If you need a laptop for basic tasks like browsing or word processing and want to save money, the HP Stream 14" is a budget-friendly choice with modest performance suitable for light use and its portability is adequate. However, if your work involves more intensive tasks such as photo editing, video production, or casual gaming, the MSI Prestige 15 with its higher performance processors and dedicated graphics card is more suitable despite being more expensive and slightly heavier. The MSI also offers a better display and longer battery life, which could be important if you're often working on the go. 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 HP Stream 14"
Very good portability
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 15
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
7.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
7.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Prestige 15 is good for general use, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
The HP Stream 14" with an Intel Celeron processor and basic screen quality is more affordable and very portable, making it suitable for light tasks, but it falls short in performance and screen fidelity compared to the MSI Prestige 15, which boasts a more powerful Intel i5 processor, better GPU, and higher-quality IPS display, thus offering a more robust experience for demanding general use at the cost of being slightly less portable and more expensive.
Gaming and AI
5.7/10
6.3/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Prestige 15 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the HP Stream 14" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
5.7/10
7.2/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Prestige 15 is good for engineering and design, while the HP Stream 14" is poor.
The HP Stream 14" has a lower-end Intel Celeron processor and basic Intel UHD Graphics, resulting in insufficient power for engineering and design software demands, whereas the MSI Prestige 15 comes with a more advanced Intel i5 processor and a dedicated Nvidia graphics card, offering the higher performance and better graphics capabilities required for such tasks. Additionally, the MSI Prestige 15 boasts a higher quality IPS screen with better resolution, color accuracy, and brightness, all of which are critical for design precision and detail, unlike the HP Stream 14" which has a lower-grade TN panel with lower resolution and color coverage.
Content Creation
6.7/10
7.5/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Prestige 15 is good for content creation, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
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
6.5/10
7.2/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Prestige 15 is good for software development, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
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
5.2/10
6.8/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The MSI Prestige 15 has a better screen than the HP Stream 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The HP Stream 14" has a low-resolution display that lacks the crispness and detail needed for a satisfactory general user experience, and it doesn't offer the color accuracy and wide color gamuts necessary for engineering and design work. The MSI Prestige 15, with its higher resolution and brighter display, provides clearer and more vivid images for everyday tasks and professional design, yet its refresh rate may not be high enough to satisfy gamers and those working with fast-paced 3D applications. However, for gaming and serious 3D rendering, the MSI Prestige 15 may fall short as it doesn't match the smoothness that a high refresh rate panel provides, which is essential for those applications.
Build Quality
5.5/10
7.4/10
The MSI Prestige 15 has good build quality, while the HP Stream 14" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$299
$1,044
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The HP Stream 14" has a price of $299 and the MSI Prestige 15 costs $1,044.
The HP Stream 14" has 7.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 15 has 7.5 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
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers HP Stream 14" to have very good portability, while the MSI Prestige 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the HP Stream 14" and the MSI Prestige 15 compare to other laptops
"With half of the main system memory and a fraction of the storage that we recommend in any budget Windows laptop, the HP Stream 14 does not impress. Perhaps it doesn't need to, depending on your reference point. For the price, you're getting a functional laptop with Windows 10, which already places the HP Stream 14 above most Chromebooks on that merit alone. Still, in this price range, you can't do much worse, but you can do better. In fact, for just $100 more, you can grab the much superior budget option, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14."
"The MSI Prestige 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the HP Stream 14" or the MSI Prestige 15
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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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