If you prioritize a high-quality display, long battery life, and seamless integration with Apple's ecosystem, consider the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021). It is well-suited for professionals working in creative fields who need powerful processing and graphics capabilities. However, it comes at a premium price and is less portable due to its size and weight. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin is tailored for gaming and intensive graphical tasks at a more affordable price point, but its battery life is typically shorter, and it doesn't offer the build quality or display of the MacBook Pro. The MSI is more portable and could be a better fit for those who need a lighter laptop for gaming or performance-demanding applications on the go. 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 (2021)
Excellent for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class 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 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
6.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in general use because it offers a powerful CPU, abundant RAM, a high-quality screen with excellent color coverage and brightness, and a long battery life, combined with a high build quality and superior scores for keyboard and speaker quality.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
6.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is preferred for engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M1 Pro processor, ample RAM, superior GPU, and high-quality Mini LED screen, which enables better color accuracy and visual clarity for detailed work.
Content Creation
8.8/10
6.8/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) 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
8.9/10
6.3/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very 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
9.4/10
6.8/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
497.0 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" boasts a high-resolution display with vibrant colors and excellent brightness levels, making it ideal for general use and engineering, where color accuracy for tasks like photo editing and design is critical. However, its standard refresh rate limits its performance for 3D applications, where higher refresh rates are crucial for smooth motion. In contrast, the MSI GF65 Thin provides decent resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and engineering work, but falls short for gaming and 3D due to a lower-quality display not optimized for the high-refresh-rate environments these applications demand.
Battery
17.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 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 (2021) 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
$1,949
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a price of $1,949 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) to be good for gaming and AI, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) with its M1 Pro chip and GPU is highly capable of handling 3D tasks, while the MSI GF65 Thin, though with a robust Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, may offer slightly less power in comparison, particularly for 3D. Moreover, the MSI GF65 Thin excels with a higher screen refresh rate which benefits gaming, but popular games might not run on the MacBook due to MacOS, giving the MSI an advantage in gaming versatility.
Portability
Good
Good
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) 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 (2021) 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 (2021) 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
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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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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