MSI Thin msi Thin A15 15.6” 144Hz FHD Gaming Laptop: Ryzen Review

The MSI Thin A15 is a budget gaming laptop that tries to do a lot for not a lot of cash. You're getting a 144Hz screen, a Ryzen CPU, and an RTX 2050 GPU for well under a grand, which is a solid pitch on paper. But you can feel the corners they cut to hit that price, especially in the build and some of the core specs.

Gaming performance is its main draw, and the RTX 2050 lands in the 66th percentile. That means it'll handle esports and older AAA titles at decent settings on that 144Hz FHD screen, but don't expect max settings on new blockbusters. The Ryzen 7535HS CPU is fine for gaming, but its 46th percentile ranking shows it's a mid-tier mobile chip. The 8GB of RAM is a real bottleneck, sitting in a lowly 18th percentile, and you'll feel it in modern games and multitasking.

At $617, the value argument is strong if your needs are specific. You're paying for the RTX 2050 GPU and that high-refresh screen. Everything else—the skimpy 8GB RAM, the heavier plastic chassis, the basic port selection—is a compromise to hit that price. It's worth the money only if you're a very budget-conscious gamer who plans to upgrade the RAM immediately.

Compared to other budget options, it undercuts most. A Lenovo Legion at this price would have a weaker GPU. But that 8GB RAM is a killer next to competitors that start at 16GB. Against an Apple MacBook Pro? Forget it, that's a different universe of performance and price. The real competition is from last-gen gaming laptops or used models, where you might find better specs for similar cash if you're willing to hunt.

Buy this if you're a gamer on a super tight budget and you're okay with cracking it open to add more RAM on day one. If you need something for school, work, or content creation, or if you can't upgrade it yourself, look at something with 16GB of RAM out of the box, even if it costs a bit more.