MSI GF63 Thin (2019)

MSI GF63 Thin (2019)

Manufacturer	MSI
Product family	GF Thin
Release date	January 2019 (2019-01)
Introductory price	USD 700 to 1100
Discontinued	No
Operating system	Windows 10 Home (Can be configured with Windows 10 Pro)
CPU	Intel Core i5-9300H Intel Core i7-9750H
Memory	8 or 16 GB DDR4-2666 MHz (supports up to 64 GB)
Memory slots	2 user accessible
Storage	256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD
Storage slots	1 user accessible
Display	Screen size: 15.6 inch Panel type: IPS Coating: Matte (anti-glare) Resolution: 1920 x 1080 PPI: 141 Aspect ratio: 16:9 Refresh rate: 60 or 120 Hz Brightness: 250 Nits Contrast ratio: 800:1 sRGB: 45 % Adobe RGB: 35 % P3: 40 % Screen-to-body ratio: 82 %
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 630 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q 4 GB GDDR5 50 W Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q 4 GB GDDR5 50 W
Sound	2 x 2 W stereo speakers Realtek HD audio chip
Camera	Front: 720p with single microphone
Touchpad	Plastic, 4.1 inches (10 cm) x 2.5 inches (6.4 cm)
Connectivity	Intel 9560 WiFi 5 Bluetooth 5.0 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-C) 1 x HDMI 1.4 1 x Ethernet (1 Gbps) 1 x 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack
Dimensions	W: 14.13 inches (35.9 cm) D: 9.99 inches (25.4 cm) H: 0.85 inches (2.2 cm)
Mass	4.1 pounds (1.9 kg)
Power brick	120W slim 3-pin proprietary AC adapter (US)
Battery	3 cell Li-Polymer 51 Wh
Keyboard	Red backlit, black (US) Standard full size layout
Chassis	Color: Black Materials: Brushed aluminum lid; Polycarbonate palm rest, sides and bottom cover Cooling: 2 x 5400 RPM fans
Number pad	No
Fingerprint reader	No
Facial recognition	No
Website	MSI

All statements attributed to reviews are the reviewer's own opinion. Note that these claims were accurate at the time of publication and may be dated when you are reading this article. Read more.

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The MSI GF63 Thin (2019) is a budget-friendly gaming laptop equipped with Intel 9th gen H series mobile processors and Nvidia GeForce GTX 10 and 16 series mobile GPUs. Available configurations vary by store and location. The GF63 Thin is positioned as an entry-level gaming laptop, offering a balance between performance and affordability.

Primary Hardware

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Processor

The MSI GF63 Thin (2019) can come with the following processors:

• Intel Core i5-9300H with 4 cores and 8 threads, 8 MB cache and a max frequency of 4.1 Ghz.
• Intel Core i7-9750H with 6 cores and 12 threads, 12 MB cache and max frequency of 4.5 Ghz.

MSI supplies the processors with sufficient power and cooling for CPU-intensive tasks resulting in average performance compared to other laptops with the same processors. In CPU-only tasks, SKUs with the i7-9750H perform as expected. SKUs with i5-9300H perform adequately for most gaming and productivity tasks but fall behind in more demanding applications.

Performance sustainability is average, with all processors losing about 10% performance in long stress tests.

Benchmarks:

• Cinebench R20:
  • i5-9300H: ~1600 pts (multi-core)
  • i7-9750H: ~2600 pts (multi-core)

Graphics

In addition to the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630, the GF63 Thin (2019) ships with the following discrete GPUs:

• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU with 4 GB GDDR5 memory, 1020 Mhz boost clock, and 50 W Total Graphics Power (TGP).
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q GPU with 4 GB GDDR5 memory, 1290 Mhz boost clock, and 50 W TGP.

MSI supplies all GPU configurations with 50 W of max power. In GPU-only benchmarks, SKUs with GTX 1650 Max-Q perform slightly above average while SKUs with GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q perform adequately for entry-level gaming.

In gaming, the GTX 1650 Max-Q SKUs with the i7-9750H perform significantly better than the competition with the same GPU and are just 10% behind the GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q in some titles. The GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q and i5-9300H SKU also perform adequately for most modern games at medium settings.

