Surprisingly, we thought that the WS65 would be a power-eating beast like MSI GT series, but the design of a 230W single power supply brought a touch of portability to this workstation.

So let’s dig in the details with the following benchmark.

Product Specification

WS65 9TM Tech Specs from Official Website
https://www.msi.com/Workstation/WS65-Mobile-Workstation/Specification

Product Unboxing

Package Appearance
The outer packaging is still packed with a yellow recycled carton

Different from the gaming series, the MSI workstation uses the same white packaging from PS series, elegant and professional

the main body is warped by a double-layered suit which has an anti-static layer and a black fabric layer

Product Analysis

Compared to the similar size GS65 Stealth, the WS65 9TM has the exact same chassis design

MSI GS65

MSI WS65

The main looking of WS65

The thin-bezel design

The total thickness is only 17.9 mm, and the bottom side is 13.29mm thick

The opening angel of this laptop is 180°

The numeric keypad has been removed. This is actually a relatively unsuccessful design, because for designers, more shortcut combinations needs it

The Keyboard backlight, bright but not too sharp

The touchpad size has been adjusted as the same as the GS75 with a fingerprint reader, which integrated a TPM v2 chip to enhance the security

The 720p camera on the top of the B cover is next to the built-in directional noise reduction microphone

The power supply is a single 230W design from Chicony, A17-230P1A

I/O Analysis

The laptop front side – only a battery indicator located on the right side of the front edge, very simple design

The laptop rear side – Has the same design as GS65, the irregular triangle cooling fence also brings modern feeling

The laptop right side – I/O are the Micro SD card readers, 1 x USB3.2 Type-A Gen2, 1 x Type-C (USB3.2 Gen2 / DP / Thunderbolt™3), 1 x mini DP, 1 x HDMI 2.0 (4K@60Hz) and the power jack

The laptop left side – I/O are the Kensington Lock, 1 x Gb LAN, 2 x USB3.2 Type-A Gen1, headphone port and microphone port

The laptop weight: 1.92KG

The laptop with power adapter package overall weight: 2.65KG

Screen Analysis

The screen panel is B173ZAN03.0, 17.3″, 16:9 60Hz 4K IPS IGZO, 100% Adobe RGB, manufactured by AUO

Screen Calibration
WS63 is using a 4K UHD Sharp LQ156D1JW42 IPS panel and it was pre-calibrated. The display is awesome with colours that appear and only a minor level of graininess despite the matte overlay. In the end, we decided not to perform a secondary calibration to prevent an interfere with the previously corrected data

Hardware & Software Introduction

MSI Workstation Logo

MSI Workstation Wallpaper

Windows 10 Desktop looking

Windows 10 Info page

HWiNFO64 System details

CPU-Z snapshots

GPU-Z snapshots

LAN chip – Qualcomm Atheros AR8171/8175 Gigabit LAN
WIFI Card – Intel Wireless-AC 9560 with Bluetooth v5

SSD – 1TB Samsung PM981

MSI Creator Center – Creator Mode, is allows user to turn on/off software acceloration

MSI Creator Center – System Monitoring, is allows user to check the machine details

MSI Creator Center – System Tuner, is allows user to change the performance profile and adjust the screen settings

MSI Creator Center – Battery Master, is allows user to check and switch the battery performance

MSI Creator Center – Tools & Help, is allows user to manage the warranty and help support and add more applications shortcuts

Run-time Benchmark Test

Before the test, we are enabled the Ultimate Power Performance setting in Win10

CPU-Z Benchmark – according to the result, there is nearly no difference compared with an i9-9900K on a desktop

