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日本MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V review – Great Performance Held Back by Terrifying Overheating
The 14-inch MSI Stealth 14 AI Studio A1V is an impressively powerful small device with two major cons – a hot keyboard and very high noise levels during gaming or other GPU-heavy tasks.
Now, it’s time to test the Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V which offers similar hardware under the hood but since the chassis is bigger, we expect a positive impact on the thermals of the internals. Again, you can rely on 28W Meteor Lake CPUs and this time around, you can order the bigger sibling with up to a GeForce RTX 4090 which is a bold decision by the manufacturer given the sub-20mm chassis.
You get a lot of goodies which is normal considering the high price tag – MUX switch, 6-speaker sound system by Dynaudio, SteelSeries keyboard, and the latest Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity. That’s not your typical office or business device, but it’s well-equipped when it comes to security because of the fingerprint reader, the fTPM 2.0, the IR Web camera, and the privacy shutter – nice!
At least on paper, both display options are looking good. The base is a 1600p 240Hz model, and you can opt for the more expensive MiniLED unit with 2400p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. MSI describes the Cooler Boost 5 cooling as “with up to 7 heat pipes”. Our version has five five pipes, perhaps the heftier thermal system is reserved only for the the RTX 4080 / 4090-based machines.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/msi-stealth-16-ai-studio-a1vx/
Contents
Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box
MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio (A1Vx) - Specs
- HDD/SSD
- up to 16000GB SSD
- M.2 Slot
- 2x 2280 PCIe NVMe 4.0 x4 See photo
- RAM
- up to 96GB
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro, Windows 10 Pro, Windows 11 Home, DOS, Windows 11, No OS
- Battery
- 99.9Wh, 4-cell
- Body material
- Aluminum, Magnesium alloy
- Dimensions
- 355.8 x 259.7 x 19.95 mm (14.01" x 10.22" x 0.79")
- Weight
- 1.99 kg (4.4 lbs)
- Ports and connectivity
- 1x USB Type-A
- 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
- 1x USB Type-C
- 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort
- 1x USB Type-C
- 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
- HDMI
- 2.1 (8K@60Hz / 4K@120Hz)
- Card reader
- microSD (microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC)
- Ethernet LAN
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11be
- Bluetooth
- 5.4
- Audio jack
- 3.5mm Combo Jack
- Features
- Fingerprint reader
- optional
- Web camera
- FHD IR with HDR, 3D Noise Reduction+ (3DNR+)
- Backlit keyboard
- optional
- Microphone
- Speakers
- 2x 2W Speakers + 4x 2W Woofers, Dynaudio, Nahimic 3, Hi-Res Audio
- Optical drive
- Security Lock slot
- Kensington Lock
All MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio (A1Vx) configurations
Drivers
All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://www.msi.com/Laptop/Stealth-16-AI-Studio-A1VX/support
What’s in the box?
The heavy-duty box contains a bit of paperwork and a 240W barrel plug charger.
Design and construction
Yes, the MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V looks like a stretched version of its 14-inch sibling. That’s not a bad thing at all, the design is modern and (almost) clean, except for the gaming-related Dragon logo on the top. The Magnesium Aluminum Alloy Chassis in Star Blue color is solid. The lid can be twisted but not too much and you can slightly press down the zone above the touchpad but only happens when you apply a lot of pressure on purpose.
You need just one hand to open the lid which has a well-tuned hinge mechanism. The weight is 1.99 kilos and the profile thickness is 19.95 mm. Pretty good for a laptop that could be configured with up to RTX 4090.
The illumination on the back is called “Taillight”.
The MSI center can turn on or off this feature.
Well, the side top and the side bezels are thin while the bottom one is slightly thicker and it houses the MSI logo.
The slight protrusion on the upper bezel houses an HDR 1080p@30FPS IR Web camera that has a privacy shutter. The unit supports the 3D Noise Reduction+ (3DNR+) tech.
As you can see, the hinge supports a max angle of opening up to 180 degrees.
As always, you can control the backlight via the SteelSeries app.
There is a ventilation grill above the per-key RGB board by SteelSeries that has a NumPad section and decently-sized Arrow keys. The unit is suitable for both typing and gaming – the key travel is a bit short but still good and the feedback feels great! The fingerprint reader can be seen on the right pal rest section.
The big touchpad is placed in the center of the chassis so your palm will not interfere with it during gaming. The pad is smooth and has accurate tracking – that’s all you need for work.
