About the MSI Sword 15
Here are the specs on the model we tested:
- **Processor: Intel Core i7-12650H
- **Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
- **Memory: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
- **Storage: 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD
- **Display: 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080, 144Hz, IPS
- **Ports: 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-A 2.0, HDMI 2.1, Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm mic and headphone port
- **Wireless: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (WiFi 6), Bluetooth 5.2
- **Weight: 4.96 pounds
- **Dimensions: 14.13 x 10.20 x 0.98 inches
- **Warranty: 1-year limited warranty
MSI’s Sword 15 laptop comes in a variety of configurations. We tested the $1,350 mid-tier laptop in the range. A $950 version drops the CPU down to an Intel Core i5-12450H, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, 8GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD. The $1600 version of the Sword 15 bumps up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, but that’s the only difference from the laptop we reviewed.
What we like
Good in-game frame rates
Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
We were able to achieve 60 smooth frames per second in most of our gaming tests—not bad at all.
The MSI Sword 15 performed well on most of the games we threw at it, thanks to a combination of the laptop’s 1080p display resolution and capable RTX 3060 graphics card. The laptop’s Extreme Performance mode can also max out its processor at a mighty 4.7GHz, or roughly one extra gigahertz of performance beyond what you’d normally get on its typical Balanced mode, but this didn’t really impact our gaming benchmarks. After all, most games eat your GPU for lunch, not your CPU.
Only Cyberpunk 2077 really challenged the Sword 15’s capabilities, and only on our most taxing, ray-tracing-enabled benchmark without the help of DLSS. Otherwise, we were able to achieve at least 60 smooth frames per second (fps) on all of our other gaming tests, which included the highest graphical settings in Far Cry 6, Total War: Warhammer III, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Fortnite.
The frame rates we measured never came close to hitting the display’s maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, so you’ll have to dial down the quality to reap the full benefits of it. Unfortunately, the laptop isn’t equipped with G-Sync to eliminate screen tearing and stuttering in the games you play. You’ll have to stick with the software-based V-Sync, which can also eliminate screen tearing, but at a cost: more input lag.
We measured a maximum brightness of 280 nits for the Sword 15’s display, which is a little low compared to other gaming laptops we’ve tested that can push 400 or more. You’ll probably want to leave the laptop’s brightness at its maximum setting (or close to it) for the best visuals during daily use.
What the Sword 15 lacks in overall brightness, it makes up for on the other side of the spectrum—a little. Its measured black levels were better than the overall average of most laptops we’ve tested, giving the Sword 15 a contrast ratio of right around 1250:1. That’s pretty good for a budget gaming laptop, even though you’ll still experience murkier details within your favorite horror games’ darker scenes.
Excellent cooling
Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
The laptop stays cool even during the most fervent gameplay.
The MSI Sword 15 is very good at regulating its temperature, but that comes with a big, obvious cost: when Extreme Performance mode is turned on, the laptop’s fans are loud. Their whirring sound easily overpowers the laptop’s paltry speakers. (More on that in a bit.)
That said, we were surprised at just how cool its bottom felt after some Cyberpunk 2077 gaming sessions, which bodes well for anyone who likes playing graphically punishing games from the comfort of their lap. When we took the temperature after 30 minutes of gameplay, the bottom of the laptop hovered between 27-32 degrees Celsius (80-90 degrees Fahrenheit).
The top of the laptop was much hotter, maxing out at around 49 C (120 F) in some areas, but even though some of the keys registered temperatures anywhere from 43-49 C (110-120 F), they didn’t feel uncomfortable while we ran around Night City—just a little warm. When we punished the laptop’s CPU with our regular benchmarking, it only hit 40 C (104 F)—not too bad, although the laptop’s cooling really focuses on its GPU more than anything.
The other big caveat to the MSI Sword 15’s killer cooling setup is its variability. An included MSI application attempts to discern when you’ll need more cooling or less. If it thinks the laptop needs more cooling, it automatically switches to Extreme Performance mode, which also boosts the CPU clock speed by a maximum of 100MHz. But the app isn’t good at making this switch automatically; it ignored all of our Steam games.
You can manually add apps to a list to trigger this mode, which takes a while to do if you play a lot of games. You can set the Sword 15 to Extreme Performance manually, but you’ll definitely want to switch it off when you use the Sword 15 for everyday tasks unless you enjoy the sound of laptop fans spinning obnoxiously loud.