AIDA64 Memory & Cache benchmark

Cinebench R15 Results – Single core & multi-core

Cinebench R20 Results – Single core & multi-core

SSD Benchmark – TxBENCH

PCMark10 Benchmark: 4,987
Results Link: https://www.3dmark.com/pcm10b/678000

3DMark Fire Strike : 16,035

3DMark Fire Strike Extreme : 8,576

3DMark Fire Strike Ultra : 4,449

3DMark Time Spy : 6,889

3DMark Time Spy Extreme : 3,097

3DMark Port Royal : 4,069

Workstation Benchmark
VRAY Benchmark

SPECviewperf 13 – The overall results

SPECviewperf 13 – Catia

SPECviewperf 13 – CREO

SPECviewperf 13 – Energy

SPECviewperf 13 – MAYA

SPECviewperf 13 – Medical

SPECviewperf 13 – Showcase

SPECviewperf 13 – SNX8

SPECviewperf 13 – Solid works

SPECviewperf 13 – 3DSMAX

Thermal Tests

We are pressure testing this workstation by using AIDA64 and Cinebench.
Test room temperature : 23℃±2℃
CPU Idle temperature : 37℃±2℃
GPU idle temperature : 48℃

Under AIDA64 Single FPU pressure test, this Intel i9-9880H is overheat and throtting down around 17%
The CPU package temperature is around 97℃±2℃

Under AIDA64 CPU & GPU pressure test, this Intel i9-9880H is overheat but not throtting down
The CPU package temperature is around 89℃±2℃

Under Cinebench R15 benchmarking, this Intel i9-9880H is overheat and throtting down around 17%
The CPU package temperature is around 96℃±3℃

The surface full load temperature : Top around 42℃, Buttom around 34℃

The surface full load temperature (Left part of the exhausting fence): Main tunnel around 47℃, Top case around 34℃

The surface full load temperature (Right part of the exhausting fence): Main tunnel around 45℃, Top case around 36℃, Buttom side LCD panel around 40℃

Disassembling analysis

It’s extremely easy to disassemble the backplate

The backplate

The laptop back looking and disassembling

Battery, 5280mAh manufactured by Getac, 80Wh

Samsung DDR4 2666 2 x 16GB Dual Channel : M471A2K43CB1 – CTD

SSD : Samsung PM981 1TB

WIFI & Bluetooth card : Intel 9560NGW, 2.4G/5G, 300Mbps + 1730Mbps 160MHz channels, Bluetooth v5

The CPU chipset and power supply Heatsink : 5 Pipes

The GPU chip from Nvidia, N19E-Q5-A1 which is the Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000 with 16GB GDDR6

The INTEL i9-9880HK CPU

The back of CPU and GPU power supply

The PCH chipset

The SSD slots, both slot support m.2 NVMe SSD

The Motherboard model & version MS-16Q41 Ver 1.0

EC Chip

The heatsink fans from A-power BS5005HS-U3I DC 5V 0.5A and BS5005HS-U3J 5V 0.5A

SUMMARY

According to the benchmark result, with the high-performance Quadro card, the overall performance in the professional field from the SPECviewperf result is very competitive with other mobile workstations. And MSI is currently the only company that makes mobile workstations thin and light, abandoning the bulk design and pursuing fashion and beauty, while taking into account performance. At the same time, the high-frequency single-core speed of CPU also guarantees certain gaming performance, and the large-sized memory, NVMe SSD and rich expansion I/O ports promote this workstation also suitable for music production and film editing, 4K IPS level high-resolution and the pre-calibrated screen has excellent color reproduction for photography and graphic editing. However, the WS65 is not satisfactory in terms of heat dissipation. The casing and cooling system that used from their GS65 series cannot suppress the super-heating 8-core i9-9880H and the performance monster Quadro RTX5000 graphics card. The former inevitably hit the voltage wall when calling the AVX instruction set, resulting in overheating and throttling of nearly 20% of the performance, while the heat of GPU is significantly increased because they share the same cooling system. Therefore, it seems necessary to prepare a laptop cooler stand to give this heater a little help.

In general, MSI WS65 9TM is an excellent mobile workstation. Compared to other brands like HP or DELL, which are relatively conservative design concepts of major manufacturers, MSI has always been a model of innovative business in the area. With the development of technology, stronger-performance and more power-efficient chips will have an inestimable impact on the field of mobile workstations, which means this kind of laptop can also be thinner and more stylish, designers will enjoy the benefits of a high-performance workstation in coffee bars. This is the inevitable result brought by innovation.

