The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is typically much more expensive and offers a high-performance processor and premium graphics, making it suitable for gaming and engineering tasks; however, it is heavier and has a lower battery life. Contrastingly, the MSI Modern 14 is much less expensive, lighter, and has a longer battery life, making it very portable but less powerful due to its modest processor and integrated graphics, which suffice for general use but may falter in intensive gaming or engineering tasks. 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 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Modern 14
Very good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
6.0/10
8.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is superior for gaming and 3D tasks because it features a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3070 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 360Hz, enhancing visual fluidity crucial for these applications. In contrast, the MSI Modern 14, while still managing gaming and 3D tasks to some extent, uses an integrated AMD Vega 7 GPU and has a lower screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which is less optimized for such demanding uses.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
6.6/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
8.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 outperforms the MSI Modern 14 in engineering and design tasks primarily due to its more powerful CPU and dedicated high-end GPU, which are crucial for such demanding applications. While the MSI Modern 14 offers greater portability and slightly better screen quality, it falls short in the CPU and GPU departments, making it less suitable for intensive tasks but potentially a better option for everyday use or mobility-focused users.
Screen Quality
8.0/10
6.4/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a better screen than the MSI Modern 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Gigabyte Aorus 5's superior resolution and brightness offer a clearer and more vibrant display, which enhances everyday tasks like browsing and watching videos. In the context of engineering and design, the Aorus 5's wider color gamuts ensure more accurate color representation, crucial for detailed design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the MSI Modern 14 may fall short as its lower refresh rate might not deliver as fluid motion, despite both having limitations in this regard compared to specialized gaming laptops.
Portability
Fair
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Modern 14 has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,359
$525
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a price of $2,359 and the MSI Modern 14 costs $525.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and MSI Modern 14 are both good for general use.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is well-suited for general use due to its powerful Intel i7 processor and ample RAM, along with a high-quality IPS screen, though it is heavier and has shorter battery life, limiting its portability compared to the MSI Modern 14, which offers good performance with its AMD Ryzen 5 processor for everyday tasks, has a similar high-quality IPS display and significant battery life, making it highly portable.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and MSI Modern 14 are both 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
7.3/10
7.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and MSI Modern 14 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
5.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI Modern 14 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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and MSI Modern 14 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Gigabyte Aorus 5 and the MSI Modern 14 compare to other laptops
"The Gigabyte Aorus 5 SE4 is a capable mainstream gaming notebook that will run the latest PC games with aplomb. However, it's not your stereotypical flashy gaming PC. Gigabyte has added some interesting tweaks. For example, the webcam placement and its Microsoft Azure AI tool — to automatically switch between power modes — are unusual for this genre. But more importantly, the pricing is fairly competitive and reasonable."
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | October 2023
"The MSI Modern 14 is okay for school use. It's very compact, so it's easy to carry around. It has a sharp display, a spacious keyboard, and a reasonably large touchpad. Its Intel 13th Gen CPU and integrated graphics can handle general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing; however, don't expect to do anything intensive like 3D modeling or physics simulations. Unfortunately, the battery lasts less than five hours of light use, and the display doesn't get bright enough to combat glare."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aorus 5 or the MSI Modern 14
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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