The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is a better choice if you prefer macOS, longer battery life, and a higher resolution screen, making it ideal for professional creative work like video editing or graphic design. It's also more portable due to its lighter weight. However, the MSI GF65 Thin, although more expensive, offers a high-refresh-rate screen and a more powerful graphics card, which are suited for gaming and 3D tasks. If your work includes engineering software or machine learning, performance may be better on the MSI due to its dedicated GPU, even though it has a shorter battery life and is slightly heavier. Choose the MacBook Pro if you prioritize display quality, battery, and macOS, or the GF65 if you need better gaming performance and are using Windows-based engineering or 3D software. 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 16 (Late 2019)
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good 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 16 (Late 2019).
Key differences
General Use
7.8/10
6.5/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
477.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) provides superior performance for general use due to its higher quality CPU, more RAM, better screen resolution, and significantly longer battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin, while offering a high refresh rate screen and robust heat management, falls short in comparison with less RAM, a lower resolution screen, and a shorter battery life, making it less ideal for general use tasks that demand prolonged or more intensive performance.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
6.7/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) with its Intel i7 processor, 16GB RAM, AMD Radeon Pro GPU, and high-resolution IPS display excels in CPU and GPU performance, suitable for demanding design and engineering tasks, and offers superior screen quality for detailed visuals. Meanwhile, the MSI GF65 Thin though more portable and equipped with the Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU which might be preferable for certain engineering applications, has lesser RAM and a lower resolution display, which may affect multitasking and the crispness of the image.
Content Creation
8.0/10
6.8/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
7.9/10
6.3/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is 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
7.8/10
6.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 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 16 offers a high-resolution display and brilliant brightness, making it ideal for general use with clear and vibrant visuals. For engineering and design, its wide color gamut ensures accurate color representation crucial for detailed work. However, for 3D applications, its standard refresh rate may not provide the smooth visual experience that high refresh rate displays, as found on some gaming-focused laptops, can offer.
Battery
12.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
$540
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
The MSI GF65 Thin and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with an AMD GPU and standard screen refresh rate offers strong performance and high-quality display for 3D applications, but lacks the preferred high refresh rate for gaming and many games are not compatible with its operating system. Conversely, the MSI GF65 Thin features a powerful Nvidia GPU and a high refresh rate display, which enhances gaming performance and is favourable for both gaming and 3D tasks, though its screen quality doesn't measure up to the MacBook's.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and MSI GF65 Thin both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
"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 16 (Late 2019) 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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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
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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.
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Laptops Expert
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