If you prioritize a larger screen and top-end gaming performance, the Gigabyte Aorus 17H with its high refresh rate display and powerful graphics card excels, but it is heavier and has a lower portability score. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE66 offers higher resolution, better color accuracy, and more RAM, making it ideal for tasks like 3D rendering or machine learning, and it is lighter and more portable. However, it has a smaller screen size and its battery life is comparable to the Aorus despite its higher portability. Choose the Raider GE66 for a balance between performance and portability or the Aorus 17H for immersive gaming. 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 17H
Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE66
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good overall build quality
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.3/10
8.4/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
351.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE66 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 17H for engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Gigabyte Aorus 17H and MSI Raider GE66 both provide bright, high-resolution displays with clear image quality, making everyday tasks and video streaming a pleasant experience. Engineers and designers will appreciate the detailed color representation offered by both laptops, thanks to their wide color gamuts that ensure color accuracy for professional design work. However, gamers and 3D designers may find these laptops less suitable due to lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid visuals and slower response times in fast-paced gaming or 3D rendering scenarios.
Portability
Poor
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Raider GE66 has only fair portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE66 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,000
$2,499
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H has a price of $2,000 and the MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider GE66 to be very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H is good.
The MSI Raider GE66 offers exceptional portability and keyboard quality, making it ideal for users who prioritize mobility and comfortable typing, plus its higher resolution screen may render sharper visuals compared to the Gigabyte Aorus 17H, which is less portable due to its larger size and heavier weight but compensates with a very good build quality and heat management for stationary use or gaming.
Gaming and AI
8.7/10
8.5/10
9.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and MSI Raider GE66 are both very good for gaming and AI.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H excels in gaming and 3D applications due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 360 Hz, which provides smooth and fluid visual performance during fast-paced action. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE66 also offers strong gaming performance with its Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU but has a lower refresh rate of 240 Hz, which is still great for gaming but may not be as smooth as the Aorus 17H's display for the fastest motion.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
8.9/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
9.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE66 and Gigabyte Aorus 17H are both very good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H is equipped with a high-end Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and a powerful Intel i7-13700H CPU, which are crucial for engineering applications, plus it has quality speakers; however, it's heavier and larger, impacting portability. Conversely, the MSI Raider GE66, while still powerful with an Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and Intel i7-12700H CPU, offers double the RAM for multitasking and better screen resolution and pixel density, with a more portable form factor and an excellent keyboard, but it may have less GPU performance in the most demanding tasks.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.3/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE66 and Gigabyte Aorus 17H are both very good for content creation.
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
8.0/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider GE66 to be very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H is good.
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
6.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 has 6 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.
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How the Gigabyte Aorus 17H and the MSI Raider GE66 compare to other laptops
"Overall though, it’s *lots of swearing* fast, seriously. For work, rendering, gaming, it doesn’t matter, this is a true weapon of performance that’s going to run rings around most high-end desktop systems. If you absolutely have to game at ultra-high refresh rates on the go (but within thinking distance of a plug socket), this is the ticket. I can’t see such an extreme being that appealing to everyone, but if you take your gaming seriously, or even professionally, there’s nothing else out there that comes close that you can still fit in your backpack and travel with."
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 17H or the MSI Raider GE66
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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