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Surface Laptop Go 2
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Creator M14
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated March 21, 2024·

If you're on a budget and need a portable laptop for everyday tasks like browsing and documents, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is a smart pick, while the MSI Creator M14, with its higher price tag, is better suited for demanding tasks such as video editing, graphic design, and 3D modeling due to its superior performance. However, it is heavier and may have shorter battery life, making it less ideal for constant travel. Choose the Surface for casual use and the MSI for specialized, power-intensive applications. 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
  • Excellent portability
  • Good battery life
  • Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI Creator M14
  • Very good for general use
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Good for gaming and AI
  • Very good for content creation
  • Good overall display quality
  • Very good keyboard

Key differences

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General Use

7.0
Surface Laptop Go 2
Creator M14
8.0
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
401.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The MSI Creator M14 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.

Gaming and AI

6.0
Surface Laptop Go 2
Creator M14
7.3
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Creator M14 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.

Engineering and Design

6.5
Surface Laptop Go 2
Creator M14
8.4
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Creator M14 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.

Content Creation

7.1
Surface Laptop Go 2
Creator M14
8.0
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator M14 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.

Software Development

7.0
Surface Laptop Go 2
Creator M14
7.8
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator M14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for software development, though the MSI Creator M14 is somewhat better.

Screen Quality

6.9
Surface Laptop Go 2
Creator M14
7.5
12.4in
SIZE
14.0in
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
401.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The MSI Creator M14 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

8.0 Hours
Surface Laptop Go 2
Creator M14
4.5 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator M14 has 4.5 hours of battery life.

Portability

Excellent
Surface Laptop Go 2
Creator M14
Good
12.4in
SIZE
14.0in
2.4 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the MSI Creator M14 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Cost

$774
Surface Laptop Go 2
Creator M14
$1,500
Product image
Product image

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a price of $774 and the MSI Creator M14 costs $1,500.
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Key similarities

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Build Quality

7.8
Surface Laptop Go 2
Creator M14
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and MSI Creator M14 both have good build quality.

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How the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and the MSI Creator M14 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2MSI Creator M14
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2MSI Creator M14

GENERAL

Price
$774
$1,500
Release Date
June 1, 2022March 1, 2024
Overall Dimensions
11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62''12.4'' x 9.2'' x 0.88''
Weight
2.48 lbs3.53 lbs
Width
10.95"12.39"
Depth
8.12"9.19"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i5-1135G7Intel i7-13620H
RAM
8 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
02
Storage
128 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
8 Hours4.5 Hours
Battery Capacity
41 Wh53.5 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
12.4"14"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1536 x 10242880 x 1800
Refresh Rate
60Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
401 nits350 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.8/107.8/10
Portability Score
9.3/107.8/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
7.5/107.8/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/108/10
Speaker Quality Score
8.4/107.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
YesYes
Backlit Keyboard
NoYes
Number Pad
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
13
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
NoNo
Display Outputs
12
Thunderbolt Ports
00

Shopping

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Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | August 2022
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."

Get a great deal on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 or the MSI Creator M14

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.

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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Why trust us

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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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About the laptop team

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.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

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.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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