The Gigabyte Aorus 17H offers a bigger screen and a more powerful graphics card, which is ideal for intensive gaming and demanding engineering applications, but it's less portable due to its larger size and higher weight. The MSI Stealth GS66 is more portable and lighter, better suited for those who need to carry their laptop around often, yet it has a smaller storage capacity and a less powerful graphics card compared to the Aorus but still capable for general use and moderate engineering tasks. Both laptops have similar battery capacities and processing power, but the Aorus might be slightly less expensive. 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 for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS66
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.7/10
7.8/10
9.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Stealth GS66 is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H stands out for gaming and 3D tasks because it comes equipped with a high-end Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and has a very high screen refresh rate, enhancing visuals and gameplay smoothness, although it's costlier and less portable. The MSI Stealth GS66 includes a strong Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and the same high refresh rate for quality gaming experiences, but trades off some graphical power for a lighter, more portable design, and typically comes at a lower price.
Screen Quality
8.3/10
8.1/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
351.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H has a better screen than the MSI Stealth GS66 for general use, gaming and AI, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and MSI Stealth GS66 both have panels that provide clear images and bright displays suitable for everyday tasks, along with high resolutions that sharpen text and visuals, making them good for general use. Their screens cover a wide range of colors, beneficial for engineering and design professionals who require color accuracy for their work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their lower refresh rates result in less fluid motion and responsiveness, making them less ideal for those activities requiring quick screen updates.
Portability
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth GS66 has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 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
$1,718
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H has a price of $2,000 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,718.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and MSI Stealth GS66 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H, with a robust CPU and ample RAM, delivers smooth performance for everyday tasks and sharp screen quality for media consumption, but its bulk impacts portability and reduces battery life. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth GS66 balances CPU and RAM capabilities for multitasking and good screen quality, while offering greater portability and longer battery life, though it may have a smaller storage capacity and could run louder and warmer under load.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
8.2/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
9.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and MSI Stealth GS66 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H excels in engineering and design due to its powerful CPU, ample RAM, high-end GPU, and a larger, high-quality screen suitable for detailed work, although it is less portable and has moderate battery life. Conversely, the MSI Stealth GS66 offers similar advantages with a slightly less robust GPU, maintains high portability with a thinner and lighter build, but comes with a smaller screen and lower speaker quality.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.7/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 17H to be very good for content creation, while the MSI Stealth GS66 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
7.5/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and MSI Stealth GS66 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
5.5 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 has 5.5 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 17H and the MSI Stealth GS66 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 Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 17H or the MSI Stealth GS66
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.