MSI PS63 Modern 8RC: speed and mobility

Publication date: 02/21/2019

MSI PS63 Modern 8RC. Key Features
Design and construction
Laptop at work
conclusions

Today, a laptop for many of us is not only the main, but also the only tool, because life has become faster, every day we are more mobile, we work on travel, on the road ... Therefore, we need a compact, lightweight and at the same time powerful computer that can cope with any task. And in our articles and tests, we are looking for such an ideal laptop day after day, especially carefully evaluating applicants from the point of view of the photographer, including the professional one. Today we will tell you what the latest MSI PS63 Modern 8RC laptop is capable of . Price MSI PS63 Modern 8RC To begin, let's recall what requirements may apply to a laptop for a photographer. In many ways, they will be true for videographers. In one of the laptop reviews, we already described in detail what an ideal laptop computer looks like for a photographer at the turn of 2018-2019. Here we repeat the basic requirements:

high performance - to quickly handle the processing (including batch) of modern multi-megapixel photographs;
high mobility - the ability to fit in any backpack or bag, not to bore the owner on a long trip and work for a long time on battery power;
the necessary set of interfaces - for connecting external devices and wireless connections to the Internet and local network;
high-quality screen - to evaluate the result of shooting, as well as accurately perform the necessary adjustments.

MSI PS63 Modern 8RC. Key Features

Key Features of the MSI PS63 Modern 8RC :

quad-core Intel Core i7-8565U processor (2.0 GHz);
discrete graphics card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 in the form factor Max-Q with 4 GB of video memory GDDR5;
16 GB of RAM DDR4-2400 (maximum up to 32 GB);
solid-state drive (SSD) with a capacity of 512 GB;
A 15.6-inch IPS-class display with thin frames, a color gamut of almost 100% sRGB, a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels and a viewing angle of 178 °;
battery life - up to 16 hours;
OS: Windows 10 Home or Pro;
weight: 1.65 kg;
dimensions: 356.8 × 233.7 × 15.9 mm.

So what do we have? The eighth generation Intel quad-core processor from the U series, which consumes less power compared to models of more productive series. This has a positive effect on autonomy (not at the expense of performance). A fairly powerful discrete graphics card, 16 GB of RAM and an SSD drive are also quite suitable equipment for efficient work with large amounts of data, including such programs as Adobe Photoshop, Camera RAW and Lightroom. The stated characteristics of the display in terms of color reproduction are suitable for working with photographs, at least for selecting pictures and their primary correction. Autonomy, weight and dimensions of the MSI PS63 Modern correspond to the "ultrabook" class - such a computer is well suited for field photo shoots and long trips of the photographer. There are no flaws and weaknesses in the declared characteristics, everything is well balanced. It remains to check the MSI PS63 Modern 8RC laptop in action.

Design and construction

The MSI PS63 Modern matte metal case , in my opinion, combines rigor and beauty, but does not distract attention. All planes and faces are dull, dark gray. The rough surfaces of the top cover and the main panel are very pleasant to the touch thanks to sandblasting. Along the perimeter, the case is decorated with shiny bright blue chamfers. The touchpad has the same edging. On the top cover is an image of a shield with a dragon. Three heat pipes and two coolers are used to remove heat from internal components. They remove air through two grilles with large openings on the back of the housing. A perforated grate on the bottom cover, which occupies almost half of its area, serves for air flow. Closer to the front edge, from the sides on the bottom cover there are exactly the same perforated small grilles for stereo speakers, each power is 2 watts. The screen has thin side frames (5.6 mm), so the laptop has a chance to fit in the compartment of the bag, which usually put 14-inch laptops. The upper frame is slightly wider than the side, because it has a webcam (HD, 30p), a light sensor and microphones. The screen cover has a thickness of about 4.5 mm. It can be opened with one hand, but the friction in the hinges is such that the lid is securely fixed in any position from slightly ajar to completely folded back. Its design does not have high rigidity, which is why the corners of the screen “play” a little when closing / opening. However, this is uncritical. The hinge design of the screen does not allow the laptop to open to a flat state (180 degrees), but the maximum angle is close to 120 degrees, which is quite enough for comfortable work when the computer is on its lap. The touchpad in the MSI PS63 Modern has elongated proportions and is simply huge - 140 × 65 mm. His sensitivity is high, and this allows not only to control the cursor in the browser and multimedia applications, but also to work quite confidently with the brush and other tools during retouching in the photo editor. But what I didn’t like about the touchpad was the too much effort needed to press the “mouse buttons” in its corners. A small fingerprint scanner is built into the upper left corner of the touchpad. When registering a new fingerprint, approximately 8-10 readings in different positions of the pad will be required. But then the fingerprint is recognized instantly, and the laptop lock is removed with a light touch of the finger. Back to the issue of mobility. The dimensions of the laptop with a screen diagonal of 15.6 inches are 356.8 × 233.8 × 15.9 mm, which means that it easily fits in any city backpack. The power supply from the network is similar to the laptop itself: it is not much more than a couple of ordinary charges for mobile phones in area, but a little thicker than them. MSI PS63 Modern weighs only 1.65 kg, that is, you can easily walk with it all day, and if necessary, even work while holding the computer in one palm.

