The Gigabyte G5 is more expensive but it offers better performance for 3D rendering and machine learning tasks, making it suitable for engineering and intensive gaming. However, it's heavier and has a shorter battery life. The MSI Modern 14 is cheaper, more portable with a longer battery life, and comes with more RAM out-of-the-box, which is good for general use and multitasking, but it lacks the powerful dedicated graphics card of the Gigabyte G5, meaning it's less suited for graphically intensive 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 G5
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI Modern 14
Good for software development
Very good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.3/10
6.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
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
8.7/10
The Gigabyte G5 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Gigabyte G5 outperforms the MSI Modern 14 in gaming and 3D mainly due to its superior Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, which are very important for smooth gameplay and rendering. In comparison, the MSI Modern 14 uses the integrated graphics of its AMD Ryzen CPU and offers a standard refresh rate of 60Hz, leading to fair performance in gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
6.6/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte G5 is good for engineering and design, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Gigabyte G5 is better equipped for engineering and design tasks with a more powerful CPU, dedicated GPU, and higher RAM capacity, which are crucial for software performance in these fields, whereas the MSI Modern 14, while highly portable and offering a better screen quality, uses integrated graphics and has a less powerful processor, making it less suited for demanding engineering applications. Additionally, the G5's larger screen and gaming laptop appearance can be more appealing for design work, but its portability is compromised compared to the lighter and more compact MSI Modern 14.
Screen Quality
6.8/10
6.4/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
248.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
The Gigabyte G5 has a better screen than the MSI Modern 14 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the MSI Modern 14 has a better screen for content creation.
The Gigabyte G5 and MSI Modern 14 offer moderate screen resolution and brightness, which works well enough for daily tasks such as browsing and basic applications, but isn't top-tier. For engineering and design where color precision matters, both models present limitations as they don't cover wider color gamuts well, which can lead to less accurate color representation in detailed projects. As for gaming and 3D applications that benefit from smoother visuals, the lower refresh rates on these laptops will not deliver the most fluid experience, while their resolution and panel types only partly compensate for this shortcoming.
Battery
3.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Gigabyte G5 has 3.5 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.
Portability
Good
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Modern 14 has very good portability, while the Gigabyte G5 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$868
$525
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Gigabyte G5 has a price of $868 and the MSI Modern 14 costs $525.
The MSI Modern 14 and Gigabyte G5 are both good for general use.
The MSI Modern 14 has double the RAM and a higher screen pixel density, enhancing multitasking capabilities and screen sharpness compared to the Gigabyte G5, which offers a powerful CPU and dedicated graphics card for heavier tasks but at the cost of heavier weight and shorter battery life. While the Modern 14 is more portable and has longer battery life, making it suitable for on-the-go use, the G5 has a higher refresh rate screen and better gaming-oriented hardware, positioning it for more demanding applications but with a tradeoff in portability and battery performance.
Content Creation
7.2/10
7.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Modern 14 and Gigabyte G5 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
6.8/10
7.1/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Modern 14 to be good for software development, while the Gigabyte G5 is only fair.
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.
Build Quality
7.2/10
7.0/10
The Gigabyte G5 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.
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How the Gigabyte G5 and the MSI Modern 14 compare to other laptops
"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."
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 G5 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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