MSI’s GF63 Thin shows that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to cost $1,000 or more. If you’re ready to spend around $1,000, you have a lot of choices. It has a fast Intel Core i5 H-class processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics, a big step up from the low-wattage and integrated graphics usually found at this price point.
MSI GF63 Thin (2022) Specs
| Weight | 1.86kg |
| Dimension | 14.13 x 10 x 0.85 inches |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 4GB |
| Memory | 8GB onboard |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-11400H |
| Display | 15.6in IPS, 1920 x 1080, 144Hz |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Battery | 52.4Wh |
PROS:
- Low-priced to the extreme
- Able to compete at a moderate level
- Lightweight, slim body
- Enjoyable keypad
CONS:
- Consistently, competitors are quicker than you.
- Memory with only one channel
- Short battery life.
Price
The MSI GF63 Thin is now available in several distinct configurations. Many laptop stores in the West still sell older models with 9th- or 10th-generation Intel CPUs. MSI doesn’t sell laptops directly in the US and UK, so rival stores often set prices, and finding specific models can take a lot of work. The current-generation RTX 3050 Ti model we tested here costs £799 (about AU$1,385) in the UK. This setup isn’t available in the US, but we found a similar model for $900.
The model with the cheapest graphics card, a GTX 1650, costs £599 ($629, or about AU$1,035).
An RTX 3050 model costs between these two. It’s still a lot of money to spend on a laptop, and prices in the US are all over the place right now, but this is a pretty good deal if you want a full-featured gaming laptop but can’t spend more than $1,000 on it.
Design
MSI’s system looks better than its price tag would suggest. The smooth metal case is stylish, and the red logos and edges of the keyboard give the GF63 a consistent look. It’s more grown-up than the military-themed Asus TUF Gaming A15 and smoother than the Acer Nitro 5. If you don’t want to spend more, the only laptop that can match it is the Dell G5 15 Gaming. The GF63 weighs only 1.86kg and has a body that is 21.7mm thick.
Most of its rivals weigh over 2kg and have bodies at least 25mm wide. Even though the MSI is thin and light, it is not strong. The metal above the keyboard bends, the plastic base moves around too much, and the screen moves back and forth. It’s not a big deal if you use the MSI at home, but you’ll probably want a protection sleeve if you use it outside. Which is fine for casual games, but other laptops have more features.
Performance
The RTX 3050 is Nvidia’s smallest laptop core, and its specs show that: it only has 2,048 stream processors and 4GB of memory. It also has a power cap of 40W in the MSI, far from its possible peak of 80W. Even though it is from an older generation, the Core i5-11400H still has six cores that can be hyper-threaded and can reach a maximum turbo speed of 4.5 GHz.
The rest of the requirements need to be revised. There is a 512GB SSD with a good read speed of 2,230 MB/s, but the slow write speed of 350 MB/s will make it hard to add games. Even though 8GB of DDR4 memory is the bare minimum for a laptop, having only one channel will slow it down. With an average of 24 fps at Ultra settings, the MSI couldn’t play Cyberpunk 2077, and it ran at 41 fps with the settings at Medium.
Design
The 2018 GF63 Thin is unchanged. It was quite popular once, but now it’s old. The black and red color scheme and the thick top and bottom display frames make this even more apparent. The MSI is mainly made of plastic, but the palm rest and lid are made of stamped aluminum. Its hairline-brushed design makes it look high-end but it tends to get dirty quickly. The MSI dragon shield logo on the top gives it more style and a sense of personality that feels important when you’re not paying much money. On the left side of the GF63 Thin, there is a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port and the barrel-shaped plug for the 120-watt power charger. The LED light that shows when the battery is charging is next to the USB port.
Display And Keyboard
Our GF63 Thin has a 15.6-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a frame rate of 60 Hz. Top Gun: Maverick was less exciting to watch at home than in the theatre, and it wasn’t just because the screen size was so different. The detail was there, but the colors were dull, and scenes that should have been bright because they were in the sun looked flat. I looked for a darker room so the screen would stand out more. It was slightly more optimistic than the HP Victus 15, which had 235 nits, but not as bright as the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, which had 285 nits. The screen on the Acer Nitro 5 is the best (314 nits).