The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers a great balance of performance, portability, and battery life at an upper midrange price, making it suitable for general use, creative tasks, and even some lighter engineering thanks to its Apple M1 Pro chip. Its mini LED screen provides excellent color accuracy and brightness, and it runs MacOS which can be a deciding factor if you are invested in Apple's ecosystem or prefer its interface. On the other hand, the MSI GE66 Raider, while more expensive, packs a more powerful Intel i9 processor and Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics, double the storage and RAM, making it a superior option for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and demanding engineering applications. However, this comes at the cost of heavier weight and shorter battery life, which impacts its portability. If your primary needs are intensive tasks and gaming, the MSI is a better fit, but for a mix of portability and power, the MacBook Pro is compelling. 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)
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 MSI GE66 Raider
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
8.6/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very 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
9.1/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI GE66 Raider is excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) with its high-quality Mini LED display, robust CPU and GPU designed by Apple, and excellent portability is very good for engineering and design tasks; however, the MSI GE66 Raider offers superior performance with a more powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, larger RAM, and a high-resolution IPS screen, although it is less portable and has louder operating noise.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.2/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI GE66 Raider for general use, AI, and engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has an exceptional display with high resolution and brightness, and wide color gamuts which is ideal for general use and engineering design tasks where color accuracy is paramount. On the other hand, its screen is not optimal for 3D uses because it does not have a high refresh rate. The MSI GE66 Raider also offers a high-quality display for general tasks and color-sensitive engineering work, but it falls short for gaming and 3D applications, again due to a lower refresh rate that can't deliver the smooth visuals that these tasks often require.
Battery
13.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GE66 Raider 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
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the MSI GE66 Raider has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the MSI GE66 Raider has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$3,199
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has a price of $1,905 and the MSI GE66 Raider costs $3,199.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and MSI GE66 Raider are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is well-suited for general use because its high-quality CPU and RAM configurations ensure smooth operation, its Mini LED screen provides excellent image quality, and its lightweight design coupled with a long battery life makes it highly portable. On the other hand, the MSI GE66 Raider, while also having a powerful CPU and ample RAM, stands out with its superior storage and gaming-grade GPU, but it trades off some portability due to its heavier build and shorter battery life.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and MSI GE66 Raider 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
8.3/10
8.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI GE66 Raider and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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 Pro 14 (2021) and the MSI GE66 Raider 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 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 Pro 14 (2021) or the MSI GE66 Raider
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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