The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is more expensive and offers a sleek design with high build quality. It is optimized for programmers, designers, and general use, with an extended battery life and a brilliant display suitable for color-sensitive work. It isn't designed for intensive gaming, despite good general and engineering performance. The MSI Raider GE77Hx, while less expensive, excels in gaming with its powerful graphics card and high-refresh-rate screen but is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. It is also well-suited for engineering and 3D tasks, but the design might not appeal to professionals in a corporate setting. Choose the MacBook Pro for premium build and display with longer battery life for general and professional use, or the Raider for better gaming, 3D work, and cost savings at the expense of portability and battery life. 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 (Late 2023)
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 Raider GE77Hx
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.8/10
8.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and MSI Raider GE77Hx are both very good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is praised for its exceptional screen quality, which includes high brightness and wide color coverage, making it ideal for visual tasks in general use; this MacBook also offers substantial battery life and portability, though its weight is more manageable than that of some competitors. Meanwhile, the MSI Raider GE77Hx, while also good for general use, boasts a powerful CPU and ample storage, but sacrifices portability and battery life, which are less favorable compared to the MacBook Pro.
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
8.7/10
6.2/10
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
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is recognized for its good 3D capabilities, thanks to its Apple M3 Pro GPU, suitable for rendering and creative work, but it is limited by macOS's compatibility with popular games, compared to Windows. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE77Hx boasts a high-performance Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, making it very good for gaming responsiveness and rendering tasks, while also offering broader game compatibility with Windows 11 Pro.
Content Creation
8.9/10
8.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and MSI Raider GE77Hx are both very good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) 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
7.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
18.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx 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
9.3/10
8.4/10
16.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the MSI Raider GE77Hx for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's vibrant and high-resolution display offers exceptional color accuracy crucial for engineering and design work and remains comfortably viewable in various lighting conditions for general use, but its standard refresh rate is less optimal for 3D applications that demand quicker screen updates for smooth visuals. The MSI Raider GE77Hx provides a similarly high-resolution screen with a decent color range for precise visual work and everyday tasks, yet the screen doesn't refresh as quickly as dedicated gaming models which is a drawback for action-packed 3D gaming and rendering. Essentially, the MacBook excels in visual quality and color representation but falls short for high-speed 3D graphics, while the MSI stands out for general and design tasks but isn't the best choice for gamers who prioritize refresh rate.
Battery
17.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE77Hx has 5.5 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.
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 (Late 2023) has good portability, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,199
$1,899
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) has a price of $2,199 and the MSI Raider GE77Hx costs $1,899.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and MSI Raider GE77Hx are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is optimized for engineering and design tasks, offering a high-performance CPU and GPU with a sharp Mini LED screen, excelling in portability and boasting a keyboard and speakers rated the best, but with fewer gaming-oriented features and less overall portability than the MSI Raider GE77Hx. The MSI Raider GE77Hx also suits engineering and design due to its powerful CPU and ample GPU, complemented by a larger screen and superior cooling, but it is heavier and louder, with lower battery life and screen color accuracy compared to the MacBook Pro.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) and the MSI Raider GE77Hx 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 GE77 offers a lot of power for a lot of money. The main components consist of a Core i9-12900HX CPU, a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP, 16 GB VRAM), and 64 GB of RAM, which makes for a high overall performance level. The GeForce GPU in particular scores some of the highest scores we have seen from this chip. Both the CPU and the GPU are able to run at continuously high clock speeds. The relatively high heat and noise emissions match our expectations for this device class. With approximately 5.5 to 6.5 hours, the battery life is good for a powerful 4K laptop."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) or the MSI Raider GE77Hx
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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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.
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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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