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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated March 21, 2024·
When considering the MSI Stealth laptops, if you're looking for higher-end performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the MSI Stealth 17 could be worth the extra cost due to typically better hardware. However, if portability and battery life are more important to you, and you primarily engage in general use or less demanding engineering tasks, the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio might offer a better balance with a lower price tag. Remember, higher performance often comes at the cost of battery life, and lighter laptops might have less powerful components. 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 Stealth 17
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
- Very good overall build quality
- Good battery life
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.6
8.4
17.3in
SIZE
18.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
384.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation.
For general use, both the MSI Stealth 17 and 18 AI Studio offer high-resolution displays with panel types that provide clear and bright visuals, making them suitable for everyday tasks like browsing, video playback, and document editing. Engineering and design professionals will appreciate the wide color gamuts of these laptops, ensuring accurate color representation crucial for tasks like photo editing and CAD work. However, gamers and those into 3D applications may find the refresh rates lacking on these models, which can hinder the smooth rendering of fast-paced visuals and affect overall gaming and 3D performance.
Cost
$3,899
$2,900
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The MSI Stealth 17 has a price of $3,899 and the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio costs $2,900.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.7
8.4
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
384.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio are both very good for general use.
Both the MSI Stealth 17 and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio are equipped with powerful CPUs and ample RAM which ensures swift and efficient performance for everyday tasks, while their high-quality screens offer crisp and vivid visuals important for general use. The Stealth 17 is more portable and has longer battery life making it ideal for on-the-go users, whereas the Stealth 18 provides larger storage, a better keyboard, and enhanced speakers, which may appeal to those who prioritize a richer multimedia experience and data-heavy applications over mobility.
Gaming and AI
9.1
8.9
9.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth 17 to be excellent for gaming and AI, while the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is very good.
The MSI Stealth 17 and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio both feature high-end GPUs and fast screen refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth gameplay and 3D rendering, making them excellent for gaming and 3D applications. While the CPU and screen quality also contribute to the overall performance and visual experience, they are not as critical as the GPU and refresh rate for these specific tasks.
Engineering and Design
9.4
9.1
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
9.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
64.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio are both excellent for engineering and design.
The MSI Stealth 17 and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio both have powerful CPUs and GPUs, ample RAM, and high-quality screens, which are crucial for demanding engineering applications and provide a smooth experience with design software. While both excel in performance, the Stealth 18 offers a slight edge for the most intensive tasks; however, it may be less portable and could have a noisier operation compared to the Stealth 17, which may be factors to consider if mobility and work environment are concerns.
Content Creation
8.8
8.5
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
64.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio are both very good for content creation.
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
8.5
8.2
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
64.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio are both very good for software development.
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.
Battery
5.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio has 6 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
Fair
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
18.0in
6.1 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Stealth 17 and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8
8.0
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio to have very good build quality, while the MSI Stealth 17 has good 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 MSI Stealth 17 and the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI Stealth 17 | MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$3,899 | $2,900 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | March 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | 15.8'' x 11.4'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.17 lbs | 6.15 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.65" | 15.75" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.16" | 11.4" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900H | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 64 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 2048 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99.9 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 18" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 384 nits | 305 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.5/10 | 6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
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 MSI Stealth 17 or the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
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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