The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is suited for individuals seeking higher performance, especially in creative tasks such as video editing, with its superior display and longer battery life, but it comes at a higher price. The MSI Prestige 14 offers good general performance at a more affordable price, making it suitable for everyday productivity, and it has a lighter weight, enhancing its portability. Neither is ideal for intensive gaming. Consider the MacBook Pro if your work involves graphics or video and you can invest more, or opt for the Prestige if affordability and portability are priorities, with sufficient performance for most tasks. 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
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 14
The MSI Prestige 14 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.5/10
7.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for general use, while the MSI Prestige 14 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) excels in general use due partly to its powerful CPU, superior RAM performance, and high-quality Mini LED screen, providing vibrant colors and excellent contrast, making it ideal for multimedia and productivity tasks, albeit with less portability due to a heavier build. On the other hand, the MSI Prestige 14, while also good for general use, prioritizes portability with a lighter build and offers a commendable performance with a capable CPU and good RAM support, but its screen, albeit good, falls short of the MacBook's display brilliance and battery life is also shorter.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
6.2/10
5.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 14 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
7.1/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
5.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Prestige 14 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) outshines the MSI Prestige 14 in engineering and design tasks with its more powerful CPU and GPU, superior screen quality offering higher resolution, brightness, and color accuracy, which are crucial for detail-oriented work. While both laptops are similarly portable with high-quality keyboards and quiet operation, the MSI may appeal to those who prioritize portability and value, as it is lighter and often more affordable.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.5/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the MSI Prestige 14 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
7.3/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI Prestige 14 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
6.9/10
14.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14's screen excels in resolution and brightness, delivering clear and vibrant visuals suitable for everyday activities and detailed engineering or design work, with a wide range of colors for accuracy in such professional tasks. However, its refresh rate is lower, which is less optimal for 3D applications where smoother motion is crucial. The MSI Prestige 14 offers good quality with sufficient resolution and brightness for general and design tasks, but like the MacBook, it falls short for gaming and 3D due to limited refresh rates.
Battery
13.5 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 14 has 8.5 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Prestige 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$1,040
$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 Prestige 14 costs $1,040.
"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 Prestige 14” is excellent for productivity and business use cases, but it is not ideal for creators or visual content editors. The Prestige was able to power through days of email, spreadsheets, and text documents without breaking a sweat and was a joy to use. The additional ports were a breath of fresh air, as most laptops seem to be moving towards just Thunderbolt ports. The security options made signing in effortless, with two quick, more secure, and faster options than even the most complex alphanumeric passcode."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) or the MSI Prestige 14
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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About the laptop team
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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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