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Review of MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V: Exceptional performance in a genuinely portable, small package
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V boasts impressive performance capabilities in an unexpectedly small package. Additionally, it features a QHD+ 14-inch, 240Hz screen, considered one of the quickest in a laptop.
Advantages: – Impressive 14-inch screen with a refresh rate of 240Hz – Consistent high performance – Speakers with great sound quality – Stylish design given its high performance – Convenient for daily use due to its portability
Negative aspects: Lacks an SD Card- Mediocre battery life- The 720p camera is underwhelming considering the cost- Could improve on heat management.
Cost: Rs 1,75,890/- Score: 4 out of 5
In the realm of gaming laptops, MSI often sets itself apart from the competition. The pair of MSI Titan GT77s we evaluated in the previous two years are, without a doubt, the top gaming laptops regardless of cost. Nevertheless, similar to other producers, MSI also finds it challenging to create a fully-equipped gaming laptop that's also easy to carry. That is, unless you consider their Stealth series.
The moniker MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V implies that this device isn't exclusively designed for dedicated, intense gamers, but also for professional content producers who desire high-level performance. The Stealth 14 Studio is an impressive laptop with an aesthetically pleasing design and efficient functionality. It boasts a sleek and fashionable design, yet it's incredibly robust, making it ideal for residential or commercial usage. Moreover, it's excellent for creating content such as videos or art, and it offers a fantastic gaming experience.
The combination of the Intel Core i7 13700H and NVIDIA's RTX 4060 laptop GPU results in a powerful machine that significantly outperforms its rivals. Additionally, it features an impressive QHD+ IPS display with a refresh rate of 240Hz.
After discussing all these aspects, it's important to note that the MSI Stealth 14 Studio is, at its core, a gaming laptop and it does come with some of the standard disadvantages associated with most high-performance laptops. However, does this in any way lessen the appeal of this powerful machine? Let's find out.
Review of MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V: Structure and Appearance
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio maintains a basic design, which I find quite appealing. As a gaming laptop, it comes with a minimalist look that resonates with me. I'm not particularly fond of excessive RGB lighting on my laptop. If your preferences align with mine, you'll likely enjoy the low-key design of the MSI Stealth 14 Studio.
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio boasts an elegant look, characterized by a white cover adorned with the MSI dragon emblem on a magnesium-aluminium alloy frame. The underside of the laptop maintains the white theme, whereas the inside presents a stunning semi-glossy black. Upon lifting the cover, the black Chiclet-like keys become evident, featuring white lettering and individual RGB illumination.
The style and RGB configuration aren't overtly gamer-centric, making it suitable for professional environments without drawing unnecessary attention. Nonetheless, there are subtle hints of RGB lighting scattered around, but MSI has managed to achieve a harmonious blend.
The rear part of the laptop, where the screen is connected, features a completely black grill that serves for ventilation and has RGB lighting, marking it as a Stealth 14. It also has soft pink and blue RGB shades at the back corners. MSI refers to these as the Afterburner Lighting, which is built into the back grill. The grill also has the word "Stealth" illuminated by the RGB lights. Although this might seem contradictory, it's a cool design element that reminds you that, in the end, this is a gaming device.
In terms of construction quality, the Stealth 14 Studio is incredibly robust. With dimensions of 12.4 x 9.69 x 0.75 inches and a weight around 1.7 kg, the Stealth 14 Studio is small and light due to its magnesium-aluminium alloy frame.
The metallic construction lends to its lightweight nature, ensuring it's not a burden to tote around in a laptop bag. The stylish design paired with the striking difference between the outside and inside is sure to turn heads, whether you're stationed at a coffee shop or moving about.
The Stealth 14 comes equipped with a variety of ports and I/O options that should satisfy the needs of many users. The right side features a 3.5mm hybrid audio jack, a USB Type-A port, and a Thunderbolt 4 port. The left side houses a USB Type-C port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and an AC power port. For cooling purposes, there are also air vents on both sides. However, the device lacks a card slot or a MicroSD Card slot, which could be a shortfall for gamers and content creators.
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V Review focusses on the keyboard and trackpad. Given its slim design, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V comes with a rather petite keyboard. Right off the bat, the keyboard's RGB illumination is programmed to Disco Mode, which might seem a bit too flashy for some users. However, users can customize the RGB backlighting for each key according to their preferences using the provided SteelSeries GG software. This application makes the creation and management of custom profiles a breeze and enables a swift transition in your setup's ambiance while gaming or streaming.
