MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF Gaming Laptop Review: Is It Worth It?

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In this video, we'll be unboxing the MSI Cyborg 15 A12VF, a previous-gen but still fully relevant laptop from MSI that promises great performance in a sleek, thin, easy-to-carry mobile package. Let's take a closer look at it to see what makes it so small and light, but big on performance!
#msi #cyborg #15 #a12vf #gaming #laptop #gaminglaptop #laptopreview #msigaming #cyborg15
---
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:56 Build
02:01 Keyboard and Trackpad
02:21 Ports
03:38 Vents
04:28 Webcam
04:53 Display
05:51 Speakers
06:37 Specs
07:34 Inside Look
08:15 Performance
08:50 Performance: Synthetics
09:24 Performance: Games
11:40 Battery & Thermals
12:40 Verdict
13:33 Outro
---
My gear:
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Mic:
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Mounting
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Accesories
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[@TonyLightTravels]

Will this laptop video edit in premier pro or capcut pc and do you know if the export is decent on video edits. I would upgrade to 32 gb ram. im on a budget but if i can get something much better for video editing around 1200 i might do it but 800 bucks is hard to not look at! Thanks

[@haynako122]

4:53 PEEKABOO! Love your review!

[@LONEWOLF21sigma]

Im in DXB right now and planning to buy a budget gaming laptop, thank you for this honest review since its one of my prospects to buy.

[@TheUniversalRocker]

Anyone can comment on the single fan setup? Is there any thermal throttling and do the temps get to 90c above for cpu and gpu?

[@ThichSmartphone2807]

Can I use it to upscale videos? I use topaz to edit videos that are 24' long and quite heavy

[@mohamedminoual9057]

Thank you for the review. Great video

[@mohithgr1641]

Mind blowing quality of the video.. Looks damn professional and very detailed. Kudos to the great review😃 Looking forward to more of this!🤩

[@esmaciftci4679]

did you buy it and did it came with 8 ram or 16

[@indigo254F]

@@esmaciftci467916

[@WiseRiderStas]

Hello! My configuration for this laptop is Cyborg 15 A12VF-259XBY. It is equipped with DDR5 16GB(8GB*2) and 1TB SSD right out of the box! Great versatile car! You can work with video in Adobe Premier Pro!

[@VoLcKEA1]

Yes mine as well. I'm really happy with it. Esp for the price

[@tr3ndtv399]

editings really neat !

[@sparrow9798]

Hi! Is it compatible for architecture softwares such as autocad, grasshopper, sketchup and the rest all together? Can it handle all softwares acting at the same time?

[@Sandia8]

i have this computer and i did not know anything about it . thanks for the video

[@janrienaquino1599]

Bro. I’m planning to buy the MSI Cyborg A15 Rtx 4060 model or the ASUS TUF 7700S model. Which one do you recommend?

[@T0ucan0]

yo sir im choosing between this and the acer predator helios neo 16 with the i5-13500HX which do you think is better? the neo 16 last time i checked near me was priced at 59k and the msi was 56k

[@iimspideyi9530]

Would I be able to use it as a PC for streaming on twitch/kick?

[@guldenoozaru7530]

Hello, I am having trouble with regards in gaming. The keyboard's input is super delayed. Every time I press a key, it inputs 1-1.5 seconds after. When I hold or keep pressing a key and I stop, it doesn't stop. This only happens when I open a game. When I alt tab or go to a normal app or program, it works perfectly fine, but when I go back to the game, the keyboard input is super late. I also saw some people having the same issue with this laptop. How can I fix this problem?

[@IzekaiEdits]

I’m trying to be a editor right now and will the low quality of sound and the non colour accurate screen effect my editing? Because those two are very important when it comes to editing and I’m on a budget so I’m curious.

[@Simon-qi4kd]

I don't know why i have same laptop but in games at high not ultra i get fps drops help

[@lentak-e9n]

is there a big difference between 2.4-3.2 Ghz processor frequency when playing games and streaming?

[@LloydAsim]

How does this fare with the MSI pulse 17? Excellent work!

[@abdullahahmed9867]

Is it good laptop for engineering design? Or what do you suggest of lapotop for a structural engineer

[@RemixWizzard]

You killed the review! Great job 🙏👌

[@Awakzn]

Could someone please clarify whether a regular SSD card will fit in my system, or do I need an M.2 SSD? I have $300.

[@AlanSmith555]

Can I eventually change the color of the leds?

[@yigitguzel0]

thank you for the honest review :)

[@AviationGamingINC.]

