The Apple MacBook Pro 14 offers excellent performance suitable for general use, boasts a high-quality display with accurate colors, and has a long battery life that makes it quite portable. It runs MacOS and is well-suited for both professional and creative tasks. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 17 is a more powerful laptop with top-tier graphics capabilities, making it ideal for 3D rendering, machine learning, and intensive gaming; however, it is heavier, has a shorter battery life, and is less portable. The MSI also comes with Windows 11 Pro and has a larger display and higher storage capacity, which could be beneficial for engineering applications. If portability and battery life are priorities, the MacBook Pro is the better option, while the MSI Stealth 17 is better for users needing maximum performance and larger storage for demanding 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)
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
7.0/10
9.1/10
5.2/10
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 (2023) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is equipped with its own GPU and a screen refresh rate of 120Hz, which provides strong performance for 3D tasks but is less optimal for gaming due to the compatibility issues with many popular games and lower refresh rate. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 17 boasts a more powerful Nvidia RTX GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, enhancing gaming and 3D experiences but at the cost of reduced portability and battery life.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
9.4/10
7.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
5.2/10
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 (2023) is very good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
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
489.0 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, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is renowned for its excellent display, featuring a high resolution, bright panel, and wide color gamut support, which ensures sharp images, vibrant colors for designers, and great visibility for everyday tasks. Conversely, it does not prioritize high refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth visuals in 3D applications. The MSI Stealth 17, although offering a good overall display for daily use and professional design work, falls short in the eyes of gamers and 3D artists due to its lesser refresh rate, despite its decent resolution and panel type.
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 (2023) 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 (2023) 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
$1,700
$3,899
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has a price of $1,700 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
The MSI Stealth 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) are both very good for general use.
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.
Content Creation
8.5/10
8.8/10
7.8/10
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 (2023) 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
8.4/10
8.5/10
7.8/10
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 (2023) 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 (2023) 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 (2023) 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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