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Updated June 22, 2024·
The MSI Raider 18 HX is a powerhouse designed for the most demanding tasks in gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning, with top-tier performance and an advanced Mini LED display that offers exceptional color accuracy and brightness. It's also equipped with the latest ports and connectivity options, including Thunderbolt 4. However, its large size, high weight, and significantly higher price point make it less portable and more of an investment. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 offers a balance of performance and portability, with a lower midrange price that's easier on the wallet. It's suitable for general use and engineering tasks, though not as powerful as the MSI for intensive gaming or 3D work. Its IPS display with high resolution is excellent for everyday tasks, and it boasts superior battery life, a best-in-class build quality, and a quieter fan system. The MacBook is also more compact and lighter, making it a better choice for those who need to work on the go. Ultimately, if you prioritize top-of-the-line performance and don't mind the bulk and cost, the MSI Raider 18 HX is the way to go. However, if you're looking for a more versatile and portable machine that can handle a variety of tasks well without breaking the bank, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 is the smarter choice. 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)
- Best in class overall build quality
- Good portability
- Very good battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Raider 18 HX
- Very good for general use
- Best in class for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Excellent for content creation
- Excellent overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.8
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
477.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.4
9.0
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.5
9.6
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.0
9.1
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is very 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
8.8
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
7.8
9.4
16.0in
SIZE
18.0in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Raider 18 HX has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
12.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider 18 HX has 9 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
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
18.0in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has good portability, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
7.4
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$3,999
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the MSI Raider 18 HX costs $3,999.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the MSI Raider 18 HX compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) | MSI Raider 18 HX |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$540 | $3,999 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2019 | March 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.7'' x 0.64'' | 15.9'' x 12.1'' x 1.26'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.3 lbs | 7.94 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.09" | 15.91" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.68" | 12.09" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-9750H | Intel i9-14900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 4 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 100 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 18" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3072 x 1920 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 477 nits | 1000 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 5.1/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720P | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 4 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 4 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"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."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the MSI Raider 18 HX
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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