A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 offers a good balance between price and performance for everyday tasks and some heavier use due to its AMD Ryzen 7 processor with integrated graphics; it also boasts a larger storage capacity and has a good battery life, making it ideal for general use and productivity. On the other hand, the MSI Cyborg 15 is slightly more expensive but provides a significant performance increase for 3D work, machine learning, and gaming, thanks to its Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card; however, keep in mind that these enhancements come with a heavier build, resulting in decreased portability and shorter battery life. Choose the ASUS if you prioritize battery, cost, and a lighter device for regular tasks, or the MSI if you require more power for demanding applications and can manage a heavier laptop with more frequent charging. 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 ASUS Vivobook S 15
- Good overall build quality
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3
7.2
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 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.
Screen Quality
6.3
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
267.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The MSI Cyborg 15 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook S 15 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
When considering laptops like the ASUS Vivobook S 15 and the MSI Cyborg 15, the moderate resolution and brightness of their screens combined with the typical panel type used, provide enough clarity and visibility for everyday tasks like browsing and document editing. For engineering and design, however, professionals might find the color accuracy and range lacking as these models do not excel in reproducing a wide spectrum of colors that are crucial for precise work. For gaming and 3D applications, where smooth motion is key, the lower refresh rates on these laptops may lead to less fluid visuals, making them less ideal for fast-paced or graphic-intensive tasks.
Battery
9.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has 9 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 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.
Cost
$800
$995
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a price of $800 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $995.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
267.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for general use.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 features a powerful CPU, ample RAM, and high-resolution screen making it a versatile laptop for general use; its large battery capacity and lower weight enhance its portability and longer use between charges. In contrast, the MSI Cyborg 15, though slightly heavier, offers a dedicated graphics unit, which improves performance in visually intensive tasks but has less storage and a smaller battery, which might reduce its efficiency for prolonged use away from power outlets.
Engineering and Design
7.1
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The MSI Cyborg 15 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 are both good for engineering and design.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15's AMD CPU and integrated Vega 8 GPU, combined with ample RAM and good screen quality, make it well-suited for engineering and design tasks, while being slightly more portable and having better battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15, with its more powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, caters to more intensive engineering software and graphic design scenarios despite a tradeoff in reduced battery capacity and more weight, making it less portable.
Content Creation
7.6
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both 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
7.4
7.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both 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
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and MSI Cyborg 15 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0
6.7
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Vivobook S 15 to have good build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 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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How the ASUS Vivobook S 15 and the MSI Cyborg 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Vivobook S 15 | MSI Cyborg 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$800 | $995 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.2'' x 0.74'' | 14.2'' x 9.9'' x 0.9'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 4.37 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.17" | 14.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.17" | 9.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i7-12650H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 70 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 267 nits | 234 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 7.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
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 | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
ASUS Vivobook S 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | February 2023
"Internals make Asus VivoBook S15 laptop a compelling option. The Asus multimedia laptop may look rather below-average with its modest black chassis, lack of a dedicated GPU, limited RAM and meagre port selection without Thunderbolt support. But your impression of the device will start changing once you set your eyes on its high-contrast OLED capable of producing deep blacks and highly accurate colours. And your opinion will change completely when the VivoBook is switched on. The AMD CPU can effortlessly keep up with powerful rivals from Intel. The integrated Radeon graphics blows away Intel's iGPU when it comes to graphics workloads such as rendering and simpler games."
MSI Cyborg 15
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | April 2023
"The focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Vivobook S 15 or the MSI Cyborg 15
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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