On the bottom plate, we can see a huge ventilation grill that reveals almost the whole cooling, four rubber feet, a pair of side-placed cutouts for the woofers, and two cutouts on the bottom for the tweeters. The heat is guided via four vents – two on the back and two on the sides.
Ports
On the left, you get a Kensington Lock slot, LAN, HDMI 2.1 for up to 8K@60Hz external displays, a MicroSD Card Reader, and a 10 Gbps USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2) port with DisplayPort function.
The right side is home to a power plug, a 10 Gbps USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 2) port with optional Power Share extra, a 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 port with DisplayPort and 100W PowerDelivery capabilities, and an Audio combo jack.
Display and Sound Quality, Get our Profiles
MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V is equipped with a WQXGA (Wide Quad Extended Graphics Array) IPS panel, model number Innolux N160GME-GTB (CMN162F). It comes with a 240Hz refresh rate. Its diagonal is 16.0″ (40.6 cm), and the resolution – 2560 x 1600p. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:10, the pixel density – 189 ppi, and their pitch – 0.13 x 0.13 mm. The screen can be considered Retina when viewed from at least 46 cm (this is based on the pixel density and the typical viewing distance at which individual pixels cannot be distinguished by the human eye).
Viewing angles are good. We offer images at different angles to evaluate the quality.
Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.
The maximum measured brightness is 510 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 492 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of 9%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 6610K (average).
In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. The illustration below shows how matters are for operational brightness levels (approximately 180 nits) – in this particular case at 34% Brightness (White level = 182 cd/m2, Black level = 0.16 cd/m2).
Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work (a maximum tolerance of 2.0). The contrast ratio is good – 1130:1.
To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.
Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people on HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.
Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.
The yellow dotted line shows MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V’s color gamut coverage.
Its display covers 100% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976 and 98% of DCI-P3, ensuring a super vibrant and attractive picture.
The „MSI True Color“ app emulates the sRGB gamut which is important for Web content.
Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature at 180 cd/m2 luminance (Illuminant white point – D65), sRGB encoding curve.
We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.
Below you can compare the scores of the MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right), compared to the Display P3 color space.
The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light.
The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is enhanced with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale, and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.
Response time (Gaming capabilities)
We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa обратно (these terms refer to the time it takes for pixels to change from one color to another (black to white and back to black in this case), a shorter time reduces picture blur with fast moving images).
We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 7 ms. Short pixel response time is a prerequisite for a smooth picture in dynamic scenes. Gamers should be happy.
After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude.
Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering)
Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.
MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V’s display doesn’t flicker at any brightness level. This makes the screen pretty comfortable for long periods of use.
Health Impact: Blue light emissions
Installing our Health-Guard profile reduces harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.
Health Impact: Screen Reflectance
Glossy-coated displays can be inconvenient in high ambient light conditions due to reflections. We measure the screen reflection level for each laptop when the display is turned off and the measurement angle is set at 60°.
The reflectance of the MSI’s screen is 67.7 GU. This makes it comfortable to use.
High Gloss: >70 GU
Medium Gloss: 30 – 70 GU
Low Gloss: <30 GU
Sound
MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V’s Dynaudio speakers produce a sound of relatively good quality. However, the low, mid, and high tones all have some slight deviations from clarity.
Buy our profiles
Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V configurations with 16.0″ Innolux N160GME-GTB (CMN162F) (2560 x 1600) IPS.
*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].
Read more about the profiles HERE.
In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.
Office Work
Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.
Design and Gaming
This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.
Health-Guard
Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.
Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount
Performance: CPU, GPU, Storage
All benchmarks and tests were conducted with the “Extreme Performance” profile activated in the MSI Center. Also, the “Discrete Graphics Mode” is turned on and the “Performance mode” is applied in the BIOS in the “User Scenario” section. In addition, the “Best performance” preset is activated in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu.
CPU options
At the time of writing this review, this laptop can be found with Intel Core Ultra 7 155H or Core Ultra 9 185H.
Our device has a 185H chip.
Here, we evaluate the CPU's performance using a real-world 3D rendering task, assessing its ability to handle complex computations and rendering workloads efficiently.
Results are from the Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core test (higher is better)
Single-core performance ensures smooth operation and responsiveness in operating systems, providing a better user experience.
Results are from the Geekbench 6 Single-Core test (higher is better)
Multi-core performance is essential for handling complex and demanding tasks, such as Video editing, CAD, and Scientific simulations.
