Customers are satisfied with the laptop's lightweight design, impressive performance for everyday tasks and gaming, and its affordability. Many appreciate its portability and powerful specifications, especially considering the price. However, some customers noted that the screen quality could be improved. The small screen size was also mentioned as a potential drawback by a few users.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 47 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Design
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Slick design
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great value. You can't find anything like this for the price. The design aesthetics is very unique. Unlike other MSI devices, this one doesn't scream 'colors' which is appropriate for work.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Graphics card, Weight
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
A lot of power in a small package
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I ordered this as a college laptop. I was trying to get away from my bulky desktop, and since I'm going to be taking this thing everywhere, I needed it to be small and light, and boy, is it both of those things. This thing feels like a frisbee, and the 14 inch form is a good compromise between 13 inches (too small for my taste), and 15 inches (where things usually get a lot bulkier). The 1050 in it sold the deal; I've got a 1060 in my desktop, and the fact that this thing is power-wise almost on par with my desktop is amazing. My only complaint would be the way this thing is put together; I wanted to swap the SSD for a larger one, but all of the parts are on the underside of the motherboard from a video of disassembling this thing I watched, meaning you're going to need some decent tech knowledge and some patience with very small cables if you want to swap any parts in this (I wouldn't risk it otherwise, it looks like you'd need to take apart a good portion of the computer). If you're looking to get as much power as you can without going up to 15 inches and sacrificing size and weight, this is the best option.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance, Speed, Weight
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Mini Power House
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Came into Best Buy today with the intentions of picking up my first Mac Book Pro. I was hesitant due to being a proficient windows user and Ive never messed with the Mac cult, I meant OS. Anyway, the geek squad was extremely helpful in helping me weigh the pros and cons and i ended up looking at this. At first glance, it looks small and under powered. The combination of an i7 processor with 16gb or ram and the 256 ssd make this PC and absolute dream. Its light, powerful and has handled everything I've thrown at it so far. A+!!!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Graphics card
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Decent "Low Cost" Laptop With Dedicated GPU
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Bought this pc for my office manager who runs our shipping and receiving and also does some photoshop on it, so far it handles anything she can throw at it, we save the big stuff for the GS75 Stealth we just bought. The pc was the most affordable pc we could find at the store with a dedicated graphics card that was atleast a 10 series Nvidia GPU. If you got the extra cash to spend, I would recommend going up to the P63 or the GS65 for a better processor and gpu, However at the time of writing this review, $1500-2000 for those other models, may be a stretch for you... If you can cover the difference, Just go for one of them, you won't regret it! As it stands this laptop is a great budget-friendly laptop at $1200 and hands down would compete with any Macbook, Macbook Air, or MS Surface book due to the built-in GPU. It will slay most graphics tasks a day to day user can throw at it, and I'm sure handle some light gaming on it, however have not tried it!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance, Weight
Cons mentioned:
Screen quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great compact machine!
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Posted . Owned for 3 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
When I was looking for a laptop I specifically wanted something very powerful but also very light so that I wouldn't be carrying around a brick at university. This little computer has far exceeded my expectations. It's even lighter than you'd think, and it runs games and photoshop like a dream. It's quick and quiet, the screen is obviously very small but I plug it into a 27" monitor when I'm at home. I would definitely recommend to students who want a lighter gaming equivalent, it only has two usb slots though so you'll have to buy a usb hub if you have more that that to plug in.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Design
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good for gaming and great for school
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Cons: The camera placement on the laptop is very oddly spaced, instead of being placed at the top of the screen it's placed in the bottom center. The audio when talking to others is also poor.
Pros: Perfect laptop I was looking for. I wanted an inexpensive laptop for both my gaming and one that I could also do school work on. The keyboard also has a nice diamond blue look. I like the design, it's simple, small, and sleek.
Overall it's a great laptop for school and personal use.
