MSI PS63 Modern 8RC (Prestige Series) Laptop Review

Full Load Temperatures

During our full load tests, the CPU temperature reached a high of 85 degrees Celsius, which is more than acceptable in my book. GPU temps reached 84 degrees Celsius, which is also fine by me. The cooling solution is provides by MSI’s Cooler Boost 3 Technology, which includes 2 dedicated fans and 3 heat pipes.

Verdict and Conclusion

Base on performance alone, the MSI PS63 Modern 8RC falls a little short in my opinion, and didn’t quite meet my expectations. One of the main reasons is because, it uses a Geforce GTX 1050 (with MaxQ), which isn’t the fastest graphics card for the price range. As a content creator, I would have preferred a GeForce GTX 1060 or higher.

But it is not all bad news. The MSI PS63 Modern 8RC does come with a decent processor, an Intel Core i7-8565U processor running at 1.8GHz (with turbo boost upto 4.6GHz), along with 16Gb DDR4-2666 ram, and a Kingston 512GB SSD.

The large 15.6-inch FHD IPS screen offers a resolution of 1920×1080, and features True Color Technology provides exceptional color accuracy that’s closer to 100% sRGB. That’s good news for content creators who edit a lot of photos and videos. What you won’t find a 120Hz or 144Hz screen on this model … that’s reserved for MSI’s gaming laptops!

The lack of a gigabit ethernet LAN port is a real bummer, as we all know a LAN cable connected to the network, is in my opinion more stable and faster than Wifi. And no … it doesn’t come with 802.11ax Wifi 6.

Webcam can be found on the top side of the screen bezel and provides a resolution 720p @ 30fps. For connectivity, you get 1 x 3.5mm jack for headphone/mic-in combo, as well as 1 x HDMI, out 1 x USB 3.1 gen 1 (Type-A and Type-C/DP), 2 x USB 3.1 gen 1 ports, and 1 x micro SD Card slot. Which brings me to my other remark. Most of the digital cameras that I know uses standard SD card size, which includes Sony Alpha series. Panasonic Lumix series, Canon EOS series … SO why on earth did MSI include a micro SD card slot? You’ll have to compromise and get yourself a dongle lol!

The MSI PS63 Modern 8RC comes with a 4-cell 82W Li-ion battery and according to MSI, provides up to 16 hours of continuous use. In real-life and to be honest … you’re more likely to get between 6-8 hours of heavy usage, tops. I didn’t get to play with the finger print reader and to be honest, I think it’s just a gimmick. However, I do like the trackpad … it offers multi-finger gesture and it’s huge, in fact it’s 35% wider than most other trackpads I’ve used before.

Pros:

• Intel Core-7-8565U processor @ 1.8GHz , although 9th Gen is now available
• Onboard GeForce GTX 1050 (with MaxQ and 4GB of GDDR5 ram)
• 512GB SSD
• 16GB DDR4-2666 ram
• 15.6-inch FHD IPS panel
• Light-weight at 1.6 kg
• Thin – only 15.9mm

Cons:

• Better graphics card would have been better
• No LAN port

Final Thoughts

So in conclusion, the MSI PS63 Modern 8RC is a pretty decent and capable laptop, that’s ideal for any content creators on the move. It’s light-weight, super thin and comes with a discrete graphics card. However, if you think the onboard GeForce GTX 1050 (with MaxQ) isn’t enough, then you might want to look elsewhere.

You can buy the MSI PS63 Modern 8RC (GTX 1050 with MaxQ) Laptop from various retailers including Amazon for around USD $1,399. Also available at …

• US – https://amzn.to/2kNnRYa
• UK – https://amzn.to/2OnrDUs
• EU – https://amzn.to/2ALmv4u

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