The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is often less expensive and offers solid performance for general use with good battery life, making it portable and suitable for day-to-day tasks. However, the MSI Raider GE66, while typically more expensive, boasts a more powerful processor with a high-end GPU, resulting in exceptional performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming. It has double the storage and RAM, and a higher refresh rate display. The Raider is heavier and has a shorter battery life, which detracts from portability but might be a fair tradeoff for the boost in performance for intensive tasks. 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 Raider GE66
Very good for general use
Very good 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
7.6/10
8.3/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
279.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 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 Raider GE66 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
6.4/10
8.5/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is only fair.
The MSI Raider GE66 delivers superior gaming and 3D experiences mainly because it houses a much more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and offers a high screen refresh rate, making graphics smoother and more detailed in demanding games. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is equipped with a lower-tier Nvidia MX570 GPU and a standard refresh rate screen, which doesn't perform as well with graphically intense tasks but provides a fair experience for casual gaming.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
8.9/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The MSI Raider GE66 outperforms the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 in engineering and design due to its more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a higher-tier GPU, which are critical for demanding software used in these fields, not to mention its superior screen quality with higher resolution and color accuracy.
Content Creation
7.5/10
8.3/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE66 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
7.4/10
8.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE66 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
6.5/10
8.4/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
279.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE66 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 displays for visual work and don't mind spending more, the MSI Raider GE66, with its higher color accuracy, is excellent for engineering and design tasks but falls short for gaming due to a lower refresh rate, affecting smoothness and responsiveness. Meanwhile, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 offers satisfactory display quality for everyday activities and professional design work, but it doesn't excel in gaming or 3D applications because of less vibrant colors and a refresh rate not suited for fast-paced visuals. Therefore, between the two, the MSI stands out for tasks requiring color precision, while the Dell is a more budget-friendly option for general and engineering use, with both not being ideal for gaming enthusiasts.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 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 Raider GE66 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE66 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
$2,499
$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 Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
"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."
"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 Raider GE66
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.
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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