MSI Alpha 17 vs MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition Comparison

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MSI Alpha 17

17.3 inches | September 2020

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MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition

15.6 inches | September 2021

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MSI Alpha 17 vs MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition Comparison Overview

MSI Alpha 17

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MSI Alpha 15 Advanta...

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MSI Alpha 17

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MSI Alpha 15 Advanta...

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In this review, we will be comparing Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 Advantage Edition, two laptops by MSI. MSI Alpha 17 was introduced to market in September 2020 and MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition was launched in September 2021. There is 12 months difference between Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 Advantage Edition so it would still give an advantage to younger Alpha 15 Advantage Edition.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 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 Advantage Edition 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 Advantage Edition Key Specs

Launched in September 2021
15.6" IPS LCD, 16:9 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H
GPU: Radeon RX 6600M 8GB
8GB Ram
359 x 259 x 23.95 mm (14.13 x 10.2 x 0.94 inches)
Weight: 2.35 kg (5.18 lbs)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 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 Advantage Edition

Screen-to-Body Ratio	~76.3% vs ~72.2%	Larger screen area ratio
Display Size	17.3 inches vs 15.6 inches	Larger Screen Estate
Noise Level	54 dB vs 57.6 dB	Less fan noise
USB Power Delivery	Yes vs No	Charges via USB-C type cable
Speaker Loudness	89 dB vs 78 dB	Generates higher sound levels
SD Card Reader	Yes vs No	Read & Write SD Cards with the built-in reader

Reasons to choose MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition over MSI Alpha 17

Weight	2.35 kg vs 2.60 kg	0.25 kg lighter
Side Bezel Thickness	6.8 mm vs 8 mm	1.2 mm thinner bezels
Contrast Rate	1414:1 vs 1104:1	more pleasing colors
Screen PPI	141 ppi vs 127 ppi	More pixels per inch
Screen Opening Angle	180° vs 160°	More flexible screen
sRGB Color Space	91.6% vs 59%	Wider sRGB Color Space Coverage
Adobe RGB Profile	67% vs 41%	Wider Adobe RGB Coverage
Max Brightness	350 nits vs 250 nits	Brighter Screen
Response Time	6 ms vs 35 ms	Faster Response screen
GPU FLOPS	11.4 TFLOPS vs 5.829 TFLOPS	Better HDMI connectivity
HDMI Version	2.1 vs 2.0

Common Strengths of MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 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
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
Wi-Fi Standard	v6 vs v6	Fast and Reliable Wi-Fi Connections
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
Ethernet RJ45 Port	Yes vs Yes	Fast connection to Network via ethernet cable
Numeric Pad	Yes vs Yes	Fast way to input numbers
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs Yes	Easily see the keys under low light

Common Weaknesses of MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 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 Advantage Edition: 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 Advantage Edition.

Physical Specs
Weight	2.6 kg (5.73 lbs)	2.35 kg (5.18 lbs)
Surface Area	1081 cm2 (167.6 inches2)	930 cm2 (144.1 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~76.3%	~72.2%
Side Bezel Thickness	~8 mm	~6.8 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°	180Â°

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

Weight

Alpha 17 weighs 2.6 kg (5.73 lbs), whereas the Alpha 15 Advantage Edition weighs 2.35 kg (5.18 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" 2.74 kg

MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 2.35 kg

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 1.95 kg

Thickness Comparison

MSI Alpha 17 28.00 mm

Avg: larger than 17.0" 24.26 mm

MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 24.00 mm

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 20.17 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 Advantage Edition 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
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
LG Gram 14 2-in-1 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

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

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	AMD Ryzen 5 5600H AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
Base Frequency	2.9 GHz	3.3 GHz
Turbo Frequency	4.2 GHz	4.2 GHz
Number of Cores	8	6
Number of Threads	16	12
L3 Cache	8 MB	16 MB
Integrated GPU	Radeon Vega 7	Radeon RX Vega 7
CPU Fabrication Process	7 nm	7 nm
Geekbench 5 (Single)	1198	1426
Geekbench 5 (Multi)	7176	6579
Cinebench 23 (Single)	1255	1371
Cinebench 23 (Multi)	11236	9758

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 Advantage Edition.

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 5600H

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	Radeon RX 5600M	Radeon RX 6600M 8GB
Base Clock Frequency	1035 MHz	2068 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1265 MHz	2416 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)		100 W
Type	Dedicated	Dedicated
FLOPS	5.829 TFLOPS	8.659 TFLOPS
Memory Size	6 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bus	192 bit	128 bit
Memory Speed	~12 Gbps	1750 MHz 14 Gbps effective
Shading Units Cores	2304	1792
TMUs	144	112
ROPs	64	64

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 Advantage Edition ' has a FLOPS value of 11.4 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	8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB
Memory Bus	2x8 GB	1x8 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)

With a larger RAM capacity of 16 GB, the Alpha 17 offers an advantage for multitasking and resource-intensive applications compared to the Alpha 15 Advantage Edition's RAM capacity of 8 GB.

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 Advantage Edition
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.	✖ Not supported.
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	90 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Po	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	Yes	Yes
USB Power Delivery	Yes	No
Charging Port Position	Bottom	Left
Charge Power	230 W	180 W
AC Adapter Weight	911 gramm

On the other hand, the Alpha 15 Advantage Edition features a higher battery capacity of 90 Wh, delivering longer usage time compared to the Alpha 17's 65 Wh.

Battery Comparison

MSI Alpha 17 65 Wh

Avg: larger than 17.0" 76.88 Wh

MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 90 Wh

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 62.1 Wh

STORAGE
The Alpha 15 Advantage Edition offers a larger max storage capacity of 2 TB, providing more room for storing files and data compared to the Alpha 17's storage capacity of 1 TB.

Storage Options	512 GB, 1 TB	512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
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 Advantage Edition: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the MSI Alpha 17 and MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 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 Advantage Edition has a smaller 15.6" display.The total usable screen area of the Alpha 17 is 825cm² / 128inch² whereas the Alpha 15 Advantage Edition's total usable screen area is 670cm² / 104inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Additionally, the Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 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" 141 PPI

MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 141 PPI

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 144 PPI

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

Furthermore, the Alpha 15 Advantage Edition boasts a faster response time of 6.0 ms, reducing motion blur for fast-paced content.

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

Brightness Comparison

MSI Alpha 17 250 nits

Avg: larger than 17.0" 368 nits

MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 350 nits

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 319 nits

MSI Alpha 17 vs MSI Alpha 15 Advantage Edition Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Both laptops offer the same Wi-Fi standard (v6), ensuring fast and reliable wireless connections.

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 Advantage Edition feature 3x USB 3.2 USB-A ports.
Both Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 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 Advantage Edition has Thunderbolt port.

HDMI
Both Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 Advantage Edition feature an HDMI port. Alpha 17 offers 1x HDMI 2.0, while Alpha 15 Advantage Edition offers 1x HDMI 2.1.

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
Alpha 17 is equipped with an SD Card Reader for easy access to memory cards. Alpha 15 Advantage Edition does not have an SD Card Reader.

Audio Jack
Both Alpha 17 and Alpha 15 Advantage Edition 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	v6
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: 4)	No	No
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	1x HDMI 2.0	1x HDMI 2.1
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	Yes
SD CardReader	Yes	No
Proprietary Charging Port	Yes	Yes