The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is pricier yet offers a higher resolution and brighter Mini LED display, longer battery life, and a powerful M1 Pro processor suitable for a variety of intensive tasks. It's also lighter and has a build quality well suited for professional environments. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin is less costly and comes with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, which makes it better suited for gaming and some 3D tasks, although it has a shorter battery life and a standard IPS display. If portability and display quality are crucial, consider the MacBook; if gaming or cost is a key concern without compromising on a solid overall performance, the MSI GF65 might be the better choice. 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 MSI GF65 Thin
The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
6.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14's superior CPU and higher RAM amount, combined with its exceptional Mini LED screen, long battery life, and lightweight design, contribute greatly to its high ranking for general use. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin, while still providing adequate performance for general tasks with a fair quality IPS screen and sufficient RAM, is slightly less portable and falls short in battery life, contributing to its fair ranking for general use.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
6.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers an excellent balance for engineering and design with its powerful Apple M1 Pro chip, ample high-speed RAM, and superior Mini LED screen that provides high brightness and color accuracy; its compact form and relatively low weight enhance its portability without compromising on keyboard and speaker quality. Conversely, while the MSI GF65 Thin also caters well to engineering and design tasks with a capable Intel processor and a dedicated Nvidia GPU, it falls short in RAM and screen quality, offsetting its lower price point and slightly larger screen with less accurate color representation and lower build quality, making it less ideal for precision work where visual fidelity is crucial.
Content Creation
8.4/10
6.8/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
6.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
6.8/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a high-resolution display that offers excellent brightness and color accuracy, making it ideal for general use and particularly well-suited for engineering and design tasks that require precise color representation. For gaming and 3D applications, however, the refresh rate, which enhances fluidity and responsiveness, is generally lower on MacBooks like the Pro 14, which can be a disadvantage compared to laptops designed specifically for those tasks. In contrast, the MSI GF65 Thin's display has decent resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and can handle engineering software, yet its color range may not be as broad for professional design work, and despite being a gaming laptop, the refresh rate isn't top-tier which impacts performance in fast-paced 3D environments.
Battery
13.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin 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
Good
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the MSI GF65 Thin has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$1,100
$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 MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and MSI GF65 Thin are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the MSI GF65 Thin 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 GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the MSI GF65 Thin
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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
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