Decent connectivity
Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
The ports are fairly standard but serviceable.
The laptop comes with a pretty standard loadout: two USB-A 3.2 ports, one USB-A 2.0 port, one USB-C 3.2 port, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI 2.1. While it’s not the biggest deal in the world, since you have HDMI, you can only use the USB-C port to connect simpler external devices. It won’t accept power to charge the laptop, nor is it an external DisplayPort connection.
The laptop’s Wi-Fi, like most laptops nowadays, is a 2×2 802.11ax configuration. It supports up to 160 MHz-wide channels to give you a top (theoretical) speed of 2.4 Gbps. As always, the actual speeds you experience will be much slower than that, but it’s great that your speeds are more likely to be hamstrung by your Wi-Fi router (or your neighbors’ competing wireless networks) than MSI’s gaming laptop.
What we don’t like
Short battery life
Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
The battery power lasts only a little less than four hours.
While the MSI Sword 15’s battery power lasts about an hour longer than some of its more expensive siblings, like the Stealth 15M, it was barely shy of four hours of total uptime on our battery test.
That places the MSI Sword 15 below the overall average of all other gaming laptops we’ve tested. For context, a great gaming laptop should be able to reach double that amount, roughly seven or eight hours; MSI’s Delta 15 can last for over nine.
Worse, our battery test is a recurring loop of websites, not an actual game. Expect your total time to drop off a cliff if you’re trying to, say, expand your Civilization VI empire on a plane flight. You’ll definitely need to bring the laptop’s charger along for the ride.
Some poor construction and design elements
Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
A flimsy screen and a cramped keyboard configuration are just some of the design elements that flop.
To start, the MSI Sword 15 has a flimsy screen. Attached by two hinges to the laptop’s base, the screen wobbles back and forth at the slightest jostle, which can be an annoying effect to deal with whenever you move or bump the laptop.
The Sword 15 gives you a numpad, but unlike the more expensive Stealth 15M, the keys are incredibly small and are awkward to use. (A 10-keyless keyboard on this laptop would have worked much better.) There’s also about a one-inch gap between the bottom of the laptop’s keyboard and its off-center, 4.1-by-2.6-inch touchpad, so there’s not much room to rest your left hand when gaming. The entire area feels awkwardly tight.
There’s about a 1.5-inch gap from the top of the keyboard to where the laptop’s screen hinges connect, as well; MSI left a lot of wasted space on the top of the Sword 15 that could have been used for a larger trackpad or keys, or for better speaker placement. Instead, MSI placed the two speakers on its bottom, facing down, which muffles any sound coming out of them.
While not everyone likes turning their gaming devices into a miniature rave, we were a little disappointed to see that the Sword 15’s keys only have a simple, white glow. When MSI’s software promoted an RGB feature, we first assumed that we had to mess with some special configuration to get the keys to light up differently. But we were wrong (and that made us sad).
Should you buy the MSI Sword 15?
Maybe, if you can find it on sale
Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
This isn’t a bad purchase if you can find it for under $1,000.
If you want to play your favorite games at the highest graphics setting possible without breaking the bank, MSI’s Sword 15 isn’t terrible if you can find it on sale for less than $1,000. All the specs make sense: a speedy Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, double the storage (and in some cases, the memory) of better budget laptops like Acer’s Nitro 5 or HP’s Victus 16, and a slightly better CPU for multi-core applications than either.
That said, you can definitely get both Acer and HP’s systems for $1,000 or less right now, and they’ll be just as good for raw gaming as MSI’s Sword 15. More importantly, both laptops have much better overall designs (though similarly so-so 144Hz screens). Go the Victus route, and you’ll even get a gaming laptop that sounds as good as it looks, always a high hurdle for most gaming laptops to overcome.
We think the flaws of the MSI Sword 15’s poor design, coupled with its so-so software for controlling its speeds and cooling and its incredible loudness once the latter kicks into full gear, make for a subpar experience given the system’s regular cost. MSI’s laptop delivers a middle-of-the-road experience, at best, and only if it comes packaged with a good discount. Otherwise, you can do much better for quite a bit less.
MSI Sword 15 (2022)
The MSI Sword 15 has good non-ray-traced performance, decent connectivity, and great cooling.
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
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David Murphy reviews a lot of things for a lot of places.
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