Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 vs MSI Stealth A16 AI+ Comparison

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Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16

16 inches | January 2023

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MSI Stealth A16 AI+

16 inches | September 2024

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Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 vs MSI Stealth A16 AI+ Comparison Overview

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MSI Stealth A16 AI+

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Asus ROG Strix SCAR...

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MSI Stealth A16 AI+

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In this review, we will be comparing ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+, two laptops from Asus and MSI. Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 was introduced to market in January 2023 and MSI Stealth A16 AI+ was launched in September 2024. There is 20 months difference between ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+ so it would still give an advantage to younger Stealth A16 AI+.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Here is a brief look at the main features of Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 and MSI Stealth A16 AI+ before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 Key Specs

Launched in January 2023
16.0" Mini LED, 16:10 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i9 13980HX
GPU: GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile 12GB
16GB Ram
354 x 264 x 22.6 mm (13.94 x 10.39 x 0.89 inches)
Weight: 2.5 kg (5.51 lbs)

MSI Stealth A16 AI+ Key Specs

Launched in September 2024
16.0" IPS LCD, 16:10 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
GPU: Radeon 890M
16GB Ram
355.8 x 259.7 x 19.95 mm (14.01 x 10.22 x 0.79 inches)
Weight: 2.1 kg (4.63 lbs)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+ 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 Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 over MSI Stealth A16 AI+

Side Bezel Thickness	4.7 mm vs 5.6 mm	0.9 mm thinner bezels
Max Brightness	1100 nits vs 400 nits	Brighter Screen
GPU FLOPS	24.7 TFLOPS vs 5.9 TFLOPS	Dedicated GPU unit
GPU Type	Dedicated vs Integrated	More RAM Options
Upgradable RAM	Yes vs No	3D Surround Sound Support
Dolby Atmos Speakers	Yes vs No	Connect more device at the same time
Number of USB-C Ports	2x USB 4.0 vs 1x USB 4.0

Reasons to choose MSI Stealth A16 AI+ over Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16

Weight	2.10 kg vs 2.50 kg	0.4 kg lighter
Screen-to-Body Ratio	~80.3% vs ~79.4%	Larger screen area ratio
CPU Fabrication Process	4 nm vs 10 nm	Newer Generation CPU
WiFi Standard	v7 vs v6E	More advanced Wi-fi connectivity
Bluetooth	v5.4 vs v5.2	More advanced Bluetooth connectivity
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes vs No	Easy login with fingerprint
Webcam Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720	Higher Resolution Camera
Numeric Pad	Yes vs No	Fast way to input numbers

Common Strengths of MSI Stealth A16 AI+ and Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16

Launch Dates	January 2023 vs September 2024	Both laptops are recent models
Screen Coating	Matte vs Matte	Less reflections on the screen
Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
RAM Type	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) vs PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	Fast RAM type
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the Storage size
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
Thunderbolt Port	v4 vs v4	Fast data and power transfer via Thunderbolt Port
HDMI Output	1x HDMI 2.1 vs 1x HDMI 2.1	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
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs Yes	Easily see the keys under low light

Common Weaknesses of MSI Stealth A16 AI+ and Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16

Touchscreen Capability	No vs No	No Touchscreen Capability

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 vs MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 and the MSI Stealth A16 AI+.

Physical Specs
Weight	2.5 kg (5.51 lbs)	2.1 kg (4.63 lbs)
Surface Area	935 cm2 (144.8 inches2)	924 cm2 (143.2 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~79.4%	~80.3%
Side Bezel Thickness	~4.7 mm	~5.6 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.16 kg/inch	0.13 kg/inch
	0.352 lbs/inch	0.286 lbs/inch
Colors	Black	Black

Comparison of the Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 and the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ External Dimensions

Weight

ROG Strix SCAR 16 weighs 2.5 kg (5.51 lbs), whereas the Stealth A16 AI+ weighs 2.1 kg (4.63 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. The weight difference between the two laptops is not significant.

Weight Comparison

Displays size 16.0-16.9 inches

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 2.50 kg

MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 2.10 kg

Min 1.17 kg

Average 2.07 kg

Max 3.00 kg

Thickness Comparison

Displays size 16.0-16.9 inches

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 22.00 mm

MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 19.95 mm

Min 12.30 mm

Average 20.35 mm

Max 30.80 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 Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 is 0.16 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is 0.13 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

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 vs MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i9 13980HX	AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
Base Frequency	2.2 GHz	2.0 GHz
Turbo Frequency	5.6 GHz	5.1 GHz
Number of Cores	24	12 (4P + 8E)
Number of Threads	32	24
L3 Cache	36 MB	24 MB
Integrated GPU	Intel UHD Graphics (32EU)	AMD Radeon 890M
CPU Fabrication Process	10 nm	4 nm

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 Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 and MSI Stealth A16 AI+.

