The MSI WS76 is a 17.3-inch high-end Windows mobile workstation. It's available with Intel 11th Gen. CPUs, NVIDIA discrete GPUs, and multiple display options, including a 1080p 144Hz, 4k 60Hz Mini LED, and 4k 120Hz display. It has a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, Wi-Fi 6E and Ethernet connectivity, SteelSeries-branded speakers, and Thunderbolt 4 ports. Its biometrics include a fingerprint sensor and an IR camera for facial recognition.
Our MSI WS76 has an Intel Core i9-11900H CPU, an NVIDIA RTX A3000 discrete GPU, 32GB of memory, and 1TB of storage. There's only one other CPU option, an Intel Core i7-11800H, and one other GPU option, an NVIDIA RTX A5000. You can configure the laptop with up to 64GB of memory and 2TB of storage.
Our Verdict
The MSI WS76 is decent for school use. It has plenty of processing power to handle any workload, including demanding tasks like 3D graphics, and it provides a great user experience with a comfortable keyboard, a responsive touchpad, and a large, sharp display. However, it's hard to carry around, and its battery doesn't last long enough to get through a typical eight-hour day.
- Sturdy build.
- CPU and GPU can handle demanding workloads.
- Comfortable, spacious keyboard.
- Large, sharp, and bright display.
- Good webcam video quality.
- Large and heavy.
- Short battery life.
- Small touchpad.
The MSI WS76 is very good for gaming. Its Intel 11th Gen. CPU and NVIDIA discrete GPU are powerful enough to provide smooth gameplay in AAA games. However, unlike the more mainstream NVIDIA GeForce gaming GPUs, the RTX A3000 and A5000 don't always get the best game drivers, so the performance can vary a lot, depending on the game. As for the display, it's available with high-refresh options, like a 1080p 144Hz or a 4k 120Hz display, but neither supports variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing when gaming.
- CPU and GPU can handle demanding workloads.
- 120Hz display with fast response time.
- No performance loss under load.
- Wide port selection.
- Fast SSD.
- No VRR support.
- Loud fan noise.
The MSI WS76 is decent for media consumption. Although its speakers don't have much bass, they sound well-balanced and get very loud. It has multiple display options, including a 4k Mini LED panel that can display deep blacks for a better dark viewing experience. Unfortunately, it isn't very portable, and its battery lasts only a little over five hours of video playback.
- Great factory calibration in sRGB mode.
- Large, sharp, and bright display.
- Loud, clear-sounding speakers.
- Large and heavy.
- Short battery life.
- Blacks look gray in dim settings.
The MSI WS76 is an excellent workstation. It's available with Intel 11th Gen. CPUs and NVIDIA discreet GPUs, which are powerful enough to handle nearly every type of workload. It has a comfortable keyboard that you can type on all day, a fast SSD for quick file transfers, and plenty of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4/USB-Cs and an HDMI 2.1 port. For content creators, its 4k 120Hz display has full Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage; however, their respective color profiles have poor accuracy out of the box, so you'll have to calibrate the display before you do any work.
- CPU and GPU can handle demanding workloads.
- Comfortable, spacious keyboard.
- 100% Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage.
- No performance loss under load.
- Wide port selection.
- Fast SSD.
- Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 profiles need calibration.
- Loud fan noise.
The MSI WS76 is good for business use. It has a large, sharp, and bright display, a comfortable keyboard, and a responsive touchpad. Its Intel CPU and NVIDIA GPU can handle nearly every type of workload, including tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and even photo and video editing. Its aluminum chassis feels very sturdy, but it isn't very portable as it's large and heavy. You'll also have to carry the charger as the battery doesn't last long enough to get through a typical 8-hour workday.
- Sturdy build.
- CPU and GPU can handle demanding workloads.
- Comfortable, spacious keyboard.
- Large, sharp, and bright display.
- Wide port selection.
- Good webcam video quality.
- Large and heavy.
- Short battery life.
- Small touchpad.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 07, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.2.
- Updated Nov 03, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
- Updated Nov 08, 2022: Review published.
- Updated Oct 31, 2022: Early access published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the MSI WS76 (11UK-448CA) with a 4k 120Hz display, an Intel Core i9-11900H CPU, an NVIDIA RTX A3000 discrete GPU, 32GB of memory, and 1TB of storage. The display, CPU, GPU, memory, and storage are configurable; you can see the available options in the table below.
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Our display and performance results are only valid for the configuration we tested. If you come across a different configuration option not listed above, or you have a similar MSI WS76 laptop that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update it. Some tests, like black uniformity and color accuracy, may vary between individual units.
You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The MSI WS76 is an outstanding mobile workstation and among the most premium, high-performance production laptops you can get. It stands out for its large 4k 120Hz display as well as its exceptional CPU and GPU performance.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best laptops, the best video editing laptops, and the best business laptops.
The MSI WS76 (2021) and the Dell Precision 5570 (2022) are both excellent Windows mobile workstations. The MSI is available with more powerful discrete GPUs, but it's much bulkier than the Dell, so it's harder to carry around. The Dell has a more comfortable keyboard and a much larger touchpad; its main downside is that it only has three USB-C ports, whereas the MSI has a much wider selection with USB-As, USB-Cs, an HDMI 2.1, and an Ethernet port.
The MSI WS76 (2021) is better than the Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 (2021). The MSI feels sturdier and is slightly more portable due to its slimmer and lighter design. It also has a better webcam, a more responsive touchpad, and better-sounding speakers. The MSI performs better over time because it doesn't lose any CPU performance under load, but the fans get much louder than the Lenovo's.
The MSI WS76 (2021) and the ASUS ProArt Studiobook Pro 16 OLED (2021) are both excellent Windows mobile workstations. The ASUS provides a better user experience overall with a more comfortable keyboard, a larger and more responsive touchpad, and a better webcam. It also feels sturdier, and its memory modules are easier to access if you want to upgrade them yourself. However, the MSI has much better performance over time, and its battery lasts longer.
The MSI WS76 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M1, 2021) are both premium mobile workstations. In terms of the build and overall user experience, the MacBook Pro comes out ahead as it feels more sturdy and has a better keyboard, touchpad, and webcam. It's also more portable and has longer battery life. The WS76's 4k 120Hz panel has a wider color gamut than the MacBook Pro, specifically the Adobe RGB color space; however, its out-of-the-box calibration is much worse. The WS76 is more serviceable as its storage drive and wireless adapter are user-replaceable, and it has USB-A ports for your peripherals, whereas the MacBook Pro only has USB-C.
Test Results
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