The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in creative tasks with its high-resolution Mini LED display, delivering superior color accuracy and brightness, making it ideal for video and photo editing. Its Apple M1 Pro chip offers a good balance between performance for general use, 3D tasks, and engineering software, while providing long battery life and a higher portability score due to its lighter weight. Conversely, the MSI Vector GP76, with its Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics, is better suited for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks due to its powerful dedicated GPU and high refresh-rate screen, but at the expense of shorter battery life and portability because it's heavier. 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 software development
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 Vector GP76
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
8.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
264.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the MSI Vector GP76 is very 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
7.0/10
8.4/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Vector GP76 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is equipped with a powerful GPU that supports intricate 3D tasks within the macOS ecosystem, complemented by a high-quality Mini LED display, yet it doesn't support many popular games that aren't available for macOS. In contrast, the MSI Vector GP76 boasts a high-performance GPU with a significantly higher screen refresh rate, ideal for smooth gaming experiences, and runs on Windows which supports a vast array of games.
Content Creation
8.8/10
8.0/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and MSI Vector GP76 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
7.6/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the MSI Vector GP76 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
9.4/10
7.9/10
16.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
264.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI Vector GP76 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro's screen excels in resolution, brightness, and color accuracy, providing crisp images and vibrant colors needed for detail-oriented work in engineering and design, but its standard refresh rate is less suitable for the high frame rates desired in 3D applications. The MSI Vector GP76 offers a good balance of clarity and color reproduction for both general tasks and technical work, yet its screen may not provide the smooth motion clarity required for optimal gaming and 3D rendering. For general use, both displays perform well, but professionals in engineering, design, and those with a keen eye for visual fidelity may prefer the MacBook Pro's superior color range and resolution.
Battery
17.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Vector GP76 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
Poor
16.2in
SIZE
17.3in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability, while the MSI Vector GP76 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Vector GP76 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
$1,760
$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 Vector GP76 costs $1,760.
The MSI Vector GP76 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M1 Pro chip with abundant RAM and high-quality Mini LED screen, but its heavier weight and lower port count may limit its portability compared to other models. In contrast, the MSI Vector GP76 packs a high-performance Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, more storage out of the box, and a high-refresh-rate IPS screen, catering well to engineering applications that require top-notch graphics processing power, yet it's bulkier and has a shorter battery life.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the MSI Vector GP76 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 Vector GP76 12UGS is a gaming laptop on speed. The advantages are clear: The Vector GP76 is a real gamer with its 360 Hz display and super-fast response times. In addition, the Core i7-12700H has double the power of the CPU in its predecessor and another highlight is the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti with a real power consumption of 150 watts. This places the device in the top range of our database. The Vector can also operate rather quietly, offers a full sound range, improved battery runtimes, a key-configurable RGB keyboard, a very stable chassis and good upgrade options. Moreover, the display produces a nice, rich and clear picture."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the MSI Vector GP76
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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