In terms of the keyboard, the keys are well-proportioned and spaced evenly, providing somewhat pleasing feedback through responsive key switches. It might require a bit of adjustment, but typing can become a pleasant experience once you become accustomed to it. Regrettably, there is a noticeable flex in the keyboard, which detracts from the high-end feel of the laptop. Furthermore, the standard color setting of the RGB lighting doesn't come across as refined, instead it gives off a somewhat tacky and cheap impression. MSI could have opted for slightly more luminous RGB lights for the keys, with less intense colors.
Despite being created primarily for gaming, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V impresses with its fairly large touchpad. It is placed on the left side for convenience during typing, which also allows for additional space on the right. The touchpad provides accurate tracking and sensitivity, ensuring its usage is simple and precise. Although it's appropriate for daily tasks, gamers may prefer using an external mouse to avoid any minor issues with the touchpad.
Review of MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V: Webcam and Speakers
The webcam performance of the MSI Stealth 14 Studio leaves much to be desired. It is somewhat inferior to what's usually offered by similar Windows laptops within this price bracket, due to its 720p/30FPS specifications. Considering its price tag, the image quality is less than satisfactory. Even with good lighting, the image appears grainy. For video conferencing, it's just passable, but only with decent lighting.
Nonetheless, it comes with a privacy cover, providing assurance against unintended triggering during video chats. Positively, the microphone configuration provides crisp and evenly distributed sound.
In terms of sound, the four-speaker system fine-tuned by Dynaudio boosts the total audio quality. The MSI Stealth 14 Studio is compatible with SteelSeries' Nahimic audio software, which provides features comparable to DTS-X audio and Dolby Atmos. Users have the ability to modify spatial audio and set their preferred presets, with choices such as Music, Movie, Communication, and Gaming presets. The Smart Profile feature autonomously adjusts the sound for particular tasks, offering more ways for users to personalize their settings.
Ultimately, the speakers deliver a robust and full-bodied sound, featuring powerful bass and adequate treble, ensuring a harmonious output. They can become significantly loud without any distortion, effortlessly occupying a room without the necessity to turn the volume up to the highest level.
Review of the MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V: Screen
Despite having a 14-inch screen, the display of our review model of the Stealth 14 Studio appears to be bigger due to its 16:10 aspect ratio. It features a clear, QHD+ resolution of 2560X1600. Although it may not be as precise as the 4K panels found in premium workstation laptops, it provides satisfactory clarity for mobile tasks and static media work, particularly gaming.
When it comes to gaming, the display's remarkable 240Hz refresh rate really stands out. Currently, not many gaming laptops on the market provide such superior refresh rates. This high refresh rate guarantees that the visuals on the MSI Stealth 14 Studio are seamless, free from tearing or any other distortions. Honestly, playing a rapid game such as Valorant on this device feels extremely smooth and provides an amazing experience.
Since it's an IPS display, it doesn't provide the extreme darkness or intensity of colours. However, the colours are quite satisfactory for watching your preferred streaming content. This is due to the display's full capability to cover the DCI-P3 colour range, guaranteeing precise and vibrant colours all around. Even though it would be better if it supported HDR or Dolby Vision, the display's precision and clarity are praiseworthy.
The peak brightness of nearly 450 nits makes the screen incredibly visible inside. The screen also remains clear outside when the brightness is fully increased, saving me from the strain of squinting in bright light.
The viewing angles are quite impressive as the colors typically maintain their intensity even from unusual perspectives. Included is the MSI True Color feature which permits users to adjust and calibrate the laptop screen to their liking. There are approximately seven modes to select from, along with extra settings for a more detailed customization.
The screen has immense potential, requiring you to refine and perfect its settings. However, once adjusted, both media viewing and gaming become incredibly pleasurable activities. Despite its accuracy and vibrancy making it suitable for most professional content editing, including color grading your videos and color correcting your photos, it's important to correctly set up and calibrate the display.
Review of MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V: Efficiency and Power
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V comes with a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700H Processor that can reach speeds of up to 5 GHz. It features 6 Performance cores and 8 Efficiency cores, giving a total of 14 cores and a 24M Cache. In combination with 16GB DDR5 RAM operating in a dual-channel setup at 5200 MT/s, this laptop provides exceptional performance.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, which operates at 2250Mhz and comes with 8GB of GDDR6 Memory and a 128-bit bus, is responsible for managing the graphics. This blend guarantees exceptional performance from the Stealth 14 Studio, particularly when you take into account its cost.
The i7-13700H processor stands out in numerous artificial benchmarks, maintaining an equilibrium between heavy-duty tasks and regular applications. It particularly shines in single-threaded performances due to its maximum boost clock speed of 5GHz.
