The MSI Thin 15 B12VE-2023US is the latest entrant in MSI’s already exciting line of budget gaming laptops. It’s cheaper than last year’s model – the MSI GF63 Thin, but it packs a punch for gamers on a budget, with fewer bells and whistles than some pro gamers may be used to. But at its core, it’s a pretty functional machine with solid gaming and productivity performance.
MSI describes the Thin 15 primarily as a gaming laptop; the B12VE-2023US won’t look out of place at work or in the classroom, which gives it an excellent level of functionality that most users desire in their ideal laptop. Under the hood, it features an Intel Core i7-12650H processor, Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD storage.
For the price of under a grand, it offers decent 1080p gaming performance that won’t break your bank and somehow manages to deliver a sturdy build that will withstand a few pushes and shoves in daily use. If you’re in the market for an entry-level gaming laptop and looking to spend as little as possible, this MSI Thin 15 gets the job done well.
About the MSI B12VE-2023US
Here is the MSI Thin 15 (B12VE-2023US) configuration in this review:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-12650H
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 (8G GDDR6)
- RAM: 16GB (8G*2) DDR4 3200MHz
- Screen: 15.6-inch 1920×1080 IPS-level, 144Hz
- Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen3 SSD
- Ports: 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1x HDMI 2.1, RJ-45 Ethernet, 3.5mm mic in, 3.5mm headphone out
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
- Camera: 720p webcam
- Weight: 4.1 pounds
- Size: 14.13 x 0.09 x 9.99 inches
Design & Features
MSI’s latest rig sports a premium aesthetic and design than it costs: the brushed metal casing looks chic, and the red keyboard and edging, plus the logos, give the B12VE-2023US some consistency from its predecessors. It looks more refined than the military-inspired Asus TUF Gaming A15 and more polished than the Acer Nitro 5. At this price range, only the Dell G5 15 Gaming looks sleeker, but it packs previous-gen components.
Weighing 4.1 pounds, the MSI Thin 15 is very portable, and the 0.85-inch-thick body is great, too – competitors typically weigh more than 5 pounds and are at least an inch thick.
However, with the slim design, you lose on sturdiness. The metal above the keyboard flexes, the plastic on the base moves a little too much, and the display isn’t that solid. If you’ll be using the MSI B12VE-2023US at home, that won’t be an issue, but you’ll need a protective sleeve for your daily commute.
Port selection is decent but within the standard threshold of most gaming laptops. On the left edge, there’s a single full-size USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, while the right-hand side holds a USB-C port and an additional full-size USB connection alongside Gigabit Ethernet. There’s an HDMI 2.0 socket on the rear, and on the inside, there’s dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
On the top bezel, there’s a 720p webcam, but it doesn’t support Windows Hello. Also, the laptop doesn’t have a card reader or Thunderbolt. While those connections make a laptop more future-proof, for daily gaming, they’re not very necessary. The TUF Gaming A15 arrives with two USB-C ports, while the Nitro 5 gets faster USB connectivity, and the Dell G5 15 comes with a fingerprint reader and HDMI 2.1.
Display, Keyboard & Touchpad
Given the asking price, the screen here is bright and colorful; MSI uses a 1080p IPS panel with 227 nits peak brightness and offers good color reproduction. Granted, its blacks aren’t as sharp as those seen on more expensive laptops like the Alienware m18 R2, but the overall image quality is great. Our review unit, the B12VE-2023US, comes with a 144Hz refresh rate – making it a good choice for esports games.
The keyboard, on the other hand, is pretty standard, offering well-spaced keys that have decent travel and distance. The plastic frame means there’s some amount of flex in the center of the keyboard when pressed firmly, but most users won’t notice this effect during regular use. It doesn’t have a number pad and comes with a single-zone backlight rather than RGB LEDs.
The trackpad is rather an oddity, with a raised lip surrounding the edges of the rectangle, creating immediate tactile feedback when your finger hits the edge of the touchpad. I like it, but a USB mouse would transform your gameplay even if you spend ten dollars or pounds.
Gaming & Graphics Performance
The Nvidia RTX 4050 laptop graphics card inside this MSI Thin 15 isn’t going to compete with more expensive GPUs in this series at resolutions above 1080p, but it’s not trying to. If you’re happy with frame rates that stay above 60fps, you can play most games at 1080p with your graphics settings set to Ultra, which is fantastic.
