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

The daybreak of the “AI PC” is here, and each main PC maker from Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and more is throwing spherical laptops, claiming it’s a ways a true revolution in how we are able to utilize our computer programs. Whenever you imagine the hype? No, no longer relatively, but does AI kind our usual computer computer make a tiny smoother? Yes, although largely on paper.

The MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO would be a dazzling computer computer even with out the “AI” in the name. It has a extremely good, gleaming, and gleaming 4K OLED display cowl and stable accumulate quality staunch thru, from the keyboard to the trackpad to the helpful addition of the burly SD card slot. There are minor hiccups, largely attributable to where the company determined to stay its charging and USB ports, but the computer computer works extensive as a day to day driver for resplendent great all of your day to day initiatives, place possibly gaming.

My version of the Prestige did no longer advance with the Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070, which comes in the $2,299 version that you just can accumulate at Handiest Purchase. I will’t consult with how successfully Intel’s chip works with the gaming prowess of Nvidia’s graphics, nor how some AI programs like Intel’s XeSS study to the RLSS of Nvidia will bear to you’re desirous to game with the Prestige 16. So beyond that, I will simplest focus on about what this computer computer does in another intention than other

MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO Accomplish and Repeat

The Prestige’s 4K OLED Hide is a Class

What’s first to repeat with the AI EVO is its contemporary 4K HDR OLED display cowl. It’s huge, gleaming, comely, and will bear to you’re outdated-fashioned to LCD and even mini-LED, it’s exhausting to head abet whenever you’ve spent sufficient time with natural monitors for any time. I’ve watched a huge selection of flicks and flicks on it, and yes, you won’t be upset with the image quality. Whilst you’re buying for a computer computer with a limiteless display cowl at this price level, that you just can’t put a quiz to for considerably better than the most up-to-the-minute version of the Prestige 16.

The trackpad is solely correct and clean, but in my mind, it’s a ways solely too huge for this size of computer computer that accrued offers you accumulate staunch of entry to to the numpad keys. I don’t bear the biggest mitts, but the defective of my thumb rests on the trackpad as I kind. That doesn’t lead to too many complications, at the very least for me in my notion, but I don’t like the distinction in textures on my palms after I kind. It’s a extremely minor complaint, but I’m picky about these things.

I also desire to rob umbrage with where most of the ports would possibly possibly per chance per chance be found. While there’s a helpful, burly-sized SD card slot on the aspect, the one singular USB port, two USB-C ports for data transfer and energy, and HDMI are all on the abet. Some prefer this, but I rob my computer computer on the run so progressively I don’t like how I must duck dumb the computer computer to toddle in energy or any extra dongles. Then again, it does give a enhance to Thunderbolt 4, so that is a plus will bear to you’re in the mood for quicker charging speeds.

Other than for minor quibbles, there’s nothing noxious with the Prestige 16. The keyboard has a good indubitably feel on the correct aspect of the recessed, yet accrued clacky keys. It’s also slightly light at 3.3 kilos with out being too thick at correct .74 inches when all closed up. Then again, the 16-scoot computer computer is correct over 10 inches huge, and it unfortunately didn’t run the “does it fit into my backpack’s computer computer sleeve” test. It’s correct a tiny too huge for that.

MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO Battery and Heat

This Notebook computer Mute Runs Sizzling Below Stress

The earlier Prestige 16 with mini-LED become once identified to accumulate scorching, and this one accrued manages to accumulate my desk heat, it’s a ways never any longer indubitably fundamental what settings I utilize. I measured it at spherical 87 degrees Fahrenheit when doing straightforward buying initiatives. Below load, the computer computer can accumulate very heat. The left-aspect vents grow especially heat, and will bear to you gain your finger to the aspect of the computer computer, it would possibly possibly per chance per chance also even accumulate unhappy.

It boasts a ninety 9.9 Whr battery, although the total battery life is set what you inquire of from a computer computer of this size and price. On frequent default settings, I obtained discontinuance to six hours on life like, from 100% to discontinuance to ineffective, after the utilization of it constantly for my frequent writing and portray initiatives. Below more stress, the battery will certainly drain a objective correct bit more snappily, although accrued no longer outside the bounds of what you inquire of for a computer computer of this size and price.

MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO Efficiency and AI Capabilities

AI Adds to Efficiency, But it Won’t Commerce How You Use this Notebook computer

My version of the EVO become once positioned in the heart fluctuate of what’s out there. It accommodates an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor with 32 GB of onboard reminiscence. This is in comparison with the Studio version, which accommodates up to an Intel Core Ultra 9-185H CPU and a devoted GPU that tops off at a Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070. The version I bear prices $1,449, although will bear to it’s essential to bear all the top bells and whistles, it would possibly possibly per chance per chance breeze up to $2,299.

I had no real direct with the Prestige for day to day productivity initiatives. Benchmarks are about what you inquire of when you happen to’re simplest working the default Intel ARC graphics. I ran it thru 3DMark’s TimeSpy to stress the GPU and the Cinebench R23 for CPU and stumbled on it conducted surprisingly successfully, even with correct baseline ARC graphics. The benchmarks matched MSI’s acknowledged ratings, which is a objective correct stamp that the company acknowledges the overall energy of its most up-to-the-minute computer computer. This won’t be a gaming or rendering powerhouse, but it’s a ways moderately succesful at each and each initiatives and will bear to accrued be above the change life like.

On Geekbench 6, the computer computer scored above 12,000 for its multi-core, working on the automated AI “Orderly Auto” environment. Whilst you swap off the AI settings, the computer computer performs a ways worse, down to about life like for most mid-fluctuate laptops. It’s a definite stamp that the AI is making the computer computer breeze better overall, but it’s exhausting to voice precisely how. What’s a ways more stressful, pondering the huge selling level of the “AI EVO,” become once that my journey didn’t commerce great with any acknowledged AI capabilities.

Mighty of the promotion for this and other laptops wearing Intel’s contemporary Meteor Lake CPU line is progressively beating the “AI” drum, so great so that I’ve long since long gone deaf to all those promises of increased performance and on-system AI. This accommodates a neural processing unit, otherwise known as an NPU. Right now, the NPU doesn’t produce great other than rob some GPU-intensive AI initiatives and breeze them on this separate pressure. For occasion, will bear to you’re working Zoom’s background blurring feature, the computer will bear to accrued shunt that processing onto the NPU, which frees up the graphic processor for other, more fundamental initiatives. There are some initiatives that the NPU won’t take care of, equivalent to Intel’s XeSS AI-primarily based mostly game scaling. Don’t inquire of to fireplace up Warhammer 40k: Darktide on this computer computer and bear playable body rates, whether you’re the utilization of Intel’s extensive scaling or no longer.

The emphasis is on the “will bear to accrued” here. The NPU is speculated to take care of some repetitive AI-notify hardware initiatives, and it powers the AI noise cancellation to filter out background noise staunch thru a verbalize name. Then again, I attempted background blur on Microsoft Teams and Zoom, and neither perceived to interact the NPU.

Determined, the Prestige 16 doesn’t bear Microsoft’s touted Copilot key, but that AI isn’t yet baked into Windows 11 to any real stage. As a replacement, the simplest real intention you’ll bear interplay with the Prestige’s AI capabilities is thru the MSI Center software. The PC will diagram just a few automated initiatives when the “MSI AI Engine” is enabled. For occasion, will bear to you originate up Teams, the computer computer will bear to accrued diagram some automated color correcting and automatically activate noise cancellation.

The AI is also speculated to interact determined performance, heat, or fan volume settings a tiny bit more palms-off. Mute, even will bear to you had been the kind to stress over battery and performance settings before this focus on of AI, your life isn’t being made any further straightforward. Extra functions would possibly possibly per chance per chance also delivery the utilization of the NPU, but they’re few and a ways between.

Verdict

I don’t doubt that the contemporary chip structure of the computer computer is doing work to enhance overall performance, but truly, how great does that translate into a greater journey for most customers? In accordance with its deserves, I imply the Prestige 16 AI EVO will bear to you all need a high quality day to day driver with an delicate display cowl. But for all the marketing and marketing centered on these laptops’ AI capabilities, now we bear yet to search out the shores of the supposed AI-promised land.