Choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the MSI Stealth 17 depends on your priorities. The MacBook Pro tends to be less expensive, offers a balance of performance and battery life suitable for general use, and is lighter and therefore more portable. It runs MacOS, which may be preferable for certain software ecosystems, and it boasts an excellent display quality. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 17 is a high-end machine with powerful processing and graphics capabilities, making it better for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, but it's more expensive and substantially heavier, significantly reducing its portability. While it has a longer battery life during light tasks, it may drain quickly under high workloads. It runs Windows 11 Pro, which could be important for compatibility with specific applications. 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 keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
9.1/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
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
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is equipped with a capable in-house GPU and a screen refresh rate that is smooth for 3D applications; however, popular games may not be compatible with MacOS. Conversely, the MSI Stealth 17 features a more powerful Nvidia GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, catering excellently to gaming and 3D tasks on the widely compatible Windows platform.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
9.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good.
The MSI Stealth 17's higher RAM and more powerful Intel i9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU make it excellent for demanding engineering and design tasks, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 is very good for such tasks with its robust Apple M1 Pro chip but less powerful integrated GPU. Moreover, the MacBook Pro offers superior portability and screen quality with its Mini LED display, but the Stealth 17 leads with greater performance potential, a bigger screen, and more RAM, suited for the most intensive workloads.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.6/10
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 17 for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in screen quality for general use and engineering due to its high-resolution display with excellent color accuracy, covering a wide range of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which is crucial for detailed design work. However, its refresh rate is lower, making it less suitable for 3D applications where smooth motion is key. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 17 provides a very good display for general use and engineering with respectable color performance, but its screen might fall short for gaming and 3D due to a lower refresh rate, impacting the fluidity of fast-moving images.
Battery
13.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 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
Fair
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Stealth 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$3,899
$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 Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
The MSI Stealth 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a high-quality screen and a powerful chip that ensure smooth performance for general use, along with excellent portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, making it ideal for on-the-go users who need strong performance and a sharp display. The MSI Stealth 17 offers a much larger storage capacity and more RAM, alongside a top-tier processor and graphics unit that can handle more demanding tasks, but it compromises on portability and has a shorter battery life, making it better suited for those who prioritize high performance and larger screen size over mobility.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.8/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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
8.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 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 Stealth 17 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 Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the MSI Stealth 17
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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