The Gigabyte Aorus 15 comes at an upper midrange price and is a premium business laptop with a gaming appearance, last updated in mid 2022. Meanwhile, the MSI GE66 Raider, a similar premium business and gaming laptop, sits at a high-end price point and was last updated in early 2022. If you're looking for a more affordable option without compromising on a business look and gaming capabilities, the Gigabyte Aorus 15 could be suitable, but keep in mind the MSI GE66 Raider might offer more high-end features justifying its higher cost. Consider what aspects, like performance for gaming or professional work, are most important to you and whether they align with the price you're willing to pay. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 15
Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GE66 Raider
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good overall build quality
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
8.6/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI GE66 Raider and Gigabyte Aorus 15 are both very good for gaming and AI, though the MSI GE66 Raider is somewhat better.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15, with its Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and high screen refresh rate of 165 Hz, offers a compelling gaming and 3D experience, while the MSI GE66 Raider steps it up further with an even more potent Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU but has a slightly lower refresh rate of 120 Hz. Given these specs, the Aorus 15 might appeal to gamers seeking smoother visuals at very high frame rates, whereas the Raider, with its superior GPU, excels in delivering top-tier graphical performance for the most demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
9.1/10
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
The MSI GE66 Raider is excellent for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 is very good.
The MSI GE66 Raider surpasses the Gigabyte Aorus 15, offering a more robust CPU and double the RAM, coupled with a higher-tier GPU, resulting in superior performance for demanding engineering tasks. Additionally, the Raider boasts a 4K screen for improved display clarity, though both enjoy similar battery life and portability, with considerations for their hefty builds and powerful internals that affect portability and operating noise.
Software Development
7.6/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 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
8.0/10
8.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
316.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The MSI GE66 Raider has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 15 for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
Screen quality for general use on both the Gigabyte Aorus 15 and MSI GE66 Raider is well-regarded due to their high resolutions and bright displays, ensuring crisp, clear images and good visibility in various lighting conditions. For engineering and design, both laptops offer displays with wide color gamuts, providing accuracy and a broad spectrum of colors, essential for detailed and color-sensitive work. However, their screen quality is rated lower for gaming and 3D because they lack high refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth motion and responsiveness in fast-paced environments.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The MSI GE66 Raider has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,500
$3,199
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 has a price of $1,500 and the MSI GE66 Raider costs $3,199.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI GE66 Raider to be very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 is good.
The MSI GE66 Raider offers superior general use performance over the Gigabyte Aorus 15, thanks to a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, which translates into smoother multitasking and faster handling of complex tasks. While both laptops have high-quality screens and similar battery life, the Raider's screen boasts a higher resolution, although it carries a higher weight, potentially making the Aorus 15 more suitable for those prioritizing portability.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GE66 Raider and Gigabyte Aorus 15 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
6.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 has 6 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
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI GE66 Raider and Gigabyte Aorus 15 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gigabyte Aorus 15 and the MSI GE66 Raider compare to other laptops
"The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is a power-hungry gaming beast. The Aorus 15 is designed to run games at QHD and high to max settings. But it also cuts a good figure in other demanding applications such as video editing and rendering. This is made possible by the Core i7 12700H and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop inside the machine. A lightning-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD (1 TB) allows for short loading times."
"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 Aorus 15 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.
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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