The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is a high-end choice for professional work like video editing and business use, offering a Mini LED display with better color accuracy and high brightness, along with a long battery life and a high-quality build. It runs MacOS, which could be a determining factor if you require specific software. The MSI Raider GE66, on the other hand, is tailored for gaming and engineering tasks with its powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and high refresh rate screen, but this comes at the cost of reduced battery life and portability. Both have ample memory and storage, but the MSI has double the storage space. If color accuracy and battery life are crucial for your work, go for the MacBook Pro. If gaming or heavy graphics work is your priority and you can manage frequent charging, the MSI Raider might be for you. 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
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE66
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
8.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the MSI Raider GE66 is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a powerful CPU and GPU designed by Apple, ample RAM, a high-resolution Mini LED screen, and it scores highly on portability and battery life, making it ideal for general use and on-the-go productivity. Meanwhile, the MSI Raider GE66 also offers a robust Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, plenty of RAM and storage, an IPS display with good color range, but with a heavier form factor and a shorter battery life, it's more suited to stationary use where high performance is needed.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
8.5/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) with its M1 Pro GPU and a high-quality Mini LED display can handle 3D tasks, offering smooth visuals at a 120Hz refresh rate. However, the MSI Raider GE66 excels in gaming and 3D performance due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a higher refresh rate of 240Hz, which provides gamers with a more responsive and fluid experience; but keep in mind that many popular games are not compatible with macOS.
Content Creation
8.8/10
8.3/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and MSI Raider GE66 are both very good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) 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
8.9/10
8.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and MSI Raider GE66 are both very good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) 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
9.4/10
8.4/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI Raider GE66 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in screen quality for general use and design work due to its high resolution and brightness, along with extensive color coverage, which ensures crisp, vibrant images and accurate color representation needed for professional design tasks. However, for 3D applications, its typical 60Hz refresh rate is lower than what's preferred for smooth motion rendering. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE66, while also providing high resolution and good color accuracy, doesn't match the MacBook in those areas but also falls short for gaming and 3D due to a similar limitation in refresh rate, despite being a gaming-oriented laptop.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 has 6 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
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability, while the MSI Raider GE66 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 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Raider GE66 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a price of $1,949 and the MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
The MSI Raider GE66 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) shines in engineering and design because its potent M1 Pro Processor and high-capacity for RAM work alongside a brilliant Mini LED screen that excels in color accuracy and brightness, whereas the MSI Raider GE66 boasts a high-performing combination of Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU plus a generous amount of RAM which, when paired with its higher refresh rate display, is ideal for tasks requiring powerful graphics processing and rapid visual feedback.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the MSI Raider GE66 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 Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the MSI Raider GE66
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
102,795
Recommendations made
22,273
Consumer hours saved
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
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.