MSI Cyborg 14 Evaluate: The Worth Is Proper

MSI Cyborg 14 Evaluate: Worth and Configurations

MSI has a few configurations of the Cyborg on the menu. I examined the $900 model presently obtainable at Finest Purchase. It has a 2.4-GHz Intel Core i7-13620H processor with 16GB of DDR5 RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD Gen 4×4 SSD, an built-in Intel UHD Graphics, a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU with 8G GDDR6 of VRAM, and a 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 show with 144Hz refresh fee.

Adorama additionally has a number of pocket book fashions starting from $1,500 to $1,000. The specs begin with an Intel thirteenth Gen Core i5 CPU maxing out at Core i7, with 16-32GB of RAM, 512GB-1TB SSD, and several other Nvidia GPUs, together with 2050, 4050, and 4060 GPUs.

MSI Cyborg 14 Evaluate: Design

As soon as upon a time, a gaming laptop computer meant a pocket book swathed in a garish mixture of black and crimson. Fortunately, the world has matured considerably. The Cyborg, regardless of its mid-tier worth, seems to be somewhat premium. The onyx anodized aluminum lid is stately, and the MSI emblem is proudly emblazoned within the middle. The semi-gloss brand catches simply sufficient mild so as to add some understated aptitude.

The hinge, vents, and laptop computer’s undercarriage are made in a clear bluish-gray plastic. The colour performs up the copper warmth pipes. However I actually like all of the intricate patterns etched into the fabric. The again portion of the undercarriage has a circuit board design, whereas the entrance half is extra geometric, with a honeycomb sample with stars interspersed. To elevate some airflow, MSI put in 4 rubber toes in that cool bluish-gray. There’s a pair of bottom-firing audio system on the perimeters and eight black screws holding every part in place.

I want the inside had a few of the colour and gildings discovered on the pocket book’s backside, however alas, exterior of the clear WASD, and energy keys, it’s a bland affair. The black metallic deck isn’t dangerous; it’s a secure observe after teasing of us in regards to the laptop computer’s backside. That mentioned, the palm relaxation is giant and cozy, and the touchpad is giant. The keyboard sits above a barely recessed deck.

The show and deck are held in place by the 2 hinges. Some somewhat thick bezels encompass the 14-inch show. An enormous MSI emblem is stamped in the course of the underside bezel, whereas the highest extends right into a pronounced lip housing the 720p webcam and mics. Relating to ports, MSI provides a modest set with a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port on the fitting, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and AC energy enter. On the left, you’ve got one other USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port with a headset jack and a safe lock slot.

The 12.4 x 9.2 x 0.88-inch Cyborg 14 weighs 3.5 kilos, only a bit heavier than the three.2-pound, 12.2 x 8.9 x 0.67 ~ 0.78-inch Asus TUF Gaming A14.

MSI Cyborg 14 Evaluate: Show and Audio

The 14-inch IPS matte show is vibrant, however I want it have been brighter. Watching the “Sinners” trailer was disappointing. The film already has a gentle sepia forged, which, with the show’s dim forged, exacerbates the issue. The sky took on a yellow-gray forged, and the pores and skin of the actors Michael B. Jordan and Wunmi Mosaku seemed washed out. Essentially the most vibrant second of the trailer was when Jordan was sporting a sapphire newsboy hat, which saved my eye on him.

Issues seemed higher once I performed Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle. The jungles have been lush and verdant with clear babbling brooks. Intricate particulars just like the joints in a tarantula’s legs or the ugly, raised scars on actor Tony Todd’s face and milky eye have been clear at the same time as his character tossed Indy round like a bag of soiled laundry. The 144Hz refresh fee helped the motion comparatively clean.

If I had three needs, the primary could be for world peace. The second could be that each era of my household could be comfortably wealthy, and the final could be the tip of bottom-firing audio system. Regardless of the preinstalled DTS Audio Processing software program, the 2W audio system are a quiet riot. Irrespective of the setting, the Cyborg might barely fill my lounge with sound. The mushy audio system took a few of the gravitas away from Indy’s working and gunning. The whip lacked the crispness you anticipate from being cracked in opposition to an enemy’s torso.

When listening to music, I discovered the percussion tinny, the vocals crowded, and the instrumentals bloated. Should you’re a bass fan, this isn’t your laptop computer, because the low finish is nonexistent. The audio system sound finest when the Cyborg rests on a desk, however place it in your lap, and also you’re doomed to muffled audio.

