There’s no doubt that MSI laptops have made a name for themselves thanks to their reliable gaming laptops, however, some people are not so fond of MSI laptops since they think they’re bad laptops.
So is it true that MSI laptops are bad? If so, what are the reasons why MSI laptops are bad? What are the common problems encountered with MSI laptops? And are MSI laptops worth buying given their reputation?
Reasons Why MSI Laptops Are Good Or Bad
MSI laptops are both good and bad, the main reason why MSI laptops are good is because of their beastly performance. These laptops can run a lot of intense and demanding games with ease even without overclocking them.
On the flip side, MSI laptops are bad mainly due to their build quality issues. Most people encounter hardware problems in the long run such as their hinges breaking and fans making so much noise.
Reasons Why MSI Laptops Are Good
Based on the magnitude of satisfied customer reviews scattered online, here are the following reasons we’ve found that makes MSI laptops great laptops.
It’s important to take note that despite having a lot of positive feedback from users, that doesn’t dismiss the brand from having negative ones.
Beastly Performance
It’s a no-brainer in the laptop community that MSI is considered as one of, if not the best, gaming laptop manufacturers in the market. It’s safe to say that MSI laptops can trump other gaming laptops belonging to other brands such as Asus, Dell, Acer, Razer, and HP.
Running games like Cyberpunk, Overwatch and Apex Legends can run seamlessly on MSI gaming laptops. Even if users play such games under High to Ultra settings, these games don’t crash or lag, rather, the games look amazing and function ultra fast.
FPS isn’t a problem when it comes to running a wide array of FPS games and other non-FPS games. The cooling systems that are equipped in MSI laptops also perform well and can keep things cool, especially for the CPU and the areas around the keyboard.
The good thing with MSI is they continuously improve their laptops over time. Several reviews from people in online forums would prove that the cooling systems that come with MSI laptops have improved.
How? Simple, they compared their old MSI laptops with the newer models and have seen an improvement. The newer MSI laptop models can dissipate heat a lot better than their predecessors.
With cooling systems being able to keep things cool, warm, and not scorching hot, the CPU and other components inside MSI laptops can keep giving consistent performance.
This is why people would rarely experience lags and crashes when they use their laptops.
Aside from gaming, the beastly performance MSI laptops provide applies to other tasks as well such as streaming, rendering, and office work.
Decent Build Quality
Despite the negative things people point out when it comes to MSI’s build quality, they’re pretty decent. Most MSI laptops, especially the newer high-end models, have an aluminum body and this makes them feel rugged and sturdy despite being thin.
That being said, the build quality of MSI laptops is decent and that’s about it. Nothing stellar to note here and we can also argue the fact that other laptop brands have better build quality.
MacBooks and Razer laptops are arguably the kinds of laptops that have superb build quality. Both of these laptops look and feel premium and a lot of customer reviews can attest to that.
Moreover, they’re the only laptops that have truly owned the part of manufacturing aluminum laptops that have little to no problems occurring over time.
The same can’t be said for MSI laptops despite being made out of aluminum as well. This is where MSI should focus their attention on which is improving their laptop’s build quality.
If MSI will finally be able to improve the build quality of their laptops, then that’s the only time their decent build quality will be turned into superb build quality.
Great Longevity
The reviews that people have when it comes to the longevity of MSI laptops are purely subjective, mainly because this has a lot to do with how people treat their laptops.
MSI laptops indeed have great longevity if they are taken care of properly and a lot of users can attest to this.
For instance, one user has shared that they’ve been using their MSI laptop (didn’t specify which model they’re using) for nine years and said that it’s still able to run very well.
Another instance is where a user shared that their MSI GP62-6QF Leopard Pro (an old model) was running on old configurations and yet it’s still able to function even after three years of use.
The user didn’t experience any major problems and the only issue they’ve encountered within the three years of usage was the fans acting up.
One user expressed experiencing consistent stellar performance with their GS75 for two years and counting. The only issue they encountered was the RGB of the laptop’s keyboard.
Overall, MSI laptops are great when it comes to longevity and it’s safe to say that they can last for an average of three to five years, or even more if they’re being treated with utmost care.
