MSI Alpha 17 vs MSI Alpha 15 Comparison

Laptop to replace

Change

MSI Alpha 17

17.3 inches | September 2020

CHECK PRICE

Change

MSI Alpha 15

15.6 inches | September 2020

CHECK PRICE

MSI Alpha 17 vs MSI Alpha 15 Comparison Overview

MSI Alpha 17

See at AMAZON

MSI Alpha 15

See at AMAZON

MSI Alpha 17

See at AMAZON

MSI Alpha 15

See at AMAZON

In this review, we will be comparing Alpha 17 and Alpha 15, two laptops by MSI. MSI Alpha 17 was introduced to market in September 2020 and MSI Alpha 15 was launched in September 2020. Both Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 were launched within the same month so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and available technology level.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 are members of MSI's Alpha series of laptops. Below you can find the latest models from this series.

MSI Alpha Series History

	Release Date	Screen Size	Dimensions	Weight
MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition	September 2021	15.6"	359 x 259 x 23.95 mm	2.35 kg (5.18 lbs)
MSI Alpha 15	September 2020	15.6"	357.7 x 248 x 26.9 mm	2.4 kg (5.29 lbs)
MSI Alpha 17	September 2020	17.3"	399 x 271 x 28 mm	2.6 kg (5.73 lbs)

Here is a brief look at the main features of MSI Alpha 17 and MSI Alpha 15 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

MSI Alpha 17 Key Specs

Launched in September 2020
17.3" IPS LCD, 16:9 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
GPU: Radeon RX 5600M
16GB Ram
399 x 271 x 28 mm (15.71 x 10.67 x 1.1 inches)
Weight: 2.6 kg (5.73 lbs)

MSI Alpha 15 Key Specs

Launched in September 2020
15.6" IPS LCD, 16:9 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
GPU: Radeon RX 5300M
16GB Ram
357.7 x 248 x 26.9 mm (14.08 x 9.76 x 1.06 inches)
Weight: 2.4 kg (5.29 lbs)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose MSI Alpha 17 over MSI Alpha 15

Screen-to-Body Ratio	~76.3% vs ~75.7%	Larger screen area ratio
Display Size	17.3 inches vs 15.6 inches	Larger Screen Estate
GPU FLOPS	5.829 TFLOPS vs 4.069 TFLOPS	More advanced Wi-fi connectivity
WiFi Standard	v6 vs v5	Connects to the local network via Ethernet RJ45
Ethernet RJ45 Port	Yes vs No	Fast way to input numbers
Numeric Pad	Yes vs No

Reasons to choose MSI Alpha 15 over MSI Alpha 17

Weight	2.40 kg vs 2.60 kg	0.2 kg lighter
Side Bezel Thickness	6.2 mm vs 8 mm	1.8 mm thinner bezels
Screen PPI	141 ppi vs 127 ppi	More pixels per inch
sRGB Color Space	100% vs 59%	Wider sRGB Color Space Coverage
Max Brightness	350 nits vs 250 nits	Brighter Screen
Response Time	3 ms vs 35 ms	Faster Response screen

Common Strengths of MSI Alpha 15 and MSI Alpha 17

Screen Coating	Matte vs Matte	Less reflections on the screen
Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
USB Power Delivery	Yes vs Yes	Charging via USB port gives flexibility
Upgradable RAM	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the RAM size
RAM Type	PCI-E Gen 3.0 (4x) vs PCI-E Gen 3.0 (4x)	Fast RAM type
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the Storage size
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
Bluetooth Standard	v5.1 vs v5.1	Fast and Reliable Bluetooth Connections
HDMI Output	1x HDMI 2.0 vs 1x HDMI 2.0	Connect to External Displays via HDMI cable
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable
Built-in SD Card Reader	Yes vs Yes	Read & Write SD Cards
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs Yes	Easily see the keys under low light

Common Weaknesses of MSI Alpha 15 and MSI Alpha 17

Touchscreen Capability	No vs No	No Touchscreen Capability
HDR Support	No vs No	No HDR Support
Fingerprint Sensor	No vs No	No fingerprint login feature

MSI Alpha 17 vs MSI Alpha 15: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the MSI Alpha 17 and the MSI Alpha 15.

