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Updated January 10, 2024·
When choosing between the MSI Stealth 17 and the Razer Blade 18, consider that the MSI may offer slightly better performance for tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming due to its more powerful graphics chip, as well as more storage and memory. However, the Razer Blade 18 is a bit lighter and comes with a slightly larger screen, which might be better for productivity and entertainment, but its battery life may shorten a bit quicker. Both are premium laptops, but the MSI is generally a bit more expensive, so if budget is an important factor, the Razer Blade might be more appealing. 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
Advantages of the Razer Blade 18
- Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.6
8.9
17.3in
SIZE
18.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
384.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 18 for content creation, while the Razer Blade 18 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
A laptop with very good screen quality for general use typically offers a high resolution and brightness, which ensures crisp text and vibrant images, making the MSI Stealth 17 and Razer Blade 18 suitable choices for everyday tasks. For engineering and design, both models boast wide color gamuts, providing accurate color representation crucial for detailed work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, screens with higher refresh rates are preferred to reduce motion blur and improve fluidity, which these laptops lack, hence their screens are considered poor for gaming and 3D tasks.
Battery
5.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 18 has 4 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.
Build Quality
7.8
8.5
The Razer Blade 18 has 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.
Cost
$4,480
$3,999
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The MSI Stealth 17 has a price of $4,480 and the Razer Blade 18 costs $3,999.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.7
8.5
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
384.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.1/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and Razer Blade 18 are both very good for general use.
The MSI Stealth 17 offers great general use performance with a top-tier CPU and abundant RAM, complemented by high-quality screen resolution and good battery life, though it's a bit heavy which affects portability. The Razer Blade 18, also with a high-end CPU and ample RAM, boasts an excellent screen but has shorter battery life and a slightly larger screen size, which could make it less convenient to carry around. Both laptops have considerable storage and excellent keyboards, but if carrying your laptop often is a necessity, the MSI might be more suitable despite its weight because of the longer battery life.
Gaming and AI
9.1
8.9
9.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
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
7.2/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth 17 to be excellent for gaming and AI, while the Razer Blade 18 is very good.
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
9.4
9.3
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
9.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
64.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 and Razer Blade 18 are both excellent for engineering and design.
The MSI Stealth 17 is equipped with a powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a superior GPU compared to the Razer Blade 18, making it more suitable for demanding engineering software and heavy design tasks that require extensive processing and high-performance graphics.
Content Creation
8.8
8.6
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
64.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 and Razer Blade 18 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
8.5
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
64.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and Razer Blade 18 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.
Portability
Fair
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
18.0in
6.1 lbs
WEIGHT
6.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The MSI Stealth 17 and Razer Blade 18 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the MSI Stealth 17 and the Razer Blade 18 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI Stealth 17 | Razer Blade 18 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$4,480 | $3,999 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | 15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.17 lbs | 6.68 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.65" | 15.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.16" | 10.8" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900H | Intel i9-13950HX | |
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 | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99.9 Wh | 91.7 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 | 524 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.5/10 | 6.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1440p | |
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 | 2 | 3 | |
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."
Razer Blade 18
See more
Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | March 2023
"Razer made a powerful laptop in the Blade 18, showing off a beautiful and fast display and the same high-quality build we’ve come to expect from this product line. It’s also quite expensive, which is hardly a surprise, but bears repeating even in this price range. It’s pricier than the Scar 18 despite an inferior GPU and half the storage, so you really have to want the Blade 18’s design to justify the cost."
Get a great deal on the MSI Stealth 17 or the Razer Blade 18
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.
About Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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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