Superb Components/Laptop Configurations
The reason why MSI is always able to keep its reputation of being one of the best gaming laptop providers is thanks to the components that make up its gaming laptops.
The majority of MSI laptops will always be equipped with the latest components such as an RTX 30 Series GPU and an Intel Core i7 or i9 processor.
On top of that, these laptops would mostly come with 16GB/32GB/64GB of RAM and lots of storage, some would even have 1TB NVMe SSD.
Take all these components and slam them inside a laptop and you’re met with a powerful beast.
Reliable
MSI laptops are reliable given that they run on superb components. People would rarely experience crashes or lags when using them when playing games or running other demanding applications.
A perfect example of MSI laptops being reliable is shared by one user wherein they use their MSI GT75 for office work, streaming university classes on Zoom, gaming, heavy research, and multimedia use.
They further state that they do this kind of routine with their GT75 for approximately 12 to 16 hours a day.
This user said they treat their laptops like precious jewels so that has played a big role in prolonging their lifespan and reliability in the long run.
The user believes that they have not encountered any issues so far since they treat their laptops with utmost care.
In addition, the user has compared their MSI laptop with other laptops they’ve owned in the past. This user had an Asus Strix GL753VD, Microsoft Surface, HP, and Dell XPS laptops and states that nothing comes close to the reliability of their MSI laptops.
Read More: Are Razer Laptops Bad? Yes/No. Here’s Why (Must Read)
Reasons Why MSI Laptops Are Bad
MSI laptops are great, there’s no denying that, however, they’re far from being perfect. There are several reasons why MSI laptops are bad and here are some based on several customer reviews shared online.
Weak Hinge
Hardware issues that are concerned with MSI laptops are quite bothersome, considering that it involves the hinges.
Hinges breaking off and snapping is the most common problem encountered by those who own MSI laptops. They complain that the hinges of MSI laptops are just plain flimsy since they’re made out of plastic.
This has become a deal-breaker for most people since they can’t stand using a laptop with a broken hinge. It does make sense though since you can’t use a laptop if the monitor is completely detached from its body.
Noisy Fans
It’s common for MSI laptop owners to complain about occasional noisy fans. This is partly due to their laptop running too many programs at the same time causing it to heat up resulting in the fans becoming noisy.
Luckily, this problem may be solved by undervolting, repasting, and limiting (in this precise order).
Another issue that people encounter with their fans is having them broken (literally). Some have experienced their fans break in less than a year of using their laptop. This may be a quality control issue since it’s not too common for others who own MSI laptops.
Keyboard Lighting Problems
Some users have experienced the LED on some of their keyboard keys not turning on, while this may not bother those who hate RGB, it’s still an issue for others. Another issue with the keyboards on MSI laptops would be the backlight bleeding as well.
Overheating
MSI laptops are no exceptions to overheating. While some users may not experience it since they don’t use their laptops to run demanding programs all at the same time, those who do this would experience their laptops throttle due to overheating.
One user shared their experience with their MSI GS65 9SD and that it throttled due to overheating.
Expensive Price Tag
There will always be people who think that MSI laptops are not worth the price tag, given that the very same users are the ones who encounter problems with their laptops.
Given their expensive price tag, it’s expected from MSI that their laptops shouldn’t have that many problems and that their build quality should be a lot better.
Moreover, other laptop alternatives are better compared to MSI in regards to specs, plus, these also come at a much reasonable price.
What Do Customer Reviews Say About MSI Laptops?
Customer reviews would be composed of both positive and negative feedback. Customer reviews would show that they like MSI laptops for being superb in terms of performance.
On the other hand, customer reviews would also point out the bad things that MSI laptops have such as weak hinges and noisy fans.
As with other laptop brands, negative customer reviews always manage to pop up everywhere online, especially in forums.
These negative reviews would mostly serve as a warning for those people that ask online what their opinion is in regards to MSI laptops and if they’re worth the money.
Most negative customer reviews would say that MSI laptops aren’t worth the money, given that their laptops have hardware issues such as hinges breaking off easily.
