The Apple MacBook Pro 14 offers higher performance, more longevity for general usage, and a better screen, making it ideal for professional creative work or intensive engineering tasks. However, it's less portable and costlier than the MSI Cyborg 15, which may suit gaming due to a high refresh rate screen and a dedicated graphics card. The MacBook Pro excels in build quality and operating system integration, while the Cyborg 15 stands out in portability and has a hardware edge for certain tasks with its gaming-oriented features. Your choice should hinge on whether you prioritize performance and screen quality over gaming capabilities and mobility. 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 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
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
The MSI Cyborg 15 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.5/10
7.3/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for general use, while the MSI Cyborg 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
7.5/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
5.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Cyborg 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) stands out for engineering and design with its higher RAM, advanced Apple M2 Pro CPU and GPU, and superior screen quality offering greater color accuracy and higher brightness, making it very suitable for color-sensitive tasks.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.5/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the MSI Cyborg 15 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
8.4/10
7.2/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI Cyborg 15 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
6.8/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI Cyborg 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 offers a high-resolution display with excellent brightness and a wide color gamut, which makes it ideal for general use and engineering tasks where precise color reproduction is crucial. However, its refresh rate isn't as high as what's needed for smooth 3D rendering, making it less suitable for 3D applications. On the other hand, the MSI Cyborg 15's screen, while offering acceptable resolution and brightness for day-to-day tasks and engineering, falls short for gaming and 3D due to the lower refresh rate that can't keep up with fast-paced visuals.
Battery
13.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 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
Good
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has very good portability, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has a price of $1,700 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $1,100.
The MSI Cyborg 15 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) are both good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) excels in 3D tasks with its powerful integrated Apple M2 Pro GPU, offering detailed graphics and a high-quality screen with a refresh rate suitable for smooth visual performance. Meanwhile, the MSI Cyborg 15, with its dedicated Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and higher screen refresh rate, is tuned for responsive gaming and solid 3D performance, but as it runs Windows, it supports a wider array of popular games than the Mac which may not run many of these titles.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) and the MSI Cyborg 15 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 focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) or the MSI Cyborg 15
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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