EPIC PC RATE SCORE: 91.5/100

EPIC REWARD: EPIC EXTREME POWER & DESIGN AWARD

MSI WS65 9TM OFFICIAL WEBSITE: HERE

Product Specification

PS63 8RC uses a low TDP ‘U’ series Intel 8^th Gen i7 processor with a 15.6” Full HD IPS screen. Graphics card is Nvidia GTX 1050 Max-Q platform with 4GB GDDR5 VRAM. Memory uses DDR4 2400 with 2 DIMM slots and max of the 32GB total. In addition, MSI provides a super slim 90W Slim power adapter, which is a lightweight consideration.

Product Analysis
The outside packaging

The size of PS63 is W356.8 x D233.7 x H15.9 mm only, the A panel is matted gunmetal colour with a chromed blue edge

The vent size at the bottom is about W265 x H70mm, nearly half of the plane size

The front MSI dragon logo is pre-printed on the top cover with a little deeper grey colour

All edges are chamfered and with blue anode process.

There is no I/O at the front of the laptop

The back side of the laptop is full of the intake heat sink

The left side of the laptop has a charging port, an HDMI port(4K@30Hz), a USB Type-C 3.1 Gen1/DP port, a USB Type-A 3.1 Gen1/QC3.0, a headphone port, a power led indicator and a battery status led indicator

The right side of the laptop has a microSD slot, a USB Type-A 3.1 Gen1 and a USB Type-A 3.1 Gen2

The PS63 has the similar looking from PS42, in a different colour

The maximum opening angle is around 120°

The main looking of the C panel

The keyboard backlight, it’s still not bright enough when it reaches the maximum bright level

The ‘Prestige’ Series

The laptop power button

The front camera and indicators

The enhancement of a large-sized touchpad design, around 140mm x 65mm size

The thin-bezel design – around 5mm

The IPS screen looking

The accessory box – includes a power adapter and a power cable

The small-sized 90W ac adapter is only about 75mm x 75mm square

The adapter is 19V 4.74A 90W power and manufactured by Delta Electronics

The weight of the laptop itself is around 1.65Kg

Including the ac adapter, is around 2KG only

This laptop is an engineering sample, we have no permission to do the further test

Summary
The PS63 Modern has really got a modern design, 8th gen i7 is powerful enough and the Nvidia GeForce 1050Ti Max-Q also has a similar performance as the Nvidia Quadro P2000, which could handle lightweight photo/video editing work and some games. Up to 16 hours battery will let you keep the focus on your work for a long time. The USB port with QC v3 charging function will enable your phone power for more standby time.
The wide designed touchpad will satisfy your hand moving and the integrated fingerprint sensor could secure your credential data from the cyber attack. The solid material also provides a stabilised structure and improved the overall quality.

MSI PS63 MODERN Official Website: https://www.msi.com/Laptop/PS63-MODERN-8RX

The latest Razer Blade 15” still maintains Razers ambitious portable formula and when compared to MSIs GS65 or Gigabytes Aero 15x, its easy to see how this approach can be beneficial. Measuring in with a 5mm ultra-thin bezel and a 16.8mm thin body, it feels more like a Macbook than a gaming laptop.

Product Specification

RΛZΞR BLADE 15″ 2018 Tech Specs from Official Website
https://www2.razer.com/au-en/comparisons/blade-15

Product Unboxing

Package
It’s interesting that Razer has opted for a plain outer box when compared to some of their other products, which have a much flashier exterior box

The exterior has a small label that contains the laptop details

Inside the box, there are terms & conditions printed on the middle layer of the box

A greeting message has been printed on the accessory box. The Razor laptop is below it.

