The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is designed with portability and all-around performance in mind, offering a high-quality display, excellent speakers, and good battery life, which makes it suitable for general use, creative work, or business purposes with its lightweight design. It provides a solid performance for 3D and engineering tasks but is not the top choice for intensive gaming. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aero 17, with its larger screen and powerful GPU—better for engineering, 3D rendering, and machine learning—is also capable of handling demanding gaming. However, it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. If you require a larger screen, advanced graphics, and expanded storage but can sacrifice portability and battery life, the Gigabyte Aero 17 could serve you well. Conversely, if you prioritize a mix of performance and portability with a premium build and longer battery life, the MacBook Pro 14 would be a better fit. 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 (2023)
Very good for software development
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 17
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023).
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
7.9/10
5.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) are both good for gaming and AI, though the Gigabyte Aero 17 is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is equipped with Apple's M2 Pro GPU which is suitable for 3D applications, complemented by a high-quality Mini LED display and MacOS, although it is not labeled for intensive gaming and many popular games don't run on Macs.
Software Development
8.4/10
7.9/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 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
9.2/10
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aero 17 for general use, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro's screen offers exceptional clarity and color accuracy, making it ideal for both general use and professional design work where precise color representation is crucial. However, its lower refresh rate compared to gaming-oriented laptops means it's not optimized for 3D applications that require smoother motion. The Gigabyte Aero 17, while also providing excellent color accuracy for engineering and design tasks, falls short for gaming and 3D due to the screen's lower refresh rate, despite its high resolution and quality panel.
Battery
13.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 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
5.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$2,071
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has a price of $1,700 and the Gigabyte Aero 17 costs $2,071.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) and Gigabyte Aero 17 are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is favored for general use due to its strong CPU performance, high-quality screen, and long battery life, all packaged in a lightweight and easily portable design. Conversely, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 offers equally good CPU and RAM capabilities and a high-resolution screen, it falls behind in portability and battery life, making it less convenient for users who value mobility and all-day battery.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
8.8/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
5.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) excels in engineering and design use due to its powerful Apple M2 Pro processor, 16GB of RAM and a 16-core GPU, coupled with a high-quality Mini LED screen, while maintaining better portability and lower operating noise in a more compact form factor.
Content Creation
8.5/10
8.4/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) and Gigabyte Aero 17 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) and the Gigabyte Aero 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."
"Not only is the Aero 17 a very good laptop for gamers but also for content creators. With the upgrade to the Intel Core i9-11980HK, Gigabyte particularly improved the system performance. In addition, the hardware package is rounded by the extremely fast SSD and 32 GB of working memory in dual-channel mode. Compared to the predecessor, the battery life is reduced only moderately, and the 4K display also basically keeps its good qualities."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) or the Gigabyte Aero 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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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.
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Laptops Expert
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