Inside MSI Sword 15 – disassembly and upgrade options

If you feel comfortable damaging the factory seals ticker on this device, upgrading it is a piece of cake.

Check out all MSI Sword 15 prices and configurations in our Specs System or read more in our In-Depth review.


1. Remove the bottom plate

To take this device apart, you need to undo 13 Phillips-head screws, one of which is hidden beneath a factory seal sticker. After that, pry the bottom panel with a plastic tool, starting from the front.


2. Battery

Inside, we see a battery with a 53.5Wh capacity. It is easy to remove, as it’s held in place by only 3 Phillips-head screws.


3. Мemory and storage

In terms of memory, you get two SODIMM slots, for a maximum supported capacity of 64GB in dual-channel. As for the storage, there is one M.2 PCIe x4 Gen 3 slot on the RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti versions. In addition, you get a 2.5-inch SATA drive bay with an included connector.


4. Cooling system

Here, the cooling comprises a total of four heat pipes. Two of them are dedicated to the CPU, while the other two are meant for the graphics card. Thankfully, both the VRMs and the graphics memory are being cooled.

Check out all MSI Sword 15 prices and configurations in our Specs System or read more in our In-Depth review.

MSI Sword 15 in-depth review

It is interesting to see, that MSI has built an entire naming scheme around blades. The reason behind it is the so-called ancient "Dragon Blade" legend. See...MSI...dragon...blade. This is basically how Sword 15 was born. Ultimately, it shares the same platform as the Katana GF66 - another laptop named after a weapon. The contrast here is that the Katana GF66 is entirely black on the outside, the Sword 15 is dressed in white.Let that not confuse you. This laptop is all about gaming. This is why it comes with up to a Core i7-11800H, and an RTX 3070 with 85W TGP. Quite the potent package in[...]

Pros

  • Competitively priced
  • Two SODIMM slots, and up to two M.2 PCIe x4 slot
  • Rigid structure
  • Lacks PWM (AUO B156HAN08.4 (AUOAF90))
  • 144Hz refresh rate (AUO B156HAN08.4 (AUOAF90))

Cons

  • 53% sRGB coverage (AUO B156HAN08.4 (AUOAF90))
  • Slow pixel response times (AUO B156HAN08.4 (AUOAF90))
  • No SD card reader and Thunderbolt 4
  • Average battery life
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