The whole package contains only 2 boxes, Razer has continued to follow their ‘simple’ packaging approach for this laptop

Let’s take a look at the accessory box. It contains the power adapter and a power cable. It’s a bit funny that the power cable has been protected by another simple box

Taking everything out from the box

The power adapter has an output of 19.5V 11.8A total 230W

All the parts have a special Razer design, which tends to be more unrepairable

The power cable is manufactured by I-SHENG(Taiwan), 10A 250V standard

Compared with the Razer Phone, the size of the power adapter is not that big

In traditional ‘Razer Style’, the laptop has a big Razer logo

The other sides of this package sport ‘Razer Green’ highlights

Open the package, we can actually see the laptop with a protective layer

Remove the protector sheet, the laptop body is still being protected by a plastic sheet

After taking out the laptop, there is another small box underneath the laptop

Inside this small package, we can find the typical ‘Razer Greeting Card’, user manual, Razer Chroma Sticker, and a laptop fingerprint fiber cleaning cloth. There is a small Razer logo on the cloth

A/D Panel

The A panel is fully black with a classic Razer light-up logo in the middle, the unibody is full aluminum

The bottom side, this time Razer opted for 2 hollow-carved designed vents

B/C Panel

The screen bezel is only 5mm wide, it’s nearly invisible

The screen refresh rate is 144Hz, IPS matte panel, C panel is extremely similar to the dark version MacBook Pro 15 inch, especially the large-sized design of the touchpad. Speakers are located at both left and right side, Keyboard has no numeric keypad per-key RGB backlight and nice touch feeling

The built-in microphone and webcam are located in the middle of the top bezel. If you are doing online streaming or like to do an HQ video chat, a Razer Kiyo is a definitely better choice

There is an unusual tiny little intel 8-gen chip sticker located at the right side of the corner

I/O Analysis

The front view of the laptop, there is no I/O port locate on this side

The rear view of the laptop, there is a full-width cooling vent located here

The left side I/O of this laptop includes the power jack, 2x USB 3.1 Type-A ports and a standard 3.5mm combo audio port

The right side I/O of this laptop contains the Kensington lock port, a mini DP v1.4 port, a HDMI 2.0b port, a USB 3.1 Type-A port and a USB 3.1 Type-C with Thunderbolt™ 3 port

Screen Analysis

This laptop uses a 15.6 inch, 16:9 144Hz Full-HD IPS Matt screen, manufactured by LG.

Subpixel geometry

Screen Calibration
We are using the Datacolor Spider 4 Elite for doing screen calibration, the screen temperature is under 6500K

Before & after calibration

The Gamut test result, this panel comes in with 97% of sRGB, 73% of AdobeRGB and 67% of NTSC

The Tone Response test result

The Brightness & Contrast tests result

The OSD Settings result

The Screen Uniformity tests result
Colour Uniformity for Brightness 50% & 100%

Luminance Uniformity for Brightness 50% & 100%

Colour Accuracy test result, Average ΔE≈1.35

Hardware & Software Brief Introduction

BIOS details, powered by AMI, Main view – 1

BIOS details, Main view – 2, contains CPU details, MEM details and MTB chipset

BIOS details, Advanced CPU details

BIOS details, Advanced SSD details

BIOS details, Chipset details

BIOS details, Boot setup menu

UEFI booting screen with a bright looking Razer logo

WIN10 is pre-installed. After booting up, we try to enable the ultimate power plan



Activation for new power plan fails because the win10 is not the latest version

Razer has their customised desktop wallpaper

Razer Synapse settings
We have to say; the Razer Synapse software is not easy to use and not that user-friendly. The user must sign-up to a Razer account, connect to internet and sign-in to use the software or load device drivers. After these steps, they will be able to change the performance and appearance.

Razer Synapse Lighting Profile

Razer Synapse RGB lighting setup

Razer Synapse Laptop Performance setup

Razer Synapse Laptop Performance setup – Gaming Mode

The maximum speed of these cooling fans is 5000rpm

Razer Synapse Screen Refresh Rate Setting

Audio Chipset – Realtek ALC298

SSD – 512GB SAMSUNG OEM PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ-00000

WIFI Card – Intel Wireless-AC 9260 with Bluetooth v5

Power Management

Razer OS Recovery Mode. Razer has customized the recovery mode and makes it really easy to use

Run-time Benchmark Test

CPU-Z snapshot, INTEL i7 8750H, and CPU-Z benchmark

Intel XTU

Intel XTU Advance Tuning, we actually found that the PL1 has been set to 60W and PL2 at 80W

After the 1st benchmark, the CPU hits the wall and throttles down and up several times

