The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is considerably less expensive and offers a light, portable design with silent operation, making it suitable for general use and carrying around. Its battery life is excellent for regular tasks, but graphic performance for tasks like 3D rendering or intensive gaming is limited. In contrast, the MSI Stealth GS77 comes at a premium price with powerful hardware for engineering, machine learning, and gaming. However, it is heavier and less portable, and its high performance may lead to shorter battery life. The MacBook's macOS may be a preference for some, while the MSI's Windows 11 Pro offers more gaming and software compatibility. 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 Stealth GS77
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.6/10
8.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
395.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth GS77 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is favored for general use because of its long battery life, lightweight design for better portability, and silent operation due to a fanless design, despite having a less powerful processor and graphics compared to the MSI Stealth GS77. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth GS77 has a more powerful CPU and GPU, larger and faster screen, and more RAM for multitasking, but it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS77 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020), with its own 7-core GPU, offers fair 3D performance which is suitable for less demanding tasks; however, its inability to run many popular games limits its use in gaming. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth GS77 is tailored for gaming, featuring a high-end Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a high-refresh-rate screen, providing very good performance for both gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.7/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS77 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The MSI Stealth GS77 offers superior CPU, RAM, and GPU capabilities, essential for demanding engineering and design tasks, as well as a higher quality screen with a greater refresh rate for smoother visuals, whereas the Apple MacBook Air (2020), with lower performance specs, offers a more portable option with silent operation and a high-quality build including a better portability score. Both laptops have high-quality keyboards, but the MSI has a larger screen size which might affect portability, and although its speakers are rated higher, it falls short in battery life compared to the MacBook Air, which may be important for on-the-go use.
Content Creation
7.8/10
8.3/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth GS77 is very good for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
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.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
8.3/10
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The MSI Stealth GS77 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Air offers a vibrant and sharp display that's great for browsing and media, with high resolution and brightness, but its lower refresh rate makes it less suitable for 3D applications. The MSI Stealth GS77 features a screen that excels in color accuracy and range, which is crucial for engineering and design work, alongside excellent resolution and brightness for general tasks. However, while the Stealth GS77 has a display with high resolution and adequate panel type, its lower refresh rate might not be ideal for the smooth visuals required in gaming and 3D modeling.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS77 has 6 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
17.3in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth GS77 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 Stealth GS77 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
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the MSI Stealth GS77 costs $2,499.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth GS77 to be very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
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 Stealth GS77 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 Stealth GS77 is better than the GS76... mostly. The GS77 is a few steps forward and a few steps back from the GS76. Improvements are numerous including the stronger and more rigid skeleton, higher resolution webcam, larger clickpad, easier serviceability, relatively similar battery runtimes, newer display options, and higher performance at about the same TDP and TGP levels as before. CPU performance is better than expected even when compared to other laptops with Core i7 or Core i9 processors. The newer model feels more substantial than the outgoing one for higher quality impressions as well."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the MSI Stealth GS77
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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