Hello does this gaming laptop OVER HEAT or does it keep its way cooled?

[@COPIUMTRUCK]

Is single fan enough for cooling? Mostly the gaming notebooks have 2 fans

[@nouryyard]

Hello. Should I get this one with i5 and 16gb for 600€ or asus tuf Ryzen 7 7735HS with 17" and 90watt for 800€? It's good that it has bigger screen, but it's also heavier...

[@felipeariasoficial]

How good is it for music production?

[@KouroshFarrokhzad]

Excellent review Kevin. I'm new to the channel - and immediately subscribed. Excellent, comprehensive, professional stuff - looking forward to more reivews! :)

[@KevinEvangelista]

Thank you very much! I'm very glad you enjoyed it, and cheers for the subscribe! More great content coming soon!

[@twigcapra.]

@@KevinEvangelista kevinnnnnnnnnn

[@reechpotato778]

@@KevinEvangelistar u selling this laptop of yours? 😅

[@KevinEvangelista]

@@reechpotato778 unfortunately not sir, it was only a review unit and I've already returned it to MSI. haha! Also, very familiar with your channel! I work with Leo of ThirtyOne Digital!

[@reechpotato778]

@@KevinEvangelista damn! Sayang super looking for a gaming laptop pa naman 😭

[@julianavarela231]

I have never seen a review this good about anything. What an amazing job, congrats!

[@KevinEvangelista]

Thank you very much!

[@niels_nc_store]

ima get 100% now just gotta get some money to gather. great review thanks for that

[@arkijm]

Hi sir! Would you recommend this to architects doing bim?

[@peterelkhoury4624]

what is tdp and why does it limit the specs

[@bullfigther5484]

can the laptop change its rgb lights?

[@luckymancilha03]

Really nice review thanks

[@hambooger6127]

Clean and slick review. keep it up

[@KingdomWalk-vt4kc]

amazing review THANK YOU! i got a victus and couldnt handle the heating whine. i had never even heard that term before but it was UNBEARABLE. returning it ang getting this as it is on sale. thanks again bro. solid solid solid. also got this victus after exchanging an asus tuff because HEAT RELEASES ON THE MOUSE HAND???? what is that even! insane. anyway. God bless.

[@AlvarezCarlLawrence]

Also can this run cods,hell let loose resident evil remakes,fortnite,battlefields and gta 5 at max settings 1080p?

[@legendgod]

Can the usb-c work as display port?

[@Molly_Lolix]

Is the Is one at Best Buy “MSI - Cyborg 15.6" 144hz Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 with 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD - Black” got the right configuration?

[@YarmeI]

Hey Kevin! I was thinking about purchasing this laptop or the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, both for college and for more soft core gaming. What would you think?

[@ianlee1305]

Hi Kevin, question. Are you able to change the colors of the keyboard?

[@justmindingmyown]

Thank you, decent review...subbed :)

[@Ramdoncontentmadness]

Can the keyboard change colour?

[@mayerjm18]

Hi I just got offered this laptop, MSI A12VF 12th gen i5 1245OH 2.00 ghz 16 go ram Is it good for video editing?

[@user-rx7nf8ys4s]

Asus tuf a15 msi cyborg 15 lenova idepad gaming 3 ?????

[@dionjolito392]

great review, man! new subscriber here! I've been really eyeing this, but with the i5 12th gen and the 3050 6gb. but i can't really decide whether this or the LOQ 15. as a student, battery life really matters to me so I'm leaning towards this.

[@borandagio807]

Great review thank you for the information just purchased one after watching

[@esmaciftci4679]

did you buy it and did it came with 8 ram or 16

[@havster98]

There are both options ​@@esmaciftci4679

[@user-mb6yc1sr7i]

Very informative, kuya thank you

[@hexajon93]

Glad I watched this, just bought mine with 32GB RAM. Should be here on Wednesday! I used to always have desktop gaming computers (which will always reign supreme over laptops) but I travel too much and always want my gaming on the go. While I enjoy my ASUS Rog Ally a lot, I need a better laptop than what I have now. My current laptop is the MSI GF63 Thin 9sc. Has 8GB of RAM and GeForce GTX 1650. For the time I bought it, this was a great laptop. Still surprisingly running like new! But games are getting more demanding. I don’t play a whole lot of high demanding games. I believe the most demanding game in my library is either Satisfactory and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. So this Cyborg will feel like a massive upgrade for me. Plus doing my 3D modeling in Blender will probably fair a lot better than my current laptop. Thanks for your review! I’m now really looking forward to Wednesday this week!

