For better performance in general use and creative tasks like video editing or graphic design, along with a higher quality display, longer battery life, and improved portability, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 would be a solid choice. However, if gaming or 3D rendering is a priority, and you're looking for a dedicated graphics card, the MSI GF65 Thin is more suited, though it has a lower display quality and shorter battery life. The MacBook Pro will cost more, but offers a more premium build and a quieter operation, while the MSI is more budget-friendly with more ports for connectivity but is bulkier and has louder fans. 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 (Late 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 GF65 Thin
The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
6.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) excels in screen quality with a Mini LED display, superior CPU and GPU integrated into the Apple M3 chip, and boasts long battery life, making it highly suitable for general use with its lightweight design and excellent portability. On the contrary, the MSI GF65 Thin, with its fair screen and good CPU performance, is less optimal due to its shorter battery life and lesser portability, yet it maintains significant strengths in storage and RAM comparable to the MacBook but with the bonus of ray tracing for gaming.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
6.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is equipped with an Apple M3 processor and 10-core GPU which are optimized for engineering and design tasks, and its Mini LED screen offers exceptional color accuracy and brightness, making it ideal for design work. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin has an Intel i5 processor and Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU capable of handling engineering software and better suited for tasks that require dedicated graphics, like 3D modeling, but with lower screen color representation and brightness compared to the MacBook Pro.
Content Creation
8.4/10
6.8/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
8.2/10
6.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 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 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
262.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 likely offers superior screen quality for general use and engineering tasks due to its high-resolution display that delivers crisp text and detailed images, combined with a wide color gamut support for accurate color reproduction crucial for design work. However, its screen may not be optimal for 3D applications, as it might lack a high refresh rate, making it less smooth for rendering fast-moving images. The MSI GF65 Thin, with fair screen quality, may not match the resolution or color accuracy of the MacBook, consequently affecting clarity and color precision for general use and design, while its lower refresh rate would not be ideal for gaming or 3D content, where fluid motion is essential.
Battery
17.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability, while the MSI GF65 Thin 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 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,499
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
The MSI GF65 Thin and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 with its superior screen quality and high refresh rate makes it good for 3D tasks, but since many popular games don't run on MacOS, its gaming capabilities are limited despite having a strong GPU. Conversely, the MSI GF65 Thin, equipped with an Nvidia GPU and a high refresh rate, is fair for gaming and 3D, but its screen quality isn't as high, and while it can run a wide array of games, its overall performance in 3D tasks isn't on par with the MacBook Pro.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the MSI GF65 Thin 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 GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) or the MSI GF65 Thin
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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