The Gigabyte Aorus 17 offers a larger screen, a higher max refresh rate for smoother visuals, and longer battery life; it's better for intensive tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning. However, it's heavier and more expensive than the MSI GP66 Leopard. The MSI has a slightly more powerful GPU, which is essential for graphics-intensive tasks, but it has a shorter battery life and smaller screen. The Leopard is more portable due to its lighter weight. Both have similar storage expansion and customization options, but the Leopard may not perform as well in general usage scenarios due to its smaller battery and potentially louder fan noise. If budget is a concern and you prioritize portability and GPU power over screen size and battery life, the MSI GP66 Leopard is a good fit; for better performance in intensive tasks, larger screen real estate, and longer battery life, opt for the Gigabyte Aorus 17. 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 battery life
Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 is very good for content creation, while the MSI GP66 Leopard 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.
Screen Quality
8.0/10
7.5/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
267.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has a better screen than the MSI GP66 Leopard for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation.
When considering general use, both the Gigabyte Aorus 17 and the MSI GP66 Leopard have displays with sufficient resolution and brightness, ensuring clear and vibrant visuals for everyday tasks. For engineering and design applications, these laptops offer wide color gamuts, providing accurate color representation crucial for detailed work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, they fall short due to lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid motion and slower response times that are less ideal for fast-paced visuals.
Portability
Fair
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Gigabyte Aorus 17 both have only fair portability, though the MSI GP66 Leopard has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.0/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$1,400
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has a price of $1,700 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 offers a larger screen, a more current CPU, and a bigger battery, making it suited for users who prioritize display size and battery life for general use but can manage less portability due to its weight and size. Conversely, the MSI GP66 Leopard, while also having a strong processor and graphics card, has a slightly smaller but brighter screen and is lighter, catering to users who want a balance between performance and easier transportation but can compromise on battery life and storage space.
Gaming and AI
8.1/10
7.8/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 17 to be very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI GP66 Leopard 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.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
7.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 17 to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17, with a higher-tier CPU (Intel i7-12700H) and a strong GPU (Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti), is very well-equipped for demanding engineering and design work, with a high brightness screen and good heat and noise management, but is less portable due to its size and weight.
Software Development
7.5/10
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 and MSI GP66 Leopard 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
6.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Gigabyte Aorus 17 and the MSI GP66 Leopard 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 MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 17 or the MSI GP66 Leopard
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
99,495
Recommendations made
21,558
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.