The MSI Cyborg 14 favors style and substance over pure size
MSI has updated their budget cyberpunk gaming Cyborg line with a 14-inch entry level model
MSI unveiled the Cyborg 14 at CES as an updated, entry-level model in the Cyborg family of laptops. The Cyborg 15 had its debut last year at CES 2023, toting cyberpunk aesthetics and a mechanized exterior with translucent panels. The Cyborg 14 is a smaller, thinner, and lighter model that features similar design aesthetics and updated hardware.
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CES 2024: MSI Cyborg 15
The Cyborg 15 was already a budget gaming laptop with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 configuration retailing for under $1,000 while the RTX 4060 edition required a slight increase in budget.
With the Cyborg 14, you get a more portable form factor with similar aesthetics and the power of MSI’s AI Engine. This laptop is designed to be useful for both gaming and productivity, as something of an all-in-one laptop solution.
Even still, you can still expect the Cyborg 14 to adhere to that budget-friendly pricing, with configurations starting at just $1,099.
Powerful hardware with a budget mindset
MSI's Cyborg 15 was one of the better budget gaming laptops, even if it didn't make it to our list of favorites. MSI has a number of lower-end gaming laptop lines and the Cyborg 15 seemed to get lost in the crowd. The Cyborg 14 may fair a bit better this year as its designed to hit that sweet "even numbers only" trend, while also providing a more accessible entry into the Cyborg family.
The Cyborg 14 offers configurations outfitted with up to a 13th gen Intel Core i7-13620H, 64 GB of DDR5 RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage. Configurations for the Cyborg 14 also feature Nvidia GeForce RTX 40-series graphics, maxing out with an RTX 4060 GPU with its Ada Lovelace architecture, DLSS 3.5, and panoramic ray-tracing.
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The laptop comes with WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. The 14-inch 16:10 IPS display panel boasts FHD+ (1920 x 1200) resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, and 100% gamut volume on the sRGB color space.
Perhaps the largest selling point of the Cybrog 14 is its size. The laptop reportedly weighs only 3.5 lbs (1.6 Kg) and features a 14-inch display, making it a decent bit smaller than its 15-inch counterpart.
The Cyborg 14 also features a single-color blue keyboard backlight, so you lose some customization options in favor of the smaller form factor. The blue does keep to the laptop’s Cyberpunk themes, so the laptop stays stylish enough. The 14 also ditches the “MSI True Gaming” etching from the bottom cover of the Cyborg 15.
The Cyborg 14 also leverages MSI’s new AI Engine software to optimize laptop settings for increased performance and immersive entertainment. Settings that may be altered by the AI Enginge software include display, audio, power profiles, and keyboard backlight.
A former lab gremlin for Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, and Tech Radar; Madeline has escaped the labs to join Laptop Mag as a Staff Writer. With over a decade of experience writing about tech and gaming, she may actually know a thing or two. Sometimes. When she isn't writing about the latest laptops and AI software, Madeline likes to throw herself into the ocean as a PADI scuba diving instructor and underwater photography enthusiast.