MSI Cyborg 14 Evaluate: Options and Software program

The Cyborg 14 has a full-size island-style keyboard with keycaps accommodating most fingers. The area between keys is nice, and the sunshine blue backlighting permits hunt-and-peck typists to see the keys in a darkish room. The WASD keys are clear to assist them stand out much more. The keys are agency and springy when typing. I had no downside hitting my regular 70 phrases per minute on the MonkeyType typing check.

My solely grievance is you could’t swap out the backlighting or create macros like you may on costlier MSI laptops.

The Cyborg comes with the standard suite of Home windows apps, together with Microsoft Copilot, discovered on most laptops. Nonetheless, MSI Heart is the app you’ll use most, because it permits you to examine system diagnostics, handle community prioritization, modify energy profiles, and accesss different options. Third-party software program contains DTS Audio Processing and Nvidia Broadcast, which is AI-powered and designed to reinforce the webcam and mic and add a digital background throughout streaming periods.

MSI Cyborg 14 Evaluate: Efficiency

Armed with a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU with 8GB of video reminiscence, you may anticipate respectable body charges on most video games. You simply have to be aware of the settings. My Indiana Jones playthrough was comparatively clean on low. If I tried to transcend low, I promptly received a warning stating that my wishes exceeded what the VRAM might deal with. Nonetheless, the sport seemed respectable on low. Nonetheless, I did discover the background surroundings sharpened if I stayed nonetheless and waited for every part to render.

I ran a few video games with in-game benchmarks to point out you the way effectively the Cyborg can recreation. I ran the Cyberpunk 2077 check with and with out ray tracing enabled. With the expertise turned on at 1920 x 1200 decision on Extremely, the laptop computer produced 35 frames per second, which rose barely to 39 fps on Medium. After I dropped the ray tracing and re-ran the check, I received 57 and 79 fps on the Extremely and Medium, respectively. Switching over to Black Delusion: Wukong, I noticed a body fee of 110 fps on Cinematic and 49 fps on the Medium graphical preset.

The Cyborg’s Intel Core i7-13620H processor permits the laptop computer to modify from play to work with out breaking its stride. I’m a tab hoarder. I’ve 55 Google Chrome tabs working with a mixture of G-Suite apps, information, social media, movies, and random bric-a-brac. The MSI pocket book saved pushing unabated. I additionally did some mild photograph modifying in Adobe Photoshop, and the Cyborg was nonetheless unbothered.

When it was time to run some benchmarks, the Cyborg continued to carry its personal. On Geekbench 6, the pocket book produced 2,403 on the single-core check and 11,672 on the multi-core run, placing it on par with most laptops of its ilk. Nonetheless, the Cyborg was a bit of sluggish throughout the Handbrake video transcoding check, taking 5 minutes and 31 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. On the Blender benchmark, the place the system’s CPU is tasked with rendering a picture of a BMW, the MSI took 3 minutes and 28 seconds. It’s a decent rating however not sufficient to beat the Asus TUF Gaming A14, which accomplished the duty in 2:15.

MSI Cyborg 14 Evaluate: Battery Life

Gaming laptops aren’t identified for his or her battery life, so it was no shock that the Cyborg tapped out in underneath 4 hours. I ran the PCMark 10 Fashionable Workplace benchmark with the show brightness set to 100%. The check runs by means of a simulated workload (social media, spreadsheets, video conferencing, internet looking, and many others.) till the laptop computer’s battery runs down. The MSI lasted 3 hours and 42 minutes. However since it is a gaming laptop computer, working the Gaming model of the check is barely honest. The Cyborg was executed after 59 minutes.

MSI Cyborg 14 Evaluate: Verdict

Is the MSI Cyborg 14 probably the most highly effective gaming laptop computer within the land? No, however it’s additionally not the costliest. This sub-$1,000 gaming system delivers stable gaming and total efficiency in a trendy, comparatively light-weight chassis. The keyboard is extraordinarily snug to kind on, and there’s a good quantity of ports. However at this worth level, you need to anticipate a number of compromises. Within the case of the Cyborg, meaning a vivid show however not the brightest, weak audio, and a scarcity of RGB backlighting and macros. Nonetheless, for a gaming laptop computer underneath $1,000, the MSI Cyborg 14 is a good choice for entry-level avid gamers or of us on a funds.