Also, they would warn others not to buy MSI laptops due to other issues such as keyboard LEDs not working, touchpad being too small, noisy whirring fans, fans breaking, and so on and so forth.
On the other hand, there are positive customer reviews about MSI laptops spread all over the internet as well.
People would praise MSI laptops for being powerful laptops and for having a long lifespan. They also point out that MSI laptops are reliable, so long as they’re being taken care of properly.
Several people are so pleased with their experience that they keep coming back to MSI if they release new laptop models. Some may even go as far as to say that no other laptop brand can compare to what MSI provides.
Common Problems With MSI Laptops
Hinges breaking, fans making a loud noise, overheating, high temperatures when running demanding programs, mild chassis rattle, login delays, and chrome freezing would be the most common problems with MSI laptops.
If you would look online and read various customer reviews, you would notice that the problems that keep popping up in every forum and blog site would be hinges breaking and fans making loud noises.
It’s not news to us that hardware problems like hinges snapping or breaking are considered the most common problem with MSI laptops. It’s to be expected since this component of the laptop is only made out of plastic.
Another common problem users encounter would involve their laptop’s fans. The fans would either make loud noises that didn’t seem to stop or they would break completely.
While MSI laptops may have improved their cooling systems over the years, this still doesn’t exempt them from occasionally exhibiting overheating problems.
Some users report that their MSI laptops get too hot when running multiple programs at the same time. Due to this, their fans go berserk trying to cool things down.
Overheating can be solved easily and usually, this would involve cutting down usage when it comes to demanding programs and downloading a software that helps them monitor changes in their laptop’s temperature.
They can also do some changes in said software to limit CPU usage and prevent overheating.
Are MSI Laptops Worth Buying?
Yes, MSI laptops are worth buying. These laptops are powerful beasts that can run demanding games and other software, they have great battery life, their average lifespan is long, they have decent build quality, and are overall reliable laptops.
If you have the budget to splurge on MSI laptops, then you’ll be getting your money’s worth. They’re heaps cheaper than other laptop brands that offer the same specs, take Razer, for example, they’re very expensive laptops that share similar specs with other MSI laptops.
One big factor that makes MSI the preferred brand over others is its reliability. MSI can outlive brands like Asus, Dell, Acer, and HP, in addition, MSI doesn’t have that many issues compared to the mentioned brands.
For example, according to one user, they’ve experienced random freezes with their Asus laptop and never experienced said issue with their multiple MSI laptop models.
It’s also important to note that MSI laptops are only worth buying if you’re searching for a gaming laptop. If you’re not looking for a gaming laptop and would prefer a consumer laptop, then you may want to look elsewhere.
While MSI does offer consumer laptops, the price is ridiculously expensive and you can surely find a consumer laptop with the same specs (as the ones being offered by MSI) at a much cheaper price.
MSI Laptops Alternative
Lenovo ThinkPads would be the best alternative to MSI laptops. Given that users hate the flimsy design of the hinges on MSI laptops, the Lenovo ThinkPad would not have that problem since they’re very sturdy laptops.
When comparing specs, MSI laptops can easily trump out Lenovo ThinkPad models, however, when we’re talking about build quality, the latter would be the clear winner.
Ask any person in the laptop community and ask them what brand they think offers the most durable and sturdy laptops and they’ll say Lenovo ThinkPads right away.
We suggested Lenovo ThinkPads as the best alternatives to MSI laptops purely due to build quality. Since build quality is the major issue for MSI laptop users, it would be a wise move to shift to Lenovo to get better build quality.
If you really need to have powerful specs and don’t want to settle with the specs that ThinkPads offer then you can opt for Lenovo’s gaming line; Legion.
The best Lenovo gaming laptop would be Legion Pro 5 while the best Lenovo ThinkPad with the best hinge and decent processor would be the ThinkPad E15.
Resources:
https://techspectacle.com/is-msi-a-good-laptop-brand-review/
https://www.netbooknews.com/reviews/msi-brand-rating/
Susan is a professional writer. She has been a writer for eight years and has always been so fulfilled with her work! She desires to share helpful, reliable, and unbiased information and tips about tech and gadgets. She hopes to offer informative content that can answer users’ questions and help them fix their problems.
