The MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-614 is a lovely gaming laptop in every way, with a sleek design and the performance of a Quattro to match. Its most compelling factor, however, is the price – and that’s where this 15-inch MSI GF63 shines ahead of its competitors.
Embodying an almost identical luxury aesthetic, near bezel-less display, and impressive specs like the MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-066, the Thin 9SC-614 is an ultra-thin machine designed for games. Professionals and creatives on a budget.
Design
If you admire the design of the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin but it’s not too pricey, then you have every reason to look at the MSI GF63 Thin. Our review unit is a carbon copy of the GS65 Stealth, and that’s perfectly fine with us since that gaming laptop is a great design. Like its premium sibling, this gaming laptop has a screen-to-body ratio of 82% with a bezel of just 4.9mm, meaning you get a 15.6-inch display in a 14-inch chassis.
Similarly, both laptops share an identical layout in terms of body contours and keyboard and trackpad placement. The only way you can tell them apart, at least with the naked eye, the MSI GF63 has a gamer-like black color with red trim while last year’s model has a bit of pure color.
Most of the chassis is made of metal, except for the bottom panel which is a mixture of plastic and metal – MSI claims that this approach gives the system some difference in feel and look. Overall, the MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-614 feels like a hybrid between MSI’s current flagship and the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro launched last year.
The Gates
The MSI GF63 has almost all the USB ports you need to connect all your devices and peripherals. On the left side there’s a USB 3.2 Type-A port, kinda next to the middle power input. Over on the right side, you get two more USB 3.2 ports , plus one USB Type-C port, though it does not support Thunderbolt 3. Beyond that, there’s an Ethernet port for a wired internet connection, and separate headphone and microphone jacks too, in case you’d rather connect a more professional mic. For video connectivity, in addition to the USB-C port, you have an HDMI port for connecting to an external display.
Resolution
On the MSI GF6, you get a detailed 15.6-inch, 1080p display but I just wish it was brighter and more colorful. When watching BBC’s Seven World’s One Planet, all scenes were clear and rich but the scenes were a bit difficult to produce dark scenes. On a positive note, the images looked sharp and clear when watching the Africa movie trailer. MSI managed to achieve a screen-to-body ratio of 82% with a bezel that’s just 4.9mm wide, and that’s impressive.
Even MSI maintains the normal webcam position with a decent resolution of 720p but returns to that screen. However, there’s no Windows Hello facial recognition technology built into the webcam, but with a screen that refreshes at 60Hz and in-plane switching (IPS) technology, it makes games appear more immersive. Warhammer: Vermintide 2 looks simply awesome.
Keyboard & Trackpad
Of the gaming laptops we’ve reviewed, MSI has always had the best keyboard. The SteelSeries keyboard’s response is excellent and the key travel is excellent with a comfortable feel. This is the same keyboard in the GF62, which we applauded for its less key noise and solid construction.
MSI offers gamer-friendly keyboards for laptops and continues to expand them even with budget lines. The only things holding them back are the lack of RGB lighting and the average aesthetic of the use of red paint on the edges of the keys. The whole theme is limited to red, which may not be what we all want. While we have a surprisingly powerful keyboard for the price, the touchpad is a whole other story. Measuring 10.8 x 6 cm, it’s small for my liking.
It uses smooth plastic, like the rest of the keyboard deck, and looks nice enough. Responsiveness is pretty good, there’s no cursor skipping even with quick gestures, and the two buttons at the bottom feel stiff like in their predecessors. It feels cheap, though, and you’ll probably wonder if they want it in the system or if it’s an afterthought.
Our MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-614 review unit comes with like a lot of power for the price. The reason behind its really excellent performance, is an Intel Core i5-9300H CPU paired with a 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM. With those mid-range parts the GF63 doesn’t really break a sweat when you throw at it dozens of Chrome browser tabs, like four of them playing 1080p YouTube clips at the same time, and also two-stream HD Twitch going on in parallel. If you need something for media creation like editing videos/images when not playing, this laptop seems to be a perfect choice.
While it won’t beat a budget gaming desktop in terms of performance, MSI’s GF63 Thin 9SC-614 comes closer to every other laptop in its price range – and surpasses some Gaming desktops that are more expensive in terms of performance. Its real-world gaming scores are impressive, thanks to Nvidia’s GeForce 1650 graphics card with 4GB of DDR5.
MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-614 15.6″ Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i5-9300H, NVIDIA GTX 1650, 8GB, 512GB NVMe SSD, Win10: Buy it now
Games & Graphics
Running Overwatch on high settings at 1080p usually stays at a steady 136 FPS, like clockwork most of the time. But newer, more graphics hungry games such as Far Cry 5 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider can feel a bit more stubborn, dropping to around 51 FPS and 47 FPS at 1080p with high settings . So yeah, you might want to dial some stuff down for titles like those, still the rest of your older back-catalog games will generally run at 1080p and hit 60 FPS or even more.
It’s not going to hand you a solid 60 FPS in the newest releases, like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey though. Still, the GF63 does a pretty decent job for what you pay. If you don’t mind adjusting a couple of visuals here and there , or switching to 720p for smoother play, this laptop really has more than enough muscle for casual gaming.
Cheaper than this could mean integrated graphics, where you have to say goodbye to any sort of playable framerate on those modern games. On the other hand, if your budget allows, going higher than this will get you better performance on modern titles, more storage, twice the memory, and even high looks. We’re reviewing something like the MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-066 with a 144Hz refresh rate, an intel Core i7-8750H CPU, 16GB of RAM, and Nvidia’s flagship GTX 1650 graphics card.
Battery life
The MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-614 is kinda like one of the more portable gaming laptops weve reviewed, it’s just… pretty easy to carry around. MSI somehow crams a lot of firepower into a system that tips the scale at about 4.10 lbs . Still, this lightweight rig comes with a few trade-offs , like you’d probably guess. A lighter laptop usually means a smaller power cell, and here the 3-cell (51Wh) battery is really only good for around 4-5 hours.
Past battery life, the MSI GF63 is often seen as a solid choice for school, work, and yes, play. Along with that handy, svelte design, this machine includes the key ports you’d want for everyday use.
Conclusion
Our review unit, the MSI GF63 Thin makes the category of portable, thin and light gaming laptops more accessible than ever, especially for budget shoppers. It stacks up nicely as a value machine for school, work and plays. In addition to its lightweight design, this laptop includes all the essential ports you need daily and the power to play modern games, and edit photos and videos while remaining very affordable.
If you need more power, the Editors’ Choice for a Mid-Range Gaming Laptop, the Acer Predator Helios 300 (PH315-52-78VL) is a good choice if you’re planning to spend around $1,000 for one gaming device. It has better specs than the GF63, it’s a bit heavier, but it has a better display, the latest processor, a better GPU, and a more premium design.
Overall, the MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-614 is a suitable laptop for those who want powerful performance and a dedicated GPU for casual gaming, but can’t find a better alternative that can serve the same purpose service at this price.
Related Posts
Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.