
Engineering and Design
8.7
9.1
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI GE66 Raider to be excellent for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 is very good.
The MSI GE66 Raider is considered excellent for engineering and design tasks because it has more RAM and a higher-tier CPU and GPU compared to the Gigabyte Aero 5, which provides very good performance for similar applications due to its quality OLED screen and capable hardware but has less RAM and a slightly lower-tier CPU and GPU. While both laptops have high-resolution displays that complement engineering and design work, the GE66 Raider also offers a higher screen refresh rate, which can be beneficial for certain tasks, keeping in mind that it is slightly heavier and may be less portable as a result.
Content Creation
8.2
8.4
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GE66 Raider and Gigabyte Aero 5 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.
Software Development
7.9
8.4
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI GE66 Raider to be very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 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.
Battery
7.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI GE66 Raider has 6 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
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI GE66 Raider and Gigabyte Aero 5 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gigabyte Aero 5 and the MSI GE66 Raider compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte Aero 5 | MSI GE66 Raider |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,250 | $3,199 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10'' x 1.08'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.07 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12700H | Intel i9-12900HK | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2160 | 3840 x 2160 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 446 nits | 347 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.7/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Gigabyte Aero 5
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Dig into reviews and images
The Tech Revolutionist
Zhi Cheng | May 2022
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
MSI GE66 Raider
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Patrick Schüdzig | June 2022
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 5 or the MSI GE66 Raider
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.
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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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