All SKUs lose a significant amount of graphics performance when running on the battery.

Benchmarks:

• 3D Mark TimeSpy 2560 x 1440:
  • GTX 1650 Max-Q: ~3000 pts
  • GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q: ~2500 pts
• 3D Mark Fire Strike 1920 x 1080:
  • GTX 1650 Max-Q: ~8000 pts
  • GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q: ~7000 pts
• The Witcher 3 1920 x 1080 Medium:
  • i7-9750H and GTX 1650 Max-Q: ~60 fps
  • i5-9300H and GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q: ~45 fps

Memory

The Intel HM370 chipset used in the GF63 Thin supports a maximum of 2 SO-DIMM sticks and the 9th Generation Intel H processors support up to 64 GB DDR4-2666Mhz memory.

Pre-configured SKUs come with either 8 GB (1 x 8) DDR4-2666 or 16 GB (2 x 8) DDR4-2666 Memory. These sticks perform identically even when paired with different CPUs.

Benchmarks:

• AIDA64 Memory Copy: ~40000 MB/s

Storage

The GF63 Thin can ship with 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD depending on the seller. The OEM SSD only uses 1 slot in all configurations leaving the other slot open for upgrades.

Reviews of the i7-9750H + GTX 1650 Max-Q and i5-9300H + GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q SKUs note that both came with the Western Digital SN520 512 GB SSD which is an OEM version of the popular SN500. This SSD performs adequately for most tasks but falls behind in sustained write performance.

Benchmarks:

• CrystalDiskMark 6:
  • SEQ1M Q8T1 (Sequential 1MB blocks): ~1700 MB/s (read), ~1400 MB/s (write)
  • RND4K Q1T1 (Random 4 KB blocks): ~40 MB/s (read), ~90 MB/s (write)

Co-processors

The GF63 Thin does not have a dedicated NPU to accelerate AI applications.

Input Devices

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Keyboard

The GF63 Thin comes with a standard keyboard layout without a number pad. The keyboard offers 1.4 mm travel and 0.2 mm pitch. The red backlight has one mode. The refresh rate of the display can be changed using the Fn + R keys - two steps (60, 120 Hz) on the higher-end 120hz display and only one (60 Hz) on the lower-end 60hz display. The Fn + F7 keys can be used to switch between the three performance modes - Quiet, Balanced, and Performance.

The typing experience is average with shallow travel and weak feedback compared to competitors like Acer Nitro or Dell G3.

Touchpad

The GF63 Thin comes with a plastic clickpad that measures 4.1 inches (10 cm) x 2.5 inches (6.4 cm).

The touchpad is smaller than the ones in competitors like Acer Nitro but is spacious enough for simple tasks. The clicking is shallow and lacks enough feedback.

Webcam

The GF63 Thin comes with a 720p webcam with a single microphone.

The webcam has poor color accuracy with a minimum DeltaE of 3.5 and a maximum DeltaE of 15.2. The webcam looks soft but is much sharper than 720p webcams that used to be common a few years back. The clarity is adequate for casual calls.

Microphone

The GF63 Thin comes with a single microphone.

Output Devices

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Display

MSI ships the GF63 Thin with 2 confirmed factory color calibrated displays:

• AU Optronics B156HAN02.1, 1920 x 1080, 16:9, IPS, 250 Nits, anti-glare (matte), 45 % sRGB, 60 Hz, 800:1 contrast
• AU Optronics B156HAN02.5, 1920 x 1080, 16:9, IPS, 250 Nits, anti-glare (matte), 45 % sRGB, 120 Hz, 800:1 contrast

The AU Optronics B156HAN02.5 reaches the rated 250 nits, has good screen uniformity and has average contrast for an IPS panel at around 800:1. It also covers almost 45% of sRGB as rated and covers around 35 % of AdobeRGB. The screen is not well calibrated out of the box and NotebookCheck records an average ColorChecker DeltaE of 5.2 on their unit. They also measure an average gray to gray response time of 25 ms.

