The Apple MacBook Pro 13 offers great performance for everyday tasks and is known for its portability and long battery life, making it ideal for people who need to work on the go. In contrast, the MSI Titan is a powerhouse suitable for intensive tasks like 3D modeling, machine learning, and gaming but comes with a heftier price tag, larger size, and shorter battery life, so it's less convenient for travel. Consider how critical sheer performance and specialized tasks are for your needs versus the benefits of easy portability and longer unplugged usage. 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 Pro 13 (2022)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the MSI Titan 18 HX
Very good for general use
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
20.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13, with its optimized CPU and high-quality Retina display, offers a balance of performance and portability, with long battery life making it ideal for everyday use and on-the-go tasks. Meanwhile, the MSI Titan 18 HX, with its powerful CPU, abundant RAM, and larger screen excels in handling more demanding applications, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life, making it better suited for stationary use where high performance is a priority.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
9.4/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is only fair.
The MacBook Pro 13, with its limited graphics capabilities and lower screen refresh rate, is less equipped for demanding 3D applications and gaming compared to the MSI Titan 18 HX, which boasts a powerful GPU and high refresh rate ideal for these tasks. Additionally, the MSI's superior gaming performance is further highlighted by the fact that a vast selection of popular games isn't available on macOS, making it a more versatile choice for gamers.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
9.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
The MSI Titan 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good.
The MacBook Pro 13, with its strong CPU and screen quality, is suitable for many engineering tasks; however, its RAM and GPU may limit performance with the most demanding applications. The MSI Titan 18 HX, with its top-tier CPU, abundant RAM, and powerful GPU, excels in heavy engineering workloads, yet this power comes at the cost of reduced portability and potentially more operating noise.
Content Creation
7.9/10
9.0/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) 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.
Software Development
7.8/10
8.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) 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
7.6/10
9.2/10
13.3in
SIZE
18.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The MSI Titan 18 HX has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 13 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The MacBook Pro 13 with its high-resolution Retina display excels in providing crisp and vibrant visuals for general tasks and color-accurate work in engineering and design, but its standard refresh rate limits its appeal for 3D applications where smoother motion is crucial. The MSI Titan, on the other hand, likely offers a larger and brighter display with a wider color gamut essential for professional-grade engineering and design work, enhancing detail and color precision. However, its screen may not support high refresh rates, which are critical for gaming and 3D modeling, affecting the fluidity of motion and providing less immersive experiences in these scenarios.
Battery
20.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The MSI Titan 18 HX has 4 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
Poor
13.3in
SIZE
18.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has very good portability, while the MSI Titan 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Titan 18 HX has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,219
$4,800
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has a price of $1,219 and the MSI Titan 18 HX costs $4,800.
"The MacBook Pro 13 is still a very good subnotebook. The 2022 MacBook Pro 13 might look like recycling at first, because the device is completely identical to the old model expect for the new M2 SoC. We have to admit that we were surprised to see another iteration of the MBP 13 as well. The laptop is obviously familiar, but this does not change the fact that it is still a very good subnotebook. You get an excellent chassis with good stability, a very good display, good input devices and the new M2 chip is very powerful and efficient."
"With no new Nvidia GPU this year for laptops, MSI had to refresh everything surrounding the graphics card to make up for it. Users are getting a new 18-inch chassis design, new 14th gen Intel HX CPU, new AC adapter, larger keys, and a new 120 Hz HDR1000 mini-LED 4K display to accompany the high price tag. Most of these changes are a step up from last year's GT77, but users are ultimately getting the same gaming performance out of both models."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) or the MSI Titan 18 HX
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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