Physical Specs
Weight	2.6 kg (5.73 lbs)	2.4 kg (5.29 lbs)
Surface Area	1081 cm2 (167.6 inches2)	887 cm2 (137.4 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~76.3%	~75.7%
Side Bezel Thickness	~8 mm	~6.2 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.15 kg/inch	0.15 kg/inch
	0.33 lbs/inch	0.33 lbs/inch
Colors	Black	Black
Cover Opening Angle	160Â°	160Â°

Comparison of the MSI Alpha 17 and the MSI Alpha 15 External Dimensions

Weight

Alpha 17 weighs 2.6 kg (5.73 lbs), whereas the Alpha 15 weighs 2.4 kg (5.29 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. However, it's important to consider that comparing their weights directly may not provide a complete picture since they also have different display sizes.

Weight Comparison

MSI Alpha 17 2.60 kg

Avg: larger than 17.0" 2.77 kg

MSI Alpha 15 2.40 kg

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 1.94 kg

Thickness Comparison

MSI Alpha 17 28.00 mm

Avg: larger than 17.0" 24.42 mm

MSI Alpha 15 26.90 mm

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 20.13 mm

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the MSI Alpha 17 is 0.15 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the MSI Alpha 15 is 0.15 kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Microsoft Surface Pro 12: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

MSI Alpha 17 vs MSI Alpha 15: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	AMD Ryzen 5 4600H AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
Base Frequency	2.9 GHz	3.0 GHz
Turbo Frequency	4.2 GHz	4 GHz
Number of Cores	8	6
Number of Threads	16	12
L3 Cache	8 MB	8 MB
Integrated GPU	Radeon Vega 7	Radeon Vega 6
CPU Fabrication Process	7 nm	7 nm
Geekbench 5 (Single)	1198	1105
Geekbench 5 (Multi)	7176	5714
Cinebench 23 (Single)	1255	1153
Cinebench 23 (Multi)	11236	7998

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the MSI Alpha 17 and MSI Alpha 15.

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPUs and compare them:

Laptops with: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H

Laptops with: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H

Dell G5 15 5505 SE Compare

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	Radeon RX 5600M	Radeon RX 5300M Radeon RX 5500M Radeon RX 5600M 4GB
Base Clock Frequency	1035 MHz	1000 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1265 MHz	1445 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)		85 W
Type	Dedicated	Dedicated
FLOPS	5.829 TFLOPS	4.069 TFLOPS
Memory Size	6 GB	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bus	192 bit	96 bit
Memory Speed	~12 Gbps	1750 MHz 14 Gbps effective
Shading Units Cores	2304	1408
TMUs	144	88
ROPs	64	32

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. MSI Alpha 17 has a FLOPS value of 5.829 TFLOPS whereas the MSI Alpha 15 ' has a FLOPS value of 4.069 TFLOPS. If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the MSI Alpha 17 may be the better choice between these two setups.

RAM Comparison

RAM	16GB 32GB 64GB	16GB 32GB 64GB
Memory Bus	2x8 GB	2x8 GB
RAM Clock	3200 MHz	3200 MHz
RAM Type	DDR4	DDR4
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
Max RAM Size	64 GB	64 GB
Total Slots	2	2
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 3.0 (4x)	PCI-E Gen 3.0 (4x)

Both laptops, the Alpha 17 and the Alpha 15, come with similar RAM capacities of 16 GB, providing comparable performance in memory-intensive tasks.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

This quick guide shows what types of large language models (LLMs) each of these laptops could support, based on their respective hardware specifications. It's meant to help you compare their suitability for running AI models locally.

