Do you actually have to spend 1000’s of {dollars} on a gaming laptop computer? Or are you able to get away with cheaping out – spending $1,000 or much less – and nonetheless be glad?
These are the questions I’ve been itching to reply since I acquired my arms on two gaming laptops: the $999 MSI Cyborg 15 and the $4,000 Lenovo Legion 9i.
Each are designed to do the identical factor – play your favourite video games on Steam, the Epic Video games Retailer, Ubisoft, and so forth – however there’s a whopping $3,000 worth distinction between them.
Let me break down disparities in efficiency, in addition to design, construct high quality, cooling, and extra, that can assist you decide whether or not you may dodge paying an arm and a leg to play the most effective triple-A video games available on the market.
Which MSI Cyborg 15 and Lenovo Legion 9i did I take a look at?
The MSI Cyborg 15, with a price ticket of $999 from Finest Purchase, is the most cost effective of the bunch. The Lenovo Legion 9i I examined, nevertheless, prices about $4,000 on Amazon.
Right here’s a breakdown of the specs:
MSI Cyborg 15 vs. Lenovo Legion 9i chart
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
MSI Cyborg 15
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
It’s no shock that the Lenovo Legion 9i bests the MSI Cyborg 15 at each spec level, however that’s not what we’re exploring right here. The query is, is the efficiency delta between the 2 well worth the breathtaking upcharge? Let’s discover out.
Low cost laptop computer vs. expensive laptop computer: Design
Some avid gamers are a bit bougie – they like good issues. They need to run their fingers throughout their gaming laptop computer’s lid and really feel nothing however opulence. Others, fairly frankly, don’t give a rat’s ass about which supplies are thrown into their gaming laptop computer. For those who match into the latter camp, you’ll love the MSI Cyborg 15.
Supplies
The MSI Cyborg 15 principally consists of plastic, however the lid is made from aluminum, giving it a extra premium really feel regardless of its sub-$1,000 worth.
MSI Cyborg 15
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
The Lenovo Legion 9i, however, consists of magnesium alloy – avid gamers’ favourite materials. Why? It is as light-weight as plastic, however it’s extra sturdy – and it doesn’t dent nor scratch simply. The one upside of the Cyborg 15’s plastic is that it gained’t get as sizzling, which is nice for thermals.
Aesthetics
The Cyborg 15 is extra my vibe – it’s acquired a minimalist, all-black chassis with a low-key MSI insignia on the lid. The one placing characteristic is a bit little bit of that transparency pizazz we’ve been seeing on the likes of the Nothing Cellphone (2)which you’ll discover on the W, A, S and D keys in addition to the laptop computer’s underside.
The MSI Cyborg 15’s underside
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Then again, if the Lenovo Legion 9i had been personified, it’d be a soldier wrapped round with Christmas lights. The lid’s design jogs my memory of navy fatigues – or perhaps a granite countertop. If you open the laptop computer, you’ll be almost blinded by a rainbow of colours dancing throughout the keyboard and a number of other lighting panels embellished on the chassis.
Lenovo Legion 9i
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
For those who love to rework your laptop computer right into a disco get together when you recreation, the Legion 9i is the one for you. However take into account that you may at all times flip it off if it’s an excessive amount of for you.
Construct high quality
In the identical method telephones have rankings for water resistance and mud (e.g., IPX), laptops will be examined for sturdiness through a military-grade certification (e.g., MIL-STD-810G). The Cyborg 15 nor the Legion 9i have military-grade sturdiness, so I wouldn’t go dropping these laptops all willy nilly and anticipating invincibility.
Nevertheless, the Cyborg 15’s deck is kind of sturdy. The identical will be mentioned for the Legion 9i. There’s little to no flexing nor give after I put stress on their decks, which bodes nicely for each laptops. Nevertheless, it’s value noting that the Cyborg 15 attracts fingerprints and grease. Thankfully, I can’t say the identical for the Lenovo Legion 9i.
MSI Cyborg 15
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Low cost laptop computer vs. expensive laptop computer: Show
The show on the Lenovo Legion 9i is breathtaking. Significantly, take a look at Cyberpunk 2077 on the Legion 9i beneath.
‘Cyberpunk 2077’ on Lenovo Legion 9i
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
And now, take a look at Cyberpunk 2077 on the MSI Cyborg 15:
‘Cyberpunk 2077’ on MSI Cyborg 15
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
It goes with out saying that the Legion 9i is richer and extra vivid, due to its mini-LED panel and three,200 x 2,000-resolution. The MSI Cyborg 15, however, seems to be extra pale and bland in colour. Nevertheless, some avid gamers might not care about that.