Though performance ratings provide some understanding, actual usage gives a more accurate depiction. In terms of gaming, the Stealth 14 Studio delivers impressively, providing one of the top experiences for its cost. Examinations were performed in Discrete Graphics Mode, utilizing full power and performance configurations. Games operated seamlessly at a resolution of 1920×1200 and the maximum possible settings, regularly yielding high frame rates without noticeable lags or considerable reductions.
We carried out video game trials using games such as Forza Horizon 5, GTA 5, Control, F1 2022, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Valorant and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The outcomes aligned with our artificial benchmark results. We performed these tests in performance mode with the laptop connected to a power source.
In the game Shadow of The Tomb Raider, we managed to get an average frame rate of 133. Forza Horizon 5 operated with an average speed of 139 frames per second. Grand Theft Auto 5 consistently delivered an average of 160 frames per second. In F1 2022, we noticed that the average frame rate was 122. Quick multiplayer games such as CS: GO and Valorant experienced an average frame rate of 315 and 280, respectively.
The performance of the Stealth 14 Studio's hardware is certainly impressive, as indicated by these figures. Users can attain even better frame rates without significantly sacrificing visual quality by making minor adjustments to settings, like choosing high over ultra graphics or turning off antialiasing.
Regarding the thermal management of the MSI Stealth 14 Studio, it performs similarly to any other premium gaming laptop with heavy-duty hardware. The keyboard, particularly the top section, tends to heat up during intense gaming and benchmarking sessions. However, the Stealth 14 Studio employs a smart ventilation system.
There are a pair of exhaust outlets situated on either side of the frame, with another one found at the rear, just beyond the hinge. Intake is managed through a substantial vent on the laptop's underside. Additionally, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V is equipped with a Vapor Chamber that greatly enhances the cooling process.
Moreover, with MSI Centre, you have the liberty to select varying performance levels and fan speeds. In our artificial and gaming tests, we cranked the fans to their maximum with the Cooler Boost mode, maintaining the temperatures within the usual ranges for the Intel i7 13700H & RTX 4060 package. Although the fans can become noisy, it should not be a problem if you are using headphones.
Overall, the Stealth 14 Studio is an incredibly powerful device that operates like a powerhouse. It possesses significant muscle and delivers a remarkably top-notch performance, particularly when you take into account the compact size of the laptop.
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V is reviewed here, with a focus on its battery life. This model is equipped with a robust 72W 4-cell battery and is accompanied by a hefty 240W charger. Despite being a high-performance gaming laptop with a standalone GPU and a speedy processor, it offers reasonably good battery life. This is largely due to its ability to manage GPU usage effectively, alternating between Intel's integrated GPU and the RTX 4060 as needed. However, if you operate it solely on the dedicated graphics, the battery life tends to plummet sharply.
In a typical work day, which includes significant writing, some image editing, extensive internet browsing, and considerable content streaming on platforms like YouTube and Netflix, we observed that the battery lasted around 4-5 hours with screen brightness at approximately 60 per cent. This performance was satisfactory. We repeated the same tests and usage patterns, but this time only using the discrete graphics, and the battery life just surpassed 3 hours.
Fortunately, a 240W charger comes with the device, ensuring it can be kept powered up continuously. But remember that it takes more than an hour for the charger to fully power up the laptop from a completely drained state.
Review of MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V: Final ThoughtsThe MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V perfectly blends performance, portability, and productivity.
Although it outperforms in several aspects, there are some conspicuous absences. We would have greatly appreciated more robust HDR support and an improved webcam. Moreover, the absence of an SD card slot is quite peculiar for a laptop that is intended for content creators who depend on these functionalities. Nonetheless, the laptop's remarkable performance makes up for most of these deficiencies.
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V, in the setup that we examined, demonstrated to be more than adequate for gaming enthusiasts and mobile content creators. During our evaluation, we did not experience any frame drops or screen disruptions, nor did we encounter any problems while navigating through 4K timelines on video assignments. We never found ourselves needing additional processing capability at any point in our tests.
The distinguishing feature of this laptop is its outstanding performance packed in a genuinely compact size. While it could benefit from a longer-lasting battery and better heat control, the immense strength provided by the Intel i7 13700H CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4060 GPU cannot be ignored.
Indeed, you could find alternatives that are marginally superior and more affordable, particularly if you're open to a larger screen than 14 inches. However, if your preference is a 14-inch display with a 240Hz refresh rate, a resolution exceeding 1080P, and a device that delivers all the power you could possibly require, then the MSI Stealth 14 Studio A13V is your best bet.
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