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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you value a laptop with a longer battery life and lighter weight for better portability, along with a larger screen and a quieter operation, the LG Ultra 16 is a suitable choice and generally costs less. However, if gaming or intensive 3D tasks and machine learning are important to you, and you don't mind a shorter battery life and a heavier laptop, the MSI GF65 Thin's stronger GPU and high refresh rate display make it well-suited for those activities. Both laptops have similar storage and high-quality displays, but the MSI has half the RAM of the LG, which could affect multitasking performance. 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 Ultra 16
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Excellent battery life
- Good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.7
6.5
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
270.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The LG Ultra 16 is 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.
Gaming and AI
6.2
6.8
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GF65 Thin and LG Ultra 16 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the MSI GF65 Thin is somewhat better.
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.
Content Creation
7.7
6.8
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Ultra 16 is 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
7.5
6.3
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The LG Ultra 16 is 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
6.2
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
270.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The LG Ultra 16 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for software development, and content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the LG Ultra 16 and MSI GF65 Thin have screens that provide sufficient resolution and brightness, making them suitable for everyday tasks like web browsing and document editing, but they may lack the premium panel type that enhances the visual experience. In engineering and design, the importance of accurate color reproduction means that the fair screen quality of both laptops may not meet the standards for professionals who require precise color gamuts for their work. When it comes to gaming and 3D applications, the lower refresh rate of these models could make for less smooth visuals, which is less ideal for fast-paced or graphically intensive content where higher refresh rates are preferred.
Battery
17.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The LG Ultra 16 has 17 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
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The LG Ultra 16 and MSI GF65 Thin both have good portability, though the LG Ultra 16 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,000
$1,100
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The LG Ultra 16 has a price of $1,000 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
7.0
6.7
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers LG Ultra 16 to be good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The LG Ultra 16's AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Vega 8 GPU, combined with 16GB of RAM and a high-quality screen, make it well-suited for demanding engineering and design tasks, while the MSI GF65 Thin with its Intel i5 CPU and powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, despite having less RAM, offers a robust option for GPU-intensive engineering software, both sporting quality IPS displays, albeit the MSI being slightly less portable due to its gaming focus. Both have merits and tradeoffs in terms of keyboard and speaker quality and operating noise, which are somewhat important, but their top-tier CPU, GPU, RAM, and screen quality are what primarily set them apart for engineering and design uses.
Build Quality
6.5
6.7
The MSI GF65 Thin and LG Ultra 16 both have 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 Ultra 16 and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| LG Ultra 16 | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.64'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.63 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.78" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7730U | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 17 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 72 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 270 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.9/10 | 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 | 10/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 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 | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
LG Ultra 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Jentsch | October 2022
"Unlike the gram, the Ultra PC isn't designed to be as lightweight as possible. The 16-inch laptop is a whole 400 g (0.88 lb) heavier than its 16-inch gram counterpart partly because its chassis is not made of magnesium. Other than that, the Ultra PC seems like a copy of the gram – but with longer battery life, lower noise levels, and a clean, delicate look."
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 Ultra 16 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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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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