Choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the Razer Blade 17 involves considering your priorities: The MacBook Pro is more affordable and provides solid performance for general use and media-related tasks, with a high-resolution display and a good balance of portability and battery life. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 17, while more expensive, offers superior performance that's well-suited for intensive tasks such as gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning, thanks to a more powerful processor and advanced graphics. The Razer also has a larger screen with a higher refresh rate, which might appeal to users looking for a more immersive visual experience and smoother visuals in fast-paced games. However, it is heavier, which may affect portability, and typically, the more powerful hardware can lead to shorter battery life compared to less-demanding laptops. If portability and battery longevity are crucial for you and your workload is not heavily skewed towards demanding tasks, the MacBook Pro could be a sensible choice. If top-tier performance and gaming capabilities are essential, and the price is not a significant barrier, then the Razer Blade 17 may be the better option. 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 Razer Blade 17
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.8/10
8.5/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
477.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is appreciated for its balance of performance and portability, offering a capable processor, sufficient RAM, and high-quality screen while also being lighter and providing long battery life, making it a solid choice for general use. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 17 has a more powerful processor, superior graphics, and a larger, higher resolution display with more RAM and storage, but these come with a sacrifice in portability and battery life, positioning it as a more power-oriented option, especially for those requiring advanced performance.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
8.6/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is only fair.
The Razer Blade 17 outperforms the Apple MacBook Pro 16 in gaming and 3D due to its superior GPU, the Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti, and a higher screen refresh rate of 144 Hz, compared to MacBook's lower-performing Radeon Pro 5300M GPU and 60 Hz screen refresh rate. Moreover, the Razer Blade 17 runs on Windows, which supports a wider range of popular games, whereas many games do not run on the MacBook's macOS.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
9.1/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Razer Blade 17 offers a more powerful CPU and GPU, plus double the RAM of the Apple MacBook Pro 16, which is why it's excellent for engineering and design, allowing for more complex computations and rendering at higher speeds. However, the MacBook Pro 16, while less powerful, offers superior screen quality and is more portable and quieter, factors which are essential for some users in professional environments.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.5/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both very good for content creation, though the Razer Blade 17 is somewhat better.
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
8.5/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 17 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
7.8/10
8.6/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Razer Blade 17 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When considering screen quality for general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 boasts a high-resolution display with vivid brightness and color clarity, suitable for everyday tasks and media consumption. For engineering and design, its screen delivers wide color gamuts, ensuring that professionals see accurate and rich colors critical for their work. However, for 3D applications, the MacBook's lower refresh rate compared to specialized gaming laptops means less fluid motion, which is essential for immersive 3D experiences and gaming, while the Razer Blade 17’s screen, although excellent for general and design tasks, falls short in refresh rate for optimal gaming performance.
Battery
12.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 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
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
6.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has good portability, while the Razer Blade 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has best in class build quality, while the Razer Blade 17 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$540
$4,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Razer Blade 17 costs $4,300.
"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."
"Our test configuration of the Blade 17 targets gamers and creative professionals. A Core i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP after the BIOS update, 16 GB of VRAM), and 32 GB of working memory equip the laptop for video processing, rending, and 4k gaming at the highest level. In addition, a fast PCIe-4 SSD (1 TB) ensures short load and storage times. With the Blade 17 (Early 2022), Razer delivers a successful and powerful work device for creative professionals. But this also has its price."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) or the Razer Blade 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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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