If you’re willing to drop your settings a little, maintaining 75 frames per second shouldn’t be a challenge. In The Witcher 3 benchmark, the MSI B12VE-2023US averages 59 fps at Ultra and was able to get 72 fps by dropping the graphics preset to high and dialing a handful of settings down to Medium. The game will still look great, thanks to the bright colors of the MSI GF63 Thin’s display.
The good performance is repeated on Doom Eternal, which runs between 136 to 147 frames per second at both medium and high settings. Thanks to the fluid frame rate and fast 144Hz refresh rate, you’ll not have issues navigating the expansive landscapes and killing anything during gameplay. Cyberpunk 2077 also runs like a dream at 49 to 72 frames per second, depending on your settings.
Keep in mind the built-in MSI Center application automatically sets the laptop to “Extreme Performance” immediately after you launch a game. This frees up system memory to enhance gaming performance. You’ll see an increase of about 5 to 10 fps with Extreme Performance turned on, which is still great if you want to squeeze every possible frame rate out of the game.
Ray-tracing isn’t particularly an option with lower-end RTX cards, so don’t get your hopes high with that feature on the RTX 4050. Enabling it in Cyberpunk 2077 completely tanks the frame rate even at lower settings, and since already at 1080p, Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling tech isn’t the most effective way to boost ray-traced performance. Nonetheless, ray tracing is quite a niche feature that most users don’t offer, so it’s still a minor complaint here.
Productivity performance is generally decent here; the 12th-Gen Intel Core i7-12650H paired with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage make for a solid everyday use machine. Performance in CPU-bound tasks like media creation and editing is great, and the addition of an RTX 4050 graphics card makes this a productivity powerhouse for content creators. Given the price tag, I’m thoroughly impressed with the overall gaming and productivity performance here.
Battery Life
With a 51Whr battery, the 2024 MSI Thin 15 offers a little more than previous models, but it’s still very average. The thin chassis means there’s simply not enough room to pack a larger battery, and while you might expect the lower-end internal components to use less power, the Thin 15 can’t manage more than 5 hours of use at 50% brightness.
It’s not worse, but it’s not amazing either. Lasting around five hours of use for general tasks like web browsing is fine, but the Thin B12VE-2023US won’t last over three hours in most games, even in power-efficiency mode. Ultimately, as with most gaming laptops, the MSI Thin 15 is designed to be used for gaming while plugged into a wall outlet.
MSI Thin 15 B12VE-2023US Review | Verdict
The MSI Thin 15 B12VE-2023US is about as affordable as gaming laptops get, and for under $1000, you get an affordable machine that will run modern AAA titles at 1080p smoothly. It handles everyday esports and has the processing power for daily computing. The keyboard is decent, and the MSI is slimmer and lighter than any competitor, at least for now.
Elsewhere, though, it’s not the best option for gamers looking to play AAA titles at 1440p or 4K at the highest quality settings. If you’re happy to spend a bit extra, you’ll find bolder, brighter screens, fast USB ports, better battery life, and more feature-packed enclosures.
The MSI Thin 15 is slim, light, and handles 1080p gaming pretty well – and its price is extremely reachable. It’ll do the job if all you need is an affordable notebook for a combination of work and play, but you’ll need to stay near a power socket. But if you can afford more, certain aspects get a lot better.
If your budget is flexible, both the MSI Katana 15 (Core i7-13620H; GeForce RTX 4070) and Lenovo Legion 5i (Intel Core i7-14650HX; RTX 4070) are great midrange gaming alternatives. Otherwise, the MSI Thin 15 (2024) remains a great budget gaming laptop that we can easily recommend for both work and play.
Recommended Configuration
MSI Thin 15 15.6” 144Hz FHD Gaming Laptop: Intel Core i7-12650H, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4050, 16GB DDR5, 512GB NVMe SSD, Cooler Boost 5, Win 11: Black B12VE-2023US
$799.99 in stock
7 used from $783.74
The Review
MSI Thin 15
The MSI Thin 15 B12VE-2023US is affordable, thin, and handles everyday eSports and mainstream AAA games at mid-range settings, and it gets a comfortable keyboard and a light design. It’s a good value buy for gaming and everyday productivity.
PROS
- Incredibly affordable for the specs
- Slim, light chassis
- Comfortable keyboard
- Capable in midrange games
CONS
- Rivals are pretty much faster
- Mediocre battery life
Review Breakdown
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ARS SCORE
