I tried the new MSI Stealth 14 Studio, and it’s a powerhouse

The MSI Stealth 14 Studio has been redesigned and rebuilt from the GS66 Stealth base to be the final word moveable powerhouse. With top-tier parts like a Thirteenth-generation Intel Core i7 processor and RTX 40 collection graphics card, you’ll deal with absolutely anything in your recreation library in addition to new indie and triple-A releases for years to come back. 

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A one-size-fits-all machine

I had the unique alternative to go hands-on with the MSI Stealth 14 Studio, and for my part, it is a one-size-fits-all machine for streamers, content material creators, and inventive professionals. That is because of key options like the flexibility to change between graphics drivers, enhanced audio, and an understated design that will probably be simply as at residence within the workplace as it’s in your gaming house.

I do not typically use laptops for work, and it is even rarer for me to make use of a laptop computer for gaming. My go-to rig is a customized AMD-based tower that I initially in-built 2015 after which overhauled in 2020. Whereas I really like my tower, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has tempted me away from desktops. It is constructed with an Intel Core i7-13700H CPU, both an RTX 4060 or 4070 graphics card, DDR5 RAM, and a solid-state storage drive, which offers all the facility and efficiency required for gaming, digital artwork, video manufacturing, and 3D modeling and animation.

The laptop computer itself is pretty compact and light-weight, measuring simply 12.4 x 9.7 x .75 inches and weighing about 3.75 kilos. This makes it nice for slipping right into a bag or backpack for a commute to work or class, or once you need to hit up a neighborhood recreation store for a League of Legends or Apex Legends match. The 14-inch show makes use of an IPS panel with 1920 x 1200 decision and a 165Hz refresh fee, which delivers buttery easy movement and enhanced detailing over common 1080p FHD shows. You can even use the included MSI True Color app to change show modes to swimsuit completely different use instances.

For instance, should you primarily work with video, photographs, or graphic design components, you may need to allow the AdobeRGB or DCI-P3 display screen modes for extra correct colours. And the devoted gaming and blue light-filter modes cut back eye pressure when it’s essential spend hours staring on the display screen both for on a regular basis work or marathon gaming periods with associates.

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The display screen has a 16:10 facet ratio, which is great for gaming, because it offers a bit extra viewable space to keep away from lacking vital gadgets or ammo refills on the bottom. Nonetheless, notice that older TV reveals shot in 4:3 might look a bit odd, as they are going to stretch to suit the display screen. Nonetheless, the stretching isn’t extreme sufficient to destroy the viewing expertise; it simply makes some characters and scenes seem barely warped at occasions.

The Stealth 14 Studio has an 8-watt sound system with twin audio system and subwoofers powered by SteelSeries’ Nahimic audio drivers. Nahimic is much like Dolby Atmos or DTS Virtual:X in that it’s able to creating digital spatial audio that allows you to pinpoint in-game audio cues with no headset. The built-in audio system and subwoofers sound first rate sufficient, even at high quantity, with none annoying “tinniness” or buzzing that is indicative of poor-quality builds. You can even create customized EQ settings for video games, music, and video calls so that you by no means miss a notice or line of dialogue. And the Nahimic drivers work with the built-in microphone to eradicate background and white noise to isolate your voice for cleaner voice chat in Discord, video games, and video name apps like Zoom or Skype. 

Avid gamers in every single place can even recognize that the dreaded audio clicking and static points that appear to plague MSI laptops had been nowhere to be discovered throughout my testing rounds. Since it’s important to restart your laptop computer each time you turn graphics sources, I had loads of alternatives to accidentally-on-purpose break the audio. However I used to be relieved and pleasantly stunned that the audio stayed steady and clear on each startup.  

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Talking of which: I completely adore the MUX swap, which is what enables you to select between built-in, discrete, and hybrid graphics sources. With the MSI Center desktop app, you may set the laptop computer to make use of the built-in Intel CPU graphics, the RTX 40 collection graphics card, or a mixture of the 2. This helps modify energy consumption and lets the Stealth 14 Studio be an exceptionally versatile laptop computer. I discovered built-in graphics finest for video streaming, typical workplace work, and internet looking, whereas the discrete mode was the apparent selection for gaming. The hybrid graphics setting appears to be finest fitted to streamers, content material creators, and inventive professionals who might must run various kinds of applications without delay and wish the flexibleness of getting a laptop computer that may robotically use built-in or discrete graphics to deal with energy hundreds.

My solely actual criticism

The battery life is the one actual criticism I’ve for the Stealth 14 Studio, particularly when utilizing the hybrid graphics mode. I ran a number of completely different battery assessments for every graphics mode, and was solely in a position to squeeze a bit of over 4 hours of use out of the laptop computer in built-in graphics mode. Discrete mode gave round 3.5 hours and the hybrid mode was the worst at nearly 2 hours. Nonetheless, I used to be anticipating a brief battery life for the reason that laptop computer does use very power-hungry parts. And should you’re a content material creator or inventive skilled utilizing hybrid graphics mode, likelihood is you may be plugged in any approach whereas engaged on essential tasks or streaming and solely needing to depend on battery energy for brief intervals of time for tech demos or consumer conferences.

