The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is a premium option, offering more powerful hardware like a high-end graphics card, a stronger processor, and a larger, more vibrant display, typically suited for intensive tasks like engineering, 3D modeling, and gaming. However, it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin is more affordable, lighter, and offers longer battery life, which is suitable for general use and on-the-go, but its performance in demanding applications may be limited due to less powerful components. Consider the Aorus 17 for peak performance and the GF65 Thin for portability and value. 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
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 battery life
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
Good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
6.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
267.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 provides a stronger CPU and more RAM than the MSI GF65 Thin, enhancing overall performance for general tasks and multitasking. While both have similar screen quality and size, the Aorus has a larger battery and better port quality, which may increase its usability though it's less portable and has a shorter battery life than some other options.
Gaming and AI
8.1/10
6.8/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
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 GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has a more powerful GPU, the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti and a higher screen refresh rate of 360 Hz, making it better for gaming and 3D applications compared to the MSI GF65 Thin, which comes with the Nvidia RTX 3060 and a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Even though both have good CPUs and screen quality, the superior GPU and refresh rate of the Aorus 17 deliver smoother and more detailed gaming experiences.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
6.7/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is outfitted with a higher-tier CPU and GPU combination alongside more RAM, which are crucial for demanding engineering and design software, while also providing a larger high-refresh-rate screen that may enhance visual clarity and fluidity, important for detailed design work. In contrast, the MSI GF65 Thin, while still capable for such tasks, offers a slightly lesser CPU and GPU with less RAM, which might not handle intensive workloads as smoothly; additionally, its smaller and lighter build offers better portability but potentially at the expense of lower screen quality and a decreased overall performance.
Content Creation
8.0/10
6.8/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 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
7.5/10
6.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
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 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
8.0/10
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
262.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 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 17 offers a display with high resolution and brightness, essential for clarity and visibility in general use, whereas its adherence to professional color standards makes it suitable for detailed engineering and design. However, the lower refresh rate makes it less ideal for the smooth visuals required in gaming and 3D applications. The MSI GF65 Thin, with moderate resolution and brightness, provides an adequate experience for general tasks and design work, but similar to the Aorus 17, it lacks the higher refresh rate needed for optimal gaming and 3D performance.
Battery
6.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has 6 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.
Portability
Fair
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The MSI GF65 Thin 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 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
$1,700
$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 GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
"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 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 17 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.
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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