Results are from the Geekbench 6 Multi-Core test (higher is better)
GPU options
You get plenty of choices when it comes to GPUs – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, GeForce RTX 4070, GeForce RTX 4080, and GeForce RTX 4090. The TGPs for all are set up to 105W.
Our machine is equipped with a 4070.
The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.
The results are from 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited. Higher is better.
MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio (A1Vx) GPU variants
Here you can see an approximate comparison between the GPUs that can be found in the MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio (A1Vx) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio (A1Vx) model is the best bang for your buck.
Note: The chart shows the cheapest different GPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / GPU.
The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.
Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the 3DMark: Wild Life (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Gaming tests
| Metro Exodus | Full HD, Low (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Extreme (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 163 fps | 108 fps | 36 fps |
| Borderlands 3 | Full HD, V.Low (Check settings) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Badass (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 158 fps | 138 fps | 115 fps | 97 fps |
| Far Cry 6 | Full HD, Low (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 141 fps | 115 fps | 103 fps |
| Gears 5 | Full HD, Low (Check settings) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 218 fps | 176 fps | 155 fps | 133 fps |
The RTX 4070 here performs decently but the 14-incher version of this laptop that we have tested with the same GPU delivers higher FPS.
Storage performance
Our notebook has a 1TB SAMSUNG MZVL22T0HDLB-00BT7. We like what we see – fast NVMe that doesn’t get too hot during benchmarking reaching 63°C.
[eBook Guide + Tools] How to MAX OUT Your Laptop
You can make your laptop Faster. LaptopMedia has tested thousands of models in the last 15 years, and we have yet to see a notebook that couldn't be made more powerful through modifications.
That's why we decided to bundle everything we know about how to achieve this in an Easy-to-Follow, Step-by-Step, and Laboratory-Tested, all in one project.
Read more about it here:
[eBook Guide + Tools] How to MAX OUT Your Laptop
🛠️ GPU Modifications: vBIOS, Overclocking, Undervolting
⚙️ Building Fast/Reliable RAID configuration
💻 Hardware upgrade tips for best results
🖼 Display enhancing
💾 OS Optimization for best performance
Temperatures and comfort, Battery Life
Max CPU load
In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.
Average P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; Average LP E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power
| Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (28W Base Power) | 0:02 – 0:10 sec | 0:15 – 0:30 sec | 10:00 – 15:00 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V | 3.60 GHz @ 2.99 GHz @ 1.85 GHz @ 71°C @ 90W | 3.56 GHz @ 2.98 GHz @ 1.85 GHz @ 78°C @ 90W | 3.16 GHz @ 2.69 GHz @ 1.67 GHz @ 86°C @ 72W |
| Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 (PTN16-51) | 3.43 GHz @ 2.87 GHz @ 1.85 GHz @ 71°C @ 83W | 3.54 GHz @ 2.95 GHz @ 1.90 GHz @ 81°C @ 85W | 3.29 GHz @ 2.70 GHz @ 1.79 GHz @ 82°C @ 70W |
| Alienware m16 R2 | 3.94 GHz @ 3.29 GHz @ 2.02 GHz @ 85°C @ 115W | 3.42 GHz @ 3.29 GHz @ 2.40 GHz @ 93°C @ 110W | 3.45 GHz @ 2.92 GHz @ 1.84 GHz @ 85°C @ 78W |
| MSI Stealth 14 AI Studio A1V | 3.76 GHz @ 3.00 GHz @ 1.92 GHz @ 74°C @ 95W | 3.74 GHz @ 2.97 GHz @ 1.91 GHz @ 80°C @ 95W | 3.62 GHz @ 2.88 GHz @ 1.85 GHz @ 92°C @ 90W |
| ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (N6506) “Full-speed fan mode” | 3.79 GHz @ 3.25 GHz @ 2.16 GHz @ 91°C @ 114W | 3.16 GHz @ 2.85 GHz @ 2.49 GHz @ 95°C @ 86W | 3.26 GHz @ 2.57 GHz @ 1.70 GHz @ 73°C @ 65W |
| ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (N6506) “Performance fan mode” | 3.74 GHz @ 3.08 GHz @ 1.88 GHz @ 82°C @ 114W | 3.47 GHz @ 3.22 GHz @ 2.41 GHz @ 94°C @ 106W | 3.02 GHz @ 2.35 GHz @ 1.59 GHz @ 72°C @ 60W |
| ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8406) | 3.13 GHz @ 2.54 GHz @ 1.68 GHz @ 78°C @ 64W | 2.55 GHz @ 2.25 GHz @ 1.39 GHz @ 90°C @ 53W | 2.09 GHz @ 1.88 GHz @ 1.00 GHz @ 78°C @ 35W |
The Core Ultra 9 185H reaches ~ 3.60 GHz / 3.00 GHz P and E-core frequencies in short and medium loads and 3.20 GHz / 2.70 GHz in long loads. That’s good but the 14-inch iteration of this laptop offers even higher clocks.