You also needs to know that the Cyborg 15 is dimmer (250 nits vs. 1,200 nits), which signifies that when you play any video games with darkish scenes, they’ll be troublesome to see.
Low cost laptop computer vs. expensive laptop computer: Keyboard
For those who ask me, each the Cyborg 15 and the Legion 9i have ugly keyboards. Then once more, I’ve by no means been into RGB lighting. It’s too distracting.
The Cyborg 15’s keyboard is caught on this icy-blue lighting that you would be able to’t change.
‘Cyberpunk 2077’ on MSI Cyborg 15
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
You’ll be able to cut back the brightness ranges, however that’s about it. I sometimes go away it on the lowest brightness setting or flip it off fully. Conversely, the Legion 9i has per-key RGB lighting, which implies you may customise every key in line with your style. You can too up the ante by turning on animations, too.
On the subject of typing and productiveness, I favor the Cyborg 15. It’s clicky, comfy, and delivers wonderful tactile suggestions. The Legion 9i’s keys are equally comfy, however the issue is that the keyboard is shunted decrease on the deck than traditional, which, in flip, reduces the touchpad’s actual property. Consequently, there’s not sufficient room on your wrists to relaxation. The touchpad is small, too.
Low cost laptop computer vs. expensive laptop computer: Efficiency
Within the phrases of Rihanna, “child, that is what you got here for!” The Cyborg 15 sports activities an Intel Core i7-13620H CPU and a mid-tier Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. The Legion 9i, however, options the most effective internals you will get in cell gaming: an Intel Core i9-13980HX and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU.
I examined Cyberpunk 2077 on the Cyborg 15 and the Lenovo Legion 9i with each working the Excessive preset on 1080p – and ray-tracing was turned off. Try our outcomes:
MSI Cyborg 15: 54 frames per second
Lenovo Legion 9i: 140 frames per second
For my part, 60 frames per second is right, and Cyborg 15 is barely beneath that quantity. Based mostly on uncooked GPU energy, the Lenovo laptop computer, delivers almost triple the frames in comparison with the MSI. Nevertheless, we additionally ran the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark with DLSS turned on, a characteristic that squeezes out extra body charges by downgrading the decision, however compensates for that loss through the use of AI upscaling. Listed here are our outcomes:
MSI Cyborg 15: 113 frames per second
Lenovo Legion 9i: 253 frames per second
What an uptick! The Legion 9i is, in fact, far zippier than the MSI Cyborg 15. I imply, this unhealthy boy is impressively quick – a lot in order that it might rival some desktop GPUs. Though the Cyborg 15 can’t compete with the blisteringly speedy Legion 9i, I nonetheless had nice gaming experiences with it. I by no means skilled stuttering nor some other gameplay defects.
Low cost laptop computer vs. expensive laptop computer: Thermals
Curiously, the Legion 9i set a world file on the cooling entrance. It’s the world’s first 16-inch gaming laptop computer with a self-contained liquid cooling system. Lengthy story brief, it makes use of water that runs by way of a loop over its hottest internals, notably the VRAM, to maintain them cool.
MSI Cyborg 15
Credit score: Mashable / Kimberly Gedeon
The MSI Cyborg 15 doesn’t have the identical know-how, however take into account that the CPU and GPU inside it doesn’t generate the identical quantity of warmth because the internals contained in the Legion 9i. After spending half-hour enjoying Cyberpunk 2077 in efficiency mode, the Cyborg 15 remained cooler than the Legion 9i, however as aforementioned, it has a plastic deck, which is extra proof against warmth in comparison with the recycled magnesium packed contained in the Legion 9i.
Closing ideas
In my expertise, the Cyborg 15 dealt with Cyberpunk 2077 – one of the vital graphics-intensive video games ever – and not using a hitch. However in fact, the Legion 9i will provide you with smoother, sooner, zippier gameplay. So the query is, does reaching a max 253 frames per second on the Legion 9i matter to you when you may squeeze out 113 frames out of the RTX 4050 contained in the Cyborg 15?
Some folks might not care about this delta. Some will, notably in the event that they’re e-sports avid gamers – or in the event that they merely need the most effective that cash should purchase. It’s actually as much as you.
The identical will be mentioned for the show. The Cyborg 15’s show isn’t all that nice in comparison with the Legion 9i, however the reality is, some folks don’t thoughts stomaching a extra boring, dimmer display screen if meaning they solely have to shell out $1,000 for a gaming laptop computer.
You probably have the cash, by all means, splurge on the Legion 9i. It’s among the finest gaming laptops available on the market. If not, you’ll nonetheless be superb with the Cyborg 15.
