Review Summary
Expert Rating
MSI, known for its gaming laptops, has introduced the MSI Modern 14 (C7M) in India as part of its budget-friendly lineup. Aimed at the sub-Rs 40,000 segment, this laptop seeks to provide solid performance and value without compromising on capability.
I’ve often been sceptical about laptops under a certain budget, but this model hits many of the right notes. The MSI Modern 14 arrives as a compelling choice for those seeking reliable performance without breaking the bank. So read on to see why this could be your next affordable laptop purchase.
Table of Contents
Design
After unboxing the laptop, I was pleasantly surprised by its light weight. Weighing just 1.4kg and measuring 19.35mm in thickness, it was incredibly easy to carry, whether in my hand or in a bag thanks to its compact form factor.
The Modern 14’s lightweight build is achieved through a combination of plastic and metal. While the top lid and keyboard deck are made of metal, the bottom is crafted from plastic. MSI also ensures durability with a MIL-STD-810G military standard rating. A noteworthy feature is its ability to lay flat at a 180-degree angle.
I reviewed the Urban Silver variant with the colour that boasts a minimal yet sleek design. This is particularly evident on the top lid, featuring only a glossy MSI branding. Overall, the laptop feels robust, though the keyboard deck does flex while typing. So it’s not a completely firm design but that’s not surprising for this price. You can open this with just one hand, but the base lifts slightly as you do.
There’s a healthy selection of ports on the Modern 14. On the left side, you’ll find a DC-in charging port, an HDMI port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with Power Delivery (PD) charging, and an Audio Jack. There’s also an LED indicator to show when the laptop is charging.
The right houses a microSD card reader and two USB 2.0 Type-A ports. Underneath the laptop, you can find the vents for air inflow and the twin bottom-firing speakers. Hot air is expelled from the vents at the back. Removing the bottom panel reveals soldered RAM modules, an empty slot for an M.2 SSD (NVMe PCIe Gen 3), and a single cooling fan.
Display
As the name suggests, the MSI Modern 14 sports a 14-inch IPS LCD anti-reflective display with Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080), a standard 60Hz refresh rate, and 45 percent NTSC colour gamut coverage. The screen is quite basic and doesn’t particularly stand out.
While some might prefer a 15.6-inch display, the smaller screen contributes to the laptop’s portable form factor. The screen is where the brand chose to save on cost, resulting in a screen that is functional but not exceptional.
Watching your favourite movies or binging on TV shows was a decent experience. The colours were neither vibrant nor dull, striking a middle ground, and the viewing angles were good. The brightness was adequate for indoor use, though it might fall short in bright outdoor settings. Another minor drawback is the noticeable backlight bleed in a dimly lit room. The 720p webcam located at the top performs as expected for a laptop in this price range.
On the audio front, the Modern 14 features twin 2W bottom-firing speakers that are quite lacklustre. The sound quality is muddy and not very loud. So you’d likely reach for your headphones in most situations, especially in noisy environments.
Keyboard and trackpad
Unlike Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 1, which we recently reviewed, the Modern 14 offers backlighting on its keyboard. So you wouldn’t have any issues with using it in low light. Due to its compact size, MSI skipped the numpad, which some might find useful but its absence didn’t bother me.
Typing on the Modern 14 was a great experience. The keys had a 1.5mm travel and the spacing between each letter felt quite comfortable. Right below the keyboard, is a centre-aligned trackpad that is quite accurate and responsive with feedback on the left and right clicks.
Performance and software
MSI equips the Modern 14 with AMD’s Ryzen 5 7530U processor, which features 6 cores and 12 threads that have a boost clock of up to 4.5GHz and a base clock of 2GHz. It is paired with 16GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD PCIe Gen 3 for storage.
Before diving into performance details, it’s important to clarify some confusion with AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series mobile CPUs. For example, the IdeaPad Slim 1 (review) uses the Ryzen 3 7320U, which is based on the Zen 2 architecture, whereas the Modern 14 features the Ryzen 5 7530U with Zen 3 architecture.
The “2” in the model number indicates the architecture generation. To recall, the Zen 2 appeared in the Ryzen 3000 series and the Zen 3 in the Ryzen 5000 series. The “7” in the model number denotes the release year (2023). So despite being from the same series, there’s a notable performance difference due to these architectural variations.
In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 7530U in the Modern 14 shows respectable performance within its price range. While it may not be class-leading, it outperforms the IdeaPad Slim 1 and competes well with the Infinix Inbook Y4 Max (Intel i3-1315U variant), which we called a budget champion in our review.
Depending on what benchmark you run, either the Modern 14 or the Inbook Y4 Max came out on top. The Modern 14 excels in PCMark 10 and GeekBench but lags behind in 3DMark’s Time Spy and Fire Strike tests. The PCIe Gen 3 SSD here performs nearly twice as fast as the Gen 4 SSD in the IdeaPad Slim 1, nearly matching the Inbook Y4 Max in speed.
The gaming experience on the MSI Modern 14 was a mixed bag. Valorant runs at a respectable average frame rate of over 140 fps on ‘Low’ settings, though frame rates can fluctuate between 120 fps and 180 fps. GTA V achieves an average of 36 fps on ‘High’ settings, so adjusting settings or lowering the resolution might make the game run smoother.
Thermal management during gaming was the only drawback. The CPU hit 90 degrees Celsius and the GPU reached 79 degrees Celsius, making the top left area of the keyboard quite warm. Gaming on this laptop is not ideal; so if you choose to play competitive games, using an external keyboard and a cooling pad is recommended. The laptop is fine for casual gaming, but it’s best to avoid extended gaming sessions.
Battery life
The MSI Modern 14 is powered by a 39.3Wh battery, which is smaller compared to other laptops in the Rs 30-40K segment. In the PCMark video playback test, the laptop lasted 6 hours and 28 minutes at 80 percent brightness. During regular use, I found that I needed to plug in the charger after approximately 5 hours.
Other laptops that we’ve reviewed in this price range offer better battery life due to larger battery capacities. The IdeaPad Slim 1 (42Wh) lasted for 8 hours and 25 minutes on PCMark, while the Megabook T1 (70Wh) delivered an impressive 11 hours and 38 minutes.
Verdict
MSI has built a capable laptop that serves well for everyday tasks. It’s an easy recommendation for students and professionals who don’t need excessive power. However, this doesn’t imply that it underperforms. The Modern 14 handled all my tasks effortlessly, and its sleek, minimalist design is an added bonus.
If you can overlook the small battery, average display, and some heating during gaming, it’s worth considering. You’re getting a capable processor and 16 GB of RAM for Rs 36,990, making it a solid value for the price.
Editor’s rating: 7 / 10
Pros
- Sleek design
- Competitive pricing
- Capable hardware
- Good all-rounder for students
Cons
- Subpar battery
- Soldered memory
- Heats up during gaming