Connectors

In terms of equipping interfaces, you can immediately feel the advantage of MSI PS63 Modern over 12-13-inch models, where there is usually not enough space at the side ends for all the necessary connectors. But we have the ability to simultaneously connect all external devices that a photographer may need when he needs to organize a full-fledged workplace. ?? ????? ????? ?????????? ?????? ??? ????????? ???????, ????????? HDMI, ???? USB Type-C (USB 3.1 Gen 1), ??????????? ?? ???????? ? ?????? DisplayPort, ???? USB Type-A (USB 3.1 Gen 1), ??????? ???????????? ??????? QuickCharge 3.0 ? ??????????? INOV (Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage, ????? ??????????? ???????????? ??????????), ? ????? ??????????????? 3,5-?? ??????????? ??? ??????????? ?????????/?????????. ????? ????, ????? ????????? ??? ????????? ???????????? ?????????? — ????????? ??????? ? ??????? / ?????? ?????? ???????????? ?????????? (??????????/??????????). We connected a large 4K monitor via the HDMI connector (in addition to photo images, it will allow outputting 4K video at a frequency of 30 frames per second). For the same purpose, you can use the USB Type-C port (DisplayPort functionally). A large screen may be needed in the studio to show the results of shooting the model (or to the customer), as well as in a stationary workplace when you need to perform very responsible color grading by controlling the picture on a professional monitor with accurate color reproduction. On the right side of the PS63 Modern case there are two USB ports of type A: the first class is USB 3.1 Gen1 (up to 5 Gb / s) and the second class is USB 3.1 Gen2 (up to 10 Gb / s), as well as a card reader for microSD cards. Most likely, it will not be useful to owners of professional cameras (unless they use microSD cards via an SD adapter), but those who shoot with action cameras and drone cameras will definitely be useful, because such cards are used in them. So, the photographer has the ability to simultaneously connect to the laptop MSI PS63 Modern 8RC:

large external screen (via HDMI or USB Type-C);
mouse;
external storage device (HDD);
another device: a camera, a second drive / flash drive, a card reader for cards other than microSD, or a smartphone (including for recharging);
microSD cards (via built-in card reader);
headphones or a headset.

Great features! You can only complain about the absence in the card reader of a slot for the most common SD cards. For them, as already mentioned, they will have to connect an external reader, and this is inconvenient when working in the field and on the road, especially in public transport.

Screen

In the MSI PS63 Modern 8RC laptop that we tested , a 15.6-inch IPS-class display with a color gamut of almost 100% sRGB and a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels is installed. The screen has a matte finish that does not reduce image detail, and at the same time confidently resists bright light, without creating glare and glare on the surface. This will allow you to comfortably work in a studio near the illuminators (for example, to demonstrate the results of shooting models) or in a brightly lit room (including the sun). To assess the quality of the screen, we traditionally measured using the xRite i1 Display Pro colorimeter and iProfiler. The results obtained allow us to conclude that the laptop is quite suitable even for professional work with photographs, especially when powered from the network (details below). When the laptop is powered from the network and the screen brightness set to 120 cd / m², the contrast is quite sufficient - 507: 1, and the deviation of the white point from the standard value of 6500 K is very small. The maximum deviation of luminosity over the screen area was 10%, and on average, the unevenness of the backlight did not exceed 6% - the naked eye does not notice such deviations. The maximum color deviation measured according to the Delta E 2000 standard was 6.59, and the average deviation was 1.22 (a deviation of up to 3-6 is permissible for professional work). You can fully work with color. The deviation of the white point (color temperature) within the screen area did not exceed 2.3% - this will not affect the accuracy. When the laptop is powered by battery, the screen brightness can be raised to 90 cd / m². Although measurements of uniformity of illumination and color accuracy carried out in this mode, although they turned out to be slightly worse than when powered by the mains, they also did not go beyond the permissible values. But the contrast reached a value of 767: 1, which further improves the quality of the picture. This means that in the field, nothing will hinder the photographer from working with photographs — select and sort, evaluate exposure and sharpness, and perform color correction. But, as always, in the case of the most critical work, it’s still worthwhile to display the picture on an external professional monitor - in PS63 Modern, I remind you that there are two interfaces for this: HDMI and DisplayPort (via USB Type-C).

