MSI Cyborg 15 gaming laptop review: cyberpunk with an affordable price tag

The trend toward larger gaming laptops did not promise that the more familiar formats would disappear overnight. Among flagships, of course, the new solution has become more popular, but more affordable models still offer traditional versions. One of them is the MSI Cyborg 15, which came to our editorial office. It is this model that we will take a closer look at in today’s review.

MSI Cyborg 15 (A12VF-237XUA) specifications

Accessories

MSI decided not to include a lot of “gifts” for the laptop in the MSI Cyborg 15 budget, so the package is absolutely standard for this class: only the laptop itself, a charger, and a set of original “interrupters” (yes, those “temporary tattoos”). Given the cost, this is the right decision.

The manufacturer does not offer accessories stylized for this particular line, but it has many other options. So if you need something “close”, it won’t be hard to find it. But, of course, it is not essential to use branded accessories. The standard size also makes it easy not to upgrade a backpack if the buyer has previously had one for a 15-inch laptop.

Design and usability

The new MSI Cyborg 15 has a cyberpunk design and, I don’t know how much it was intentional, but it touches on another trend that is popular nowadays – translucent case elements. At the same time, most of the working surfaces were left in classic black, without any remarkable elements. Thus, if you don’t look closely, you’ll see a fairly typical gaming laptop, without a lot of extra backlighting.

Nevertheless, the Cyborg 15 still has its own interesting design elements that perfectly emphasize its name. For example, the laptop has translucent parts, such as the bottom lid. Together with the large inscription (which also helps with cooling), it is almost the most interesting part of the design of this model. (There are also rubber feet on the bottom, which deftly keep the laptop in place while working.) And the “transparency” has also “reached” the sides of the case, which complements the overall theme. The display unit and keyboard also boast such parts. In general, it looks good and balanced, without exaggeration.

Keeping the 15-inch format also allowed the gaming laptop to be small (by today’s standards). Thus, with dimensions of 359.4×250.3×21.95-22.9 mm, the Cyborg 15 easily fits into a backpack designed for 15-inch laptops. And with a weight of 1.98 kg, it’s not too difficult to move between workplaces. Almost the entire surface of the case, except for the metal cover of the display unit, consists of plastic. This is logical, given the model’s position among other gaming laptops from the manufacturer, and is definitely not a problem. There are practically no comments on the build quality, so everything should be fine in use.

But I would still like to fix something, and that is the placement of the ports. As a right-handed person, I don’t find it convenient to place most of the available ports on the right side. This is especially true for Ethernet and HDMI, because such cables are often bulky and “naughty”. There is also one USB-C and one USB-A next to them, and a power connector on the other end. The left side of the topcase has another USB-A, a combined headset port, and a Kensington lock. As for me, another USB-A and a “reshuffle” of the port positions would be nice, which could make it easier to connect external devices.

However, it’s hard to say what else we can complain about. MSI Cyborg series entry-level configurations are just a little over $1,000, which is easily considered a budget laptop in the world of gaming laptops. Therefore, there is no point in being picky in this situation. In any case, even under such conditions, MSI Cyborg 15 has no critical problems, the model is quite successful. And given the limited budget, it looks pretty good.

Display

So, Cyborg 15, logically, has a standard 15.6-inch matrix for the format. It doesn’t have record-setting thin bezels or any other features. This is an ordinary gaming laptop display with a low price tag. At the same time, all models come with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels with an aspect ratio of 16:9.

In addition, the matrix (AU Optronics B156HAN15.1) is capable of providing a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz, which is also a basic requirement for gaming screens. Again, you shouldn’t expect record-breaking response times, but this matrix will be able to meet all the basic requirements for a player.

There’s nothing special about the image settings. The laptop does not have options for color profiles and other image correction. There is no full sRGB coverage either, and the temperature is “colder” than the standard. At the same time, the gamut is kept at a fairly good level. However, as for a basic IPS-matrix, the image is preserved at different viewing angles, and in general, the screen is quite capable of satisfying all basic needs. It is unlikely to be suitable for professional work with graphics, but for games it will be a pretty good option.

Unfortunately, the maximum brightness level, even with matte protection, is unlikely to ensure comfortable work outdoors. It is 250 cd/m². However, even when working near a window in summer, there are no problems, although the backlight is set to maximum. For those who prefer to work in the dark, the brightness can be reduced to 12 cd/m², which is quite good.

Manipulators and multimedia

The dimensions of the case allowed us to place a full keyboard, but, traditionally, the NUM pad is still smaller and will take some getting used to. But the main part of the keyboard has the usual size and personally allowed me to work with text without taking my eyes off the screen. However, the placement of some keys (for example, Fn and the second Enter are located right next to the navigation block) has its peculiarities, but you can adapt to them over time.

In this model, the manufacturer did not use RGB-backlighting, but left only the blue option (with three brightness levels). Probably, this option may not suit everyone. However, apart from that, I still liked the keyboard. It’s not too loud, the mechanism works properly, holds the keys in place well, and is quite pleasant to press.

