The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is positioned as a premium laptop with Apple's M2 Max chip and known for long battery life and a high-quality Mini LED display, suiting professionals in creative fields or general high-performance users who value screen quality and MacOS environment. In contrast, the MSI GE66 Raider, often slightly more expensive, is a gaming-oriented laptop with a powerful Intel i9 processor and an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, which excel in 3D rendering, machine learning, and intensive gaming, but has a shorter battery life and heavier build, making it less portable. 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 (2023)
Excellent for general use
Excellent for software development
Excellent for content creation
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 GE66 Raider
The MSI GE66 Raider has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
9.4/10
8.4/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
347.0 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 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the MSI GE66 Raider 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.
Content Creation
9.3/10
8.4/10
8.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for content creation, while the MSI GE66 Raider 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
9.2/10
8.4/10
8.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for software development, while the MSI GE66 Raider is very 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
9.3/10
8.2/10
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI GE66 Raider for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 offers a high-resolution display with exceptional brightness and clarity, which enhances text sharpness and image detail. Engineers and designers would prefer the MacBook Pro for its wider color gamut coverage, ensuring accuracy in color-sensitive tasks. However, for 3D applications, the MSI GE66 Raider may fall short due to a lower refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth rendering of fast-moving images, although it still provides decent resolution and panel quality.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GE66 Raider 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 (2023) has good portability, while the MSI GE66 Raider 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 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI GE66 Raider has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$3,399
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has a price of $2,423 and the MSI GE66 Raider costs $3,399.
The MSI GE66 Raider and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) are both very good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in 3D tasks with its powerful integrated GPU and high-quality Mini LED screen, but its MacOS limits gaming options as many popular games aren't supported. On the other hand, the MSI GE66 Raider, with its high-end Nvidia RTX GPU and a high refresh rate IPS display, offers superior gaming performance and compatibility on Windows 11 Home, making it better suited for gaming enthusiasts.
Engineering and Design
9.4/10
9.1/10
8.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and MSI GE66 Raider are both excellent for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in engineering and design thanks to its powerful Apple M2 Max chip with built-in GPU that delivers reliable performance, coupled with its superior Mini LED screen that offers high resolution and color accuracy. In contrast, the MSI GE66 Raider packs an Intel i9 processor with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU, ideal for demanding software, and while its IPS screen is sharp, it lacks the advanced Mini LED technology of the MacBook, but adds better portability and gaming suitability due to its design and build.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and the MSI GE66 Raider 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 (2023) or the MSI GE66 Raider
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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