MSI Thin GF63 15.6" 144Hz Gaming Laptop: 12th Gen Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050, 16GB DDR4, 512GB NVMe SSD, Type-C, Cooler Boost 5, Win11 Home: Black 12VE -066US
First, this is a standard gaming laptop. You can throw a lot of stuff into it and it won't change, but remember that it's still a laptop. As with most other laptops, cooling will be a major issue.
salary
- The build you received has a 12th Gen i7 processor with 10 cores, a dedicated 4050 GPU and 6GB of VRAM. It's more than enough for my gaming, photoshop, programming, and production needs. I was thinking of spending big on a laptop with a larger 17" screen, but the 15" screen is more than enough for my purposes. Brightness and clarity are excellent. 144Hz is nice, but due to the nature of this device, I prefer 120Hz. Let me be clear: I know that Hz is closely related to screen refresh rate. I also learned that most games can be capped at around 120fps, and by capping it at two you can reduce the weight.
Means
Is 512GB of SSD storage really the best thing you can do for $1,000? I immediately unplugged the unit, installed a 4TB Crucial NVMe and a 4TB Samsung 980 Evo, and swapped the 16GB RAM for the 64GB. I know this sounds like overkill, and... in a certain way. Outside of gaming, I use virtualization software and do image editing for my assistants. Running a virtual lab is resource intensive, and due to the nature of travel involved in my job, I can't always use my desktop computer. The unit's sound isn't the best either, with sounds being muted due to the lower speaker placement.
bad
Expandability. It's 2023 and the storage should now be expandable without voiding the warranty. I'm well aware that I could buy an external drive but I'm surprised modern machines have the capacity, ie eg disk space/ram etc, but that would require voiding the warranty. These are low risk modifications.
ugly
- 100% cooling. MSI BIOS is set to Turbo by default, add Windows 11 and you have a deadly combination. The maximum temperature is about 92 degrees Celsius. Yes, modern devices can run that hot. Will it stand the test of time? I am not the type to take that risk. This lowered the average temperature by 20 degrees Celsius, which should hopefully extend the life of your laptop.
What do you advise manufacturers?
- First, turn off Turbo Boost, it's not necessary. The notebook performs well under heavy workloads, but isn't very practical at temperatures close to the acceleration limit.
The base is thicker and the heatsink is stronger. I know this goes against the specific design of this product because that's one thing. However, it can extend the life of the product.
-Disable Turbo in BIOS. This requires enabling advanced mode, but it's worth it.
Throw away Windows 11, it's utter rubbish in its current state. Maybe they will fix it in the next iteration. Currently install Windows 10 via USB or install an easy to use Linux distro such as Mint, Debian or Ubuntu.
- Purchase a replacement laptop stand/cooler. I don't have any specific recommendations because I'm still looking for something that I think works.
Final thoughts
This is a solid 7.5/10 laptop. It's not very feature-rich by today's standards, but it does more than help you out, especially if you're a graduating student on a budget. With a few component tweaks, this laptop is also a great all-rounder. It all depends on whether you are willing to take the risk of voiding your warranty. If you, as an IT professional, do not agree with the idea, I recommend that you do not.
- 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor: Power for streaming and gaming on the go. Designed to provide a powerful gaming experience.
- Here we go: use the latest generation of Windows 11 Home for your everyday needs. * MSI recommends Windows 11 Pro for business use.
- Smooth Display: The 15.6-inch screen and 144Hz refresh rate ensures a fast refresh rate for smooth and vivid games.
- High-Speed Data: Gen 4x4 SSD and DDR4-3200 memory for faster data transfer, speed, and system responsiveness.
- Play Cool: Equipped with the latest Cooler Boost 5, it uses 2 fans and 6 heat pipes to ensure optimal heat dissipation and deliver the best gaming experience or creating multi-layered projects.