LLM Category	MSI Alpha 17	MSI Alpha 15
Small Models(1-3B):Examples: Phi-2, Qwen-1.8B	✔ Run smoothly.	✔ Run smoothly.
Medium Models(7-8B):Examples: Mistral-7B, Qwen-7B	✔ Good performance.	✔ Good performance.
Large Models(13-30B):Examples: Mixtral, Qwen-14B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Extra-Large Models(65B+):Examples: LLaMA2-70B, Qwen1.5-72B	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.

Note: Optimized (e.g., 4-bit) models may run on limited hardware. Performance depends on runtime and setup.

📌 MoE Models: Some models like Mixtral 8x7B and Qwen3-30B-A3B use a Mixture of Experts (MoE) design, activating only part of the model during inference. This means they can often run efficiently on laptops with 12–16 GB of VRAM when quantized.

BATTERY

BATTERY	65 Wh	65 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Po	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	Yes	Yes
USB Power Delivery	Yes	Yes
Charging Port Position	Bottom	Bottom
Charge Power	230 W	230 W
AC Adapter Weight	911 gramm

Furthermore, both laptops have the same battery capacity of 65 Wh, ensuring comparable battery performance.

Battery Comparison

MSI Alpha 17 65 Wh

Avg: larger than 17.0" 77.38 Wh

MSI Alpha 15 65 Wh

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 62.07 Wh

STORAGE
Both laptops, the Alpha 17 and the Alpha 15 have similar max. storage capacities of 1 TB, allowing for ample space to store files and applications.

Storage Options	512 GB, 1 TB	512 GB, 1 TB
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
Total Slots	2	2
Storage type	SSD (M2)	SSD (M2)
NVMe	Yes	Yes

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

MSI Alpha 17 vs MSI Alpha 15: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the MSI Alpha 17 and MSI Alpha 15 since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Alpha 17 has a display size of 17.3".On the other hand, Alpha 15 has a smaller 15.6" display.The total usable screen area of the Alpha 17 is 825cm² / 128inch² whereas the Alpha 15's total usable screen area is 670cm² / 104inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Additionally, the Alpha 15 features a higher pixel density with 141 pixels per inch (PPI), ensuring sharper image details.

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

MSI Alpha 17 127 PPI

Avg: larger than 17.0" 142 PPI

MSI Alpha 15 141 PPI

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 143 PPI

Refresh Rate
Both Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 offer the same refresh rate of 144 Hz.

Furthermore, the Alpha 15 boasts a faster response time of 3.0 ms, reducing motion blur for fast-paced content.

Brightness
The Alpha 15 offers a higher maximum brightness of 350 nits, delivering a brighter screen.

Brightness Comparison

MSI Alpha 17 250 nits

Avg: larger than 17.0" 376 nits

MSI Alpha 15 350 nits

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 319 nits

MSI Alpha 17 vs MSI Alpha 15 Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Alpha 17 features a more advanced Wi-Fi standard v6, providing faster and more reliable wireless connections compared to Alpha 15 (v5).

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
Both Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 feature 3x USB 3.2 USB-A ports.
Both Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 feature 1x USB 3.2 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Neither Alpha 17 nor Alpha 15 has Thunderbolt port.

HDMI
Both Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 feature an HDMI port (1x HDMI 2.0) for connecting to external monitors.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
Both Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 come with an SD Card Reader for easy access to memory cards.

Audio Jack
Both Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 are equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, providing seamless connection to headphones and speakers.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v6	v5
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v5.1	v5.1
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	3x USB 3.2	3x USB 3.2
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	1x USB 3.2	1x USB 3.2
Thunderbolt (latest: 5)	No	No
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	1x HDMI 2.0	1x HDMI 2.0
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Fingerprint Sensor	No	No
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	Yes
Ethernet RJ45	Yes	No
SD CardReader	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Charging Port	Yes	Yes