MSI Cyborg 15 Review 2023: A Budget RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop With A Mediocre Screen
MSI has long been one of the stalwarts in creating some of the best equipment out there. However, while I love their well-made graphics cards, their gaming laptops have been a hit-and-miss. Therefore, I thought about testing one of their newer gaming laptops, and their MSI Cyborg 15 came up first on that list.
On paper, this $1,000 laptop has hood specifications to be one of the best affordable RTX 4060 gaming laptops. However, with serious competition in that price segment by Asus, how well does this laptop hold up? Let’s find out!
MSI Cyborg 15 Specifications And Price
The primary specifications of the MSI Cyborg 15 A13VF gaming laptop are:
| Operating System (OS) | Windows 11 Home |
| Display | 15.6” FHD IPS screen (1320 x 1080 resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate) |
| Processor | 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12650H (10 cores, 16 threads, 3.5 GHz – 4.7 GHz) |
| Graphics Card | Nvidia RTX 4060 GDDR6 (8 GB) |
| Memory | 16 GB DDR5 RAM |
| Storage | 1 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD |
| Webcam | 720p HD webcam (30 fps) |
| Audio | 2x 2W speakers |
| Ports | 1x USB 3.2 Type C, 2x USB 3.2 Type A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x RJ-45, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack |
| Battery | 3-cell 53.5 Whr battery |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 359.36 mm x 250.34 mm x 22.9 mm |
| Weight | 4.36 lbs (1.98 kg) |
There are two variants of the MSI Cyborg 15. I tested the A13VF model, which has the better RTX 4060 8 GB graphics card. However, there is a cheaper variant – the A13VE – which has the RTX 4050 6 GB graphics card.
The MSI Cyborg 15 price on average in the USA is $1,045. However, two other versions – one with 32 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD, and the other with 64 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD, cost $1,099 and $1,228, respectively.
You can buy all the variants of the MSI Cyborg 15 from Amazon, BestBuy, and Walmart.
MSI Cyborg 15 Review 2023: My Experience So Far
I got my hands on the new MSI Cyborg 15 2023 model (A13VF) last week. After using it for three days, I compared it with the Asus TUF Gaming F15 – its primary competitor. Both of them are cheap laptops for gaming with RTX 4060 graphics cards.
Therefore, let’s find out what the Cyborg 15 MSI has in store for us and whether it beats Asus!
Design
First off, the MSI Cyborg 15 design is bulky. Weighing at 4.36 pounds (almost 2 kgs), its weight leans on the heavier side. However, it beats the Asus TUF F15 since the latter weighs 4.8 pounds (2.2 kg).
Moreover, its design felt lackluster compared to the made-for-gamers looks of the TUF F15. The sides of this laptop are translucent, which looks cool. However, it has a plastic chassis, which feels cheap for a $1,000 gaming laptop. However, it does feel sturdy, and the hinges are smooth and don’t wobble when my overhead fan is on.
You will find one USB Type-C and Type-A ports on the right side. In addition, you will also find the RJ-45 ethernet and HDMI 2.1 ports as well. The left side has only one USB Type-A port and the 3.5 mm aux jack. Therefore, while there aren’t too many ports, it did suffice my needs.
Overall, it has a retro-cyberpunk design, which looks cool but not too eye-catching. However, the brightly lit keyboard does look cool.
Display
The MSI Cyborg 15 display, which is its Achilles’ heel. The 15.6 IPS screen has a 1080p resolution of 1920 x 1080, along with 70.4% sRGB coverage and 50% DCI-P3. Therefore, it does not feel up to the mark for a $1,00 gaming laptop. Moreover, the TUF F15 screen is a lot better.
While the color accuracy of this display is good, it’s not vibrant like the MacBook Air M1. The quality of the visuals is similar to the display of the HP Laptop 17. Moreover, it’s good for gamers since it has a higher 144 Hz refresh rate.
However, if you are not a screen junkie, then its display will feel alright. It’s nothing fancy, but the colors and the sub-par 238 Nits brightness could’ve been better. Therefore, when I watched Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse, this laptop’s display failed to make the colors pop out vibrantly.
Keyboard And Touchpad
While the screen is of middling quality, the MSI Cyborg 15 keyboard is a good one. It’s spacious, with the bright blue light coming from underneath, making it look good.
Moreover, the key travel was comfortable and durable enough to withstand my incessant barrage of keypresses. In addition, the WASD keys are marked and fully lit (not just backlit) – specifically for gamers.
The MSI Cyborg 15 touchpad is also a good one. While there are no new bells and whistles, its performance feels responsive and smooth.
Webcam
I didn’t expect much from the 720p HD webcam of this laptop, and I was not disappointed. It performs like a typical 720p webcam, producing grainy images. However, I believe it will suffice for most video calls on Google Meet and Zoom.
Speakers
You will find the MSI Cyborg 15 speakers on the bottom, facing downwards. To my surprise, they have crisp and clear sound quality. However, the bass is mixed poorly compared to the treble. Therefore, hip-hop lovers will not like its bass output.
However, since this is a gaming laptop, it’s good enough for in-game audio. The gunshots in Call of Duty: Warzone 2 sound good, with a prominent thump to it. Additionally, I still recommend buying Skullcandy headphones like the Skullcandy Crusher Evo for better bass.
Battery And Thermals
At 80% screen brightness, the MSI Cyborg 15 battery life was around 6 hours in casual use. Therefore, watching YouTube, browsing the web and social media, and doing some office work or coding will last you between five to six hours.
Moreover, this significantly drops down to only two hours while gaming. This is less than the TUF F15 and other cheaper gaming laptops like the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3.
However, I do have one complaint here – the MSI Cyborg 15 heats up fast. After playing Cyberpunk 2077 at the highest setting for an hour, one can mistake this laptop for a microwave.
Performance
Since the MSI Cyborg 15 is a gaming laptop, there’s no doubt that its non-gaming capabilities will be impressive. Everything runs smoothly as butter if you do office work, like using MS Office Suite or Google Workplace. Moreover, the same can be said for video editing using Adobe Premiere Pro or 3D animation using Blender. They all run smoothly, with no hiccups.
Surprisingly, its gaming performance is better than I expected. When it comes to generating frames in the latest AAA games, this laptop equals the TUF 15. This is thanks to its RTX 4060 8 GB GPU and i7 1240H processor. However, gaming felt somewhat off since I saw washed-out colors because of its mediocre display despite its refresh rate of 144 Hz.
Therefore, you can play all the latest AAA games at high settings and 60 fps. Here are some of the frame rates that I got (all games played at Ultra Settings with Ray Tracing turned off):
| Games | Average Frame Rates (FPS) |
|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 65 |
| Dead Space | 60 |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 64 |
| Remnant 2 | 71 |
| Starfield | 56 |
| Apex Legends | 130 |
| Call of Duty: Warzone 2 | 68 |
MSI Cyborg 15: Deal Or No Deal?
The MSI Cyborg 15 is a good laptop with nice specifications and excellent gaming performance. However, it’s let down by its lackluster display, which will bring your gaming experience down. In addition, the battery life could’ve been better as well.
However, If you have around $1,000 to $1,200 to spend on buying a new gaming laptop, I recommend buying the Asus TUF Gaming F15. That laptop is the new benchmark regarding cheaper RTX 4060 gaming laptops and still reigns supreme in that category.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Affordable price tag • Good backlit keyboard • Good gaming performance | • Poor 720p webcaM • Mediocre 1080p screen • Gets hot quickly • Asus TUF Gaming F15 is a better alternative for the same price |
