The Gigabyte Aorus 17G is typically more expensive and offers better performance, especially for intensive gaming, with a higher-end processor and graphics card compared to the MSI GF65 Thin. It also has a larger screen and a longer battery life, but it's heavier, which impacts portability. The MSI GF65 Thin is generally less expensive, lighter, and more portable, making it suitable for general use and moderate gaming. It has a mid-range processor and graphics card that may not perform as well for demanding engineering tasks or the most intense games. Consider the Aorus 17G for peak performance and the GF65 Thin for better affordability and mobility. 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 17G
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good battery life
Good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
Good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
6.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
282.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G offers a more powerful CPU, double the amount of RAM, and a larger, higher-quality screen compared to the MSI GF65 Thin, aiding its superior performance for general use. However, the trade-off includes the Aorus 17G being heavier and having a slightly shorter battery life, which affects portability, while the GF65 Thin, although less suitable for demanding tasks due to lower RAM and a slower CPU, is lighter and easier to carry around.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
6.8/10
7.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
300Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G offers better gaming and 3D performance largely due to its more powerful GPU, the Nvidia RTX 3070, and a higher screen refresh rate of 300 Hz, which provides smoother visuals in fast-paced scenarios compared to the MSI GF65 Thin, which comes with a Nvidia RTX 3060 and has a refresh rate of 144 Hz. While both have quality IPS displays, the Aorus 17G's stronger CPU and GPU combo makes it more suitable for demanding gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.8/10
6.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
7.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G is good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.5/10
6.8/10
7.4/10
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 17G is 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
7.2/10
6.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G 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
300Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
282.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Gigabyte Aorus 17G offers a crisp, bright display with higher resolution, which enhances everyday tasks such as browsing, video streaming, and document work, making the screen pleasant to view. Engineers and designers benefit from the Aorus 17G's wider color gamut, providing accurate colors for tasks like CAD work, photo editing, or graphic design, but the MSI GF65 Thin, with a fair display, may not reproduce colors as precisely. However, for gamers and 3D professionals who prioritize smooth visuals, the Gigabyte Aorus 17G falls short due to a lower refresh rate, which can make fast-moving images less fluid, whereas even with a fair display, higher refresh rates are key for such tasks, which the MSI GF65 Thin also lacks.
Battery
6.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G 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 17G has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
6.7/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G 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
$2,329
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Gigabyte Aorus 17G has a price of $2,329 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
"The Aorus 17G isn't among the top RTX 3080 laptops due to its relatively low TGP of 105 watts. The device's gaming performance is average for an RTX 3080. For maximum performance, competitors like the Lenovo Legion 7 or the Alienware m17 R4 are recommended With the Aorus 17G, Gigabyte delivers a well-rounded gaming laptop. However, the device generates a high noise level. Throttling is not an issue. The CPU and GPU can develop their performance uniformly. Nevertheless, the device produces a lot of noise under load - more than many competitors."
"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 17G 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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