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Updated January 10, 2024·
The choice between the Gigabyte G5 and MSI GF63 Thin hinges on what you value more in a laptop. The Gigabyte G5 typically offers stronger performance, particularly in gaming and intensive tasks due to better hardware, but this also makes it heavier and usually more expensive than the MSI GF63 Thin. On the other hand, the MSI GF63 Thin is designed for portability and better battery life, making it a fit for general use and for those who travel frequently or move around a lot. If you prioritize gaming or demanding applications and don't mind the added weight and cost, consider the Gigabyte G5. If you are looking for a balance between affordability, battery life, and the ability to perform everyday tasks efficiently, the MSI GF63 Thin might be the better option. 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 G5
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for content creation
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GF63 Thin
- The MSI GF63 Thin has no clear advantages over the Gigabyte G5.
Key differences
General Use
7.1
6.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
248.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
249.0 nits
3.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.2 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Gigabyte G5 is good for general use, while the MSI GF63 Thin is only fair.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
7.3
6.0
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Gigabyte G5 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI GF63 Thin is only fair.
The Gigabyte G5 outperforms the MSI GF63 Thin in gaming and 3D tasks due to its more robust Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, versus the GF63's GTX 1650 Max-Q and a refresh rate of 60Hz. Additionally, the G5 is likely to have superior CPU performance and better screen quality, contributing to its 'good' rating in these areas, compared to the 'fair' rating for the GF63 Thin.
Engineering and Design
7.6
6.0
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.3/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte G5 is good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF63 Thin is only fair.
The Gigabyte G5 is equipped with a newer and more powerful CPU, the Intel i5-12500H, and a superior GPU, the Nvidia RTX 4060, which are ideal for demanding engineering and design software; it also offers a higher screen refresh rate which could improve visual flow during design work.
Content Creation
7.2
6.0
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte G5 is good for content creation, while the MSI GF63 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
6.8
6.0
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte G5 and MSI GF63 Thin are both only fair for software development, though the Gigabyte G5 is somewhat better.
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
6.8
6.1
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
248.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
249.0 nits
The Gigabyte G5 has a better screen than the MSI GF63 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, both the Gigabyte G5 and MSI GF63 Thin offer adequate displays with sufficient resolution and brightness, but they might not stand out for exceptional image quality or vibrancy. In terms of engineering and design, while fair, the screens might not cover a wide enough range of colors to satisfy professionals who require precise color accuracy for tasks like photo editing or graphic design. When it comes to gaming and 3D applications, the lack of a high refresh rate can make fast-paced scenes less smooth, and the moderate importance of resolution and panel type suggests that these laptops are not optimized for the best visual experience in demanding gaming scenarios.
Build Quality
7.2
6.5
The Gigabyte G5 has good build quality, while the MSI GF63 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$868
$599
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Gigabyte G5 has a price of $868 and the MSI GF63 Thin costs $599.
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Key similarities
Battery
3.5 Hours
4.2 Hours
The Gigabyte G5 has 3.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GF63 Thin has 4.3 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
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The MSI GF63 Thin and Gigabyte G5 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gigabyte G5 and the MSI GF63 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte G5 | MSI GF63 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$868 | $599 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2019 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.4'' x 0.89'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.19 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.2" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel i5-10300H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 3.5 Hours | 4.25 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 248 nits | 249 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.4/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Gigabyte G5
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Vaidyanathan Subramaniam | April 2023
"The Gigabyte G5 KE is a midrange gaming laptop that checks most boxes. Gigabyte makes good use of the Core i5-12500H and RTX 3060 Laptop GPU combo, and we find no untoward issues with overall performance. The dual-fan quad-heatpipe cooling arrangement does well to ensure that the underlying hardware doesn't throttle under load. That being said, the display is below par when compared to 2023 standards, especially when competing devices."
MSI GF63 Thin
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | January 2020
"If you leave aside the meagre port selection (no card reader, no DisplayPort, no Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.1 Gen2), the fan control that could be improved (idle mode!) and the relatively dark and slow display, the MSI GF63 Thin 9SC does not have any major weaknesses. The 15-inch gamer is compact, has a low weight and offers a good price-to-performance ratio, which should please gamers that are looking for both a portable and an affordable gaming notebook. Input devices, battery life, case quality and performance are all appropriate for this purchase price."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte G5 or the MSI GF63 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.
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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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