MSI GF75 Thin 9SC-278 17.3 gaming laptop review is here. Let’s discover all the things about this laptop to see what makes it special. And should you purchase this laptop?
Contents
Overview – MSI GF75 Thin 9SC-278 17.3 gaming laptop review
The MSI GF succession is the firm’s low-cost gaming laptop lineup, similar to the GL and GP series. The GF75 is the direct successor to the previous generation GF72, releasing a new limited chassis design for a considerably smaller, lighter, and much more compressed gaming experience.
We previously reviewed the GF75 8RD, which was outfitted with an Intel 8th generation Core i7-8750H CPU and an Nvidia Pascal GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q GPU. Today’s unit is the newer GF75 9SC, which comes with an Intel 9th generation Core i7-9750H CPU and an Nvidia Turing GeForce GTX 1650 GPU. Whereas the core specifications also improved, the chassis, as well as the motherboard, are unchanged from the GF75 8RD.
As a result, we recommend reading our review of the GF75 8RD because our previous comments on the chassis, keyboard, connectivity options, speakers, and other physical aspects all apply to the GF75 9SC.
CUKUSA.com has our MSI GF75 9SC configured for a retail price of $1200 – USD 1400. Other budget 17.3-inch gaming laptops that compete directly include the Asus TUF FX705, Lenovo Legion Y540, Gigabyte Aorus 7, Asus Strix G GL731, Acer Aspire V17, and the Dell G7 series.
Warranty
The basic one-year limited warranty is in effect. UK USA provides a three-year standard warranty on all configurable specific areas by the reseller, including RAM as well as storage. MSI may provide additional benefits to owners who sign up for their purchases online with the manufacturer.
Display
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC-278 17.3 gaming laptop review: Because the GF75 9SC uses the same AU Optronics B173HAN04.2 IPS panel as the older GF75 8RD, our previous comments still apply. Attributes such as the brightness, respectable contrast ratio, and gamut are nearly identical between generations. The display’s most noticeable flaw is its relatively slow gray-gray and black-white response times when tried to compare to the newest 1080p panels with response times of 8 ms or faster. We would have preferred in seeing MSI push higher-tier 120 Hz as well as 144 Hz panels as the budget category standard.
Performance
Whereas the Core i7-9750H CPU is found in higher-end gaming laptops, the GeForce GTX 1650 places the GF75 9SC squarely in the best gaming category. The GTX 1650 is Nvidia’s entry-level gaming GPU based on the company’s latest Turing architecture, which replaces the previous generation Pascal series. As our benchmarks show, it straightforwardly substitutes GTX 1050 Ti, the GTX 1050, and GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q with achievement levels comparable to the GTX 1060.
There are no quicker GPU alternatives. Since Nvidia Optimus is standard, there are no G-Sync aspects as well.
Processor
Cpu is 10% lower than that of the average Core i7-9750H CPU in our database, which is drawn from 20 different gaming laptops. The results are only a couple of percent stronger than the Core i7-8750H. For gaming purposes, the difference between an 8th generation Core i7 and a 9th generation Core i7 is negligible.
When we run CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop, we see a performance drop of nearly 13% by the second loop because the processor has been unable to sustain optimum Turbo Boost clock rates indefinitely. The Eurocom Nightsky RX17, which uses the same i7-9750H CPU as our MSI, maintains a +16 percent advantage.
More technical data and benchmark comparisons can be found on our dedicated page for the Core i7-9750H.
Devices for storing data
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC-278 17.3 gaming laptop review: M.2 2280 PCIe as well as a 2.5-inch SATA III bay are available as internal storage bays. Our CUKUSA test unit includes a 1 TB Crucial P1 SSD and a supplementary 5400 RPM 2 TB Seagate HDD. Other resellers will almost certainly offer various brands but also capacity configurations.
The Crucial SSD has sequences read rates of about 1100 MB/s as well as 1600 MB/s, respectively. In comparison, the quicker and more costly 512 GB Samsung SSD PM981 can achieve transfer rates of 1600 to 2000 MB/s. However, for the goal budget gamer, higher SSD ability will be more attractive than faster transfer rates.
GPU Performance Graphics performance is in line with other gaming laptops in our dataset that use the same GeForce GTX 1650 GPU. According to 3DMark benchmarks, the results are on par with the previous generation GTX 1060 once running DX12 titles and around 15 to 20% slower when running DX11 titles. To make the most of every Nvidia Turing GPU, users should enable DX12 when trying to play the latest titles. Overall performance is 30 to 60% speedier than the old GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q or GTX 1050 Ti that the GTX 1650 replaces directly.
Gaming Performance In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, performance is comparable to the Asus ROG GX531GM prepared with GTX 1060 graphics, as anticipated by the 3DMark results above. As long as consumers are content with low to moderate settings, the system is completely able to play the latest releases at 1080p. It’s a shame G-Sync isn’t available because it would have worked well with the GTX 1650.
Running Witcher reveals no recurring frame dips, indicating that there is no interfering background activity once gaming. More technical data and gaming benchmarks can be found on our dedicated GeForce GTX 1650 page.
Noise in the System
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC-278 17.3 gaming laptop review: Each CPU and GPU receive a fan and two heat copper pipes. The cooling does not cross over between the processors, which is unusual for a low-cost gaming laptop. Because they do not start sharing the same heat pipes, one processor may not be heat affected by the other.
Even when set to Eco mode, the system fans never idle. When browsing and streaming video, expect a low but listenable fan noise of around 34 dB(A). When playing games, fan noise remains constant at around 41 dB(A), making it quieter than other gaming laptops, which typically have fan noise in the mid-to-high 40 dB(A) range.
Temperature
Our temperature maps show that hot spots are located along with the laptop’s rear quadrants, above the row of keyboard keys. When gaming, the flat surface can change the temperature ranging from 44 to 48 degrees Celsius. Luckily, these hot spots are located far away from the palm rests, resulting in less skin contact.
Energy Consumption
Idling on a desktop consumes between 6 and 25 W, depending on the brightness setting as well as the power profile. Power consumption during gaming is around 106 W.
Power usage spikes to 125 W for a few seconds when running Prime95, as shown in the graph below. This behavior is consistent with our stress test findings, in which CPU clock rates were fastest for the first few secs before dropping.
In conclusion
Here is all about MSI GF75 Thin 9SC-278 17.3 gaming laptop review. Overall, a good machine that I would buy again. However, technology has rapidly outpaced it. You can now get a laptop with an RTX 3060 and a faster processor for the same cost as this one.