If you build it, they will come
I love the production values of the MSI presentations; they are short, concise and we even got a cameo from Linus of LinusTechTips. The announcements covered both the new creator series laptops and also the gaming series, so we’ve broke these down into separate announcements. For the gaming series laptops, follow this link
With the meteoric rise of streaming, VoD and user-generated content, we are now seeing all of the major manufacturers releasing devices aimed at content creators. MSI is trying to stand out by offering the whole package – multiple Thunderbolt 4 ports, exceptional colour accuracy, great battery life and speedy components. Admittedly we have seen the likes of ASUS and Acer offer almost identical laptops, but the Creator Z16 is the first I recall with more than one Thunderbolt 4 port.
MSI Creator Z16
Key Features:
- Components
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 ‘Rocket Lake’ CPU
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
- Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675
- 2x PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- 90Whr Battery – Fast-charging
- Display
- Touchscreen
- 16″ QHD+ (2560×1600) 120Hz
- 16:10 display ratio
- MSI True Pixel
- 100% DCI-P3 Colour Gamut
- Delta-E <2 (colour deviance – lower is better)
- Calman verified (professional calibration)
- System
- Cooler Boost Trinity+ cooling solution
- 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports supporting charging and DP1.4
- 4 speaker arrangement
- IR Camera (720p30)
- 16.18mm thin, 2.2 Kg
- Micro SD slot
The Creator Z16 is a beautiful looking laptop, with a stunning, curved-edged, CNC machined aluminium case and subtle but elegant styling. For creators, the 11th Gen i7 and RTX 3060 will render 40% faster than the previous 10th Gen i7 and RTX 2060 pairing.
MSI Creator 17
Key Features:
- Components
- 11th Gen Intel Core i9 ‘Rocket Lake’ CPU
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 16GB / 3070 / 3060
- Wi-Fi 6E
- PCIe Gen 4 SSD + PCIe Gen 3 SSD slots
- 99.9Whr Battery – Fast-charging
- Display
- 17.3″ UHD mini-LED backlit screen
- HDR1000 (1000 nits peak brightness)
- 240 dimming zones
- MSI True Pixel
- Calman verified (professional calibration)
- System
- 20 mm thin, 2.45 Kg
If you want a bigger screen and more power, the Creator 17 could be the device for you – the thinnest and most powerful laptop in its class. Aside from the stellar performance, the display is the main talking point here. The 17″ display is backlit with mini-LEDs, with a total of 240 dimming zones and a frankly incredible 1000 nits peak brightness.
MSI Creator M16
Key Features:
- Components
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 ‘Rocket Lake’ CPU
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti / 3050
- Wi-Fi 6E
- PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- 90WH Battery – Fast-charging
- Display
- 16″ mini-LED backlit screen
- 100% DCI-P3
- 500 nits peak brightness
- Calman verified (professional calibration)
- System
- Cooler Boost Trinity+ cooling solution
- 23.9mm thin, 2.2kg
The performance components are not quite as beastly as the Creator 17, but the RTX 3050 Ti is still a competent creator GPU, and MSI hasn’t skimped on the display. The 16″ panel is again mini-LED backlit, and has a peak brightness of 500 nits, as well as being professionally calibrated for colour accuracy.
MSI’s new line-up of notebooks is now available for pre-order at:
https://uk.msi.com/Landing/2021-11th-rtx30-laptops/nb
