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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you are looking for high performance and are willing to invest more, the MSI GE66 Raider, with its more powerful processor and graphics card, is better suited for intensive 3D rendering, machine learning tasks, and engineering software. It also has a larger, higher resolution display ideal for gaming, but this also makes it heavier and with shorter battery life, reducing portability. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is significantly less expensive, more portable with a longer battery life, and sufficient for general use, but it has a smaller screen, less storage, and its performance is less suited for demanding applications and gaming. 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 Dell Inspiron 14 5420
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI GE66 Raider
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.6
8.4
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
279.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is 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
6.4
8.6
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is fair for gaming and 3D with its Nvidia MX570 graphics card and standard screen refresh rate, while the MSI GE66 Raider excels in these areas due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card and higher screen refresh rate. The screen quality and CPU are better in the MSI as well, contributing to its superior performance for more demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.1
9.1
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI GE66 Raider is excellent for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The MSI GE66 Raider offers superior performance for engineering and design with its more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a top-tier GPU, making it excellent for intensive tasks and high-quality visualizations. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, while being lighter and more portable, provides adequate power for engineering and decent screen quality but may not handle demanding applications as smoothly as the MSI, categorizing it as good for engineering and design.
Content Creation
7.5
8.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
7.4
8.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
6.5
8.2
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
279.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The MSI GE66 Raider has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize vibrant and accurate colors for tasks like photo editing or engineering designs, consider the MSI GE66 Raider due to its wider color gamut coverage, but its refresh rate isn't optimal for 3D applications where smooth motion is key. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420, with fair screen resolution and brightness, is suitable for everyday activities like browsing and streaming, but its color range and refresh rate might not meet the demands of professional design work and high-frame-rate gaming. When choosing, weigh the importance of color accuracy and refresh rate against your primary use case, whether it's general multimedia consumption, precision design work, or gaming and 3D software usage.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has very good portability, while the MSI GE66 Raider has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0
8.5
The MSI GE66 Raider has very good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$971
$3,199
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has a price of $971 and the MSI GE66 Raider costs $3,199.
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How the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and the MSI GE66 Raider compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5420 | MSI GE66 Raider |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$971 | $3,199 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.4 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.36" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.96" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1255U | Intel i9-12900HK | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2240 x 1400 | 3840 x 2160 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 279 nits | 347 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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Dig into reviews and images
Smarthouse
Nick Ross | March 2023
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
MSI GE66 Raider
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Patrick Schüdzig | June 2022
"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 Dell Inspiron 14 5420 or the MSI GE66 Raider
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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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