MSI GF Series 15.6" GF63 THIN 9SC Black 2019

The MSI GF63 Thin 9SC is a budget gaming laptop that prioritizes portability over power. It handles esports titles fine but struggles with modern AAA games due to its aging 4-core i5 and 8GB of single-channel RAM. The 512GB SSD is a nice inclusion, but the dim 60Hz screen and loud fans are reminders of the cost cutting. Worth considering if you find it under $650 and mostly play lighter games, but plan on adding more RAM.

The GTX 1650 Max-Q lands in the 72nd percentile of all gaming laptops in our database, which sounds decent until you remember that includes a lot of older and lower-end hardware. In real-world terms, you're looking at 60+ fps in games like CS:GO, Valorant, and Overwatch at medium to high settings. For more demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or Red Dead Redemption 2, you'll need to drop to low settings and maybe even 720p to stay above 30 fps. The 4GB of VRAM is the main bottleneck here, and it's going to age fast as games get more texture-heavy.

The i5-9300H is where things get rough. It sits in the 18th percentile for laptop CPUs in our database, which is frankly pretty low. It's a 4-core, 8-thread chip from 2019, and it shows its age in anything CPU-intensive. Pair that with 8GB of single-channel RAM in the 6th percentile, and you've got a recipe for stuttering in open-world games or when multitasking. We'd strongly recommend adding a second stick of RAM to enable dual-channel mode, which can boost gaming performance by 10-15% in some titles. The 512GB NVMe SSD is solidly middle-of-the-pack at the 54th percentile, with read speeds around 1,500 MB/s that keep Windows feeling snappy.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is in a completely different league, with a far better CPU, a higher-refresh screen, and an RTX GPU that runs circles around the GTX 1650 Max-Q. But it also costs two to three times as much, so that's not really a fair fight. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 is similarly a high-end beast that makes the GF63 look like a toy. If you have the budget, those are objectively better machines. But if you're shopping in the GF63's price bracket, the real competitors are things like the Acer Nitro 5 and HP Pavilion Gaming 15.

Against those budget rivals, the MSI's main advantage is its portability. It's thinner and lighter than most gaming laptops at this price, which matters if you're carrying it daily. The trade-off is that the Nitro 5 typically offers a 120Hz or 144Hz screen and better cooling, while the Pavilion Gaming line often includes more RAM and a newer CPU for a similar price. The GF63 is the "thin and light" option in the budget gaming space, but you pay for that slimness with heat and noise.

Pricing on this model is all over the place, with a spread of over $114,000 across vendors. Obviously, that's some kind of data error or a wildly optimistic third-party seller, but it highlights that you need to shop carefully. The real street price for this configuration should be somewhere in the $600 to $750 range based on what we're seeing. At that level, the price-to-performance ratio is actually pretty compelling for an entry-level gaming machine. You're getting a discrete GPU and a fast SSD in a portable chassis for less than a lot of ultrabooks with integrated graphics.

Compared to the competition, you can sometimes find a newer Acer Nitro 5 or Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 with a GTX 1650 Ti or even an RTX 3050 for not much more money, and those will come with better screens and more RAM out of the box. If you spot this MSI on sale for under $650, it's a decent pickup. If it's creeping toward $800, you should look elsewhere.

The MSI GF63 Thin 9SC is what we'd call a gateway gaming laptop. It's for someone who wants to dip their toes into PC gaming without selling a kidney, or a student who needs a machine that can handle some Fortnite between lectures. At 4.1 pounds and under an inch thick, it looks more like a standard work laptop than a chunky RGB monster, which is honestly a plus if you're carrying it around campus or a coffee shop. The brushed black finish is understated, and the thin bezels around the 15.6-inch screen keep it feeling modern.

Under the hood, you're getting a 9th Gen Intel Core i5 paired with a GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q. That's not cutting-edge silicon by any stretch, but it's a combo that can still deliver playable framerates in esports titles and older AAA games. The 512GB NVMe SSD is a nice surprise at this price point, giving you fast boot times and enough room for a handful of big games. Just don't expect to keep your entire Steam library installed at once.

But here's the thing: this laptop makes some real compromises to hit its price. The 8GB of RAM is single-channel in most configurations, which chokes the CPU in some games. The 60Hz screen with 45% NTSC color coverage is dim and washed out compared to even budget gaming panels these days. And that thin chassis means the cooling solution is working overtime. If you go in with eyes wide open about what you're getting, it's a solid deal. If you're expecting a desktop replacement, you'll be disappointed.

If you're planning to play the latest AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Starfield, or Alan Wake 2, this is not the laptop for you. The 4-core CPU and 4GB GTX 1650 Max-Q simply don't have the horsepower for those games at acceptable settings, and you'll be stuck at 30 fps on low with muddy textures. Look for something with at least a 6-core CPU and an RTX 3050 or better. The Acer Nitro 5 or Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 with a 3050 are often within $100-200 of this MSI and will give you a much better experience.

Content creators and anyone doing video editing or 3D rendering should also steer clear. The 8GB of RAM and 45% NTSC screen are major limitations for color-accurate work, and the i5-9300H will struggle with rendering tasks. Even a budget ultrabook with a newer Ryzen 5 or Core i5 and integrated graphics might serve you better for productivity, while a MacBook Air M1 or used MacBook Pro would run circles around this for creative work.

If you're a student or casual gamer who mostly plays esports titles and older games, and you value portability above raw performance, the GF63 Thin 9SC is a solid choice. It'll handle League of Legends, Minecraft, and CS:GO without breaking a sweat, and the understated design means it won't draw unwanted attention in a lecture hall. Just budget for an extra 8GB stick of RAM to unlock dual-channel performance, and keep your charger handy because the battery won't last through a full day of classes.

For anyone who wants to play the latest AAA games at decent settings, or who plans to keep this laptop for more than a couple of years, we'd recommend saving up a bit more for something with at least a GTX 1660 Ti or RTX 3050 and a 120Hz screen. The GF63's 4-core CPU and 4GB VRAM are already showing their age, and they're only going to feel more limiting as games get more demanding. This is a laptop for right now, not for the future.