MSI Thin msi Thin 15 15.6” 144Hz FHD Gaming Laptop: Intel Review

Alright, let's talk about the MSI Thin 15. This is a budget gaming laptop that tries to punch above its weight. It packs an Intel 12450H CPU and an RTX 2050 GPU into a 15.6-inch frame with a 144Hz screen, all for a price that's hard to ignore.

But you need to know what you're getting into. The specs are entry-level, and the build feels it. At 3.33kg, it's not exactly 'thin' by modern standards, and its compactness score is in the bottom 16th percentile. This is a machine built for one thing: getting you into PC gaming without breaking the bank.

Performance is a mixed bag, which is exactly what you'd expect at this price. The RTX 2050 (66th percentile for GPU) handles 1080p gaming on medium settings just fine for most titles, and that 144Hz screen is a nice bonus for smoother gameplay. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM is solid. The letdowns are the CPU (37th percentile) and the 512GB SSD (34th percentile). The processor can bottleneck in more demanding games or creative tasks, and you'll fill that storage up fast.

At $695, the value proposition is actually pretty strong. You're getting a dedicated RTX GPU and a high-refresh screen, which is rare at this price. You are making serious compromises on CPU power, storage, and portability, but if your main goal is budget 1080p gaming, it gets the job done. Just don't expect it to do much else well.

This sits in a different league than premium rivals like the MacBook Pro M4 or Lenovo Legion Pro 7i. Those are powerhouses for creators and hardcore gamers. A closer budget competitor is the ASUS Zenbook Duo, which trades gaming power for a unique dual-screen design for productivity. The MSI Vector 16 or Gigabyte AORUS 16 are its bigger, more powerful siblings for those with bigger budgets. The Thin 15's fight is on price alone.

Buy this if you're a new PC gamer on a strict budget and 1080p gaming is your only real concern. The RTX 2050 and 144Hz screen are legitimate perks. Avoid it if you need CPU power for streaming, video editing, or if you plan to carry it around a lot. It's a one-trick pony, but for $695, it's a decent trick.