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

Laptops with: Intel Core i9 13980HX

Laptops with: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile 12GB GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile 16GB	Radeon 890M
Base Clock Frequency	1290 MHz	800 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1665 MHz	2900 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)	110 W	15 W
Nvidia Optimus	MUX
Type	Dedicated	Integrated
FLOPS	24.72 TFLOPS	5.9 TFLOPS
Memory Size	12 GB	System Shared
Memory Type	GDDR6	LPDDR5X
Memory Bus	192 bit
Memory Speed	2250 MHz 18 Gbps effective	7.5 Gbps
Shading Units Cores	7424	1024
TMUs	232	64
ROPs	80	40

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. Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 has a FLOPS value of 24.7 TFLOPS whereas the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ ' has a FLOPS value of 5.9 TFLOPS. If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 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	4800 MHz	7500 MHz
RAM Type	DDR5	LPDDR5X
Upgradable	Yes	No
Max RAM Size	64 GB
Total Slots	2
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)

Both laptops, the ROG Strix SCAR 16 and the Stealth A16 AI+, 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	Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16	MSI Stealth A16 AI+
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	90 Wh	99.9 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Ion	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	Yes	No
USB Power Delivery	Yes
Charging Port Position	Left	Left
Charge Power	330 W	240 W

On the other hand, the Stealth A16 AI+ features a higher battery capacity of 100 Wh, delivering longer usage time compared to the ROG Strix SCAR 16's 90 Wh.

Battery Comparison

Displays size 16.0-16.9 inches

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 90 Wh

MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 100 Wh

Min 38.00 Wh

Average 74.15 Wh

Max 100.00 Wh

STORAGE
With a larger storage capacity up to 4 TB, the ROG Strix SCAR 16 provides more space for storing files and applications compared to the Stealth A16 AI+'s max. storage capacity of 2 TB.

Storage Options	512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB	512 GB, 1 TB, 2 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.

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 vs MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 and MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 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. Both ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+ screens have the same size of 16.0".The total usable screen area of the ROG Strix SCAR 16 is 742cm² / 115inch² whereas the Stealth A16 AI+'s total usable screen area is 742cm² / 115inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Both ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+ feature the same pixel density with 189 pixels per inch (PPI).

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

Displays size 16.0-16.9 inches

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 189 ppi

MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 189 ppi

Min 137 PPI

Average 169 PPI

Max 283.00 PPI

Refresh Rate
Both ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+ offer the same refresh rate of 240 Hz.

Brightness
The ROG Strix SCAR 16 offers a higher maximum brightness of 1100 nits, delivering a brighter screen.

Brightness Comparison

Displays size 16.0-16.9 inches

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 1100 nits

MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 400 nits

Min

40 nits

Average 413 nits

Max 1250.00 nits

Asus ROG Strix SCAR 16 vs MSI Stealth A16 AI+ Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Stealth A16 AI+ features a more advanced Wi-Fi standard v7, providing faster and more reliable wireless connections compared to ROG Strix SCAR 16 (v6E).

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 ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+ feature 2x USB 3.2 USB-A ports.
Both ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+ have USB Type-C ports. ROG Strix SCAR 16 has 2x USB 4.0 USB Type-C ports, while Stealth A16 AI+ has 1x USB 4.0 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
Both ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+ are equipped with Thunderbolt 4 ports.

HDMI
Both ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+ feature an HDMI port (1x HDMI 2.1) 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
Neither ROG Strix SCAR 16 nor Stealth A16 AI+ has an SD Card Reader.

Audio Jack
Both ROG Strix SCAR 16 and Stealth A16 AI+ 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)	v6E	v7
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v5.2	v5.4
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	2x USB 3.2	2x USB 3.2
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	2x USB 4.0	1x USB 4.0
Thunderbolt (latest: 4)	Thunderbolt 4	Thunderbolt 4
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	1x HDMI 2.1	1x HDMI 2.1
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Fingerprint Sensor	No	Yes
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	Yes
Ethernet RJ45	Yes	Yes
SD CardReader	No	No
Proprietary Charging Port	Yes	No