The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers superior display quality, strong performance for general use and is highly portable with excellent build quality, but it is considerably more expensive. If frequent travel and high-quality screen for content creation are important to you and cost is less of a concern, the MacBook Pro is a solid choice. On the other hand, the Gigabyte A7 is more affordable and better suited for gaming and engineering due to its dedicated Nvidia graphics card, and it has a larger screen. However, it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less ideal for on-the-go use. Choose the MacBook Pro for a higher-quality, portable option for general use and content creation, or the Gigabyte A7 for cost-effective gaming, engineering applications, and a larger screen, if portability isn't your top priority. 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 14 (2021)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte A7
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.3/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
318.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in general use mainly because of its superior CPU, RAM, and high-resolution Mini LED screen which offers excellent display quality, coupled with its portability and long battery life. On the other hand, the Gigabyte A7 also performs well in general use with a capable CPU and ample RAM, but it is less portable due to its larger size and heavier weight, and it has a shorter battery life despite having a good quality screen and effective heat management.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
7.3/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte A7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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
8.2/10
7.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
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.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte A7 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
8.3/10
7.0/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte A7 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
9.2/10
7.3/10
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
318.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A7 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 excels in screen quality for general use and engineering because it typically offers a high-resolution display with exceptional brightness and a wide color gamut, which ensures crisp, vivid images and accurate color reproduction essential for design work. The Gigabyte A7 also provides a decent screen with ample resolution and brightness for general usage and design tasks, yet it might lack the superior color accuracy of the MacBook Pro's display. However, for 3D applications where smooth motion is key, both laptops may fall short due to lower refresh rates compared to specialized gaming laptops, with the MacBook potentially offering a somewhat better resolution and panel quality that could benefit moderate 3D work.
Battery
13.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 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
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte A7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte A7 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$940
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has a price of $1,905 and the Gigabyte A7 costs $940.
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
"In terms of looks, the Gigabyte A7 X1 is certainly not a trendy, slim, and ultra-mobile gaming laptop. But it does what it's supposed to do, namely bringing games smoothly onto the screen, very well. Both the processor and the GeForce RTX 3070 are able to unleash their performance without restrictions thanks to the well-ventilated case. The Gigabyte A7 X1 brings modern games smoothly onto the screen and offers excellent maintenance options."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the Gigabyte A7
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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
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Laptops Expert
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