The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers higher portability with a lighter design and longer battery life, making it ideal for on-the-go use and general productivity. Its Mini LED display delivers exceptional colors and clarity, which could be beneficial for creative professionals. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE66 is designed with a higher-refresh-rate screen and robust graphics capabilities, catering to intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and demanding engineering software. It features more RAM and storage, which enhances multi-tasking and large project handling, yet it's heavier and may have shorter battery life, reducing its mobility compared to the MacBook Pro. The choice depends on whether you value portability and display quality or higher performance for specialized tasks like gaming and engineering. 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 Raider GE66
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
8.5/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair.
The MSI Raider GE66, with its Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and high screen refresh rate, is optimized for gaming performance and smoother visuals, making it very suitable for 3D gaming. However, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a capable M1 Pro GPU for 3D tasks and superior screen quality, many popular games are not compatible with macOS, limiting its gaming potential.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.9/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE66 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design, though the MSI Raider GE66 is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is ideal for engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M1 Pro CPU and GPU, combined with exceptional screen quality from its Mini LED display, whereas the MSI Raider GE66 offers robust performance with a high-end Intel i7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card, along with a high refresh rate IPS screen that’s more suited for fast-paced tasks. Both laptops have ample RAM, but the MacBook is more portable and has better build quality, keyboard, and speaker feature sets, while the MSI Raider trades off slightly reduced portability for more raw power and gaming-oriented features such as a faster screen refresh rate and larger battery capacity.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.4/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI Raider GE66 for general use, engineering and design, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in screen quality for general use and design tasks because of its high resolution and bright display that covers a wide array of colors, making it ideal for precision work that requires accurate color representation. The MSI Raider GE66, while offering a comparable resolution and satisfactory brightness for general use, may not reach the same level of color accuracy which is crucial for professional design and engineering work. However, for 3D tasks which prioritize a high refresh rate, the MacBook may fall short, as its focus on resolution and color gamuts doesn't align with the need for smoother motion rendering which is essential for gaming and intricate 3D work.
Battery
13.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 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 Raider GE66 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 Raider GE66 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
$2,499
$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 Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and MSI Raider GE66 are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021), with its high-quality Mini LED screen, efficient Apple M1 Pro CPU, and long battery life, is well-suited for general use and offers excellent portability due to its lighter weight. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE66 excels in performance with a more powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, more RAM and storage, but it comes with the tradeoff of being heavier and having a shorter battery life, making it less portable but still a strong candidate for general use that may involve more intensive tasks.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and MSI Raider GE66 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
8.0/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and MSI Raider GE66 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 Raider GE66 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 Raider GE66
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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