Laptop at work

As already mentioned above, the dimensions of the MSI PS63 Modern and its low weight make it possible not only to wear this laptop all day without fatigue, but also to work with it both on its knees and literally on weight. The island keyboard is quite large - thanks to the 15.6-inch screen - and easy to use. The key travel is short and distinct, the keystrokes are light enough to quickly type text without stress. To work in the dark, the keys are equipped with a white LED backlight, which has three levels of brightness adjustment and can be turned off. At the maximum level, the characters are visible in the best way, but at the same time, the backlight does not blind or distract from the picture on the screen. The cooling system in the MSI PS63 Modern is well thought out and implemented: in most situations its operation is completely inaudible, which indicates high efficiency. Only with a serious load, for example, when batch processing several tens of files, does the whistle of fans built into the case appear. But as soon as the intensive computing process stops, the noise disappears. I’ll mention once again that the set of interfaces is sufficient for the full deployment of the photographer’s workplace. Nothing hindered my actions when working with photo material - I immediately connected everything that was required: a wireless mouse, a USB flash drive and an external hard drive. Wireless Internet connection through a local Wi-Fi network was established quickly and reliably.

Autonomy

Photographers often work with a laptop away from outlets, looking at just taken pictures right at the location or processing the footage on the way home. Therefore, autonomy is one of the most important requirements for a laptop. To assess whether the battery lasts for the most “hard” way for a long time, I unplugged the laptop from the network, set the screen brightness to maximum and worked with images with a resolution of 50 megapixels for one hour: sorting, opening files and converting to Adobe Camera RAW in groups of two dozen or more. As a result, the battery charge decreased by 34%. It turns out that the battery will provide intensive work with photos, for example, during an air flight to Europe or vice versa, that is, for about 3 hours. If you do not convert the images, but only select them, then the battery life will increase, perhaps, by another hour. These are very good results for a 15.6-inch laptop! The manufacturer claims the possibility of working without recharging up to 16 hours - this is achievable only in a very economical mode of operation. Actual battery life will always depend on the conditions and load. You can hold out a working day with a lower screen brightness and launching only "light" tasks such as working on online platforms, viewing mail and low-resolution videos, listening to music and relaxing with "light" online games.

Performance

To evaluate the capabilities of the MSI PS63 Modern 8RC laptop in terms of processing large amounts of data, I performed our standard test: in Adobe Camera RAW, I launched the conversion of 22 RAW files (50 megapixels) with noise reduction and preset sharpening, white balance and tone curve adjustments for each image. A little less than two minutes (1:59) to complete this task is an excellent result! I note that this result was obtained when the laptop was powered by battery, that is, when processing images in the field. If this operation is performed while powered by the mains, the execution time will be reduced a little more.

Model	Specifications	Test time
MSI P65 Creator 8RF	Intel Core i7, 2.2 GHz, 16 GB, GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q	1:46
MSI PS63 Modern 8RC	Intel Core i7, 2.0 GHz, 16 GB, GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	1:59
HP Specter X360	Intel Core i7, 1.8 GHz, 16 GB, GeForce MX150	2:04
MacBook Pro 13 (2018)	Intel Core i5, 2.3 GHz, 8 GB, Intel Iris + 655	2:10
MacBookPro 15 (2014)	Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 16 GB	2:13
Dell XPS 15	Intel Core i5, 2.5 GHz, 8 GB, GeForce GTX1050	3:15
Huawei MateBook X Pro	Intel Core i5, 1.8 GHz, 8 GB, GeForce MX150	4:14
MacBook Pro 13 (2014)	Intel Core i5, 2.6 GHz, 8 GB, Intel Iris	8:10 a.m.

As you can see from the table, the tested laptop was second only in speed to its more advanced colleague - the MSI P65 Creator 8RF, which is quite expected, because its technical equipment is slightly higher in several respects.

conclusions

MSI PS63 Modern 8RC is a laptop balanced in all respects, which formally corresponds to the ultrabook class due to its modest size and weight. According to its capabilities, it is well suited for users of various categories: everyone who needs a high-performance computer, including photographers. High performance and autonomy, simultaneously provided by a powerful modern Intel processor from the U series with ultra-low power consumption, allow you to quickly process large amounts of footage right on the road, for 3 consecutive hours or more. Equipping a discrete graphics card with NVIDIA and other modern electronic components will make it possible to efficiently solve other resource-demanding tasks (process video, hold presentations on external 4K screens, etc.). The design of the MSI PS63 Modern is modern and austere: a thin metal case with matte surfaces and a screen with narrow frames set it to work. The 15.6-inch PS63 Modern screen is convenient for working in photo editors and is good enough in quality to perform selection, initial processing and photo correction, and for responsible color grading and retouching, this laptop allows you to connect a professional monitor via HDMI or USB Type-C. It has enough USB-connectors for connecting and all other necessary devices: mouse, camera, drives, card readers, mobile devices (including for recharging).