The MacBook Pro 14 offers excellent screen quality, strong build, and high general-use performance with a longer battery life, making it suitable for professionals seeking a device for tasks like video editing or graphic design and preferring MacOS. Conversely, the Aorus 15, operating on Windows, comes with a more powerful graphics card suitable for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning applications. It has a high refresh rate for smoother visuals during gaming but at the cost of portability due to its heavier weight and shorter battery life. If portability and battery are not your priority, and you focus on gaming or engineering software, the Aorus 15 is a good fit. 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 software development
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 Aorus 15
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
316.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is lauded for general use because of its high-quality screen, Apple's powerful M1 Pro CPU, and long battery life, making it both performant and portable with a light build. Meanwhile, the Gigabyte Aorus 15 stands out with more storage and a strong CPU for gaming, but its heavier weight and shorter battery life make it less convenient for on-the-go usage.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
8.0/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a strong GPU tailored for professional creative work like 3D rendering, and its high-quality display benefits these tasks, but its gaming potential is limited due to fewer compatible titles. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aorus 15, with a high-refresh-rate screen and a powerful dedicated gaming GPU, excels in gaming performance and is better suited for high-intensity gaming experiences.
Software Development
8.3/10
7.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 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
8.0/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
316.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021), with its high resolution and superior panel type, offers superb brightness and clarity, which is ideal for general tasks and detail-oriented work like engineering and design, also boasting extensive color gamuts ensuring accurate color representation. On the other hand, its lower refresh rate limits its appeal for 3D applications, where fluid motion is key. The Gigabyte Aorus 15, offers very good performance for general use and tasks requiring precise color, such as engineering and design, but lacks the high refresh rate desired for smooth gaming and 3D rendering.
Battery
13.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 15 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
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$1,500
$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 Aorus 15 costs $1,500.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) shines in engineering and design with its powerful Apple M1 Pro chipset and impressive Mini LED screen, ideal for graphic-intensive tasks amidst its lighter weight that enhances portability. Meanwhile, the Gigabyte Aorus 15 boasts a high-performance Intel processor and Nvidia RTX GPU, coupled with a high-refresh rate IPS display, making it highly suitable for demanding engineering software, though it is heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.0/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Gigabyte Aorus 15 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the Gigabyte Aorus 15 compare to other laptops
"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."
"The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is a power-hungry gaming beast. The Aorus 15 is designed to run games at QHD and high to max settings. But it also cuts a good figure in other demanding applications such as video editing and rendering. This is made possible by the Core i7 12700H and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop inside the machine. A lightning-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD (1 TB) allows for short loading times."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the Gigabyte Aorus 15
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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