Home » Gaming Laptops Comparison: ASUS ROG Zephyrus vs. MSI GS65 Stealth

GamesLaptops

Gaming Laptops Comparison: ASUS ROG Zephyrus vs. MSI GS65 Stealth

TheReviewHub

February 6, 2023

70 Views 0

SaveSavedRemoved 2

1

Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 7

Intel Core i7-12700H CPU, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060

CHeck Prices

The best hosting plans are included

Find best plan for you

• Price per month: Starting at $2.95
• Uptime: 99.99%
• Money-back guarantee: 30-day

With an entry-level $1,249.99 starting price, a load of configuration options, and a sturdy all-around build, we can comfortably recommend this laptop to the average mainstream gamer. Our configuration is a little pricier than the base model, which helps give you an idea of how it can scale up, so there’s something for everyone here in a quality package with minimal concessions. A bright 165Hz display, Intel Core i7-12700H CPU, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 combine for an excellent gaming experience for a wide variety of titles.

Even the starting price is perhaps a bit out of range for budget shoppers (we have other picks for that purpose), but most gamers will find the performance more than playable at a reasonable cost. If you want your laptop to be somewhat portable, but prioritize performance and prefer a larger screen, this is the best starting point right now. There are more specialized machines in either direction (much smaller or bigger and more powerful), but the standard 15-inch size is as close to a crowd-pleaser as it gets.

2

MSI Katana GF66

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU

CHeck Prices

The best hosting plans are included

Find best plan for you

• Price per month: Starting at $2.95
• Uptime: 99.99%
• Money-back guarantee: 30-day

In a time of rising PC and component costs, MSI’s Katana GF66 is a breath of fresh air for true budget shoppers. Configurations start at just $799, and there’s a great in-store Micro Center deal on the upticked model we tested for just $1,199. What makes it such a good pick compared to other entry-level systems? It offers an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU at a lower price than other machines, plus an eight-core Intel Core i7 CPU. This is an all-around killer package considering the cost.

Expect, of course, some compromises—unavoidable for the price—but they’re relatively minimal. The Katana’s battery life is shorter, and its screen less vivid, than we’d like. But it hits the essentials and then some. Laptops at this price don’t normally offer a GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, which comfortably delivers 60fps-plus gaming at a low barrier of entry. The Katana also packs a 144Hz display to capitalize on titles that can go well beyond 60fps on a midrange GPU, like massively popular competitive multiplayer games.

3

Acer Nitro 5 (2023, 17-Inch)

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU and AMD Ryzen 7 6800H

CHeck Prices

The best hosting plans are included

Find best plan for you

• Price per month: Starting at $2.95
• Uptime: 99.99%
• Money-back guarantee: 30-day

You’ll note that the test model we cite in our full review of this big Nitro is a bit above what we outlined as the “budget” price range in the introduction of this story—an unfortunate reality of today’s market for many systems. That said, the Nitro 5, for multiple generations, has been a classic budget laptop available at a range of prices, with plenty of models at the lower end. As configured, our unit trends toward midrange, but discounts abound, and it can be found for closer to $1,000 at some retailers.

You’ll also tend to find more budget models at the 15.6-inch screen size than the 17-inch, since the former is the heart of the market and 15.6-inch panels are traditionally the most cost-efficient in laptops due to volume of production. As for what makes the system a good pick, it’s simply a fair bargain for a very capable big-screen laptop in this range. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU and AMD Ryzen 7 6800H processor are solid core components for mainstream and even enthusiast gaming.

Related posts