The AU Optronics B156HAN02.1 is the lowest-end panel offered by MSI on this unit. NotebookCheck records average contrast of 800:1 which is as rated and a gray to gray response time of 30 ms on their unit however the measured brightness is 10% higher than rated at around 275 nits with good screen uniformity. This panel is also calibrated better than the higher-end panel with ColorChecker DeltaE of 3.1 on the tested unit.

None of the tested panels exhibit any PWM flickering at any brightness level.

Audio

The GF63 Thin comes with two bottom-facing speakers near front corners in stereo configuration.

The speakers have a low maximum volume around 70 to 75 dB for a 15.6-inch laptop. They produce balanced to high mids and balanced highs but lack any noticeable bass.

Connectivity

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WiFi

MSI equips the GF63 Thin with an Intel 9560 WiFi 5 WLAN module.

The GF63 Thin performs adequately with the same module, reaching decent transfer speeds for regular use.

Benchmarks:

• iperf3 transmit AXE11000: ~500 Mb/s
• iperf3 receive AXE11000: ~900 Mb/s

Bluetooth

The GF63 Thin comes with a Bluetooth 5.0 module.

SD Card Reader

MSI does not include an SD card reader with the GF63 Thin.

USB

MSI equips the GF63 Thin with the following USB ports:

• 1 x USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5 Gbps) on the left side.
• 2 x USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5 Gbps) on the right side.
• 1 x USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5 Gbps) on the left side.

Case

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The GF63 Thin (2019) is only available in one color: black. The chassis is made of brushed aluminum for the lid and polycarbonate for the palm rest, sides, and bottom cover. The lid opens to about 140 degrees. Surfaces are slightly roughened to reduce fingerprint buildup however it still attracts dust and fingerprints. The rear is elongated beyond the display lid and is thicker as well to accommodate a larger internal cooling solution. This contributes to the weight of 4.1 pounds (1.9 kg). There are two MSI logos - one on the lid on the bottom left and another on the palm rest on the right. There is one big MSI logo on the top right side of the lid.

The chassis has a more professional look compared to the MSI GF62 with a uniform color instead of a two-tone silver and black color scheme. There are fewer accents and angles as well.

Chassis rigidity is average with some audible creaking and weak points. The base and lid exhibit some twisting but not enough to be concerning.

Maintenance

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The bottom panel is held on by 10 Philips-head screws. Four screws on the leading edge are shorter than the rest. There are clips securing the panel that must be popped up after removing the screws.

Upgradeable components:

• 51 WHr battery.
• One M.2 2280 PCIe3 x4 SSD covered by an aluminum heatsink (most configurations only have one slot filled from the factory).
• Two DDR4-2666 SODIMMs covered by a single plastic shield (most configurations only have one slot filled from the factory).
• M.2 2230 wireless card.

Cooling System

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The GF63 Thin is equipped with dual 50mm fans connected to the core components with three copper heat pipes. There is one shared heat pipe for the CPU and GPU, and another smaller heat pipe for the VRMs. The system intakes air from the side and bottom grilles and exhausts air through the back grilles.

Heat

Surface temperatures vary depending on the configuration.

The i7-9750H + GTX 1650 Max-Q SKU gets quite warm while idling, up to 38 °C on the bottom of the device. The left side with the WASD keys heats up more than the right side. Under heavy load, there is a hot spot of 55 °C on the bottom.

The i5-9300H + GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q SKU is slightly cooler while idling across all areas reaching up to 35 °C on the bottom. The palm rest and the WASD keys remain comfortable during intensive tasks.

Benchmarks:

• i7-9750H + GTX 1650 Max-Q:
  • Maximum upper side: ~42 °C
  • Maximum bottom: ~50 °C
  • Idle upper side: ~30 °C
  • Idle bottom: ~34 °C
• i5-9300H + GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q:
  • Maximum upper side: ~40 °C
  • Maximum bottom: ~48 °C
  • Idle upper side: ~28 °C
  • Idle bottom: ~32 °C

Noise

There is no electronic noise or coil whine. The laptop is effectively silent during undemanding loads like light browsing or video playback, hovering below 30 dB(A). During intensive tasks, the fans quickly ramp up even when set to balanced mode. Fan noise while gaming in balanced mode is identical to performance mode despite temperatures being noticeably lower in balanced mode. During intensive tasks, the laptop emits noise above 50 db(A) and is louder than most other gaming laptops. Most variants emit the same amount of noise with more powerful configurations being slightly louder.

