MSI CREATOR M16 A12UD 266 16" QHD+ INTEL CORE I7-12700H 2.3GHZ / NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3050 TI LAPTOP / 64GB RAM / 2TB SSD

Denis

15.01.2021

Lasted 9 months, now multiple different BSODs every time I BOOT in windows. Submitted an RMA on monday, now friday and still no reply. MSI have great laptops, until you need servicing, next time will go back to DELL or ASUS, or maybe try RAZER for a change, this P65 8RF has left a sour taste in my mouth, good thing I have other laptops to rely on. This P65 was mainly used for work and occasional gaming, now using my ASUS X556UQ when I work from home. Gaming on my GS65 9SD, GL62M 7RDX and GE72 6QF, for personal finances/travel/light gaming PS63 8RDS. Was going to purchase the GE66 10SF to replace my GL62M, but with this issue still pending, no way!

Denis

22.07.2020

I find it's great on the performance side, but it does get hot a little when high demand on cpu/gpu. The screen is just awesome, 144hz is just way bettter than 60hz. The only thing I don't understand, is how you get so much battery life out of it? I can barely top 4 hours witth it and this with every non essential turned low or off and screen @ 35%.

Laptop Repair

02.05.2020

After successfully upgrading this laptop, I will add more details on why this is such a pain to work on: (1) Motherboard is relatively easy to service by itself given that it has to be removed to service anything else, but all the user-upgradeable parts are facing the keyboard (as noted in the article), which makes it a chore to do any kind of maintenance or service on anything other than the motherboard itself. Memory, SSDs and battery all require that the motherboard be removed first to access. Likewise for the thermal modules. (2) Battery has no internal bracing so needs to be handled very carefully, as it is long and can flex easily. May even be a fire hazard if you're not careful. (3) Many cables on motherboard that need to be disconnected before you remove it. Small zif connectors. Not impossible if you're used to SERVICING laptops or working on custom electronics. Servicing means replacing motherboards, disassembling screens, and similar things that require COMPLETE disassembly of the laptop. For average users used to just popping off the back cover and changing ram or HDD/SSD, you can't do that here. There's a high likelihood of accidentally tearing ribbon cables if you're not familiar and comfortable working on laptop innards. (4) The motherboard itself has a fair amount of flex, like the battery, so must be handled very carefully to avoid damage. It's also not easy to remove, even after everything is disconnected. It took me ~1.5 hours to figure out how to disassemble this without damaging anything as there's no publicly available service manual, and the battery, motherboard, and ports all require delicate care, the kind you won't get from your average on-site or in-store repair tech, who tend to be more focused on speed. [Side note: The wireless card needs to be disconnected and pushed through when removing the motherboard since the antennas are attached underneath.] If you're comfortable spending 2+ hours figuring out how to carefully disassemble and reassemble the laptop to avoid breaking anything (faster after the first time, but if you get too comfortable, you will likely break something), it's possible to upgrade the parts, but most end-users or repair techs will not have this kind of time, experience, or patience. Maintenance on this notebook is not for the faint of heart. It's a solid laptop, but they engineered it in such a way that the internal parts are not meant to be serviceable by end-users. For your average user who never worked laptop repair, or who does not have extensive experience disassembling small electronics, the parts may as well be considered soldered in place.

Laptop Repair

02.05.2020

At one point, I used to work fixing computers and laptops. I've repaired phones that weren't meant to be repaired that were easier to work on than this laptop. The ram and ssds aren't soldered, but it's so convoluted to access, they may as well be. Unless you are or have worked as a laptop tech, I strongly recommend against getting this laptop. Even though I'm able to upgrade this laptop, there's 70% odds I'm just going to return this laptop. It's not worth it. If you're not VERY comfortable repairing phones and laptops, you're probably going to break something. MSI shouldn't pretend their laptops are serviceable if they do everything in their power to make it impossible.

Marina

13.06.2019

Is this level of backlight bleed normal? Doesn't it ruined the screen? It doesn't seem too acceptable for content creation (dealing with dark illustrations for example), or playing games, having beams of light from everywhere... Isn't that level of it enough to return the laptop? Or is it normal?

KumaHIME

05.06.2019

Quote from: Greg on June 05, 2019, 17:23:18 Quote from: Greg on June 05, 2019, 17:23:18 you don't have to disassemble everything, just the motherboard. it isn't that hard to do, neither is it so tedious. yes it is extra work, but not much more. msi has been using the same upside down motherboard design since they launched the GS series of laptops. it's still much better than soldering memory and/or ssd to the motherboard. now that is a pain. you at least have the ability to replace the ram and ssd without voiding your warranty (at least in my region).

Greg

05.06.2019

No one should buy a laptop that places ram and ssd access on the other side of motherboard.  You shouldn't have to disassemble everything to swap in upgrades. This is a complete showstopper. MSI is shooting themselves in the foot with these ill-designed laptop models!

Crummy

04.06.2019

Quote from: S.Yu on June 04, 2019, 20:18:42 Quote from: S.Yu on June 04, 2019, 20:18:42 From the previous models, I think MSI is using stock/generic Delta (or other ODM) power bricks.  They tend to be heavy and bulky.  My MSI had one of those and it was a lot bigger than the equivalent wattage ASUS model.

S.Yu

04.06.2019

I immediately noticed the usually heavy 900g power brick, while Blade 15's with the same wattage is only 750g, now why is that?