The Apple MacBook Air is less expensive, lighter, and offers longer battery life for general use, with a high-quality display suitable for creative work, silent operation, and is a solid choice for everyday tasks. However, the MSI Stealth GS66 provides superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, thanks to its advanced graphics card and processor. It also excels in gaming with a higher refresh rate screen, but it is pricier, heavier, and has a shorter battery life, which might make it less portable for everyday use. Consider your specific needs for performance, portability, and price when making your decision. 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)
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
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 GS66
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.8/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) with its Apple M2 GPU provides fair performance for 3D applications, but with a standard screen refresh rate of 60Hz, it's less suitable for fast-paced gaming which benefits from higher refresh rates offered by laptops like the MSI Stealth GS66, which not only comes with a powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU but also supports up to a 360Hz refresh rate, making it an excellent choice for gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS66 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The MSI Stealth GS66 surpasses the Apple MacBook Air 15 in engineering and design due to its higher RAM and Nvidia RTX GPU, which are essential for complex tasks and rendering, while the MacBook Air, with its efficient M2 chip, provides a balance of performance and fanless silent operation, making it suitable for less demanding design work and ensuring a quieter working environment. The MSI has advantages in screen refresh rate and quality, catering to design precision and detail, while the MacBook Air offers a higher-resolution display and excellent color accuracy, beneficial for visual clarity in design; however, the MacBook's lower GPU capabilities and RAM make it less optimal for highly intensive engineering software compared to the MSI.
Software Development
8.1/10
7.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI Stealth GS66 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.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.1/10
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the MSI Stealth GS66 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the MSI Stealth GS66 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 likely boasts a high-resolution display with excellent brightness and color accuracy, making it ideal for general use and engineering tasks where vivid and precise colors are critical. However, it could have a lower refresh rate, which would make it less suitable for 3D applications where fluid motion is key. The MSI Stealth GS66, while having a good display for general tasks and accurate colors for engineering and design, may have a refresh rate that doesn't meet the high standards required for the smooth visuals demanded by gaming and intense 3D work.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 has 5.5 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
Good
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth GS66 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Stealth GS66 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
$1,718
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,718.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and MSI Stealth GS66 are both good for general use.
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
8.0/10
7.7/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for content creation, while the MSI Stealth GS66 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.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the MSI Stealth GS66 compare to other laptops
"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."
"The MSI Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the MSI Stealth GS66
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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