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After a long hiatus since the HD8970 Mobility graced high-end gaming laptops like the MSI GX70H, AMD’s mobile graphics cards have been largely overshadowed by NVIDIA’s offerings, from Pascal onwards. While present in pricey iMacs and powerful Macbook Pros, AMD GPUs have been absent from gaming laptops for several years, leaving dedicated fans wanting.

Following the success of the Ryzen 3000 Series desktop processors and the new RDNA architecture in mid-range to high-end graphics cards, AMD has reignited hope with the RX 5500 Series, available for both desktop and laptop. Partnering with MSI, AMD launched a brand new laptop, the MSI Alpha 15, featuring both AMD CPU and GPU, bringing “The Ultimate Gaming Platform” to gamers who prefer the portability of a gaming laptop.

This marks a departure from MSI’s existing gaming laptop lineup, so much so that a new logo featuring a green phoenix symbolizes AMD’s resurgence in the gaming laptop arena. This review offers initial impressions of this exciting new machine.

MSI Alpha 15 Exterior

A True Gaming Laptop

Unlike “hybrid” gaming laptops that compromise performance for ultrabook thinness, like the ASUS Zephyrus M GU502GU, the MSI Alpha 15 is a true gaming laptop. The first impression is its rugged design, with two ridges along the display lid reinforcing the hard plastic casing, a cost-effective choice compared to aluminum. This strategic decision allows AMD to offer a competitive price for its re-entry into the mid-range gaming laptop market, maintaining the “performance per dollar” philosophy.

While thicker than ultrabook-style gaming laptops, the Alpha 15 compares favorably to other recent gaming laptops like the MSI GL65, measuring just 27mm thick and weighing 2.3kg (without the power adapter).

MSI Alpha 15 Side Profile

Compact Design, Premium Display

Thanks to its thin bezels, the MSI Alpha 15 is surprisingly compact, even smaller than some previous 14-inch gaming laptops. The display is a highlight, boasting a 120Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync technology. Despite the slim bezels, MSI has included a webcam for video calls and Windows Hello facial recognition.

MSI Alpha 15 Keyboard

Innovative Cooling System

The bottom of the laptop features a unique honeycomb mesh design, showcasing the robust cooling system with two fans and an intricate network of heat pipes. This design allows for passive cooling, as cool air is constantly drawn in through the mesh, complementing the active cooling provided by the fans.

MSI Alpha 15 Display

Comprehensive Connectivity

The MSI Alpha 15 offers a full complement of modern ports, including USB Type-C, Mini DisplayPort, Gigabit LAN, and three illuminated USB Type-A ports for easy connectivity in low-light conditions.

MSI Alpha 15 Ports

Powerful “All-AMD” Performance

The MSI Alpha 15 stands out with its “all-AMD” configuration, featuring the Ryzen 7 3750H processor and the RX 5500M graphics card. This platform, dubbed “The Ultimate Gaming Platform” by AMD CEO Lisa Su, mirrors the hardware found in next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, ensuring compatibility with future games.

MSI Alpha 15 Internal Components

Ryzen 7 3750H and RX 5500M: A Winning Combination

The Ryzen 7 3750H is a familiar mid-range CPU with 4 cores and 8 threads, operating at a base clock of 2.3GHz and boosting up to 4GHz. It’s comparable to Intel’s Core i5 9300H but runs cooler with a TDP of only 35W. The RX 5500M is a significant addition, being the world’s first 7nm mobile GPU based on the RDNA architecture (Navi 14). It boasts 1408 processing cores at 1327MHz and 4GB of GDDR6 RAM on a 128-bit bus. While featuring the same core count as the desktop RX 5500 XT, the mobile version operates at a lower clock speed to reduce power consumption and heat.

MSI Alpha 15 Cooling Performance

Benchmark Performance

In benchmarks like 3DMark FireStrike and TimeSpy, and demanding games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Borderlands 3, the MSI Alpha 15 performs similarly to laptops equipped with the GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, such as the ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DU and ASUS Zephyrus M GU502GU. Impressively, the Alpha 15’s hybrid cooling system keeps temperatures under control, reaching only 70°C under FurMark stress test, cooler than even the Zephyrus in gaming mode.

MSI Alpha 15 Benchmark Results

Conclusion

The MSI Alpha 15 marks an impressive return for AMD in the gaming laptop market, offering a powerful and well-designed machine at a competitive price. It’s a breath of fresh air in a market dominated by NVIDIA, promising more affordable and exciting gaming laptops in the future.