Yes, Nvidia 50-seriesgaming laptopsare coming.
And yes, theyll cost an arm, leg, and possibly a firstborn.
You definitely should check out the MSI Cyborg 14.
©Photo: Adriano Contreras/Gizmodo
As asub-$1,000 gaming laptop, the Cyborg 14 is playing the game of compromises.
MSI Cyborg 14
The MSI Cyborg 14 makes affordable gaming look good, but not without compromises.
I tested the $900 version currently available at Best Buy.
©©Photo: Adriano Contreras/Gizmodo
Adorama also has several notebook models ranging from $1,500 to $1,000.
Thankfully, the world has matured somewhat.
The Cyborg, despite its mid-tier price, looks rather premium.
©Photo: Adriano Contreras/Gizmodo
The onyx anodized aluminum lid is stately, and the MSI emblem is proudly emblazoned in the center.
The semi-gloss logo catches just enough light to add some understated flair.
The hinge, vents, and laptops undercarriage are made in a transparent bluish-gray plastic.
©Photo: Adriano Contreras/Gizmodo
The color plays up the copper heat pipes.
But I really like all the intricate patterns etched into the material.
To lift some airflow, MSI put in four rubber feet in that cool bluish-gray.
© ©Photo: Adriano Contreras/Gizmodo
Theres a pair of bottom-firing speakers on the sides and eight black screws holding everything in place.
The black metal deck isnt bad; its a safe note after teasing folks about the laptops bottom.
That said, the palm rest is large and comfortable, and the touchpad is large.
©Photo: Adriano Contreras/Gizmodo
The keyboard sits above a slightly recessed deck.
The display and deck are held in place by the two hinges.
Some rather thick bezels surround the 14-inch display.
©Photo: Adriano Contreras/Gizmodo
Watching the Sinners trailer was disappointing.
Things looked better when I playedIndiana Jones and the Great Circle.
The jungles were lush and verdant with clear babbling brooks.
©Photo: Adriano Contreras/Gizmodo
The 144Hz refresh rate helped the action relatively smooth.
If I had three wishes, the first would be for world peace.
Despite the preinstalled DTS Audio Processing software, the 2W speakers are a quiet riot.
No matter the setting, the Cyborg could barely fill my living room with sound.
The soft speakers took some of the gravitas away from Indys running and gunning.
The whip lacked the crispness you expect from being cracked against an enemys torso.
When listening to music, I found the percussion tinny, the vocals crowded, and the instrumentals bloated.
If youre a bass fan, this is not your laptop, as the low end is nonexistent.
The WASD keys are transparent to help them stand out even more.
The keys are firm and springy when typing.
I had no problem hitting my usual 70 words per minute on the MonkeyType typing test.
The Cyborg comes with the usual suite of Windows apps, including Microsoft Copilot, found on most laptops.
You just need to be mindful of the prefs.
MyIndiana Jonesplaythrough was relatively smooth on low.
Still, the game looked decent on low.
However, I did notice the background scenery sharpened if I stayed still and waited for everything to render.
I ran a couple of games with in-game benchmarks to show you how well the Cyborg can game.
I ran the Cyberpunk 2077 test with and without ray tracing enabled.
The Cyborgs Intel Core i7-13620H processor allows the laptop to switch from play to work without breaking its stride.
I am a tab hoarder.
The MSI notebook kept pushing unabated.
I also did some light photo editing in Adobe Photoshop, and the Cyborg was still unbothered.
When it was time to run some benchmarks, the Cyborg continued to hold its own.
I ran the PCMark 10 Modern Office benchmark with the display brightness set to 100%.
until the laptops battery runs down.
The MSI lasted 3 hours and 42 minutes.
But since this is a gaming laptop, running the Gaming version of the test is only fair.
The Cyborg was done after 59 minutes.
No, but its also not the most expensive.
This sub-$1,000 gaming system delivers solid gaming and overall performance in a stylish, relatively lightweight chassis.
The keyboard is extremely comfortable to jot down on, and theres a fair amount of ports.
But at this price point, you have to expect a few compromises.
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