[@Helios.vfx.]

Finally a lovely video for my ultrawide screen. thinking on hgetting this model tomorrow

[@jorgeceballos9408]

did you happen to get it ?

[@Helios.vfx.]

@@jorgeceballos9408 No, i didn't cause the GPU is capped or limited to 40/45 watts. And there's only once slot for SSD. So, it wasn't worth it

[@KennyGeertslol]

Hi! I am thinking buying one but for vegas pro 19 video editing, some photoshop.. is a i5 enough or should i go for the i7 version? I want it playback smooth…

[@KevinEvangelista]

Oh, I'm definitely recommending the i7 version, and you're going to have to bump up the RAM to 16GB. That'll make for a great mid-level editing machine that will serve you well for a few years. Hope this helps!

[@msmaug644]

Heres my honest review: I have been using this laptop for over a year at this point, and overall, I can definitely say that it was worth it. I purchased it for around $850; specs were 512gb storage, Intel 12th gen i5 8 core CPU, 8gb RAM, and a Nvidia 4050. I ended up purchasing a 2tb SSD and upgrading the memory to 32gb for around an extra $150, totaling my current build to $1000. It doesn't take any experience to install the SSD nor RAM, however you will need to reinstall or port over windows onto the new SSD. The battery is pretty much useless, but it is portable enough that I can carry both the laptop and charger in a schoolbag. The core tends to max out in most high-end games, and the fan will need to be at max speeds (which can be a little loud) when running RTX. Screen is dimmer than most, but still has high resolution and great colors. I use a headset, but the microphone on the laptop is pretty good unless you have a dedicated microphone setup. Overall, it is a great deal in terms of cost.

[@kentopinto]

Is there a MUX switch?

[@jacobester3846]

Thanks, just got this laptop, great review.

[@esmaciftci4679]

did you buy it and did it came with 8 ram or 16

[@dasph2126]

How loud is the fan during idle times? I recently bought another MSI Thin GF63 and even when not doing anything the fan starts to work for like 10 seconds very loudly, then it shuts off completely, only to repeat the process every 30 seconds or so (and yes, I already tried fine tuning the fan). It's incredibly annoying and I'd even prefer it to be constantly working than just starting all of a sudden, so I'm considering changing it for one of these.

[@user-lb7ub8pr2z]

today I bought this one in the video and I'm noticing that even when I don't do nothing, the fan runs every 10 sec and sometimes it runs constantly, not very loud tho, idk if it's normal

[@ygxdarksoul7050]

For the people who just bought this laptop dw it's not bad at all. This laptop is so good and run perfectly smooth, it does have 1 fan but it still keeps the core cool, it doesn't have lot of storage but ssd card will sort it out. Over all it is perfect low budget laptop

[@suzami_yt1693]

Thx dude

[@TonyFu1824]

can you test it out on fortnite medium settings in perf mode plzz

[@suzami_yt1693]

@@TonyFu1824 I haven’t gotten it yet

[@taymourosman7504]

Dah keda low budget ya roh omak

[@sammynochains3455]

​@@suzami_yt1693 Sure !! Lets meet back when hinges give out

[@life_in_gen]

I wish the battery can be upgraded? Cause 2-3 hours battery life. Seems very short...

[@antondavid962]

Is this good for autocad?

[@pounc3r782]

can this run Warzone 2 60 FPS on medium/low settings? also is it possible to bypass the power limit with MSI afterburner or other tweaks?

[@HaveaTotallyniceday]

It runs warzone at 100+ fps on max settings with dlss on

[@FirstnameLastName-sx8ls]

Just got this for $750. $699 Best By. I just want edit video and do school. What do you think? How hard and expensive to upgrade ram? I got 8gb, how high can i go? It has the i5.

[@tharangiperera4650]

HDD available ???

[@0s0sXD]

yo dude. good transitions

[@Hikkyt]

Can I ask a review if its okay with the lumion or autocad I'm planning to buy this laptop and idk if it's good

[@KevinEvangelista]

Hello! I would love to, but unfortunately I've already sent back the unit to MSI. 😥

[@darthix1]

Nice review thumbs up

[@BackToRootz]

Nice review and keep the review mode please.

[@TherealeduardoN]

Is this better then the asus tuf a15?

[@reyargieninom.4096]

Pwde s Cad at C3D? Thankss

[@kobegene4962]

I bought this lappy a week ago, i want a predator unit but i decided to purchase this msi cyborg. It is much cheaper from the other brands with high specs. Now, im inclined to try predator helios 16 because of its fair specs and badass looks. Predator, Cop or drop?