And for a full disclosure: I used to be despatched an engineering mannequin to check, which has a barely completely different construct and hasn’t been optimized. So should you determine to select up a retail construct of the Stealth 14 Studio, likelihood is you could get nearer to the 5 to six hour vary for battery life. And should you tweak your settings, allow the battery saver mode, or browse the net, you can get a considerably longer battery life. 

I ran all of my assessments with the display screen set at AdobeRGB and at 50 % brightness, streaming season 2 of Spongebob Squarepants on Prime Video as a result of I am an grownup, and if I used to be going to should run assessments, I wished to a minimum of be entertained whereas doing so. The Stealth 14 Studio does have a battery saver mode, and display screen brightness and movie modes do have a minimum of some affect on battery life. So should you determine to select up this laptop computer, it is positively value taking a weekend to tweak settings to get probably the most out of the battery.

The laptop computer additionally has a decently quick charging time, taking about an hour to achieve full cost from utterly lifeless. That is excellent for conditions once you overlook to cost in a single day or must rapidly high up the laptop computer throughout a lunch break or assembly. As with all fast-charging units, you may discover a slowdown in energy switch because the battery approaches full cost. This helps forestall harm from overcharging, which may shorten the general life and efficiency of the battery.

The way it handles gaming

And now we come to the half that everybody needs to know: How does it deal with video games? Whereas I’ve by no means been one to attempt to sustain with the entire newest triple-A releases (largely as a result of I haven’t got the time to sink right into a 100+ hour title), I do have an intensive Steam library to place any laptop computer by means of its paces.

I began easy with The Long Drive, which is a procedurally generated open-world recreation the place you drive towards the horizon and attempt to maintain your automobile from falling aside.  As an unstable Early Entry construct, TLD runs about in addition to I ran the mile for the Presidential Fitness Test on a great day. However with the i7-13700H and RTX 40 collection card, I used to be truly in a position to play for a number of hours earlier than I began slamming my Completely Not A Geo Tracker into invisible rocks within the highway and preventing off zombies and jackrabbits that bought caught to my tires. I additionally booted up DayZ with the Livonia DLC, because it’s one other resource-hungry recreation that does not play properly with my Franken-tower’s GTX 1060 for very lengthy. And whereas I nonetheless bumped into prevalent points like rampant asset pop-in and rubber-banding, these are extra as a result of stability of the sport construct than the Stealth 14 Studio’s efficiency. 

The laptop computer even was in a position to deal with the ARMA III base recreation, which is infamous for requiring Herculean efforts from graphics playing cards and CPUs to even be capable to load you right into a server. I might purchased ARMA III years in the past to play with associates over Discord, and this was the primary time I might been in a position to simply load into the foyer and fiddle with controls, settings, and mods earlier than lastly having the ability to play a match in spite of everything this time. So the Stealth 14 Studio will get additional factors in my guide for letting me spend time with and keep related to associates I do not get to see fairly often in-person.  

A worthy funding

The bottom configuration of the Stealth 14 Studio begins at $1,699, which is pretty in step with what I’d count on to pay for a gaming or content material creation laptop computer with a comparable construct. Nonetheless, take into account that including extra RAM, storage drives, or a extra highly effective graphics card will considerably increase the worth. So, be certain that to rigorously overview construct alternatives earlier than buying to remain inside your finances. The laptop computer is offered in Starlight Blue, with the white chassis choice releasing later in 2023. The Starlight Blue mannequin will begin at $1699, and the White mannequin will begin at $1899. The 16-inch Stealth Studio can even launch later in 2023, and retail for $1,999.

Finally, the Stealth 14 Studio is a superb dual-purpose laptop computer that I’d advocate to anybody trying to improve their present gaming setup or looking for a laptop computer that they’ll use for work in addition to gaming at residence.

The 14-inch Stealth Studio will probably be out there at Best Buy someday in March, however the 17-inch model is offered now. Nonetheless, be ready to pay as a result of it is constructed with the RTX 4090 graphics card, an Intel Core i9-13900H processor, 64GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD. The 17-inch Stealth Studio retails for about $4,000, making it one of many costlier gaming and creator laptops available on the market. But it surely’s a worthy funding should you’re on the lookout for a laptop computer that may deal with video games, content material creation, streaming, and on a regular basis work for years to come back.

Correction: This overview has been edited to mirror correct info as offered by MSI. I edited the overview to be extra clear that I used to be despatched an engineering mannequin for testing, which will not be as optimized as retail builds. I additionally edited the overview to take away point out of AMD-based fashions launching in late 2023. The Stealth Studio is not going to have an AMD model, however the Alpha, Bravo, and Delta laptop computer traces will.