MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO Review: A Great Work Laptop, but Not Quite the AI Promised Land

The fracture of day of the “AI PC” is here, and each predominant PC maker from Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and more is throwing round laptops, claiming this is a honest revolution in how we can employ our computer systems. Might possibly tranquil you suspect the hype? No, not comparatively, but does AI produce our unprecedented notebook computer agree with a bit smoother? Certain, even if largely on paper.

The MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO might possibly possibly possibly possibly be a swish notebook computer even with out the “AI” in the name. It has a in point of fact good, vivid, and colourful 4K OLED show and solid develop quality for the length of, from the keyboard to the trackpad to the handy addition of the elephantine SD card slot. There are minor hiccups, largely which capacity of the set aside the company determined to stick its charging and USB ports, but the notebook computer works massive as a each day driver for slightly vital all of your each day tasks, assign in all likelihood gaming.

My version of the Prestige didn’t come with the Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070, which comes in the $2,299 version you’re going to gather at Easiest Aquire. I can’t keep in touch to how effectively Intel’s chip works with the gaming prowess of Nvidia’s graphics, nor how some AI systems take care of Intel’s XeSS compare to the RLSS of Nvidia when you’re having a see to sport with the Prestige 16. So beyond that, I can only discuss what this notebook computer does another way than other

MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO Execute and Uncover

The Prestige’s 4K OLED Veil is a Magnificence

What’s first to uncover with the AI EVO is its sleek 4K HDR OLED show. It’s massive, vivid, gorgeous, and when you’re extinct to LCD and even mini-LED, it’s onerous to return when you’ve spent passable time with natural monitors for any time. I’ve watched heaps of flicks and flicks on it, and likely, you obtained’t be upset with the whine quality. For those who’re buying for a notebook computer with a massive show at this designate point, that you just can’t query for critically better than the latest version of the Prestige 16.

The trackpad is good and relaxed, but in my mind, it is merely too massive for this size of notebook computer that also affords you access to the numpad keys. I don’t have the greatest mitts, but the gruesome of my thumb rests on the trackpad as I form. That doesn’t result in too many headaches, at the least for me in my conception, but I don’t take care of the difference in textures on my fingers when I form. It’s a in point of fact minor criticism, but I’m choosy about these issues.

I additionally must grab umbrage with the set aside most of the ports would be found. While there’s a handy, elephantine-sized SD card slot on the side, the one singular USB port, two USB-C ports for data transfer and vitality, and HDMI are all on the inspire. Some desire this, but I grab my notebook computer on the dash so in overall I don’t take care of how I’ve to duck behind the notebook computer to bolt in vitality or any further dongles. On the other hand, it does enhance Thunderbolt 4, so that is a plus when you’re in the mood for faster charging speeds.

Except minor quibbles, there’s nothing corrupt with the Prestige 16. The keyboard has a great the truth is feel on the lawful side of the recessed, but tranquil clacky keys. It’s additionally slightly gentle at 3.3 kilos with out being too thick at lawful .74 inches when all closed up. On the other hand, the 16-high-tail notebook computer is lawful over 10 inches large, and it unfortunately didn’t pass the “does it fit into my backpack’s notebook computer sleeve” test. It’s lawful a little bit too large for that.

MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO Battery and Heat

This Computer Unruffled Runs Sizzling Below Stress

The earlier Prestige 16 with mini-LED used to be known to gather sizzling, and this one tranquil manages to gather my desk warmth, it doesn’t matter what settings I employ. I measured it at round 87 degrees Fahrenheit when doing straightforward shopping tasks. Below load, the notebook computer can gather very warmth. The left-side vents develop especially warmth, and when you cope together with your finger to the side of the notebook computer, it’ll even gather unlucky.

It boasts a ninety nine.9 Whr battery, even if the total battery existence is about what you question from a notebook computer of this size and value. On unprecedented default settings, I got with regards to six hours on reasonable, from 100% to shut to uninteresting, after the usage of it repeatedly for my unprecedented writing and photo tasks. Below more stress, the battery will indeed drain an attractive bit more fast, even if tranquil not outside the bounds of what you question for a notebook computer of this size and value.

MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO Efficiency and AI Capabilities

AI Provides to Efficiency, But it Gained’t Substitute How You Exhaust this Computer

My version of the EVO used to be positioned in the heart differ of what’s readily out there. It contains an Intel Core Extremely 7 155H processor with 32 GB of onboard memory. This is when in contrast to the Studio version, which contains as a lot as an Intel Core Extremely 9-185H CPU and a dedicated GPU that tops off at a Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070. The version I’ve charges $1,449, even if in notify for you all the high bells and whistles, this will likely possibly possibly additionally honest flee as a lot as $2,299.

I had no valid reveal with the Prestige for each day productivity tasks. Benchmarks are about what you question whereas you’re only working the default Intel ARC graphics. I ran it thru 3DMark’s TimeSpy to emphasise the GPU and the Cinebench R23 for CPU and stumbled on it performed surprisingly effectively, even with lawful baseline ARC graphics. The benchmarks matched MSI’s acknowledged scores, which is a legit signal that the company acknowledges the total vitality of its latest notebook computer. This obtained’t be a gaming or rendering powerhouse, but it is reasonably capable at both tasks and might possibly possibly possibly additionally honest be above the alternate reasonable.

On Geekbench 6, the notebook computer scored above 12,000 for its multi-core, working on the computerized AI “Tidy Auto” surroundings. For those who swap off the AI settings, the notebook computer performs some distance worse, right down to about reasonable for most mid-differ laptops. It’s a obvious signal that the AI is making the notebook computer flee better total, but it’s onerous to claim exactly how. What’s intention more nerve-racking, pondering about the massive promoting point of the “AI EVO,” used to be that my trip didn’t alternate vital with any acknowledged AI capabilities.

Noteworthy of the promotion for this and other laptops carrying Intel’s sleek Meteor Lake CPU line is many conditions beating the “AI” drum, so vital so that I’ve long since long gone deaf to all those promises of increased performance and on-instrument AI. This contains a neural processing unit, otherwise called an NPU. At the 2nd, the NPU doesn’t discontinue vital other than grab some GPU-intensive AI tasks and flee them on this separate pressure. For occasion, when you’re working Zoom’s background blurring feature, the computer need to shunt that processing onto the NPU, which frees up the graphic processor for other, more essential tasks. There are some tasks that the NPU obtained’t handle, equivalent to Intel’s XeSS AI-based completely sport scaling. Don’t question to scuttle up Warhammer 40k: Darktide on this notebook computer and have playable physique charges, whether you’re the usage of Intel’s massive scaling or not.

The emphasis is on the “need to” here. The NPU is imagined to handle some repetitive AI-whine hardware tasks, and it powers the AI noise cancellation to filter background noise in the direction of a notify call. On the other hand, I attempted background blur on Microsoft Teams and Zoom, and neither gave the influence to have interaction the NPU.

Decided, the Prestige 16 doesn’t have Microsoft’s touted Copilot key, but that AI isn’t but baked into Dwelling windows 11 to any valid stage. As an alternative, the only doubtless intention you’ll work together with the Prestige’s AI capabilities is thru the MSI Center utility. The PC will create a few computerized tasks when the “MSI AI Engine” is enabled. For occasion, when you start up Teams, the notebook computer need to create some computerized color correcting and robotically turn on noise cancellation.

The AI is additionally imagined to have interaction certain performance, warmth, or fan quantity settings a bit more fingers-off. Unruffled, even when you had been the form to emphasise over battery and performance settings earlier than this insist of AI, your existence isn’t being made any further straightforward. More purposes might possibly possibly possibly additionally initiate the usage of the NPU, but they’re few and some distance between.

Verdict

I don’t doubt that the sleek chip structure of the notebook computer is doing work to boost total performance, but the truth is, how vital does that translate into a smarter trip for most users? According to its merits, I point out the Prestige 16 AI EVO when you all want a high quality each day driver with an fine show. But for all the marketing centered on these laptops’ AI capabilities, now we have but to fetch the shores of the supposed AI-promised land.