Choosing between the MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the MSI Pulse GL66 depends largely on your priorities. The MacBook Pro is often significantly less expensive and offers a high-resolution display, long battery life, and macOS, ideal for creative professionals and those invested in the Apple ecosystem. On the other hand, the MSI Pulse GL66 offers a powerful graphics card with a high refresh rate screen suited for gaming and 3D applications. It runs Windows which may be preferable for certain software compatibility but is generally more expensive. The MacBook is lighter and thinner, favoring portability, while the MSI's heft supports its gaming-oriented hardware. 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)
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 Pulse GL66
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.2/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Pulse GL66 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M GPU and a display with a refresh rate of 60Hz, which provides fair 3D performance, but with many popular games not running on Macs, its gaming potential is limited. In contrast, the MSI Pulse GL66 is equipped with the Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU and a higher refresh rate of 144Hz, making it better suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its superior graphics capability and smoother visual output.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.2/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is very good for content creation, while the MSI Pulse GL66 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
7.9/10
7.0/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is somewhat better.
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
245.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When choosing a laptop for general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its high-resolution and bright display offers clearer and more vibrant visuals compared to the MSI Pulse GL66, which has a fair screen that may come across as less vivid. For engineering and design, the MacBook Pro excels due to its superior color accuracy, covering a wider range of the color spectrum, which is critical for professional photo and video editing, while the MSI Pulse might not reproduce colors as faithfully. However, if your focus is on 3D applications or gaming, the MSI laptop's refresh rate might be less optimal for smooth motion compared to other laptops specifically designed for these tasks, and while the MacBook Pro is not designed with high refresh rates typically used in gaming, its resolution and panel quality still do not make it ideal for 3D tasks.
Battery
12.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 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
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and MSI Pulse GL66 both have good portability, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Pulse GL66 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$1,399
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the MSI Pulse GL66 costs $1,399.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) boasts a high-quality screen, superior speakers, and longer battery life, enhancing the general use experience, especially for media consumption, yet its heavier build and lower portability may dissuade frequent travelers.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
7.5/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) with its Intel i7 CPU, AMD Radeon Pro GPU, and high-resolution display is preferred for demanding engineering and design tasks due to its excellent screen quality and superior speaker quality, but is less portable and has a heavier operating noise.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the MSI Pulse GL66 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 Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the MSI Pulse GL66
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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