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Screen quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Powerful mobile laptop
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
A laptop like this is difficult to find especially trying to find something portable but powerful. All other gaming laptops were just too big to carry around and seeing this was perfect for me. It looks similar to one of the new slim Mac books and I am glad to have waited and searched for this one. The keyboard could be better though. Typing is not as smooth as I thought but it's not terrible. The web cam is on the bottom instead of the top which I find it weird. I just hoped that this was in stock and on display. I would have bought this laptop on the spot if it were available.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Speed
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love it
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I wanted a laptop that I could use for gaming, but also for work to take notes, make PowerPoints and be able to use in a professional setting. This can handle it all and does it very well. I actually bought a dell right before this laptop and ended up taking it back because of the noise. This laptop is practically silent. I can take this laptop into meetings and not worry about the loud turbo prop fan that most gaming laptops have. This gets a little warm up top by the speakers when I am using a game like PUBG or DOTA but its not too hot. I would highly recommend you getting this.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Solid little laptop
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Posted . Owned for 1.5 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great, small & powerful laptop. Easy to cary & powerful enough to spin CAD or play majority of games at good FPS! Only drawback are the fixed/ soldered RAM and upside down MB for upgrades. Otherwise solid little powerhouse!
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great laptop especially for the price
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Good:
Beautiful finish, very lightweight and portable.
Backlit keys
Beautiful display
Great specs for the price
Precision Touchpad
Full Arrow Keys
Negatives
The keyboard font does not really match the aesthetic of the laptop. the font looks more like a gaming keyboard font but it doesn't fit with the professional look of the laptop
No charging through USB C
Overall I am very pleased with this laptop and would highly recommend it.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Weight
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Get this!
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Posted . Owned for 1.5 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’ve had many laptops from different brands including apple and this is my favorite. It’s very light and not bulky. I use it mainly for college and having less weight to carry around is overlooked. You will be paying twice as much to get these kind of specs from Apple. I actually did recommend this to my friend and he bought it and loves it!
It does come with a USB-Lan port which I heard can be a little spotty but I haven’t had problems.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best kept secret
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I have owned a few ultra books but this one tops them all! Better specs than the Razer stealth and A lot less money. It is super light and has execelent performance and best of all running all out it runs very cool..
If I had to have one complaint it’s the ssd size and config and the 256 fb is so fast is almost forgivable but having it split into a c and d at that size is silly easily fixable but still not a big deal at all
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance, Weight
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Nice lightweight, powerful laptop
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Yes, it doesn't have the latest cutting edge specs, but it's lightweight, and plenty powerful for what I do: database work, programming and some light gaming. I'm happy. Biggest drawbacks: Windows 10 (I spend a lot of time in a Mac world) and computer documentation is a bit weak Others might not find this an issue though.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love this little computer
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This little computer is amazing. I am more of an Apple fan, but I needed a PC because I'm going to school for Computer Science, and I wanted to learn more about the Windows side of things. This computer is a perfect size and super powerful. I love it and I would recommend it.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Weight
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great lightweight laptop.
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great light lightweight laptop. Would be great for college students and high school students. Can do some light gaming with it but not much. What it’s great at is CAD work! Two things I wish it had were charging over usb-c and thunderbolt. But other than that it’s great.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance, Weight
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
A solid portable gaming laptop
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Lightweight, but powerful enough to play my favorite games. A good buy.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Weight
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
good laptop
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
good laptop you can game on it and everything all in all good laptop rly light
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Very nice .
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is the gift to my grandson’s high school graduation from me .
He requested me that this is the kind of computer he wants .
He has been searching for a while with his friends.
One of his friend referred to him . After he gets his computer he was very happy ( msi-14”laptop .)he was not disappointed.
As long he is very pleased to have what he wants that really make me happy too
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Graphics card, Weight
Cons mentioned:
Screen quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Compromises? Yes. Compromised? No Way
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
When you're looking at a laptop, you accept that you're going to have to make a few compromises. Maybe it's bigger than you want, maybe it's slower, maybe you have to pay way more than you want to get what you need. The MSI PS42 absolutely makes compromises. But it makes them in places that you're not expecting and certainly won't be missing. And what you get in return is a computer where the only regret is hesitating in making the purchase.
