If you prioritize performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Razer Blade 17 is the stronger performer, but it's heavier and less portable. Meanwhile, the MSI Modern 14 is more budget-friendly, offers decent performance for general use, and is lighter, making it easier to carry around. Battery life is a bit better on the MSI, but it’s less powerful, so it's not as suited for high-end tasks. The Razer has a much sharper and vibrant screen, which is larger and better for immersive gaming and detailed work, though it contributes to the device being bulkier. 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
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Razer Blade 17
Very good for general use
Excellent 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 speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.2/10
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
311.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for general use, while the MSI Modern 14 is good.
The Razer Blade 17 offers superior performance with its more powerful processor and double the RAM compared to the MSI Modern 14, which translates to smoother multitasking and handling of more demanding applications. However, the MSI is more portable due to its lower weight and smaller size and offers slightly longer battery life, making it better suited for on-the-go use.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
8.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Razer Blade 17, with its Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, delivers superior gaming and 3D performance compared to the MSI Modern 14, which uses an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U Vega 7 GPU and has a standard refresh rate of 60Hz.
Engineering and Design
6.6/10
9.1/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Razer Blade 17 outperforms the MSI Modern 14 in engineering and design due to its superior CPU, double the RAM, and a high-end dedicated GPU, which improve processing speed, multitasking capability, and visual rendering, alongside a higher resolution and better-quality screen. While the MSI Modern 14 is lighter and thus more portable, it falls short in performance for demanding tasks due to its less powerful integrated GPU and lower screen resolution, although it offers a quieter operation and slightly longer battery life for less intensive use.
Content Creation
7.2/10
8.5/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 17 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
8.5/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for software development, while the MSI Modern 14 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
6.4/10
8.6/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
311.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Razer Blade 17 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 may suffice for tasks like browsing and document editing due to its adequate resolution and brightness, but it lacks the wide color gamuts needed for precise engineering and design work. The Razer Blade 17 boasts a higher quality display with vibrant colors and higher resolution, making it ideal for detailed engineering tasks and creative design where color accuracy is crucial. However, both laptops’ screens fall short for gaming and 3D because they do not have the high refresh rates required for smooth motion and fast-paced visuals.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
6.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Modern 14 has very good portability, while the Razer Blade 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 17 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
$4,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The MSI Modern 14 has a price of $748 and the Razer Blade 17 costs $4,300.
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."
"Our test configuration of the Blade 17 targets gamers and creative professionals. A Core i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP after the BIOS update, 16 GB of VRAM), and 32 GB of working memory equip the laptop for video processing, rending, and 4k gaming at the highest level. In addition, a fast PCIe-4 SSD (1 TB) ensures short load and storage times. With the Blade 17 (Early 2022), Razer delivers a successful and powerful work device for creative professionals. But this also has its price."
Get a great deal on the MSI Modern 14 or the Razer Blade 17
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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