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Surface Laptop 5 13"
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Stealth 17
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 16, 2024·

If you prioritize a lower price and more portability, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is a solid choice for general use with decent performance. But if you require top performance for demanding tasks like 3D work, machine learning, or gaming, and are willing to invest more, the MSI Stealth 17 would be powerful, albeit heavier and with likely shorter battery life due to its high-end components. The MSI also has a larger screen and higher resolution, which could be beneficial for some engineering tasks, while the Surface Laptop offers a more travel-friendly option with a significant cost saving. 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"
  • Excellent portability
  • Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
  • Very good for general use
  • Excellent for engineering and design
  • Excellent for gaming and AI
  • Very good for software development
  • Very good for content creation
  • Very good overall display quality
  • Best in class speakers
  • Excellent keyboard

Key differences

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General Use

7.4
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Stealth 17
8.7
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
400.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
7.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.

Gaming and AI

6.1
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Stealth 17
9.1
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is only fair.

Engineering and Design

7.1
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Stealth 17
9.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.

Content Creation

7.4
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Stealth 17
8.8
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.

Software Development

7.2
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Stealth 17
8.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.

Screen Quality

7.2
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Stealth 17
8.6
13.5in
SIZE
17.3in
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
400.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

7.5 Hours
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Stealth 17
5.5 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has 7.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life.

Portability

Excellent
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Stealth 17
Fair
13.5in
SIZE
17.3in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has excellent portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Cost

$1,200
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Stealth 17
$3,899
Product image
Product image

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

$3,500

$4,000

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has a price of $1,200 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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Key similarities

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Build Quality

7.8
Surface Laptop 5 13"
Stealth 17
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and MSI Stealth 17 both have good build quality.

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How the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"MSI Stealth 17
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"MSI Stealth 17

GENERAL

Price
$1,200
$3,899
Release Date
October 1, 2022May 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
12.1'' x 8.8'' x 0.57''15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79''
Weight
2.86 lbs6.17 lbs
Width
12.1"15.65"
Depth
8.8"11.16"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i7-1255UIntel i9-13900H
RAM
16 GB64 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
02
Storage
512 GB2048 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
7.5 Hours5.5 Hours
Battery Capacity
47.4 Wh99.9 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
13.5"17.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2256 x 15042560 x 1440
Refresh Rate
60Hz240Hz
Display Brightness
400 nits384 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.8/107.8/10
Portability Score
9/106.5/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
7.5/108/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/109/10
Speaker Quality Score
8.8/109.5/10
Webcam
720p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
12
USB-C ports
12
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
13
Thunderbolt Version
44

Shopping

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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"

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Dig into reviews and images

CNET

Lori Grunin | October 2022
"The Surface Laptop 5 remains afloat as a solid machine. It's just not one that stands out in any particular way. Just like the last one. The biggest upgrade were some new components, but they perform in the same range as other laptops with them, and frequently at the bottom of that range. I suspect Microsoft's settings are very conservative to help keep cooling and battery life within reason in the older chassis design."

MSI Stealth 17

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Mario Petzold | April 2023
"The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."

Get a great deal on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" or the MSI Stealth 17

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.

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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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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