[@WangRuiCH]

If I use an external monitor for editing, can the color be more accurate with the monitor calibration?

[@KevinEvangelista]

Of course! That's what I actually do with most of my laptop reviews since I use them to edit their own review videos-- I have a secondary setup with a color-calibrated ASUS TUF VG27A as the monitor.

[@WangRuiCH]

@@KevinEvangelista alright, Thank you Kevin

[@markrodriguez3750]

Great video.

[@jafetvelasquez]

Would you recommend this for AI training? The other option I have is an Acer Nitro 5 with RTX 3070ti + Ryzen 7 6800H. I'd also like to know if it could be connected to an ultrawide 144hz monitor?

[@holly9464]

Hi, I hope it's okay to ask, could you please add a warning for the flashing lights in this video please? Thank you so much!

[@OhDuNhiOi]

I been debating getting the MSI cyborg vs the MSI katana for my travel laptop. Can't decide!

[@Fiona20238]

I have 1 since 10.10, predominantly used for KZbin only. It is okay when I only open 1 tab but if I tried to open another KZbin screen, the loading and all typing becomes heavy. The fan is also intermittently noisy.

[@DeAntiguanDoll]

it is possible to change the backlight color on keyboard?

[@heyouguys_9056]

I was wondering the same thing

[@ajtolentino8538]

Katana gf66 vs Cyborg A15 ?

[@chik007]

is this good for AutoCad, Sketchup, Vray rendering? Thanks!

[@bricknerdz2561]

Yes

[@dieaking6475]

Enable Resize bar the proper way on this laptop. Also should be enabled in Nvidea Profile Inspector.

[@essentialone1]

single ram stick used to keep fps low and thermal control & power control to avoid thermal throttling put 2 Dimms in use in dual channel and see the performance boost

[@slc9800gtx]

Excellent review

[@KevinEvangelista]

Glad you liked it!

[@StayPuft80]

Have they changed the specs of this now? I just bought one and mine has 16 gig of ram. I was trying to find out if it has 1x16 or 2x8

[@jnapbatobatan1512]

2x8 ram

[@roxon8374]

For your future videos you should mention that single channel ram will kill gaming performance and that a second stick or a 16gb config is the way to go

[@user-cs1qw5tr1y]

45 watt tgp..

[@bpdhoplite]

If it's DDR5 then this isn't as big of an issue and it's fairly similar to dual ddr4

[@Helios.vfx.]

Subbed!

[@mashu5016]

what do u guys prefer the gf63 or cyborg 15?

[@leonaheidern]

don't bother with gf63 hinge issue will kill your screen. plus you can't do ram and ssd upgrades yourself during warranty period else msi voids your warranty

[@weebstarve6740]

Dlss 3.0 carries so hard, gotta love it.

[@wallacestudiohk]

Nice Review

[@LagarInc]

Amazing Laptop Review

[@dieaking6475]

I bought it, I want to see a hinge breakdown from this laptop. Im curious what materials the standoffs are having and what they attacted to. There is allot of msi laptops that have hinge issues m curious if the changed anything with this Cyborg.

[@KevinEvangelista]

Hello! This was something that I wanted to check in this full review too, unfortunately I wasn't given permission by MSI to open up the laptop to check. Normally on retail units I didn't need to ask permission, but this was an engineering unit, so there were some things inside that was slightly different from retail. But from my experience, it had a better hinge than the GF66 Katana-- it was smoother and much more stable. I don't know if it's going to stay that way in the long run, but it's a good sign!

[@dieaking6475]

@@KevinEvangelista Thanks for the reaction, still hope someone wil show in a vid. further than that gaming on the 4060 version is pretty great.

[@dieaking6475]

@@KevinEvangelista also the screen colors are pretty bad but for 140 you can replace the screen with a 165hz better rgb panel. M considering of replacing it but it wil ruin battery life a bit.

[@Batu2224]

I just bought mine last week. I play LoL and having lagging problem even Spotify stops for a moment with the game. Is there any way for me to fix it? If it continues I will return it.

[@izzulirfan187]

noted

[@LucasRosewood]

hello Kevin! i just wanna ask you, whats your opinion if i wanna buy this laptop this year for coding and gaming, is it good? or i just wait more like until august/September, buying reason is for College

[@KevinEvangelista]

Yeah, it's going to be good for coding! For gaming though, it depends-- if you play more of AAA games, you might have to tone down some settings and turn on DLSS to get some good framerates. But if you're more into esports titles like Valorant, CSGO / CS2, Fortnite, Rocket League-- you're all good. It's an easy-to-carry laptop that isn't too hot nor too loud. Plus it looks really good. It's a steal if you can score one for around $800!

