The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is a premium-priced laptop with strong performance for 3D tasks and engineering but falls short in terms of portability and battery life. It comes with a high refresh rate display that’s beneficial for gaming but has a standard resolution which isn't ideal for certain engineering or creative tasks. The MSI Raider GE66 carries an upper midrange price with notably better battery life and portability, more storage, double the RAM, and a higher resolution display that may be more suitable for engineering and creative work. Both have strong CPUs and GPUs with the MSI model featuring a slightly more powerful version. If portability and a higher quality display are priorities and the cost difference is not a barrier, the MSI Raider GE66 may be a more versatile choice. 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 speakers
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE66
Very good for general use
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall build quality
Good battery life
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
280.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good.
The MSI Raider GE66 has double the storage and RAM of the Gigabyte Aorus 5, along with a higher-resolution screen that offers better color accuracy, making it very good for general use. Although both have comparable powerful CPUs and GPUs, the Aorus 5 is slightly lighter and has a lower screen color score and less RAM, making it just good for general use.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
8.5/10
8.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good.
The MSI Raider GE66, featuring the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a high-resolution screen, is better suited for gaming and 3D applications than the Gigabyte Aorus 5, which has the RTX 3070 and a lower screen resolution but offers a higher screen refresh rate for smoother visuals. While both laptops have powerful CPUs and quality displays, the MSI has a slightly superior GPU and screen quality, making it the preferable choice for more demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE66 and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both very good for engineering and design, though the MSI Raider GE66 is somewhat better.
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
7.6/10
8.3/10
9.1/10
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 is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 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
7.3/10
8.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 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.
Screen Quality
8.0/10
8.4/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE66 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 5 for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and MSI Raider GE66 both offer panels with resolution and brightness that meet the needs of general users and those engaged in engineering and design, ensuring clear and vibrant visuals. However, the MSI Raider GE66 has superior color accuracy, which is crucial for professionals in engineering and design who require precise color representation for their work. For gaming and 3D applications, though, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can diminish the smoothness of motion and responsiveness that gamers and 3D designers expect.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE66 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
"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."
"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 5 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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