The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is less expensive than the Razer Blade 17 and offers excellent portability, long battery life, high-quality speakers, and strong performance for general use, including software development and lighter engineering tasks. Its Mini LED display delivers great color accuracy and brightness, making it suited for creative work. However, for more intensive engineering, 3D rendering, machine learning tasks, or gaming, the Razer Blade 17, though pricier and less portable with shorter battery life, boasts a more powerful processor, superior graphics card, larger and sharper screen, along with more storage and memory, significantly enhancing its performance in these demanding applications. Give Feedback
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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 Razer Blade 17
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
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 uses an Apple M1 Pro graphics chip and boasts a high-quality Mini LED display with a fast refresh rate, making it suitable for 3D applications within the macOS ecosystem, despite a limitation in gaming due to many popular games not running on Macs.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
9.1/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good.
The Razer Blade 17 outshines the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) for engineering and design due to its more powerful Intel i9 processor, double the RAM, and a superior Nvidia RTX GPU, all of which are instrumental for intensive tasks and rendering. While the Razer's larger, higher resolution screen benefits detailed work, the MacBook Pro offers greater portability and longer battery life, making it a better option for on-the-go use, despite having less raw power.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.6/10
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 17 for general use, and engineering and design.
The MacBook Pro 14 offers a vibrant display with high resolution and brightness, making it excellent for general use where clarity and readability are key. For engineering and design, its wide color gamut ensures more accurate color representation, crucial for professional creative workflows. However, for 3D applications, its screen's lower refresh rate compared to gaming-oriented laptops like the Razer Blade limits the smoothness of fast-moving visuals, making it less optimal for tasks that demand high frame rates.
Battery
13.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 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
6.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the Razer Blade 17 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 Razer Blade 17 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
$4,300
$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 Razer Blade 17 costs $4,300.
The Razer Blade 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in general use due to its high-resolution mini LED screen, efficient M1 Pro processor combined with ample RAM, and long battery life, while being notably portable. Meanwhile, the Razer Blade 17 stands out with a larger, ultra-high-resolution IPS display and superior hardware including a high-end Intel processor and more RAM, but it is less portable and has a shorter battery life, making it better suited for stationary use or where power outlets are readily available.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 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
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 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 Razer Blade 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."
"Our test configuration of the Blade 17 targets gamers and creative professionals. A Core i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP after the BIOS update, 16 GB of VRAM), and 32 GB of working memory equip the laptop for video processing, rending, and 4k gaming at the highest level. In addition, a fast PCIe-4 SSD (1 TB) ensures short load and storage times. With the Blade 17 (Early 2022), Razer delivers a successful and powerful work device for creative professionals. But this also has its price."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the Razer Blade 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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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