When considering the MSI Modern 14 and Razer Blade 14, if you're on a tighter budget and seek a more wallet-friendly option with reasonable performance for everyday tasks, the MSI Modern 14 might suit your needs—it is lighter and offers essential features for general use. However, if you prioritize top-notch performance, particularly for 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, and don't mind spending significantly more, the Razer Blade 14 with its more powerful processor, advanced graphics card, and higher resolution display, might be the better option, despite being slightly heavier and thicker, which slightly impacts portability. 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 MSI Modern 14
The MSI Modern 14 has no clear advantages over the Razer Blade 14.
Advantages of the Razer Blade 14
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.2/10
8.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
311.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
328.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Razer Blade 14 is very good for general use, while the MSI Modern 14 is good.
The Razer Blade 14 has a more powerful CPU and a high-resolution display which enhances general use, with longer battery life and an excellent keyboard adding to user comfort, while the MSI Modern 14 is more lightweight and portable, but with a less powerful CPU and standard resolution display, making it a solid but less exceptional choice for general tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
7.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Razer Blade 14 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Razer Blade 14 provides a superior gaming and 3D experience compared to the MSI Modern 14 due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics, which excels in handling demanding visuals, compared to the less capable integrated AMD Vega 7 in the MSI. Additionally, the Razer's screen offers a much higher refresh rate, presenting smoother visuals during fast-paced action, while the MSI's display is standard and less suited for the quick refresh demands of gaming and 3D rendering.
Engineering and Design
6.6/10
8.4/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Razer Blade 14 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Razer Blade 14 stands out for engineering and design use with its more powerful AMD Ryzen 9 processor and superior Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, paired with a higher resolution screen that offers better color accuracy and range, which is essential for detailed design work. The MSI Modern 14, while still capable with an AMD Ryzen 5 processor and integrated graphics, has a lower-resolution screen that covers less of the color spectrum, making it less suited for intensive tasks and accurate color work that engineering and design professionals require.
Content Creation
7.2/10
8.1/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 14 is very good for content creation, while the MSI Modern 14 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
7.1/10
7.9/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 14 and MSI Modern 14 are both good for software development, though the Razer Blade 14 is somewhat better.
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
6.4/10
8.0/10
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
311.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
328.0 nits
The Razer Blade 14 has a better screen than the MSI Modern 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The MSI Modern 14's screen offers adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and some engineering applications, but it's limited color range can diminish the experience in detail-oriented design work. Razer Blade 14's display provides sharper images and vibrant colors that benefit both general use and professional design, due to its superior color accuracy and wider color gamut coverage. However, for gaming and 3D work, both laptops' screens fall short because they lack the high refresh rates required for smooth motion rendering, although they manage moderately well in terms of resolution and panel technology.
Battery
6.0 Hours
9.5 Hours
The MSI Modern 14 has 6 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 14 has 9.5 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.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 14 has very good build quality, while the MSI Modern 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$748
$10
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The MSI Modern 14 has a price of $748 and the Razer Blade 14 costs $10.
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | October 2023
"The MSI Modern 14 is okay for school use. It's very compact, so it's easy to carry around. It has a sharp display, a spacious keyboard, and a reasonably large touchpad. Its Intel 13th Gen CPU and integrated graphics can handle general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing; however, don't expect to do anything intensive like 3D modeling or physics simulations. Unfortunately, the battery lasts less than five hours of light use, and the display doesn't get bright enough to combat glare."
"After making a huge splash with the original 2021 model, it's expected that the 2022 refresh would be more of a minor update to an already impressive machine. It adds a higher resolution webcam (720p to 1080p), faster CPU (Ryzen 9 5900HX to Ryzen 9 6900HX), faster GPU (RTX 3070/3080 to 3070/3080 Ti), faster RAM (DDR4-3200 to DDR5-4800), faster M.2 SSD support (PCIe3 x4 to PCIe4 x4), newer WLAN module (Killer AX1690i to Qualcomm WCN685x), and a MUX switch for the new integrated Radeon 680M GPU. It's indubitably an upgrade especially in terms of single-thread processor performance."
Get a great deal on the MSI Modern 14 or the Razer Blade 14
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.
About Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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