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Updated January 10, 2024·
When deciding between the Gigabyte Aorus 15X and the MSI Stealth GS66, consider that the 15X offers better performance for engineering tasks with its high-end processor and graphics card, which might be advantageous if you use software that requires heavy computational power. The 15X, however, tends to be less portable due to greater weight and shorter battery life for typical use. The GS66, on the other hand, benefits from a higher portability score and Windows 11 Pro but has less storage space and a less powerful graphics card, making it less suited for the most intensive engineering or gaming activities. Both feature solid build quality and high-quality keyboards, so the decision comes down to the tradeoff between performance and portability, coupled with the price differences, as the 15X is usually less expensive while the GS66 comes with a premium price tag. 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
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for content creation
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS66
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.5
7.8
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Stealth GS66 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
8.2
8.1
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has a better screen than the MSI Stealth GS66 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Gigabyte Aorus 15X offers a sharp display with high resolution and strong brightness, making it pleasant for everyday tasks and viewing, while the MSI Stealth GS66 similarly provides clear visuals and comfortable brightness levels. In areas like engineering and design, the Aorus 15X's screen depicts colors accurately with a wide color range that professionals need for their work, and the Stealth GS66 shares this trait with adept color representation for precision tasks. However, when it comes to gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates which can hamper the smoothness and responsiveness critical in fast-paced visual environments.
Build Quality
7.4
8.0
The MSI Stealth GS66 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15X 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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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.7
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X and MSI Stealth GS66 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X stands out in general use due to its higher-resolution screen and a significantly more powerful processor, which can handle a broad range of tasks more efficiently, although it is heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the MSI Stealth GS66, which offers a higher portability score and longer battery life but with a lower resolution display and less robust CPU.
Engineering and Design
8.6
8.2
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X and MSI Stealth GS66 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X boasts an advanced Intel i9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, making it power-packed for demanding engineering and design applications, with a high-resolution screen that enhances visual clarity. The MSI Stealth GS66, while slightly lighter and therefore more portable, has a less powerful i7 CPU and RTX 3070 Ti GPU, which may affect its performance in highly intensive tasks, but it has a higher quality keyboard according to the provided data.
Content Creation
8.0
7.7
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 15X to be very good for content creation, while the MSI Stealth GS66 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
7.7
7.5
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X and MSI Stealth GS66 are both good for software development.
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
5.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has 5.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 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
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth GS66 and Gigabyte Aorus 15X both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,600
$1,718
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 15X has a price of $1,600 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,718.
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How the Gigabyte Aorus 15X and the MSI Stealth GS66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte Aorus 15X | MSI Stealth GS66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,600 | $1,718 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | April 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.8'' x 0.78'' | 14.2'' x 9.7'' x 0.71'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.73 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.1" | 14.17" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.8" | 9.65" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99 Wh | 99.9 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 | 360Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 280 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 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 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
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 Stealth GS66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | February 2022
"The MSI Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 15X or the MSI Stealth GS66
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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