Due to this problem, we have to switch the cooling setting to MAX, then test again

Even when we turned the cooling to max performance, The CPU still throttles down

Cinebench R15 Result

AIDA64 Memory & Cache benchmark

GPU-Z snapshot – we found the Nvidia driver was outdated

For more accrued benchmark result, we updated the Nvidia driver to the latest version

AIDA64 GPGPU Benchmark

FURMARK Stress test

FURMARK Stress test with 8X MSAA

SSD Details – Samsung Magician

SSD Benchmark – Samsung Magician R/W : 2,078/1,849 MB/S | 230,712/196,533 IOPS

SSD Benchmark – AS SSD R/W : 822/1,847 MB/S

SSD Benchmark – Blackmagicdesign Disk Speed Test R/W : 1,070/1,821 MB/S

3DMark Time Spy : 5,447

3DMark Sky Diver : 34,762

3DMark Fire Strike : 14,522

3DMark Fire Strike Extreme : 7,347

3DMark Fire Strike Ultra : 3,781

Unigine Heaven : 2,130 | Avg FPS : 84.6

Unigine Vally : 3,663 | Avg FPS : 87.6

Unigine Superposition : 10,106 | Avg FPS : 75.59

Unigine Superposition High : 7,200 | Avg FPS : 53.85

Unigine Superposition Extreme : 2,844 | Avg FPS : 21.28

Thermal and Noise Tests

Test room temperature : 20℃±2℃
CPU Idle temperature : 45℃±2℃
GPU idle temperature : 46℃
AIDA64 Extreme full load stress test CPU&FPU: 87℃
Furmark full load stress test GPU: 71℃

The surface temperature during full load:

The Noise level under balance mode : around 34 dB

The Noise level under Max Cooling mode : around 55-65 dB

Disassembling analysis

There are 10 screws mounting on the back D panel, it’s quite easy to disassemble the back plate

The back panel looking

The Innovative Vapor Chamber Cooling System. There are total of 3 important cables crossing over to the Ram

The Northbridge chip has been cooled by the edge of the Vapor Chamber cooling pad with thermal paste

Battery, manufactured by BYD, 80Wh

After we removed the eDP and other cables, we are able to remove the Ram
Ram : M471A1K43CB1 – CTD from Samsung, 8G DDR4, 1Rx8 2666

SSD ONLY : PM981 from Samsung OEM, 512G, MZVLB512HAJQ-00000

WIFI & Bluetooth card : 9560NGW from Intel, 2.4G/5G, 300Mbps+1730Mbps, 160MHz channels, Bluetooth v5

The Chipset Heatsink. It’s not a traditional thick copper one-piece heatsink, to be honest, we are surprised that this design brings good cooling performances

North Bridge chip

CPU & GPU

Cooling Fans are manufactured by FCN, a Thermal Solution Specialist company. Model No : DFS501105PLOT 5V 0.5A

SUMMARY

Ultra Fast. Ultra Small. Ultra Powerful. According to Razer, the 2018 Blade 15 has lots of benefits that users have come to expect. Exquisite Design, with 16.8mm ultra-thin body and 5mm thin bezel and fancy RGB Chroma integration. Modern crafted shape and texture give this laptop an element of luxury, just like a piece of art. Lightweight and quiet, for gamers who want to bring this beast into everyday life. An 80Wh battery is still powerful, and the charger is actually well weight. If under the integrated graphics card mode, the laptop can last around 5 hours. 144Hz FHD screen also brings smooth gaming and movie performance, plus the active cooling system and the aluminum body ensures that it will never overhead (a problem that plagued earlier models of the Razer Blade). This time, Razer has impressed us with the new cooling system and nice appearance features blended into this new Razer Blade 2018. We highly recommended this laptop to everyone who wants to blend high-performance computing, with great looks.

EPIC PC RATE SCORE: 92.5/100

EPIC REWARD: EPIC RECOMMENDED, EDITOR’S CHOICE & DESIGN AWARD

RAZER BLADE 15″ 2018 OFFICIAL WEBSITE: https://www2.razer.com/au-en/gaming-systems/razer-blade/