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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is more affordable and offers decent performance for everyday tasks with a portable and lightweight design, making it suitable for general use and on-the-go productivity. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17 is significantly more expensive but provides top-tier performance suitable for 3D rendering, machine learning, gaming, and engineering applications. It has a larger screen and more powerful graphics, but it's less portable due to its size and weight. The tradeoff depends on your needs: if portability and cost are key, go for the Surface Laptop Go 3; for high performance in demanding tasks, consider the MSI Stealth 17. 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 Go 3
- 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
General Use
7.2
8.7
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
337.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is good.
The MSI Stealth 17 offers superior general-use performance over the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 due to its much more powerful processor, significantly more RAM, and higher resolution screen, but is less portable and has a shorter battery life. While the Surface Laptop Go 3 is more compact and offers longer battery life, making it more suitable for on-the-go usage, its performance capabilities for general tasks are limited by its lower-tier processor and less RAM compared to the MSI Stealth 17, as well as a less sharp screen.
Gaming and AI
6.1
9.1
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1536 x 1024
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 Go 3 is only fair.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, with its integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, offers moderate gaming and 3D capabilities, while the MSI Stealth 17 is equipped with a high-end Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics card and a much faster 240Hz screen refresh rate, providing top-tier performance for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
6.8
9.4
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.3
8.8
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is good.
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
7.1
8.5
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1536 x 1024
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 Go 3 is good.
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
8.6
12.4in
SIZE
17.3in
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
337.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 offers adequate resolution, brightness, and an IPS panel which supports wide viewing angles and decent color reproduction, making it suitable for general use and engineering tasks that are not extremely color-critical. However, for gaming and 3D applications, its screen may fall short due to a likely lower refresh rate, which can result in less fluid motion. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 17, while providing higher resolution and brightness, and perhaps better color accuracy that benefits engineering and design professionals who need precise color representation, also doesn't target gaming-specific features such as a high refresh rate screen, which is crucial for smooth gameplay and 3D rendering.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 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
Excellent
Fair
12.4in
SIZE
17.3in
2.4 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has excellent portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$789
$3,899
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has a price of $789 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
7.8
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and MSI Stealth 17 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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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 | MSI Stealth 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$789 | $3,899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.49 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 10.95" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.12" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1235U | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 12.4" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1536 x 1024 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 337 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.4/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Joe Osborne | October 2023
"When it comes to affordably priced laptops, the numbers after the dollar sign are crucially important—more so than in any other price category. By increasing the starting price of its Laptop Go line by $200 and not changing much else, Microsoft irrevocably altered the calculus surrounding the decision of whether to buy the Surface Laptop Go 3. Sure, it has a newer processor and longer battery life, but don’t think for a second you’re not paying dearly for that extra RAM and SSD capacity at that new price."
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 Go 3 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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