The HP Stream 14" is a budget-friendly option that's best for everyday tasks like browsing the web, checking email, and using office applications. It's lightweight and offers good battery life, making it suitable for users who need basic functionality and prioritize portability and longer use away from a power source. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE66 is a high-performance laptop designed for demanding applications, such as 3D rendering, machine learning, gaming, and engineering software. It will provide much better performance but comes with a higher price tag, is heavier, and typically has a shorter battery life, which is a tradeoff for its power. If your work or hobbies require intensive computing capabilities and you're okay with spending more, the MSI Raider GE66 offers the processing power necessary for those tasks. If, however, your needs are more aligned with general use and you prefer something more affordable and portable, the HP Stream 14" would be the more fitting choice. 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 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
Good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
8.3/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
7.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for general use, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
The HP Stream 14" is considered fair for general use because it has a basic processor, lower RAM, and a lower resolution screen which is adequate for simple tasks, but it's lighter and has better battery life, enhancing its portability. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE66 is seen as very good for general use due to its high-end processor, ample RAM, and a high-quality display which contribute to excellent performance, but it comes at the cost of heavier weight and shorter battery life, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
5.7/10
8.5/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good 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
8.9/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.5/10
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 HP Stream 14" is poor.
The HP Stream 14" is equipped with a basic Intel Celeron processor, lower-tier integrated graphics, and a standard TN display with relatively low resolution and color coverage, making it unsuitable for demanding engineering and design tasks. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE66 features a powerful Intel i7 processor, high-end Nvidia graphics, and a high-resolution IPS display with wide color gamut, providing the necessary performance and screen quality for such use cases, at the cost of less portability and louder operating noise.
Content Creation
6.7/10
8.3/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE66 is very 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
8.0/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very 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
8.4/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE66 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's display, lacking in resolution and brightness, fails to provide the crisp and vibrant visuals needed for daily activities, and its limited color range hampers the accuracy required for engineering work; this same low-quality display can't deliver the fluid motion necessary for gaming or 3D applications. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE66's high-resolution, bright screen and wide color gamut deliver the clarity and color fidelity that engineers and designers need, but its lower refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth gaming and 3D rendering, doesn't match the level that gamers seek. Consequently, the MSI is a solid choice for productivity and professional design work, but for those focused on high-end gaming or 3D projects, it may not deliver the desired experience.
Battery
7.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The HP Stream 14" has 7.5 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
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The HP Stream 14" has very good portability, while the MSI Raider GE66 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.5/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE66 has very 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
$2,499
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The HP Stream 14" has a price of $299 and the MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
"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 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 HP Stream 14" or the MSI Raider GE66
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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