Considering your needs, if you have a higher budget and require more power for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or other engineering-related activities, the Gigabyte Aorus 17 might be the better choice with its superior graphics, higher RAM, and larger storage capacity, albeit with a heavier build and shorter battery life. On the other hand, if affordability and portability are more important to you, and you're fine with good enough performance for general use and some gaming, the MSI Cyborg 15 offers a lower price, lighter weight, and longer battery life, but it has less storage, RAM, and a less powerful graphics processor. 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 17
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
Good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
267.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for general use, though the Gigabyte Aorus 17 is somewhat better.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is a good choice for general use, offering a more powerful CPU and double the RAM of the MSI Cyborg 15, which translates into better multitasking and overall performance; it also boasts a larger, higher quality screen. However, the MSI Cyborg 15 is lighter and has a longer battery life, making it more portable and convenient for on-the-go use despite having less storage and a CPU that may lag slightly behind the Aorus 17 for demanding tasks.
Gaming and AI
8.1/10
7.2/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Cyborg 15 is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17, with an Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 360Hz, delivers smoother visuals and better performance in gaming and 3D tasks compared to the MSI Cyborg 15, which comes with an Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a decent refresh rate of 144Hz, still suitable for gaming but with less fluidity in fast-paced scenarios.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Cyborg 15 is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17, with its more powerful CPU and GPU, larger RAM, and superior screen resolution and quality, excels in engineering and design tasks, which demand high resource capacity and detailed visuals. Conversely, the MSI Cyborg 15, while also good for such tasks, offers a bit less computational power and screen quality, but it is lighter and more portable which might appeal to those frequently working from different locations.
Screen Quality
8.0/10
6.8/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
267.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has a better screen than the MSI Cyborg 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has a high-resolution display with ample brightness and vibrant colors which are essential for clarity and comfort in general use, and it offers wide color gamuts ensuring accurate visuals for engineering and design tasks. However, its lower refresh rate may diminish the gaming and 3D experience where fluid motion is key. In contrast, the MSI Cyborg 15, while providing acceptable brightness and resolution for everyday tasks and design work, does not excel in any specific area, also lacking a high refresh rate, resulting in less immersive gaming and 3D rendering.
Battery
6.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Cyborg 15 has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
6.7/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has good build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has a price of $1,700 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $1,100.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 17 to be very good for content creation, while the MSI Cyborg 15 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
7.5/10
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 and MSI Cyborg 15 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.
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How the Gigabyte Aorus 17 and the MSI Cyborg 15 compare to other laptops
"The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is a powerful high-end gaming machine. The Aorus 17 is a potent gaming notebook in a 17.3-inch format designed for FHD gaming at maximum settings. A Core i7-12700H processor and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU make this possible. A lightning-fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the necessary storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Aorus 17 XE4, Gigabyte delivers a well-rounded, high-performance gaming notebook."
"The focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 17 or the MSI Cyborg 15
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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