syn_anandtech: MSI’s PS42 Business Laptop Now Available: 14-Inch Quad-Core Ultrabook

MSI’s PS42 Business Laptop Now Available: 14-Inch Quad-Core Ultrabook

MSI has started to ship its ultrathin Prestige-series laptops that it introduced in early June. The new PS42 models feature a 14-inch display, a quad-core CPU, and a discrete GPU in select models. MSI positions the new notebooks primarily for business users who need maximum portability, which is why the laptops are thinner and lighter than most 13.3-inch mobile PCs.

The MSI Prestige PS42 notebooks feature a 14-inch IPS Full HD display and are based on Intel’s quad-core Core i5-8250U or Core i7-8550U processors. Depending on exact model, the notebooks may be outfitted with 8 or 16 GB of single-channel DDR4-2400 memory, a 256 to 1 TB SSD featuring a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, and NVIDIA’s GeForce MX150 dGPU (PS42 8RB SKUs only). The latter certainly offers better performance in games than Intel’s UHD 630 iGPU, but do not expect it to run modern games at high FPS using this chip.

Apart from its 14-inch display and a discrete GPU, two key selling points of MSI’s Prestige PS42 are its weight and thickness. The laptop weighs around 1.19 kg (2.623 lbs), which is in line with Lenovo’s latest X1 Carbon. Meanwhile, the notebook has a z-height of 15.9 mm (0.62 inches), which is 1 mm thicker than Apple’s latest MacBook Pro 13.3-inch. Considering the fact that the PS42 comes in a brushed aluminum chassis, it is logical to expect the notebook to feature a solid build and be fairly durable too. Meanwhile, to minimize dimensions and weight, MSI has to stick to a 50 Wh battery that provides up to 10 hours of operation on one charge, enough for a day, but not exactly long by today's standards.

On the connectivity side of things, the MSI Prestige PS42 offers a pretty standard configuration for business laptops. For wireless comms, the notebook has an Intel Wireless-AC 3168 1×1 802.11ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.2 controller. When it comes to physical ports, the laptop is outfitted with four USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A and Type-C headers, an HDMI 1.4 output (so, 4Kp30 only), an SD card reader, and a TRRS audio connector. Naturally, a 720p webcam (albeit located beneath the display), a microphone array, and stereo speakers are also present.

General Specifications of MSI's Prestige PS42
		PS42 8RB	PS42 8M
Display	Diagonal	14"
	Resolution	1920×1080
	Type	IPS
CPU		Intel Core i5-8250U (4C/8T, 1.6 - 3.4 GHz, 6 MB cache) Intel Core i7-8550U (4C/8T, 1.8 - 4 GHz, 8 MB cache)
PCH		integrated
Graphics		NVIDIA GeForce MX150 with 2 GB GDDR5 GP108, 384 SPs	Intel UHD 630
RAM		8 - 16 GB DDR4 (single channel, 1 SO-DIMM slot)
Storage	M.2 SSD	256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
	Interface	PCIe 3.0/NVMe
Wi-Fi		Intel Wireless-AC 3168 1×1 802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth		Bluetooth 4.2
USB		2 × USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A 2 × USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C
Display Outputs		1 × HDMI 1.4
Audio		2 × 2 W speakers Microphones 3.5-mm audio jack for headset Nahimic 3 software enhancements
Fingerprint Reader		Yes
Other I/O		720p HD webcam, SD card reader
Battery		50 Wh
Dimensions	Width	32.2 cm \| 12.67 inches
	Depth	22.2 cm \| 8.74 inches
	Thickness	15.9 mm \| 0.62 inches
Weight		1.19 kg \| 2.623 lbs	1.18 kg \| 2.601 lbs

MSI this month started to sell its Prestige PS42 laptops worldwide. The notebooks are available in different configurations depending on the region and reseller. For example, Amazon currently offers three configs from $899 for the most simplistic version and $1,349 for the most advanced one.

MSI's Prestige PS42 Laptops Available at Amazon
	PS42 8M-064	PS42 8RB-060	PS42 8RB-059
CPU	Intel Core i5-8250U 4C/8T 1.6 - 3.4 GHz 6 MB cache		Intel Core i7-8550U 4C/8T 1.8 - 4 GHz 8 MB cache
GPU	Intel UHD 630	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 with 2 GB GDDR5
RAM	8 GB DDR4		16 GB DDR4
Storage	256 GB SSD	512 GB SSD
Price	$899	$1,099	$1,349

Buy MSI PS42 8RB-059 on Amazon.com