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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is generally a better option for everyday use, with a significantly lower weight for portability and quiet operation thanks to its fanless design. However, the MSI Raider GE66, being heavier, is much more suited for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks due to its powerful dedicated graphics card and high-performance processor. It also offers more storage space and RAM out of the box. While the MacBook Air has a long battery life which is ideal for on-the-go use, the Raider's battery life is shorter, reflecting its focus on high performance. If your primary needs are general use and mobility at a lower price, the MacBook Air might serve you well. In contrast, if you're prepared to invest more in a machine that delivers top-notch performance for more demanding applications like gaming and engineering work, the Raider would be a solid choice. 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 15 (2023)
- Best in class overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE66
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5
8.5
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.6
8.9
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The MacBook Air, with its efficient M2 chip, offers quieter operation and better portability, but the MSI Raider GE66 has a more powerful Intel processor and Nvidia graphics, providing superior performance for demanding engineering and design tasks.
Screen Quality
7.8
8.4
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE66 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air 15 for gaming and AI, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Air excels in general use and engineering settings due to its high-resolution display and brightness, along with a wide color gamut that ensures accurate color reproduction which is essential for design work. For 3D applications, its screen falters as it lacks a high refresh rate, limiting the smoothness and responsiveness required for such tasks. The MSI Raider GE66, while also offering a high-resolution display with wide color gamuts for clarity in general and engineering uses, does not have a refresh rate sufficient for gaming and 3D applications, where a high refresh rate is crucial to prevent motion blur and provide a fluid visual experience.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 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
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the MSI Raider GE66 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
8.5
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Raider GE66 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
8.3
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
501.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider GE66 to be very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
8.0
8.3
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE66 and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both very 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
8.1
8.0
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and MSI Raider GE66 are both very 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 15 (2023) and the MSI Raider GE66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) | MSI Raider GE66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,299 | $2,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2023 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.3 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.4" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M2 | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 66.6 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1864 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 501 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 10/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
MSI Raider GE66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Patrick Schüdzig | June 2022
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the MSI Raider GE66
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.
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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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