The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is well-suited for general use with a high-quality build, excellent screen color accuracy, and good battery life, making it ideal for professionals who prioritize media work and portability. However, the MSI GP66 Leopard, also similarly priced, has a more powerful main processor and graphics unit, double the RAM, and hardware suited for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning, which could benefit users with more demanding computational needs despite having lower battery life and being heavier. Choose the MacBook Pro for portability and media tasks, or the GP66 Leopard for higher performance in gaming and engineering applications. 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 GP66 Leopard
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
7.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) boasts an excellent CPU and screen quality, making it well suited for general use; it also has a high portability score and long battery life, but has less RAM compared to the MSI GP66 Leopard which, while it has a powerful CPU and GPU for more demanding applications, offers less battery life and is heavier, making it less convenient to carry around.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.8/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is geared towards 3D work with its high-resolution Mini LED screen and integrated GPU capable of driving complex tasks, however, its MacOS may limit gaming options as many popular games don't run on Macs. The MSI GP66 Leopard, on the other hand, with a powerful Nvidia GPU and a high refresh rate display, is designed for gaming and can handle 3D rendering tasks well too; yet it features a standard IPS screen and might be less suited for tasks where extremely accurate colors are crucial.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the MSI GP66 Leopard 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
8.2/10
7.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI GP66 Leopard 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
7.5/10
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
362.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI GP66 Leopard for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro's exceptional resolution and brightness make it stand out, while its advanced panel technology offers crisp and vivid visuals. The MacBook Pro shines in engineering and design thanks to its wide coverage of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, ensuring accurate color representation. However, its lower refresh rate may not be ideal for 3D applications where smooth motion is crucial, a domain where laptops with higher refresh rates would be more appropriate, although the MSI GP66 Leopard also falls short in this aspect due to its refresh rate limitations.
Battery
17.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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
15.6in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability, while the MSI GP66 Leopard 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 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) offers better screen quality, with a Mini LED display for exceptional contrast and high resolution, suited for precise engineering and design work, while the MSI GP66 Leopard provides a larger amount of RAM and a high-performance Intel CPU paired with an Nvidia GPU, making it potent for demanding engineering tasks and design applications that rely heavily on graphical computation. Nonetheless, the MacBook Pro scores higher in portability with its lighter build and longer battery life, comfortable for on-the-go usage, whereas the GP66 Leopard, despite being heavier with shorter battery life, offers a superior keyboard, making it a potential preference for intensive typing and engineering work where keyboard comfort is a priority.
Cost
$1,499
$1,400
$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 GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the MSI GP66 Leopard 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 GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) or the MSI GP66 Leopard
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
102,795
Recommendations made
22,273
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.