Best MSI Laptop 2024: Our picks for the top six MSI machines

Our pick for the top all-round MSI laptop is the MSI Prestige 13 Evo. It’s a stunning compact machine that enjoys strong productivity performance and oodles of battery life.

The Prestige 13 Evo comes with a 13th generation Intel Core i7 chip and, combined with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD in the mode we tested, adds up to a device made for intensive productivity. You’ll be able to go above and beyond 20-25 brwosers tabs and multi-task to your heart’s content too. The thermals are impressive here too, with high performance Windows laptops often inviting a warm chassis or loud fans. This MSI manages to stay pretty quiet and cool no matter the task.

The basic display and audio do let this laptop down compared to some key rivals but, for those after something tremendously portable and a long battery life, you get a light 0.99kg weight and around 12 hours of battery life here.

Reviewer: Adam Speight
Full review: MSI Prestige 13 Evo review

Few laptops pack a punch quite like the MSI Raider GE78 HX. MSI’s Raider laptops have focused on bringing immense power to mobile PC gamers above all else. The looks of the Raider may be an acquired taste, with its signature bold and bright RGB bar sitting at the front of the bottom of the machine, but those who love a splash of colour will be happy.

There’s extremely strong power under the hood, with our review model sporting a 24-core Intel Core i9-13950HX processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, but it can adorn the very top end RTX 4090 too. Our combination offers up some stunning scores, with this MSI laptop achieving 138fps in Horizon Zero Dawn, 94fps in Cyberpunk 2077 and 107fps in Borderlands 3, all at Ultra settings and a 1440p resolution. This is all before activating Nvidia’s DLSS 3 technology which boosts frames rates even further.

For gamers, the keyboard is a top-notch option too. MSI has a set of Steelseries keys built in and while it may not be mechanical, you won’t find many chiclet keyboards better than this. The keypress is smooth and accurate, as well as per-key RGB lighting to sweeten the deal.

The MSI Raider GE78 HX may be about gaming above all else, but MSI has added some nice touches to improve the overall experience this time around. First, more room has been made for some dual upfiring speakers and, for a gaming laptop, they’re surprisingly good. While we anticipate that most gamers will play with an external mouse, MSI has extended the trackpad for this latest model which feels like a necessary move if you’re going to use this outside of gaming too.

Reviewer: Alun Taylor
Full review: MSI Raider GE78 HX review

Like Gigabyte, MSI often comes into its own for budget to mid-range gaming laptop offerings. The MSI GF63 Thin is our pick for the best budget gaming MSI laptop.

Getting into PC gaming can be an expensive endeavour and especially with the added premium when you look into portability through the laptop world. But, the GF63 aims to combat that, offering up an Intel Core i5-12450H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 (45W) graphics chip, 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD for less than £900.

For your cash, you can play AAA games at solid frame rates, with Returnal coming in at 50fps at Full HD on the highest setting. The RTX 40-series also brings DLSS upscaling to help with frame rates, meaning Cyberpunk 2077 can get you 45fps at max settings at Full HD with the technology on. All of that gaming goodness is presented on a 15.6-inch Full HD 144Hz display.

Despite its low price, the all-aluminum chassis is both stylish and pleasingly understated. The keyboard is, expectedly, not up there with the best of them at this low price, but its a solid offering for both gaming and daily productivity tasking.

Reviewer: Alun Taylor
Full review: MSI GF63 Thin review

The Raider GE78 HX may be our favourite gaming laptop overall but it doesn’t prioritise the display quite like the MSI Titan GT77 HX. For its hefty price tag, this MSI machine aims to give laptops everyone they could want, being superb gaming performance and a top-tier display.

The star of the show is the 4K Mini LED panel. The luxurious technology is spread across 17.3-inches and offers up an ideal 144Hz refresh rate alongside VESA DisplayHDR 1000 and 1000 dimming zones. The brightness is stunning, with 617 nits offered in SDR mode and a whopping 1145 nits in HDR mode. For a device-focused on gaming, its an impressively accurate display as well, with remarkable contrast and eye-catching colours too.

There’s top of the line specs to back up this glorious screen too, with up to an Intel Core i9-13980HX and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 available. We tested the very best model available and saw scores hit around 100fps and beyond in games with a focus of graphical detail, and that’s at 4K resolution, a remarkable feat. At 1080p, this machine could achieve upwards of 450fps in first-person shooter Rainbow Six Siege, if the display accommodated it.

The keyboard and port selection is up to snuff too. The keys are an absolute joy, with a crisp action and pleasing feedback. Furthermore, the wide selection of ports is headlined by two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI 2.1, 2.5Gbps as well as plenty more.

Reviewer: Mike Jennings
Full review: MSI Titan GT77 HX review

Some may be forgiven for thinking MSI is solely a gaming brand but devices like the MSI Modern 15 show it can do traditional wallet-friendly machines too.

The MSI Modern 15 is a laptop that could easily fool you into thinking it costs a few hundred pounds more than it does, truly living up to its ‘Modern’ moniker. Instead, it comes in at under £500 but provides top-notch productivity capabilities. With the 12th Gen Intel processor onboard and 8GB RAM included, it’s a device that’ll get the job done if you’re after something for browsing around in 10-20 tabs along with some light multitasking.

We can’t say enough about the design of this machine, it’s a marvel. It doesn’t scream luxury but it matches up with devices in the £700-plus bracket, not sub-£500 where it should be. It isn’t the thinnest and lightest laptop, but you wouldn’t be embarrassed to take this anywhere.

It’d make itself comfortably at home in a hybrid working set up too, with a solid selection of ports on offer. You’ll find a USB-C, three USB-A, an HDMI and a headphone jack. There’s a 720p webcam as well, which isn’t great on paper but it does a decent job at this price.

Reviewer: Andrew Williams
Full review: MSI Modern 15 review

Laptops that you’d define as 2-in-1, whether they are a hybrid tablet or a laptop with a 360-hinge, feel like they are going out of style, but the MSI Summit E16 Flip Evo makes the case to keep them. There has been a mini resurgence, with a slant towards large 2-in-1 machines, like the 16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360.

The Summit E16 Flip Evo is another strong all-rounder from MSI, bringing good performance, pleasing looks and a capable battery life together in one package. Displays are key on 2-in-1 devices and this laptop offers a 165Hz FHD+ panel, meaning you’ll get smooth scrolling and a solid level of detail. We would’ve liked brightness to have been boosted beyond the max 324 nits it offers but it’s more than acceptable for use indoors.

The Intel Core i7-1280p processor is a capable one, allowing for bags of productivity work and even some light editing. The Intel Xe graphics also invite you to do some very basic gaming on this device. Even when pushed, the Summit E16 Flip Evo is pleaisngly quiet, meaning you’ll rarely disturb your family at home, colleagues at work or strangers in a coffee shop.

Battery life is impressive, coming in at over 12 hours for light use. The 82Wh capacity means that you should get beyond a full day’s work and have some juice left for the next morning.

Reviewer: Andrew Williams
Full review: MSI Summit E16 Flip Evo review