Real-life gaming
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 | GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min) | GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min) |
|---|---|---|
| MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V | 1806 MHz @ 77°C @ 76W | 1749 MHz @ 76°C @ 72W |
| Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 (PTN16-51) | 2383 MHz @ 73°C @ 110W | 2363 MHz @ 78°C @ 110W |
| Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) | 2640 MHz @ 70°C @ 125W | 2640 MHz @ 72°C @ 125W |
| Alienware m16 R2 | 2440 MHz @ 78°C @ 120W | 2427 MHz @ 84°C @ 119W |
| MSI Stealth 14 AI Studio A1V | 2048 MHz @ 78°C @ 90W | 1981 MHz @ 85°C @ 89W |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-72) | 2535 MHz @ 80°C @ 139W | 2503 MHz @ 86°C @ 139W |
| MSI Sword 16 HX B14V | 2373 MHz @ 73°C @ 115W | 2372 MHz @ 73°C @ 115W |
| MSI Sword 17 HX B14V | 2395 MHz @ 73°C @ 114W | 2388 MHz @ 75°C @ 114W |
| Alienware m18 R2 | 2550 MHz @ 68°C @ 132W | 2550 MHz @ 72°C @ 133W |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 (16″, Gen 9) | 2580 MHz @ 81°C @ 130W | 2580 MHz @ 86°C @ 132W |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 (PHN18-71) | 2610 MHz @ 77°C @ 131W | 2610 MHz @ 82°C @ 134W |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (16″, Gen 9) | 2535 MHz @ 74°C @ 129W | 2535 MHz @ 75°C @ 130W |
| Acer Nitro 17 (AN17-41) “Turbo” preset | 2535 MHz @ 66°C @ 121W | 2535 MHz @ 67°C @ 122W |
| Acer Nitro 17 (AN17-41) “Performance” preset | 2475 MHz @ 72°C @ 123W | 2475 MHz @ 73°C @ 123W |
Well, this is something you can’t see from the benchmarks. In real gaming, the GPU performance is disappointing since the RTX 4070 throttles to ~72W in long gaming sessions.
Gaming comfort
The MSI Center is all you need to control the laptop’s power manual with its four presets and custom fan curve option. You could leave all that to the AI-based “MSI AI Engine” mode which dynamically tunes the CPU and GPU power limits depending on the current load.
During long gaming sessions, the hotspot on the keyboard is on the top row of keys and reaches 55°C while the grill below the panel is warmed to 60°C. Still, the lower bezel of the display isn’t hot (47°C) and the WASD section feels just warm with its 46°C.
In idle, the fans are rotated with around 2700 RPM in “Extreme Performance” mode but they could be turned off if you apply the “Silent” preset. The “Cooler Boost” function ramps the fans to ~6150 RPM and yes, that’s loud.
Idle “Extreme Performance”
Idle “Silent”
“Cooler Boost” OnIn long CPU loads, the fans are noisy in “Extreme Performance” modes because of the 4900 RPM. In “Balanced” mode the noise and the clocks are a bit lower. Activating the “Cooler Boost” options results in even higher processor frequencies.
“Extreme Performance” RPM
“Balanced” RPM
“Balanced” Clocks
“Cooler Boost” Clocks/RPMWhen the “Extreme Performance” preset is applied, the memory hits 110°C during gaming and that’s why the TGP throttles down to around ~75W. This is a very bad result.
We didn’t observe the same behavior with the “Balanced” since it offers a good core clock and heftily hindered memory frequency.
Gaming “Extreme Performance”
Gaming “Balanced”We double-checked memory temperatures with HWINFO. The “Memory Junction Temperature” sensor is showing 64°C in idle and 110°C after just three minutes of gaming. Shortly after that, the TGP is hammered.
Memory Idle
Begining of gaming session
Memory 110°C
ThrottlingThis is the main menu of the BIOS.
Battery
Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Best Power Efficiency setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 180 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. This laptop’s 99.99Wh battery lasts for around 7 hours of video playback. To achieve that, you have to apply the “Super Battery” preset and the “Display Power Saver” function in the MSI Center. Also, the “MSHybrid Graphics Mode” has to be turned on and the “Balance” mode should be selected in the BIOS in the “User Scenario” section.
