MSI Intros Modern 15 Laptop: An Inexpensive Laptop for Content Creators
by Anton Shilov on February 21, 2020 2:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Notebooks
- MSI
- Laptops
- Pascal
- Comet Lake
- GeForce MX
MSI has been actively targeting content creators with its laptops as of recently, so it's only fitting that this week the company introduced its Modern 15 notebook, aimed at the entry-level content creation market. Powered by Intel’s 10th Generation Core (Comet Lake) processor and NVIDIA’s GeForce MX330 discrete graphics chip, the Modern 15 mobile PC promises to offer decent performance as well as a relatively low weight in a reasonably priced package.
The MSI Modern 15 laptop currently exists in only one configuration (A10RAS-061JP) which is powered by Intel’s quad-core Core i7-10510U ‘Comet Lake-U’ processor. This is accompanied by 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory, a 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD, and NVIDIA’s GeForce MX330 graphics chip with 2 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. According to MSI, the CPU and the GPU are cooled via MSI’s Cooler Boost 3 cooling system, which uses two fans and three thick heat pipes. Within MSI's laptop lineup, this places the Modern 15 at essentially a tier below their Prestige series notebooks, giving up features such as hex-core CPUs and GeForce GTX graphics in exchange for a lower price.
As far as connectivity is concerned, MSI’s Modern 15 is equipped with a Wi-Fi 5 + Bluetooth 6 adapter, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port (with DP Alt mode support), three USB Type-A connectors (one USB 3.2 Gen 1, two USB 3.2 Gen 2), an HDMI output, a 3.5-mm audio connector for headsets, and a microSD card reader. When it comes to multimedia capabilities, MSI’s Modern 15 laptops are equipped with a webcam with IR sensors, stereo speakers, and a microphone array.
The Modern 15 system comes in a black or silver chassis with brushed aluminum elements that is 15.9 mm thick. The enclosure accommodates a 15.6-inch Full-HD panel, but because of thin bezels, the dimensions of the chassis are close to those of traditional 14-inch notebooks. As for weight, the Modern 15 weighs 1.6 kilograms.
MSI says that the laptop will last for nine hours on one charge (according to JEITA 2.0), which is good enough for a laptop that is more likely to be used as a semi-fixed (and frequently plugged in) device to begin with.
| Specifications of MSI's Modern 15 Laptop | ||
| A10RAS-061JP | ||
| LCD | Diagonal | 15.6-inch |
| Resolution | 1920×1080 | |
| Brightness | ? | |
| Contrast Ratio | ? | |
| Color Gamut | - | |
| Touch Support | - | |
| Protective Glass | - | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-10510U (Comet Lake-U) | |
| Graphics | Integrated | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Discrete | NVIDIA GeForce MX330 with 2 GB GDDR5 | |
| RAM | 16 GB dual-channel DDR4 | |
| Storage | SSD | 1 × 5120 GB M.2 NVMe SSD |
| Card Reader | MicroSD Card reader | |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 5 + Bluetooth 5.0 | |
| USB | Type-C | 1 × USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C |
| Type-A | 1 × USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A 2 × USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A |
|
| Thunderbolt | - | |
| Cameras | Front | HD webcam with IR sensors |
| Other I/O | Microphone, 2 stereo speakers, audio jack | |
| Battery | 9 hours | |
| Dimensions | Width | 35.7 cm | 14.05 inches |
| Depth | 23.4 cm | 9.2 inches | |
| Thickness | 1.59 cm | 0.63 inches | |
| Weight | 1.60 kilograms | 3.52 pounds | |
| Launch Price | Japan: ¥165,000 | |
MSI intends to start selling the Modern 15 laptop in Japan on February 27, with a price of ¥165,000. It is unclear at this time whether the company intends to bring the product to Europe or the US.
Related Reading:
- MSI’s New Prestige 14 & 15 Laptops Get Intel's Comet Lake-U CPUs & Calibrated 4K Display
- Lenovo’s Yoga Creator 7: A Budget 15.6-Inch NVIDIA Studio Laptop for Creators
- CES 2019: MSI PS63 Modern Notebook, a 15.6-inch with 16 Hours Battery Life
- MSI’s Alpha 15: AMD Ryzen 3750H and Radeon RX 5500M
Source: MSI Japan (via Hermitage Akihabara)
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olafgarten - Saturday, February 22, 2020 - link
What happened to WQHD displays? I think they were an almost perfect medium between 1080p, which I feel is too low res at 15 inches and 4k which is quite demanding in terms of GPU and battery.Tams80 - Sunday, February 23, 2020 - link
"MicroSD Card reader"Why. Why. Just why.
stephenbrooks - Sunday, February 23, 2020 - link
To save using an external USB card reader I guess?Although wouldn't be much help for me as I generally use full-sized SD cards (3D printer). I mobile phones' native storage is usually a Micro SD too, as is the Raspberry Pi, so perhaps this is to make transferring GBs of photos easier?
Tams80 - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link
Nah, I meant why microSD over SD?I mean, I get why they chose it, as microSD cards generally can be had with the same performance as SD cards, with the reader for microSD cards taking up less room. However, for content creators SD cards are still popular, partially because they are much harder to lose. And yes, you can use an adapter with the camera, but that's just another step to the whole process.
Xajel - Sunday, February 23, 2020 - link
Content Creation with a U series CPU? No thanks.You need H series one, and optional better dGPU like 1660.
I know this will raise the price, but I said optional, but an H series CPU is a must, upgradable RAM is another must.
stephenbrooks - Sunday, February 23, 2020 - link
...and the CPU is one of the best parts of the spec! Comet Lake ought to be reasonably fast even when power capped. The 16GB DDR4 is decent enough. But the rest of the specs I'd describe as "unimpressive".Xajel - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link
True, but only for short periods of time, these will throttle down when having a sustained high-power usage.