As I have done in the past, and though I am giving this unit a 5 star review after only having it for a day and a half, I am going to try to write a very specific review to give you an idea of what you are getting into if you decide to purchase this machine. For me, despite a few minor issues, which really are more a product in some ways of how truly good this machine is, this machine ticks all my boxes. For others, maybe not so much, but please read on and make a truly informed decision based on your needs.
This is my second MSI machine, (and I doubt it will be my last). I purchased my first one about 3 and a half years ago, (reviewed that one too), and though I still loved the old MSI, and it still works perfectly, I had to put it aside as a back-up gaming laptop because my gaming needs have outgrown the technology.
I looked at SEVERAL machines before I finally set my sights on this one, but it was a tough choice. This laptop was a little on the pricey side, and I thought about compromising on a few "would like to have" features to save myself a few bucks, but in the end, I decided if I am going to get a computer and have it for another 4 or 5 years, I wanted to make sure it ticked all my must haves.
Let's go through this machine step by step, and I tell you what I have found thus far. For your edification, I am an above average gamer, (not quite casual, but not really a 24 hour a day kinda player, I have a job), and I love to play older games like Doom, Quake, Portal, and all of their sequels, but I am also getting into some of the newer games, (can't wait for Stormgate, and thinking about picking up Baldur's Gate 3), and the more I played the newer stuff, the more I realized a faster, better machine needed to be in my future.
Right out of the box, this thing is a tank. The chassis is mostly aluminum, (unlike my old machine which had an aluminum top, and plastic body which cut down on the weight, but gave me other concerns), and so this laptop is pretty heavy. It would be much less portable than a standard 14 or 15.6 machine, but I have no fear of this thing melting, breaking, or otherwise being compromised due to the build. Take this into consideration though, because when I say it's heavy, I really mean it.
The keyboard is bouncy, and has a solid, tactile feel that makes me very happy. It's a little more flat than a standard mechanical keyboard, but it's a real pleasure to type on, and the RGB lighting on the keys is versatile and bright. I have missed having a number pad. I prefer the option for some games, and also for other uses, and the keys are large, and just feel solid.
The 17.3 inch monitor is bright, clear, and very easy to view. I have some issues with my vision, and I really needed something with added clarity, and this monitor delivers. I have nothing but good things to say about it.
The fans, even at high temperatures, are quiet. The old laptop sounded like an airplane landing when a game got more visually intense, but this one is much more controlled and quiet. That is not to say that it does not make any noise when it's pushing out the hot air. Some might find the noise a bit too much, but when you are dealing with higher end, hotter components in a laptop, some sacrifices must be made for proper heat dissipation, and MSI and Excalibur have done a great job minimizing the annoyance.
The built-in speakers are almost too loud, and though they lack exceptional bass, {only so much you can do with such a small space), they are more than adequate. I had to turn the volume down to 50%, and even then I had to turn it down from some of the games due to the loudness., and I have never had that with any other laptop I have owned. What the speakers lack in bass, they more than make up for in clarity. I listen to music on my laptop sometimes, and instruments and voices are clear, and separate, and it's easy to pick out even back-beat instruments.
The machine is FAST! I guess 12 cores and 16 threads and such crazy big cashes on the die will do that. I have never seen my games roll so smoothly, nor have I enjoyed such exceptional frame rates. I still need to play around with the 4070 on some RTX enabled games that I own, but so far this thing is tearing it up!
There is a lack of USB ports on the machine, and a lot of real estate where they could have been added. I suppose a USB C splitter would make up some of the difference, but there is not a lot of room for peripherals, so be aware and be prepared.
There are also 3 ports on the back, one for HDMI, one for wired ethernet, and one for the power supply which I have not seen before, and I am not sure how I feel about it. I imagine they won't be a problem, but it's something new, and I'll have to get back to this review with an opinion after I have used them for a while. The power supply has a proprietary input jack, (kinda looks like a large USB C), which might make replacing the power supply in the event of an issue a bit more expensive and hard to do,}, but so many companies are doing that now, there isn't much point in complaining. But again be aware.
The battery, on first complete charge and depletion, kept the machine going for just under three hours when doing moderate computing tasks, (mostly set up, software downloads, and a little light gaming to test things), so I imagine that during a higher power consuming gaming session, the battery will not lost too long, and you will find yourself with the need to plug it in. More on this as I deplete and re-charge it a few more times.
Overall, this is a superior gaming machine. I will try to come back and report more once I've really had a chance to put this unit through the paces. For now though, I have a feeling this computer and I are in for quite a few adventures!
| Standing screen display size | 17.3 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 2560 x 1440 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 2560 x 1440 Pixels |
| Processor | 2.5 GHz ryzen_9 |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR5 |
| Hard Drive | 1 TB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 |
| Chipset Brand | NVIDIA |
| Card Description | Dedicated |
| Graphics Card Ram Size | 16 GB |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 4 |
