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Updated January 10, 2024·
The MSI GF65 Thin offers superior gaming and 3D performance due to its RTX 3060 GPU, making it suitable for high-end gaming and intensive engineering tasks, but it’s less portable and has a shorter battery life. The XPG Xenia 14, while not as powerful for gaming or engineering, has better battery life and is much more portable with a higher screen resolution, making it a better choice for general use and those on the go. If gaming or engineering performance is a priority and you don't mind carrying a heavier laptop, the MSI might be the better option. If you prioritize portability, battery life, and a sharper display for productivity or entertainment, the XPG is more suitable. 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 GF65 Thin
- The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the XPG Xenia 14.
Advantages of the XPG Xenia 14
- Good for general use
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Good overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5
7.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
321.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The XPG Xenia 14 is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The MSI GF65 Thin, while fair for general use, has half the RAM of the XPG Xenia 14 and offers lower screen brightness and color accuracy, which makes the Xenia 14's display more vibrant and detailed for tasks like photo editing. Furthermore, the Xenia 14's lighter weight and longer battery life make it more portable and better suited for on-the-go usage compared to the GF65 Thin, which compensates with a superior dedicated GPU, advantageous for gaming but less crucial for general use.
Gaming and AI
6.8
6.1
6.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI GF65 Thin and XPG Xenia 14 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
6.8
7.4
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The XPG Xenia 14 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
6.3
7.2
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The XPG Xenia 14 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
6.8
6.9
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
321.0 nits
The MSI GF65 Thin has a better screen than the XPG Xenia 14 for gaming and AI, while the XPG Xenia 14 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The MSI GF65 Thin offers a balance between resolution and brightness, making it adequate for everyday tasks and engineering applications where fine detail is necessary, but the limited color range makes it less ideal for color-sensitive work. The XPG Xenia 14 provides a superior balance of resolution, brightness, and wider color gamut coverage, optimizing it for detailed engineering and design work, while enhancing the general user experience with crisp and vibrant visuals. Both laptops, however, fall short in gaming and 3D applications due to lower refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth motion and gameplay.
Battery
4.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 hours of battery life. The XPG Xenia 14 has 10 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
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
2.2 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The XPG Xenia 14 has excellent portability, while the MSI GF65 Thin has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$800
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The MSI GF65 Thin has a price of $1,100 and the XPG Xenia 14 costs $800.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
6.7
6.8
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
6.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The XPG Xenia 14 and MSI GF65 Thin are both only fair for engineering and design.
The MSI GF65 Thin is well-suited for engineering and design due to its dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU which performs better with graphics-intensive tasks, backed by an Intel i5 CPU and a decent screen quality, but it’s less portable with a heavier build. The XPG Xenia 14, on the other hand, offers a balance of performance with a newer but less powerful Intel i5 CPU and integrated Iris Xe graphics, and it excels in portability and screen quality, with a higher color accuracy, and is considerably lighter, making it easy to carry around.
Build Quality
6.7
7.2
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers XPG Xenia 14 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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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the MSI GF65 Thin and the XPG Xenia 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI GF65 Thin | XPG Xenia 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $800 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2021 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | 12.2'' x 8.5'' x 0.59'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.1 lbs | 2.2 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.13" | 12.2" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.99" | 8.46" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-10500H | Intel i5-1135G7 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4.5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 51 Wh | 53 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 321 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.4/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
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."
XPG Xenia 14
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | July 2021
"The Xenia 14 is a top 14-inch laptop under 1 kg. ADATA isn't exactly known for its laptops and so we weren't expecting much from its first 14-inch Ultrabook. With that said, we're pleasantly surprised by how well the Xenia 14 looks and performs. Not only is it incredibly light, but it has a color accurate 16:10 display, high CPU and GPU performance, easy RAM and SSD serviceability, plenty of port options including Thunderbolt 4, and long battery life. It packs a lot of punch and features considering the size and weight to be better than even the LG Gram series."
Get a great deal on the MSI GF65 Thin or the XPG Xenia 14
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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