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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X offers superior performance, particularly for engineering and 3D tasks, but is less portable and more expensive than the MSI GF65 Thin. The MSI is less powerful but more budget-friendly and easier to carry around, with a tradeoff in processing capability and battery life. If you need top performance for complex tasks and don’t mind a shorter battery life and higher price, go for the Aorus 15X. If portability and cost are more important and you're okay with moderate performance, the GF65 Thin could be the better choice. 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 Aorus 15X
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the Gigabyte Aorus 15X.
Key differences
General Use
7.8
6.5
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X outperforms the MSI GF65 Thin in general use primarily due to its superior CPU, larger amount of RAM, higher resolution and brighter screen quality, which contribute to a better overall user experience. However, these enhancements come with trade-offs, as the Aorus 15X is heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the GF65 Thin, which may affect users looking for portability and longer unplugged usage.
Gaming and AI
8.5
6.8
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X offers superior gaming and 3D performance because it has a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 240 Hz which delivers smoother visuals, compared to the MSI GF65 Thin which has a Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a lower screen refresh rate of 144 Hz. The screen quality and CPU in Aorus 15X are also better, which further enhances gaming and 3D tasks, making the MSI GF65 Thin somewhat less suited for these purposes due to its slightly less capable hardware.
Engineering and Design
8.6
6.7
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X outperforms the MSI GF65 Thin for engineering and design due to its more powerful CPU, higher RAM, and superior GPU, along with a better-quality display that provides high resolution and refresh rate, conducive for intensive tasks involving graphics and design software. Although the MSI GF65 Thin is more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size, it falls short in performance-related aspects, making the Gigabyte Aorus 15X a better fit for demanding engineering applications, albeit at a trade-off in terms of portability and potentially higher operating noise.
Content Creation
8.0
6.8
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is very good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
7.7
6.3
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
8.2
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X boasts a high-resolution display and impressive brightness, making it excellent for general use and suitable for detail-oriented work in engineering and design due to accurate color representation. However, while it satisfies the needs for color accuracy in engineering and design with its wide color gamuts, its lower refresh rate makes it less ideal for gaming and 3D applications which demand smoother motion. The MSI GF65 Thin, with its respectable resolution and adequate brightness, offers a decent experience for daily tasks and engineering designs but lacks in both color range and high refresh rate, affecting precision in design work and limiting gaming and 3D performance.
Battery
5.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has 5.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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.
Build Quality
7.4
6.7
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has good build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,600
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has a price of $1,600 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The MSI GF65 Thin and Gigabyte Aorus 15X both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Gigabyte Aorus 15X and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte Aorus 15X | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,600 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.8'' x 0.78'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.73 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.1" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.8" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
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 | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Gigabyte Aorus 15X
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Brandon Hill | February 2023
"The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is a strong showing of Raptor Lake and RTX 4000 series. While the Aorus had trouble keeping up in older games like Grand Theft Auto V, it nudged past the competition in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It also flexed its next-generation muscle in Far Cry 6 and Borderlands 3. While we were impressed with the overall build quality and design of the Aorus 15X, the keyboard lacked good tactile feedback. The display performed well in real-world testing despite its on-paper shortcoming with brightness, but the speakers are lackluster at best."
MSI GF65 Thin
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2021
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 15X or the MSI GF65 Thin
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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