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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize a laptop that has a robust build quality, excellent screen for color accuracy and brightness, and longer battery life, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) would serve you well, especially for tasks like video editing and graphic design. However, it comes at a premium price. On the other hand, the MSI Pulse GL66 is more wallet-friendly and still offers good performance for engineering and gaming due to its powerful dedicated graphics card. It doesn't match the MacBook Pro in display quality or battery life but could be more suitable for resource-intensive tasks like 3D rendering or machine learning. Keep in mind that the MSI's gaming laptop appearance might not be preferred for business environments. 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
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Excellent 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 Pulse GL66
- The MSI Pulse GL66 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
9.1
7.3
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
245.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the MSI Pulse GL66 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in general use with a high-resolution Mini LED screen, a long battery life, and overall best build quality, making it ideal for advanced tasks beyond general use. However, the MSI Pulse GL66, while not as robust in screen quality or battery life, offers dedicated gaming capabilities with its powerful graphics card and additional ports, which might appeal to those prioritizing gaming and needing a versatile machine at a likely lower cost.
Engineering and Design
8.8
7.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Pulse GL66 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in engineering and design due to its superior screen quality with high resolution and color accuracy, and powerful integrated GPU, making it ideal for tasks that require visual precision and graphical performance.
Content Creation
9.1
7.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for content creation, while the MSI Pulse GL66 is 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
8.9
7.0
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI Pulse GL66 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
9.3
6.8
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
245.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's superior screen with higher resolution and brightness offers crisp and vivid visuals for general tasks, while its wide color gamut ensures accurate colors crucial for engineering and design work. However, its lower refresh rate may not be ideal for 3D applications where smoother motion is key. The MSI Pulse GL66, with fair screen characteristics, may suffice for general use and design, but lacks the high refresh rate needed for optimal gaming and 3D experiences.
Battery
17.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Pulse GL66 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
Good
16.2in
SIZE
15.6in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and MSI Pulse GL66 both have good portability, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
7.4
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Pulse GL66 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$1,399
$500
$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 Pulse GL66 costs $1,399.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
7.4
7.2
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is equipped with an integrated GPU designed to handle 3D tasks efficiently and offers a high-resolution Mini LED display, enhancing screen quality for detailed visuals in creative work, but it has a lower refresh rate and many popular games are not compatible with macOS.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) and the MSI Pulse GL66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) | MSI Pulse GL66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,423 | $1,399 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | March 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.66'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.7 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.01" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.77" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M2 Pro (12C) | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 17.5 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99.6 Wh | 53 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16.2" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3456 x 2234 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 487 nits | 245 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.6/10 | 7.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"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."
MSI Pulse GL66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | April 2022
"The MSI Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the MSI Pulse GL66
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.
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