Which MSI is Right For You?

Publish date: 2024-05-28

You've read all the reviews, weighed all the pros and cons, and you've decided to get an MSI laptop (nice!), but which one? MSI has a large catalog of laptops, each line with its strengths and weaknesses. Do you go with the ultraslim Stealth Pro, a budget-friendly Apache or a massive Titan? And what are your options if you're not looking for a gaming laptop?

In order to help you pick the right MSI for you, we've done all the research (naming conventions, use case, pricing) so you can make an informed decision.

The MSI Decoder Ring

What's in a name? If you're talking about an MSI notebook, there's apparently quite a lot. Before you get to the sexy marketing name (i.e., Stealth, Titan, Phantom, Classic and Apache) there's a gaggle of letters and numbers that look more at home in a child's bowl of ABC 123 soup than in a notebook moniker. But there's a method to MSI's alphanumerical madness, and I'm here to break it down for you. 

The first letters in the prefix tell you what kind of laptop you're getting. So a G means you're getting a gaming rig, W is for workstation, C signifies Classic and P corresponds to the Prestige line. The next letter is a callout to that mainstream name. So S means Stealth, T is for Titan/Dominator, E stands for Apache and P is the Leopard line. If you see VR at the end, it means the system is certified to support virtual-reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Now, onto the numbers. The first number in the name refers to the display size, so an 8 means the system has an 18.4-inch panel, 7 equals 17.3 inches and 6 is equivalent to 15.6 inches. A 5 indicates 14 inches because, in Chinese culture, the number 4 is bad luck (the Chinese word for four and death sound the same). The second numeral in the naming convention pertains to the generation. So when you see MSI GT83VR, it means that you're looking at a VR-ready, 18.4-inch, 3rd-gen Titan or Dominator.

One last thing. You might notice that some MSI laptops have Pro at the end of their names while others don't. It's another way of telling you that it's VR-ready. Pro notebooks are outfitted with at least a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. Non-Pro laptops have Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPUs or lower. And you might see a random X on some notebooks. For the Classic Series line, it doesn't serve a function, but on the GPX line, it's a call-out to a slightly more powerful spec.

Now that we've got that all settled, let's take a quick tour of what MSI has to offer.

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GT Series: Titan/Dominators: The Most Powerful (and Expensive)

When you need to level all of your foes in high-resolution destruction with buttery-smooth frame rates and crystal clear audio -- except no substitutes. If you can afford it, you should be checking out either an MSI Titan or a Dominator. These GT laptops are crammed full of high-powered components, including Intel Core i7 processors, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 and 1070 GPUs, 4K displays with Nvidia G-Sync technology and other bells and whistles. Keep in mind that all that power doesn't come cheap and is far from portable.

GS Series: Stealths and Phantoms - Power and Portability in One

It wasn't so long ago that consumers had to choose between power and portability when choosing a gaming laptop. Not so with MSI's GS Series notebooks. These laptops are so thin, you'd be forgiven for mistaking them for smaller systems. Despite the svelte dimensions, the company has managed to squeeze some powerful components into those sleek aluminum chassis, making Stealth notebooks some of the most powerful, portable gaming systems on the market.

GE Series: Apaches and Raiders - Midlevel Price and Performance

The GE Series is the middle child of the MSI gaming family. Available in 15- and 17-inch varieties, these laptops split the proverbial baby, offering some of the power of the GT Series laptops with a hair of portability from the GS Series. The Raider line is the latest addition to this series, bringing racing stripes and some overclocked specs to mix.

GP/GPX Series: Leopards - For Entry-Level Enthusiasts

The GP/GPX Series of laptops constitute the baseline for gamers looking to play titles like Tekken 7 or Mass Effect: Andromeda on high settings with at least 60 frames per second, depending on the game. If you're planning to do any virtual reality, we recommend springing for a configuration with a GTX 1060 GPU.

GL Series: For Budget-Conscious Gamers

Budget doesn't have to mean weak. MSI's GL Series laptops are outfitted with either the GTX 1050 or 1050 Ti GPUs. That means that while you won't be able to play most games at the highest settings, you can still play titles like League of Legends or Overwatch at solid frame rates.

WT Series: Workstations - Top of the Line Workstations

Sure, MSI is known for their gaming stuff, but they also make a mean workstation. Instead of Nvidia GeForce graphics and Intel Core processors, these systems sport Nvidia Quadro GPUs and Intel Xeon CPUs, which are ideal for AutoCAD, programming and designing.

WS Series: For Mobile Creatives

The workstation counterpart to the GS line of notebooks, the WS Series is the thin-and-light mobile workstation, designed to let you create on the go.

WE Series: Something for Everyone

MSI's midrange workstations deliver solid performance and speed in a lovely brushed magnesium-lithium chassis at a more affordable price.

P Series: Prestige - Best for Mainstream Consumers

Maybe you're not a big gamer and you're not trying to solve your city's infrastructure woes. Maybe, you just need a laptop that will let you write a paper or two, send a few emails and allow you to watch videos. In that case, you'll want to check out the P Series notebooks that offers solid specs in a gray brushed aluminum chassis that looks good in an office or at home.

C Series: Classic - Best for Shoppers on a Budget

If you're looking for a jack-of-all-trades laptop that won't put a hurting on your financial situation, you should consider one of the laptops from MSI's Classic Series. Although these laptops are outfitted with 7th-gen Intel CPUs, they are also saddled with an Nvidia GTX 940MX GPU, a lower-tier, last-generation GPU. That means you'll be able to play some games, mostly on medium settings.

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