MSI Cyborg

Cyborg is the entry point of MSI’s gaming laptop range, positioned below Katana.

The design brief is to get a discrete graphics card and a high-refresh screen into a machine at the lowest sensible price, and to save on everything else — chassis materials, keyboard, and the cooling headroom that the higher ranges use to run components harder.

That is a legitimate trade for a first gaming laptop or for someone who plays at 1080p. It is worth going in with clear eyes about two specifications.

The graphics power limit. Where MSI publishes it, this figure tells you more than the GPU name does — two laptops with the same card can differ noticeably depending on how hard the chassis lets it run, and an entry chassis runs it more conservatively.

The display. Look for 144Hz or better; a fast GPU behind a 60Hz panel wastes what it produces.

Also check whether memory is on slots, which makes a later upgrade to 32GB inexpensive.

See MSI Katana or the wider gaming laptops range.