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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize battery life and a larger and sharper screen, the LG Gram 17 is an excellent choice with a 17-inch display, longer battery life, and higher resolution. It's also more portable due to its lighter weight. However, if gaming or tasks requiring a dedicated graphics card are important, the MSI GF65 Thin with its Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU is the better option. Do keep in mind that the MSI has a higher refresh rate for smoother visuals in fast-paced games, but it comes with a tradeoff of shorter battery life and a heavier build. Consider how you will use the laptop; if it's mostly for work and general use, LG Gram 17's superior battery and display might be the way to go, but for gaming and graphics-intensive applications, the MSI should be your 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 LG Gram 17
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good battery life
- Good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the LG Gram 17.
Key differences
General Use
8.5
6.5
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
353.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The LG Gram 17 is very good for general use, while the MSI GF65 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.
Engineering and Design
8.0
6.7
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The LG Gram 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The LG Gram 17 offers a combination of high screen quality with excellent color coverage and resolution, and a large amount of RAM, coupled with a solid CPU and integrated GPU, which are suitable for design tasks and some types of engineering work. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin, while not quite matching the LG in screen quality, brings a stronger dedicated GPU into the mix, beneficial for engineering applications that require high graphics performance, but it has less RAM and a smaller screen, which may impact multitasking and detailed work.
Content Creation
8.4
6.8
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Gram 17 is very good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 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
8.2
6.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The LG Gram 17 is very good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin 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.
Screen Quality
7.4
6.8
17.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
353.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The LG Gram 17 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The LG Gram 17 offers a larger, higher resolution screen with greater brightness, which enhances visibility and clarity for everyday tasks, making it well-suited for general use. Its wide color gamut display benefits engineering and design professionals who require accurate color reproduction for their work. However, the LG's lower refresh rate limits its appeal to gaming and 3D applications, which are better served by higher refresh rates for smoother visuals, offered by laptops like the MSI GF65 Thin, though it may compromise in resolution and brightness compared to the LG.
Battery
11.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The LG Gram 17 has 11 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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.
Portability
Good
Good
17.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The LG Gram 17 and MSI GF65 Thin both have good portability, though the LG Gram 17 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,100
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The LG Gram 17 has a price of $2,100 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.5
6.8
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GF65 Thin and LG Gram 17 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Build Quality
7.0
6.7
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers LG Gram 17 to have good build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair 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 LG Gram 17 and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| LG Gram 17 | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,100 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2022 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.9'' x 10.2'' x 0.7'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.98 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.91" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.19" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1260P | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 2048 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 11 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 353 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
LG Gram 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2022
"The LG Gram 17 is a light office laptop with a large display and great battery life. The newest incarnation of the Gram 17 can be classified as a model update. LG uses the predecessor's compact, light magnesium case along with an identical port configuration (including 2x Thunderbolt 4) and keyboard. Changes can be found in the hardware. With the Gram 17 (2022), LG offers a light (approx. 1,350 g), mobile work device - and finally with a matte display."
MSI GF65 Thin
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2021
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the LG Gram 17 or the MSI GF65 Thin
About LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.
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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