Opt for the Apple MacBook Air (2020) if you cherish portability, long battery life, and a quiet, fanless design, especially for light to moderate tasks such as web browsing, document editing, and media consumption. The MacBook Air, being less expensive, offers a great balance of performance and price for everyday use and benefits from macOS if you're already in the Apple ecosystem. On the other hand, choose the MSI GP66 Leopard if you need robust performance for demanding applications such as 3D modeling, machine learning, or high-end gaming, as it comes with a high-performance processor and a superior graphics card, but is pricier and heavier, thus less portable, with a shorter battery life. 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 Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.8/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a slower screen refresh rate and less powerful integrated GPU, making it less optimal for 3D applications and gaming, whereas the MSI GP66 Leopard boasts a higher refresh rate and a superior discrete GPU, which are crucial for fluid visuals and detailed graphics in gaming and 3D tasks. Additionally, the GP66 Leopard is designed to run a wide array of games including those unavailable on MacOS.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
7.9/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for engineering and design, though the MSI GP66 Leopard is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
7.5/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the MSI GP66 Leopard for engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The MacBook Air (2020) excels in screen resolution and brightness, making it great for general tasks and viewing details in engineering and design, but the lower refresh rate limits the quality for 3D work. The MSI GP66 Leopard, despite its good resolution and capable brightness, might lack in color accuracy for design work compared to other specialized screens, and its average refresh rate does not align with the high standards required for smooth 3D rendering and gaming. Both laptops offer good general use and engineering quality due to their display resolution and brightness, but neither is optimized for the high refresh rates critical for 3D activities.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,400
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and MSI GP66 Leopard are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is ideal for general use because of its efficient Apple M1 CPU and 8GB RAM which provides smooth performance for everyday tasks, alongside a high-quality screen, excellent portability thanks to its light weight and compact size, and a long battery life. In contrast, the MSI GP66 Leopard, with its advanced Intel i7 processor, double the RAM at 16GB, and superior GPU offers high performance suited for more demanding applications and gaming but is less portable due to its larger size, heavier weight, and shorter battery life.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and MSI GP66 Leopard 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
7.7/10
7.2/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and MSI GP66 Leopard 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."
"The MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the MSI GP66 Leopard
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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