MSi Cyborg 15 A13V

MSI Cyborg 15 A13V Gaming Laptop Review So, my MSI Stealth i9 gaming laptop stopped working. I was 99% sure it had seen it's days after 4 very heavy use years, multiple dual boot OS installs, and partition resizes. I was able to save the important data, it was on the 2nd drive. So, after a month or so, I decided I really needed a new laptop. A quick, but proper search and I had found it. The MSI Cyyborg 15 A13V. Sure, the processor is an i7, but it is 3 generations newer than the Stealth i9 and the RTX 4050 GPU, well that just means performance.

I thought this time, I would make the review in sections. Make it clearer what I am reviewing.

Design & Build Quality The Cyborg 15 features a translucent thin & light body with a futuristic cyberpunk style design. The translucent parts on the keyboard and chassis allow you to see through parts of the internals, including 4 sides and bottom, forming a see-through effect all over the exterior. This distinctive aesthetic is backed by solid construction: The build quality is decent, with a lid and chassis that exhibit little flex. The aluminum lid is a nice touch, and the rest of the chassis is sturdy plastic.

With a little less than 2Kg weight and a little over 2cm thickness, the Cyborg 15 is perfect for on-the-go gaming. The integration of aluminium material on the cover guarantees a smooth, high-quality feel on first contact and keeps it light.

CPU Performance - Intel Core i7-13620H The processor is a standout feature of this laptop. The 13th Gen. Intel Core i7 processor features an improved hybrid core architecture consisting of 6 Performance-cores and 4 Efficient-cores, for better multitasking situations and running demanding games. The i7-13620H is an Alder Lake based mobile CPU with 6 performance cores and 4 efficient cores. The performance cores offer hyper threading, leading to 16 threads that can be processed. The CPU clocks from 1.8 to 4.9 GHz.

In testing, the P-cores of the Core i7-13620H processor averaged 3.3 GHz and 64 degrees C while the E-cores ran at 2.34 GHz and 65 C. In Geekbench 6, the Cyborg topped the group with 2,580 points in the single-core test.

GPU Performance - NVIDIA RTX 4050 The RTX 4050 is the GPU configuration for this model, and it's a capable performer for its class. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptop GPUs bring a quantum leap in performance with AI-powered DLSS 3 and enable lifelike virtual worlds with full ray tracing. The RTX 4050 GPU backed by Ada architecture marks a significant step up from its predecessors, especially with ray tracing that truly enhances the visual fidelity in games.

However, it's important to note the limitations: The Cyborg's gaming performance is limited by the 45W power rating of its RTX 4050. Even with more power, this GPU remains best suited for entry-level 1080p gaming. In real-world tests, an average of 176 frames per second was observed while playing F1 24 with medium settings and DLSS enabled, with the minimum framerate in the 130 fps range. The game was very smooth and never stuttered. However, in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Cyborg recorded the lowest framerate of 64 fps, but neither could match the Dell and Lenovo alternatives, which both achieved nearly 100 fps.

For less demanding titles, the RTX 4050 excels: Doom Eternal ran between 135 to 144 frames per second at both medium and high settings. Thanks to the fluid frame rate and fast 144Hz refresh rate, there was no trouble navigating the expansive environments.

For me, it is my 'spare' gaming laptop (for those playing along, how is this the 'spare' laptop? See the note at the bottom), so I want it to play most if not all my games, but it's more about portability, over the huge 17" Stealth screen. Talking about screen size.

Display & Visuals The 15.6" Full HD 144Hz gaming laptop features a 144Hz IPS-Level display that captures every movement with sharp and smooth visuals, providing an immersive gaming experience. This is a gorgeous screen to look at. The depth of colours is excellent, the refresh and contrasts are off the chart. Sure, the Stealth has a 360Hz refresh, but we are on the Cyborg here.

Memory & Storage Faster memory read/write speed on DDR5 memory leads to accelerated performance across every aspect of this laptop. Delivering up to 7.88 GB/s bandwidth, PCIe Gen.4 SSD on Cyborg 15 makes tasks from large games to heavy-load projects a breeze to load.

The Cyborg came with 16Gb DDR5 4800Mhz RAM. This is 'sufficient', but I will be upgrading it to at least 32Gb, if not got all out with 64Gb and make it a true memory monster. The Stealth has 32Gb, and the difference in game loading times, is noticeable, however, once loaded, the RTX4050 generally eats it for breakfast.

Cooling & Thermal Management The innovative CPU & GPU Shared-Pipe cooling design, along with MSI's exclusive thermal grease, ensures optimal performance by efficiently dissipating heat during intense gaming sessions.

The Stealth, having a higher power draw and screaming hardware gets uncomfortably hot, if sitting on my lap. I need to use a cooling unit. The Cyborg is yet to get that hot. I doubt it will, I believe the 45W power limit ensures everything stay nice and cool.

Additional Features A 32% larger touchpad size provides a boundless-like touch experience. It's exquisitely center-positioned to make sure it stays out of your palm's way when playing games. Audio features include Nahimic in-game 3D surround & Sound Sharing via Bluetooth.

Compared to the Stealth, the touchpad is larger and easier to use.

Connectivity The ports include one USB Type-A and a 3.5 mm audio jack on the left side, while the right side features another USB-A port, a USB-C port, HDMI 2.0 video output, and an Ethernet jack. All the USB ports operate at 5 Gbps, though it would have been preferable if the USB-C port supported 10 Gbps.

The inclusion of the standard HDMI port is a bonus, as I have plans to use this laptop for some FPV drone use, and want a remote screen through the hardware I have. This will be ideal.

Value & Verdict The MSI Cyborg 15 is a cyberpunk-inspired gaming laptop offering excellent performance at an affordable price. Its RTX 4050 GPU isn't the most powerful, but this is a great entry-level machine for those new to PC gaming or folks on a budget. If you play at medium and high settings at 1080p, you're going to have an enjoyable gaming experience.

Overall, the MSI Cyborg 15 A13V represents a solid budget gaming option with a striking aesthetic, capable CPU, and respectable GPU performance for its price point. While the RTX 4050 won't handle demanding AAA titles at ultra settings with high framerates, it's perfectly adequate for 1080p gaming at medium-to-high settings, and excels with DLSS 3 enabled.

Now, as I said earlier, this is my 'spare' laptop. While I was waiting for the Cyborg to arrive, I had a fiddle with the Stealth again. I was sure it was dead. but to my shock and surprise, it came to life. My brain is still hurting from this, as I had spent two full days trying to make it work, with zero result.

Turns out all those partition resizes, OS addition/removal, may have upset the M.2 SSD after 4 years of outright abuse.

I did my magic, re-partitioned, new install, I now have two gaming laptops. The Stealth will be the 'main' system (Also attaching to my VR headset), as it is more powerful by leaps and bounds. The Cyborg is however a very capable, more portable laptop.

As for 'refurbished'. I have no problem with refurbished items, so long as they are properly refurbished and warranted. MSI refurbished this unit, so it came with a 12 month warranty. With the savings, it was a no brainer. At $1000, for a capable, lightweight gaming laptop, this is a sure winner.

If you are looking at an entry level, yet powerful and upgradable laptop, consider a refurbished MSI laptop. Definitely a great product.