The “Best Power Efficiency” preset is also activated in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu.
Brightness: 180 nits; Display Mode: SDR
Time to Full Discharge: Higher is Better
Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance
To open this laptop, you need to undo 7 Phillips-head screws. After that, flip the notebook, and pry the back with a thin plastic tool. Open the device and pry the left and the front sides through the base. Don’t pop the right side.
Turn over the laptop. Since the Audio jack sticks out of the mainboard you can’t raise the bottom plate straight upwards. Lift the plate on the right and gently slide it to the left side.
Here’s how the bottom panel looks on the inside.
The battery is a huge 99.99Wh variant. To remove it, detach the connector from the mainboard and undo the 4 Phillips-head screws that keep the unit in place. The capacity is enough for around 7 hours of video playback.
A metal shroud protects the RAM section. Use a a lever tool to pop it. The metal plate has two thermal pads on the inside.
The two SODIMMs can handle up to 96GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM that works in dual-channel mode. This is the maximum official manufacturer’s specified limit for a Meteor Lake-H CPU.
Storage-wise, you get two M.2 slots compatible with Gen 4 NVMe drives. A thick thermal pad additionally cools the SSD here.
The Wi-Fi card is placed between the two slots.
The sizable Cooler Boost 5 thermal system comprises two fans, three heat pipes shared between the CPU and the GPU, and one additional pipe for each chip. We can also see four heat sinks and four heat spreaders.
Verdict
Thin and solid metal chassis that houses powerful hardware – this describes best the MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V. The cooling with its five heat pipes and a pair of fans is potent. That’s why the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H can boost its P and E cores to around 3.20 GHz / 2.70 GHz in long loads and yes, that is a good result for a thin laptop like this one.
On the other hand, the high GPU memory temperatures cause notable TGP throttling to around 75W in “Extreme Performance” mode so in our case the max power limit of 105W is just a mirage. Maybe this is an insulated issue with our laptop? Here we have to remind you that almost all of the reviewed products in LaptopMedia come from online stores, instead of using review samples provided by the manufacturers. MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V is not an exception.
The fans are noisy (but not too intrusive) but the keyboard and especially the WASD section don’t become scorching hot during gaming.
Back to the positives – the 1600p PWM-free IPS display (Innolux N160GME-GTB (CMN162F)) is really good. It offers wide viewing angles, a 240Hz refresh rate, and a nappy pixel response time of 7 ms which is great for gaming. The panel also boasts full sRGB and 98% DCI-P3 coverage alongside super accurate color because of our “Design and Gaming” profile (average dE 0.7). That’s great news for content creators who like to play games in their free time.
The upgradability is on point and the port selection seems up-to-date with its two Type-C ports plus a MicroSD Card Reader. The per-key RGB keyboard is comfortable and the same can be said for the smooth touchpad. For such hardware and high-res display, the battery life of around 7 hours of videos seems okay. Unfortunately, the bad memory cooling spoils the whole fun. With that out of the way, the Stealth 16 AI Studio can impress future buyers with its color-accurate display, comfortable input devices, modern hardware, and good build quality.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/msi-stealth-16-ai-studio-a1vx/
Pros
- Good CPU performance
- 2x SODIMMs + 2x M.2 slots
- 1600p resolution + 240Hz refresh rate (CMN162F)
- Full sRGB and 98% DCI-P3 coverage + accurate colors with our “Design and Gaming” profile (CMN162F)
- High max brightness of 510 nits (CMN162F)
- Great per-key RGB keyboard by SteelSeries + smooth and accurate touchpad
- Solid magnesium aluminum chassis
- The Core Ultra 9 185H can maintain a 3.2 GHz / 2.7 GHz P and E core clock during heavy loads
- The MSI Center offers plenty of customizations
- Thunderbolt 4, 1x Type-C port + HDMI 2.1
- 1080p IR Web camera with privacy shutter
- MUX switch
- Compact for a 16-inch form factor
- The fans don’t spin in idle during light loads in “Silent” mode
Cons
- Loud fan noise during gaming in “Extreme Performance”
- No G-Sync or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus support
- Just three USB ports
- High GPU memory temperatures which lead to TGP throttling
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[September 2024] All New ASUS Laptop Series – Full Specs, Features, and Prices
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REVIEWS view more
Acer Predator Helios 16 (PH16-72) review – A Gaming Laptop on the Verge of Greatness
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