Those compromises are a good place to start. You're not going to get some ultra-mega-high definition screen. It runs at 1080p, just about the bare minimum you can find on a mid-quality laptop in 2019. I won't lie, as a Mac user that is noticeable, even at 14 inches. While touch screens have become increasingly common at the Ultrabook scale, the PS42 does not include one. That isn't a deal breaker (and some may prefer it), the fact is that it seems like a bizarre omission nowadays. The sound you get alongside your standard screen is equally disappointing. In an era where rich sound is considered almost a prerequisite for a mobile device the PS42's speakers simply don't hold up. The sound is tinny, hollow, and there is very little bass. To make the problem more pronounced volume doesn't go particularly high, not that you'd want it to.
The compromises continue down below. Professional reviewers complain about the location of the webcam and, yeah, putting it down below the screen is just...not cool, especially on a computer as small as this. Fortunately the keyboard is far enough back where you won't automatically be looking at someone's knuckles. Still, that low angle is not flattering on anyone. Speaking of the keyboard, the media keys are not mapped to the F buttons as on every other computer. They are mapped to a function around the arrow keys, something I haven't seen on any laptop I've ever owned. No one-button mute on this thing. All told this is not a great device for media consumption, particularly when it comes to music or movies. Though it will technically do the task competitors in this size category vastly outperform it regardless of your preferred OS (including tablet OSs).
And the last compromise? The touchpad is tiny. Itsy bitsy. Still functional, just super small.
That's it with the compromises. "But it's an Ultrabook. It weighs 3 pounds. Surely you're giving up more than a couple of design choices and sound quality." No, you don't.
"Seriously, it doesn't follow Apple's M.O. and make you live with only one or two kinds of I/O?" No it doesn't. You get two USB C ports, a FULL SIZE HDMI output, two USB A ports, and an SD card slot, all alongside a headphone jack. The only thing it doesn't have is an ethernet port...and wouldn't you know it, it comes with a color-matched USB to ethernet dongle. This is not some computer where you find yourself packing some oversized adapter just so you can use a thumb drive and mouse.
You don't compromise on size either. This thing weighs less than a MacBook Air and with a footprint only marginally bigger. Speaking of the MacBook Air and the refined appearance of Macs in general, you don't compromise on looks either. It's sleek, brushed aluminum in a shimmery navy blue. The opposed laptop design paradigms of "make it look professional" or "make it look KOOL" don't apply here. This is nice to look at without being gaudy.
Yet Ultrabooks are expected to make compromises on performance. MSI profoundly disagreed with that sentiment when they made this thing The fact is that if you want 16 gigs of RAM behind a 4 gig graphics card and an 8th gen i7, you're going to be within a couple hundred bucks of the PS42. But you won't find another computer with those specs that weighs less than a half gallon of milk. We are talking numbers that frankly shouldn't be seen in a computer this small and light.
To make it better, the cooling system for the graphics card is independent of the processor, not even using the same vent. And, because of where the vents are placed, you can actually use this LAPtop on your LAP without cooking your legs or the hardware. This thing isn't fast 'for its size,' it's just fast. Though you won't be playing every game at the highest graphical setting it allows, you will be able to play most at usable while comfortably sitting on the couch.
Standard features in this price point round out the spec list. The hard drive is big enough for normal use, particularly when accompanied by the cloud computing features that are all the rage. The touch pad includes multitouch. The keyboard is fine, even backlit with an unobtrusive blueish white light. The fingerprint reader works just fine. The wifi, though not up to the latest standard, got everything I needed downloaded fast enough (admittedly my router is due for an upgrade). No optical drive, but those are getting more rare and less necessary by the day. The Windows OS is what it is and there isn't a ton of unexpected bloatware, with the only MSI specific software included being hardware monitoring tool.
And that segues into the final point. My husband and I are active Apple users. We like the hardware, we like the software. And when circumstances required us to start looking for a light performance laptop the immediate thought was the entry-level MacBook Pro. And even when we accepted that we wouldn't get what we needed there the thought was that our existing Macs would remain the primary computers for everyday use. The first few hours using the MSI PS42 -which we have affectionately named Missy Blue- provided a very compelling argument against that thought. It is light. It is fast. It looks good. It connects to everything.
And my only regret is waiting so long to buy one.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love it
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Posted . Owned for 1 year when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Looks great, perfect specs for my needs. The build feels very solid.
It can run a little hot at times but this can be property managed by ensuring it always has plenty of space below so it can breathe.