Given your concern about the price difference, consider the Apple MacBook Pro 14 if you prioritize a seamless ecosystem, especially if you already use Apple products, high build quality, and potentially longer battery life. On the other hand, the MSI Prestige 14 may cost less and offer comparable performance for tasks like general use and office productivity, with the added benefit of being lighter for better portability. However, for more demanding work like video editing, 3D rendering or coding, you may find the MacBook Pro better as it's generally more powerful and its display and speakers are usually superior. If gaming or using specific Windows-only applications is important, the MSI Prestige would be the practical choice due to its compatibility with a wider range of software. 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
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 14
The MSI Prestige 14 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the MSI Prestige 14 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its advanced M1 Pro chip and high-resolution Mini LED screen, provides superior performance and display quality for general use, supported by a long battery life and a highly rated keyboard, although it is less portable due to its weight. Conversely, the MSI Prestige 14 offers good general performance with its Intel i5 and IPS screen, boasts a lighter weight enhancing its portability, and features a respectable battery life, but it doesn't match the MacBook Pro in terms of screen resolution and color representation, and its keyboard and speaker quality are rated lower.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
6.2/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and MSI Prestige 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is somewhat better.
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
7.1/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Prestige 14 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in engineering and design due to its high-performance Apple M1 Pro CPU, ample RAM, robust GPU, and superior screen quality with high resolution and color accuracy. In comparison, the MSI Prestige 14 offers similar RAM and a capable Intel CPU but falls short in GPU performance and screen quality, though it gains an edge in portability and has a good keyboard and speaker quality, making it still a solid choice for design but less optimal for demanding engineering tasks.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
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 MSI Prestige 14 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
7.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
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 MSI Prestige 14 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
6.9/10
14.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is known for its high-resolution and bright Retina display that offers wide color gamuts, making it excellent for general use and engineering tasks where color accuracy is key, but its standard refresh rate makes it less ideal for 3D environments where smoother motion is crucial. The MSI Prestige 14, with good resolution and decent brightness, provides satisfactory visual experience for general and design purposes, yet it doesn't cater as well to the needs of gamers or those working in 3D due to a lackluster refresh rate. Both laptops offer quality displays for their intended uses, but neither is optimized for scenarios where high refresh rates are paramount.
Battery
13.5 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 14 has 8.5 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Prestige 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$1,040
$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 Prestige 14 costs $1,040.
"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 Prestige 14” is excellent for productivity and business use cases, but it is not ideal for creators or visual content editors. The Prestige was able to power through days of email, spreadsheets, and text documents without breaking a sweat and was a joy to use. The additional ports were a breath of fresh air, as most laptops seem to be moving towards just Thunderbolt ports. The security options made signing in effortless, with two quick, more secure, and faster options than even the most complex alphanumeric passcode."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the MSI Prestige 14
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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