MSI GF65 Thin
MSI GF65 Thin
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GENERAL USE: Fair—6.5/10
GAMING/AI: Fair—6.8/10
ENG/DESIGN: Fair—6.7/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Fair—6.3/10
CONTENT CREATION: Fair—6.8/10
PORTABILITY: Good—7.3/10
BATTERY: Fair—6.2/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Fair—6.7/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Fair—6.5/10
SIZE: 15.6"
The MSI GF65 Thin is a midrange laptop with a strong gaming focus due to its Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and an Intel i5-10500H processor. It contains 512 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM, suitable for gaming and moderate multitasking. It has a 15.6-inch IPS display, offering good viewing angles, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a refresh rate that will make fast-paced gaming smooth. The battery life is fairly limited, so for longer use, you'll need to stay plugged in. The laptop is relatively lightweight at 4.1 pounds and thin at 0.85 inches, which enhances portability but the tradeoff comes in battery life and heat management, which is only rated fair. It has a good selection of ports including USB-C, but no thunderbolt. It also supports hardware ray tracing and DLSS for advanced gaming features. This model runs Windows 10 Home out of the box and has a good keyboard, but only a fair rating in other areas like screen colors and speaker quality. It is clearly geared towards gaming rather than premium business use or intensive engineering tasks. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU
- High refresh rate screen
- Good portability score
- Backlit keyboard
- Has Ethernet port
Cons
- Short battery life
- Subpar speaker quality
- Moderate screen color range
- No Thunderbolt ports
Ratings by Category
Portability:4.2
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
General Use Screen Quality:4.0
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
Keyboard Quality:4.0
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
Content Creation:3.9
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, and video editing work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Gaming & AI:3.8
The MSI GF65 Thin's Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card ensures fair performance for gaming and 3D applications, handling demanding visual tasks reasonably well. The 144Hz screen refresh rate contributes to a smoother visual experience, allowing for less motion blur and improved responsiveness in fast-paced games. However, the Intel i5 CPU and IPS screen quality, while adequate, may not offer the top-of-the-line performance or the best color accuracy that more demanding games and 3D work could benefit from.
Engineering & Design:3.8
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design, CAD and 3D work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Build Quality:3.8
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability.
Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify.
Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
General Use:3.6
The MSI GF65 Thin's lower battery life of about 4.5 hours may require more frequent charging, which can be an inconvenience for general use, especially if mobility is a priority. However, the laptop has a good portability score and a capable CPU and RAM setup for typical tasks, along with a high-quality screen, making it a fair choice for users who need a balance of performance and mobility.
Operating Noise:3.5
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Software Development:3.3
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Battery Life:3.2
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | January 1, 2021 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | ||
Weight | 4.1 lbs | ||
Width | 14.13" | ||
Depth | 9.99" | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Intel i5-10500H | ||
RAM | 8 GB | ||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | ||
RAM Slots | 2 | ||
Storage | 512 GB | ||
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | 4.5 Hours | ||
Battery Capacity | 51 Wh | ||
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | ||
Display Technology | IPS | ||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | ||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | ||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 6.8/10 | ||
Portability Score | 7.4/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | ||
Premium Business Laptop | No | ||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | ||
Webcam | 720p | ||
Fingerprint Reader | No | ||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | ||
Number Pad | No | ||
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | 2 | ||
USB-C ports | 2 | ||
USB-C Charging | No | ||
Display Outputs | 1 | ||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | ||
MSI GF65 Thin
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NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2021
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
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