When choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the MSI Stealth 17, consider your primary use case and priorities. The MacBook Pro offers a more portable form-factor, a mini-LED display with higher resolution and brightness, and longer battery life, which is ideal for on-the-go professionals who value display quality and don't require top-end performance for gaming or intensive graphic applications. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 17 delivers substantially more powerful performance with higher memory capacity and a dedicated high-end graphics card, suited for gaming, 3D modeling, and machine learning tasks. It comes with a larger screen, higher refresh rate for smooth visuals, and customizable RGB keyboard lighting but is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less convenient for travel. The MacBook Pro, being significantly less expensive, also offers a macOS environment, which might be a deciding factor if you prefer or require macOS for your work or personal preference. The tradeoff is primarily between portability and user experience versus raw power and expandability for more demanding computing 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 (Late 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
General Use
8.2/10
8.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for general use, though the MSI Stealth 17 is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 with its Apple M3 CPU and integrated graphics is well-suited for general use due to its balance of performance and portability, benefiting from a high-quality Mini LED screen and exceptional battery life while being lighter than the MSI Stealth 17. However, the MSI has a more powerful Intel i9 CPU and dedicated Nvidia RTX graphics, larger RAM, and superior storage which makes it better for more demanding tasks, though it is heavier and has a significantly shorter battery life, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
9.1/10
4.5/10
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 (Late 2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a high-quality GPU that's good for 3D applications, but the screen refresh rate is lower than gaming-oriented laptops; plus, many popular games are not compatible with Macs. The MSI Stealth 17, on the other hand, boasts a superior GPU and significantly higher screen refresh rate, making it excellent for gaming and 3D tasks on a Windows platform, where game compatibility is not an issue.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
9.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good.
The MSI Stealth 17 offers exceptional performance for engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i9 processor, abundant 64 GB of RAM, and superior Nvidia RTX GPU, complemented by a large 17.3-inch screen with high refresh rates, which are very important for such tasks. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a custom-designed Apple M3 processor and GPU optimized for integration, a 14.2-inch high-quality mini LED display, and is more portable and silent in operation, making it good for engineering and design but less potent than the MSI in raw performance.
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, content creation, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 boasts a high-resolution, bright Retina display that excels in clarity and color reproduction, making it ideal for general use and engineering tasks where accurate color representation is critical. Though the MSI Stealth 17 also provides a high-resolution, bright display conducive to general use and engineering, it might not match the MacBook Pro's color accuracy. However, for gaming or 3D applications that benefit from a high refresh rate, neither of these laptops would be optimal, as both prioritize other display attributes over the smooth motion a higher refresh rate provides.
Battery
17.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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 (Late 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
$1,499
$3,899
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
The MSI Stealth 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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
8.2/10
8.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.0 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 (Late 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 (Late 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 (Late 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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