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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is more affordable, offers strong general use performance, a high-resolution Mini LED display, longer battery life, and is lighter, making it highly portable. However, it has less RAM and may not be as suitable for engineering tasks or intensive gaming as the MSI Stealth GS66. The MSI model, while more expensive, has a faster refresh rate screen, more RAM, which is better for engineering and 3D/machine learning tasks, and is equipped with a powerful dedicated graphics card ideal for gaming but it has a shorter battery life and is heavier, impacting portability. Choose the MacBook Pro for a mix of performance, battery life, and portability or the MSI for higher performance in specialized tasks, especially gaming, at the expense of portability and battery life. 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 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 Stealth GS66
- Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.2
7.7
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the MSI Stealth GS66 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its high-quality Mini LED display, efficient Apple M3 processor, and long battery life, is well-suited for general use, offering superior screen quality and portability. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth GS66, featuring a powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, has a larger screen and more RAM, which is great for multitasking, but its battery life and weight make it less portable than the MacBook Pro.
Gaming and AI
6.7
7.8
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its high-quality GPU and 120Hz refresh rate display, is well-suited for 3D tasks. However, the MSI Stealth GS66 is favored for gaming due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a much higher 360Hz screen refresh rate, alongside Windows 11 Pro which supports a broader range of games compared to MacOS.
Content Creation
8.4
7.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
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 Stealth GS66 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
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI Stealth GS66 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
8.1
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the MSI Stealth GS66 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has superior screen quality for general use because it offers high resolution and brightness, making it easy on the eyes for daily tasks, and its panel delivers crisp, clear images. For engineering and design, the MacBook Pro's screen covers a wide range of color gamuts, providing accurate color representation vital for detailed work. However, for 3D applications, its lower refresh rate makes it less suitable compared to laptops designed specifically for gaming or 3D modeling that typically prioritize higher refresh rates.
Battery
17.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 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
Good
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth GS66 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
8.0
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Stealth GS66 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,499
$1,718
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,718.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS66 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) with an Apple M3 processor and integrated GPU is well-suited for engineering and design due to its high-quality mini LED screen, but it may fall short for the most hardware-intensive tasks compared to the MSI Stealth GS66, which offers a more powerful Intel i7-12700H CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU for better performance in demanding applications. Additionally, while both have good build quality and features, the MSI has more RAM and a higher refresh rate screen, but is less portable and has shorter battery life than the MacBook Pro.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the MSI Stealth GS66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) | MSI Stealth GS66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,499 | $1,718 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | November 1, 2023 | April 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.61'' | 14.2'' x 9.7'' x 0.71'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.4 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.31" | 14.17" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.71" | 9.65" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M3 | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 17 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 69.6 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.2" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3024 x 1964 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 360Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 489 nits | 280 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | January 2023
"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."
MSI Stealth GS66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | February 2022
"The MSI Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) or the MSI Stealth GS66
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.
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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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