Damage:
Around R20 000 according to SA Techie. You’ll also be able to see this beauty in the flesh at rAge 2015.
What you need to know:
- Runs on Windows
- 2.6-GHz Intel Core i7-4720HQ
- 12GB of RAM
- 15.6″ FHD anti-glare display
- 3 USB 3.0 ports and a USB 2.0 port
- Weighs just under 2 kgs
- Big: 38 cm x 25 cm x 2.7cm
What we think you should know:
Straight out the box the MSI Prestige P Series is a gorgeous gadget to look at. It has a brushed aluminium silver finish with only the understated MSI punched in the corner. The lines are smooth and as a stand alone the notebook is gorgeous to look at. My main niggle with the design is how chunky the MSI Prestige is. When closed it sits just under 3cm up from a desk and with the 15.6″ screen it is big. I travelled to SATNAC with the device and use it when I’m working out of Travail. While I love the look I do struggle with transporting. It’s big and clunky making it difficult to move around unless you’re carrying a laptop backbag. A laptop that looks this good should be in a bag to match.
MSI is renowned for gaming products but to be honest I didn’t game much on the P Series (I tossed in the occasional Rocket League match – does that count?). In fact, I replaced all my work devices with it and make it my primary day to day notebook.
It was extremely fast when it came to video editing and tweaking photos. The visual display was really incredible. I spend a lot of time staring at my computer screen and my eyes ache. Not the case with the MSI P Series. It’s the first in the MSI stable that offers something called full 100% sRBG factory calibration. Minus the tech talk? The colours on display are extremely accurate. This is a biggie for me as I’m in the process of trying to improve the image quality on the blog (surely you can tell just by the pictures of the MSI?).
The Prestige P series is the first line of MSI notebooks to offer a full 100% sRBG factory calibration – meaning as far as your eyes can see, the colours it displays are perfectly accurate. There is a True Colour key on the notebook that allows you to flick through various visual options which include a setting that filters out blue UV light (your eyes are less likely to ache). If you’re focused on the visual as a blogger or maybe designer than you’ll love the sRBG feature which makes the colour pop on the MSI Prestige or the designer feature that enhances the lines on screen and makes them stand out – great for editing! My favourite of these options is the office selection which lowers the brightness when you’re working under artificial light – when you’re at a conference like SATNAC this option works a treat.
It’s not all work and no play though – if you’re watching series or playing games you can enhance the contrast or brightness to make the experience eye blowing.
The display is great and the speed of the notebook is ideal for your heavy workload. When on the go I used the trackpad as opposed to a mouse once or twice. I usually hate trackpads as I find they’re far too sensitive and female for me but the MSI Prestige’s trackpad worked really well and wasn’t unbearable. A few times I worked in hotel lobbies with the notebook on my lap and it didn’t feel too hot or uncomfortable.
My biggest niggle with the MSI Prestige P Series is that the battery life isn’t great. It goes for about 2 hours before it needs to be plugged in. I’m used to my little 2 in 1 that can, most days, go for a good 5 hours with the same sort of workload. Finding a plug point to charge if you’re on the road or in a plane is frustrating.
I can’t copy on the sound because I spent most of my time with notebook with a pair of SteelSeries headphones plugged in but I was never disappointed.
It is a beautiful machine: classy, sexy and it looks incredibly sleek on your desk. Well the big screen and size is a bitch when travelling, when you’ve got it on your desk and you’re blogging in to the wee hours of the morning it is a gorgeous companion. The MSI P Series is the work horse of notebooks – it just so happens to look like a glorious Arabian stallion – I for one rather like that. Functionality never goes out of style but tossing in a stylish element with said functionality.
I’m a fan.
So rad
- It is such a beautiful looking notebook and really elegantly designed
- The visuals on screen pop
Makes us sad
- The battery life could be better
- You’ll need a laptop stand – when flat on a desk the keyboard tends to “slope” down which can annoy your wrists after a while.
Disclaimer: This review was conducted on a review unit (so it goes back to the brand once we’re done).
