MSI P65 Creator 8RF

This versatile workstation is slim, lightweight and very powerful – but build quality is sadly lacking.

PRICE £1,666 (£1,999 inc VAT) from pcpro.link/294msi

The MSI P65 Creator is an unusual hybrid of laptop styles. MSI markets it as a creative workstation for intensive photo and video-editing, yet it has the sort of specification we associate with out-and-out gaming laptops. It’s undoubtedly capable of running Adobe Photoshop and Premiere – but what makes it better suited to such tasks than a regular gaming laptop?

Let’s begin with the obvious: the MSI P65 Creator 8RF is seriously light. Many gaming laptops are too heavy to carry around, but at 1.8kg the P65 Creator is as good as it gets for a laptop this powerful. Even the power supply isn’t too weighty at 508g, and it’s both slim and compact compared most gaming laptops’ power supplies. The laptops itself is slender, too, measuring 18mm with the lid closed, and the thin bezels surrounding the screen add to the impression of elegance. I’m not a huge fan of the laptop’s white finish and gold trim, but that’s subjective.

Mistakes and missteps

My concern is that in making such a thin and light laptop, MSI has compromised build quality. Push down on the metal area above the keyboard and you’ll see the whole surface deviate, with gaps appearing between the keyboard surround and the hinge covering above. Push hard enough and it actually moves enough to engage the power button.

Then there are the unsightly lips all around the laptop’s edges and uneven cutouts around the laptop’s ports. These spoil the overall feel and make the whole thing look messy.