[@carlalonzo5031]

​@@KevinEvangelistabut is it possible to change the charger of the laptop for a higher one so that the low power usage of the processor and gpu will change and draw more power for more performance? is it a viable option??

[@KevinEvangelista]

@@carlalonzo5031 Nope, it's not possible. The laptop maxes out at at a 120W power draw, even if you plug in a more powerful brick. Don't do that, by the way. You risk frying either the mainboard or the battery if you plugged in a more powerful power brick than the one included in the box by MSI. Hope this helps!

[@carlalonzo5031]

@@KevinEvangelista ohhhh i see, thank you for that but regarding the performance of the laptop, is it worth it for the hefty price tag or just a little bit better than the 50k peso laptops with the 3050s?? tyia for the answer cause im. looking to spend under 80k on my university laptop but if a 50k one works just as good, then might aswell save the 30k. is it that better of a unit to spend more than 50k??

[@carlalonzo5031]

does the 120w charger limit things too much?? +to the point that it's just hovering above the level of some high tdp 3050s

[@JintySteam1]

Is it possible to swap the hard drive in this laptop?

[@matthijsroeda]

Yes.

[@gera3411]

No one takes into account and does not disclose the temperatures of MSI laptops. Yes, the temperature of laptops is higher than that of PCs - but in MSI laptops they are really big: CPU 90 degrees, GPU 75-80. This is with a reduced heat output to 75W GPU. So if you want to get an MSI laptop for a short time, it will last you a maximum of a year or less P.S. Having only one fan in a ‘Gaming Laptop’ is absolutely ridiculous. Who even buys these laptops from MSI?

[@miguelsarriazapata461]

How does the battery performs at this laptop? Does it last long enough when doing normal tasks (not playing games). Anybody could give real data?

[@zxckx101]

Yes it will last like 6hrs because of its low energy consumption

[@kenziemac29]

So the one I was thinking of getting is 16gb and plays cyber punk in ultra setting at 84 fps. In the uk they are way more expensive due to price of parts. Went from £1399 to £800 which is a steal

[@CIENNAI]

I am looking for a new laptop and this one is on sale at 1199 with i7, 1tb, 16 gb ram and the 4060, would you reccomend it? my only worry in the battery life cause at this price it looks almost perfect

[@st0rmus]

I have that much budget too, what did you buy?

[@CIENNAI]

@@st0rmus I bought this one, it's almost perfect, the only problem is the battery life, but it's better than before. In the end, as it stands it's really good deal imo

[@kobegene4962]

​@@CIENNAIsame i got this unit a week ago, lightweight, budget friendly and i want this to test to its limits with heavy duty games.

[@k3nziN0]

Worth getting for University, considering getting it to use in lectures

[@thesupergamer5894]

I managed to get this on sale (using it to watch this video lol) for $700. Since I was able to save $300 I bought a 2tb nvme ssd, nvme external enclosure, and 32gb (2x16) ddr5 ram. I used the enclosure to clone the 512gb drive to the 2tb drive and swap them out (now use the 512gb as an external drive). I actually picked it up before heading to my class, and ended up doing these upgrades in the university library. So with my previous 5tb external hard drive (seagate one touch), the 512gb external nvme drive, and the internal 2tb nvme, I got storage for days. (games are stored on all three, just depends how demanding the game is for where I install it). But between some coding, school work, and gaming, I am extremely happy with they laptop so far... especially since I got it on sale. (edit: I absolutely loved this video, got yourself a new subscriber)

[@johnnymardelly1179]

where did you get it on sale ?

[@thesupergamer5894]

@johnnymardelly1179 Best Buy was having a three day sale thing, but they have random sales occasionally, so it probably wouldn't be too hard to replicate (also sorry I didn't see you're reply till now)

[@MarioEspinozaRivera]

Do you recommend it for graphic design and video edit?

[@dieaking6475]

Yeah it can deff do that but color accuracy is off.

[@dieaking6475]

But there is a 165hz panel with better color accuracy and smooth gaming also available that should fit for a upgrade. It wil cost around 130,-

[@dieaking6475]

M considering getting it but it could reduce battery life a bit.

[@brdhll]

They have this at my Costco for $600 and 16gb memory. And snap, izzzz under da tree.