MSI GF65 15.6" Thin 10UE 2021, Xeon Platinum 8160M, 8GB, 512GB SSD, RTX 3060, Black

An RTX 3060 in a budget body with 8GB of RAM and a battery that dies before your coffee gets cold. Great GPU, questionable everything else.

The RTX 3060 with 8GB of VRAM is the saving grace here. It sits in the 76th percentile for GPU performance, which means it's well above average for this class of machine. But that CPU is a head-scratcher. A 2-core Xeon Platinum 8160M at 2.5GHz lands in the 31st percentile, which is mediocre at best. In GPU-bound games you'll be fine, but anything that leans on the processor will stutter. The 144Hz display is nice on paper, but with 8GB of RAM and that CPU, you won't hit 144fps in anything demanding. The screen itself is middle of the pack, so don't expect vibrant colors or great viewing angles.

Against the Lenovo Legion 5i 83F00008US, the GF65 loses on build quality, cooling, and out-of-the-box RAM. The Legion is the better all-around gaming laptop if you can stretch your budget. The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 GZ302EA is a different beast entirely, more portable and versatile, but pricier. If you're cross-shopping with the HP OMEN Transcend 14-fb1023dx, the OMEN has a better screen and thermals, though the GF65's GPU is competitive. The Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro isn't even in the same conversation for gaming, so if that's on your list, you're not the target buyer here.

At USD 900 in the US, this is a tempting entry point for RTX 3060 gaming. But the EUR pricing is all over the place, ranging from EUR 1,409 to EUR 1,812 across three listings. That's a EUR 403 spread, which is wild. If you're in Europe, shop around and don't pay anywhere near the high end of that range. The real cost here is the RAM upgrade you'll almost certainly need, plus the fact that opening the case to do it voids your warranty. Factor that in before you buy.

The MSI GF65 Thin 10UE is a budget gaming laptop that punches above its weight class in one specific area: the RTX 3060. That GPU is the star here, and it's the reason this thing can run Diablo 4 and Call of Duty at respectable frame rates. But the rest of the package feels like MSI cut every corner they could find to hit a price point. 8GB of RAM in a gaming laptop in this era is borderline criminal, and the CPU is a weird mismatch that holds the GPU back in CPU-heavy titles.

If you need a laptop that lasts more than two hours on battery, this isn't it. Go get a Lenovo Legion 5i or an ASUS ROG with better thermals and more RAM out of the box. If you're not comfortable opening up a laptop to add RAM, or you don't want to void a warranty on day one, skip this entirely.

The GF65 Thin 10UE is a classic case of a great GPU trapped in a budget chassis. If you're willing to add RAM, deal with the heat, and accept that the battery is basically a UPS, you'll get solid 1080p gaming for the money. But most people are better off saving a bit more for a Legion or OMEN that doesn't require immediate surgery and a warranty waiver. Buy this only if the price is right and you know exactly what you're getting into.