The 120×75 mm trackpad is located in the center of the topcase under the keyboard, so you probably won’t have to turn it off during games. At the same time, it works properly and will allow you to do without a mouse for normal work. There were no problems with moving the cursor or using gestures, and no additional correction was required.

Two speakers are habitually located at the bottom of the topcase. These are quite typical speakers for such laptops, which almost do not reproduce low frequencies and are not characterized by high sound quality in general. However, they are quite enough for basic tasks of accompanying TV shows or videos on the Internet. For something more, it will be more pleasant to use external sound, headphones, etc.

The webcam’s image quality is also not outstanding. As with most laptops, it’s only a megapixel sensor capable of HD quality. However, MSI has taken care to eliminate digital noise and provide a more or less good white balance, so work calls or regular communication can be satisfactory for users who are not demanding of image quality.

The built-in microphones that “hug” the camera also traditionally cover more than they need to, so the user will have to take care of the noise reduction software on their own. Otherwise, almost all sounds from the environment, including the cooling system, small rustling, etc., will get into the conversation. On the other hand, this is unlikely to be a problem for gamers, as they probably have a decent external microphone or headset.

Performance and software

Not being a top-of-the-line model, MSI Cyborg 15 won’t offer the most powerful processors or graphics cards. But it still has a pretty good level of equipment for gaming. The choice of possible configurations will include: 8- and 10-core 12th generation Intel Core i7 processor; NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 with 6 GB of RAM and RTX 4060 with 8 GB; as well as RAM (8 to 64 GB) and storage (512 GB to one TB). All this will change the price tag accordingly. Nevertheless, the capabilities of such laptops will be enough for mobile gaming.

Today’s guest is one of the best variants of this line. This is the Cyborg 15 (A12VF-237XUA): 10-core Intel Core i7-12650H (6 productive cores with a frequency of up to 4.7 GHz, 4 energy-saving cores with a frequency of up to 3.5 GHz, 16 threads, 24 MB cache, up to 78 W), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (8 GB GDDR6, up to 1470 MHz, 45 W), 16 GB DDR5-4800 (two 8 GB slots), and a terabyte drive (there is one M2 slot). To communicate with the “outside world,” the laptop uses Wi-Fi 6 (Intel) or gigabit Ethernet, and wireless accessories can be connected via Bluetooth 5.2.

Of course, this level of performance will be enough for comfortable office work, media playback, and more demanding tasks. Again, not at the flagship level when it comes to professional video processing in high quality, rendering complex objects, etc., but such work is quite possible. On the other hand, the laptop is primarily designed for entertainment, so let’s move on to that.

Games with high graphics settings are quite capable of delivering good FPS. For example, you can play Diablo 4 or CS:GO without worrying about the number of frames and still have a comfortable experience. More demanding games, such as Cyberpunk 2077, will either require you to abandon some graphical elements or accept lower performance, but you can still play them. Considering the class of the laptop, it has generally quite satisfactory benchmark results, so players who have a limited budget and do not expect the highest possible performance can still be satisfied. And although the processor is no longer the latest, the video is still from the current series, which, for example, will allow you to take advantage of DLSS 3 support. 

MSI Center offers four performance levels: Extreme Performance (even with optional overclocking), Balanced, Silent, and Super Battery. Additionally, there is Smart Auto, which can automatically switch to power saving at a certain battery level or when operating without a power supply, as well as prioritize certain games or programs. Probably, most often the user will still activate Extreme when working with a PSU, and Super Battery without it. And yes, the latter scenario significantly reduces performance, but it does not significantly affect the basic operation. 

And the laptop works stably. Even with only one cooler, the MSI Cyborg 15 can keep the temperature below 90°C and keep the main working surface in a suitable state for work (although the processor and video accelerator will still get quite hot). Normal work, which is also quite standard for such laptops, will keep the temperature in the middle at 45°C and will not affect the outer surface much.

Although I agree that two coolers would have been more successful in cooling. However, even in this situation, you can find some advantages. Firstly, the laptop blows warm air from only two, not four, vents. Secondly, the noise level from it, even at maximum load, is significantly lower than a solution with two coolers. And yes, it mostly works in all operating modes and under different load conditions, so you’ll have to get used to it.

Source: Notebookcheck.net

The buyer will receive a laptop without Windows. However, after installing the system, the manufacturer will offer a utility that will install everything necessary for work. In addition to the usual drivers, there will also be the already mentioned MSI Center, a standard utility for selecting operating modes, monitoring the system, and some additional functions (including a “cheat” sight, for example). There is practically nothing else you need for correct operation.

Autonomy

Inexpensive gaming laptops almost never get large batteries. All MSI Cyborg 15 configurations have 53 Wh to spare. This was enough for 5 hours and 41 minutes of work in the office version of the autonomy test, and almost an hour in the gaming version (in the appropriate system modes). In practice, a two-hour movie took up half the battery charge, and in office mode we managed to work a little more than three hours. For such a model, these are relatively good indicators.

Weighing only 438 grams, the compact power supply won’t weigh you down too much. But with a power output of only 120 W, you won’t have to think about fast charging. It takes 2 hours and 20 minutes for the battery to fully recover with this power supply.