Benchmarks:

• i5-9300H + GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q:
  • Load: > 50 db(A)
• i7-9750H + GTX 1650 Max-Q:
  • Idle: ~23 db(A) (min), ~23 db(A) (avg), ~25 db(A) (max)
  • Load: ~45 db(A) (avg), ~53 db(A) (max)

Energy Management

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Power Consumption

The GF63 Thin ships with a 120 W AC adapter.

MSI remains very liberal with the power supplied to the CPU during combined CPU and GPU loads. Both the i7-9750H + GTX 1650 Max-Q and i5-9300H + GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q SKUs consume around 100 W during load with temporary spikes to around 120 W.

The i7-9750H + GTX 1650 Max-Q GF63 Thin draws around 30 W when idling for the most part, reducing to 10-15 W after waiting a very long time and any minor input brings the consumption back up to 30 W.

Battery Life

All GF63 Thin SKUs come with a 51 WHr Li-Polymer battery that MSI claims can charge from 0-40 % in 30 mins, 0 - 80 % in 60 mins and 0 - 100 % in 120 mins using the provided power adapter.

The battery life during light tasks is average for this class of laptop. Many competitors now include 60+ Whr batteries. Reviews verify the charging claims to be accurate.

Benchmarks:

• i5-9300H + GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q:
  • WiFi Browsing (150 nits): 300 minutes
  • Load: 90 minutes
• i7-9750H + GTX 1650 Max-Q:
  • WiFi Browsing (150 nits): 280 minutes
  • Load (max brightness): 70 minutes

Biometrics

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The GF63 Thin does not support Windows Hello face recognition and does not have a fingerprint reader.

Software

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All SKUs ship with Windows 10 Home but the laptop can be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro, either manually or when buying directly from MSI.

Preinstalled Software

MSI Dragon Center

The MSI Dragon Center program acts as the primary control center in the GF63 Thin. In addition to the performance profiles, the program also handles keyboard lighting, hardware troubleshooting, always on USB settings, battery conservation mode (limit charge to 80 %), system updates and other things.

There are three preset performance profiles - quiet, balanced and performance. MSI supports adding an AI engine in balanced mode that automatically adjusts system parameters based on the context. There is also a customized mode where the user can manually set various parameters.

Most reviewers use performance mode for performance benchmarks and quiet mode for the battery tests unless otherwise stated.

MSI App Player

The MSI App Player allows users to play mobile games on their PC. This may be helpful for users who use multiple platforms to play games.

Other Preinstalled Software

The GF63 Thin also comes with other less useful software like MSI BurnRecovery, which exists just to create recovery media, and MSI Battery Calibration, which helps in calibrating the battery.

There is also unwanted software like 30-day McAfee security trial.

Accessories & Warranty

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The GF63 Thin comes with a 120 W AC adapter and paperwork.

There is one-year limited manufacturer warranty if purchased in the US.

Reviews Summary

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Overall Sentiment

The GF63 Thin is considered one of the best budget gaming laptops at its price with decent CPU and GPU performance relative to competitors. Often found under $1000, the GF63 Thin is suitable for people looking for a budget-friendly gaming laptop without breaking the bank. The laptop also comes with a decent screen for gaming and is highly upgradeable. The primary downsides are the poor battery life, average build quality, and high noise levels which make it less suitable for portable use away from an outlet for a long time.

Problems Summary

• No SD card reader.
• Below average speakers given the form factor.
• OEM SSD loses performance during sustained disk loads.
• Plastic touchpad does not provide the best tracking experience.
• High idle power consumption
• Higher than average surface temperatures while idling and during intensive tasks.
• Below average battery life.
• Average build quality with some creaking.
• High noise levels during load.

Links

i5-9300H, GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD: Ultrabook Review,

i7-9750H, GTX 1650 Max-Q, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD: NoteBookCheck