A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize high performance for engineering applications or 3D/machine learning tasks, and need a larger, higher-resolution touchscreen with a better color range, the MSI Creator Z16P is the better option. It has a stronger processor, more RAM, and a more powerful graphics card, but it is less portable and has a shorter battery life. Alternatively, if you are looking for something more affordable and lightweight with a longer battery life, suitable for gaming and general use, the MSI GF65 Thin might be the right choice, despite having a less powerful processor and graphics card and less screen real estate. 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 MSI Creator Z16P
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the MSI Creator Z16P.
Key differences
General Use
7.8
6.5
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
394.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The MSI Creator Z16P is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The MSI Creator Z16P, with a higher-end CPU, more RAM, superior screen quality with higher resolution and color accuracy, and longer battery life, is better suited for power users and strenuous tasks, trading off with less portability due to heavier weight. In contrast, the MSI GF65 Thin offers a mid-range CPU, less RAM, a basic screen with lower resolution and color accuracy, but compensates with better portability due to its lighter weight, though at a cost of shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
7.6
6.8
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Creator Z16P is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.3
6.7
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The MSI Creator Z16P is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The MSI Creator Z16P boasts a more powerful processor, higher RAM, and a superior GPU with a high-quality display, making it very good for demanding engineering and design tasks. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin, while still suitable for engineering and design, has a less powerful processor, less RAM, and a lower tier GPU, with a standard quality display, offering a balance between performance and cost-effectiveness.
Content Creation
7.9
6.8
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator Z16P 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
7.6
6.3
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P 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
8.3
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
394.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The MSI Creator Z16P has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MSI Creator Z16P boasts a high-resolution display with excellent brightness and color accuracy, making it suitable for tasks where visual detail and color representation are critical, such as photo editing and graphic design. However, it may not be the best choice for gaming or 3D work due to a lower refresh rate, which is essential for smooth motion rendering in fast-paced games. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin provides a fair experience for both general and professional uses since it has a decent resolution and color coverage, but its screen may not be as bright or vibrant, and the lower refresh rate would also detract from optimal gaming and 3D modeling experiences.
Build Quality
8.0
6.7
The MSI Creator Z16P has very 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.
Cost
$1,300
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The MSI Creator Z16P has a price of $1,300 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Key similarities
Battery
5.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The MSI Creator Z16P has 5 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
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The MSI GF65 Thin and MSI Creator Z16P both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the MSI Creator Z16P and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI Creator Z16P | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,300 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2023 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.75'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.27 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.13" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.18" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-12900H | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 394 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.2/10 | 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 | 7.8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
MSI Creator Z16P
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | June 2022
"There's almost nothing left to be desired with the MSI Z16P. The creator laptop offers enormous performance resources for image editing, video editing, rendering, and more. All this is presented on a precalibrated, adequately sized, and high-resolution display. Its color space, refresh rate, and panel technology are also perfectly suited for a device that specializes in video reproduction and editing."
MSI GF65 Thin
See more
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 MSI Creator Z16P or the MSI GF65 Thin
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.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
Why trust us
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
124,695
Recommendations made
27,018
Consumer hours saved
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.
Featured in
