Thread: Anandtech News

MSI has started to ship its ultrathin Prestige-series laptops that it introduced in early June. The new PS42 models feature a 14-inch display, a quad-core CPU, and a discrete GPU in select models. MSI positions the new notebooks primarily for business users who need maximum portability, which is why the laptops are thinner and lighter than most 13.3-inch mobile PCs.
The MSI Prestige PS42 notebooks feature a 14-inch IPS Full HD display and are based on Intel’s quad-core Core i5-8250U or Core i7-8550U processors. Depending on exact model, the notebooks may be outfitted with 8 or 16 GB of single-channel DDR4-2400 memory, a 256 to 1 TB SSD featuring a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, and NVIDIA’s GeForce MX150 dGPU (PS42 8RB SKUs only). The latter certainly offers better performance in games than Intel’s UHD 630 iGPU, but do not expect it to run modern games at high FPS using this chip.

Apart from its 14-inch display and a discrete GPU, two key selling points of MSI’s Prestige PS42 are its weight and thickness. The laptop weighs around 1.19 kg (2.623 lbs), which is in line with Lenovo’s latest X1 Carbon. Meanwhile, the notebook has a z-height of 15.9 mm (0.62 inches), which is 1 mm thicker than Apple’s latest MacBook Pro 13.3-inch. Considering the fact that the PS42 comes in a brushed aluminum chassis, it is logical to expect the notebook to feature a solid build and be fairly durable too. Meanwhile, to minimize dimensions and weight, MSI has to stick to a 50 Wh battery that provides up to 10 hours of operation on one charge, enough for a day, but not exactly long by today's standards.

On the connectivity side of things, the MSI Prestige PS42 offers a pretty standard configuration for business laptops. For wireless comms, the notebook has an Intel Wireless-AC 3168 1×1 802.11ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.2 controller. When it comes to physical ports, the laptop is outfitted with four USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A and Type-C headers, an HDMI 1.4 output (so, 4Kp30 only), an SD card reader, and a TRRS audio connector. Naturally, a 720p webcam (albeit located beneath the display), a microphone array, and stereo speakers are also present.

General Specifications of MSI's Prestige PS42
		PS42 8RB	PS42 8M
Display	Diagonal	14"
Resolution	1920×1080
Type	IPS
CPU		Intel Core i5-8250U (4C/8T, 1.6 - 3.4 GHz, 6 MB cache) Intel Core i7-8550U (4C/8T, 1.8 - 4 GHz, 8 MB cache)
PCH		integrated
Graphics		NVIDIA GeForce MX150 with 2 GB GDDR5 GP108, 384 SPs	Intel UHD 630
RAM		8 - 16 GB DDR4 (single channel, 1 SO-DIMM slot)
Storage	M.2 SSD	256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Interface	PCIe 3.0/NVMe
Wi-Fi		Intel Wireless-AC 3168 1 ×1 802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth		Bluetooth 4.2
USB		2 × USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A 2 × USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C
Display Outputs		1 × HDMI 1.4
Audio		2 × 2 W speakers Microphones 3.5-mm audio jack for headset Nahimic 3 software enhancements
Fingerprint Reader		Yes
Other I/O		720p HD webcam, SD card reader
Battery		50 Wh
Dimensions	Width	32.2 cm | 12.67 inches
Depth	22.2 cm | 8.74 inches
Thickness	15.9 mm | 0.62 inches
Weight		1.19 kg | 2.623 lbs	1.18 kg | 2.601 lbs

MSI this month started to sell its Prestige PS42 laptops worldwide. The notebooks are available in different configurations depending on the region and reseller. For example, Amazon currently offers three configs from $899 for the most simplistic version and $1,349 for the most advanced one.

MSI's Prestige PS42 Laptops Available at Amazon
		PS42 8M-064	PS42 8RB-060	PS42 8RB-059
CPU		Intel Core i5-8250U 4C/8T 1.6 - 3.4 GHz 6 MB cache		Intel Core i7-8550U 4C/8T 1.8 - 4 GHz 8 MB cache
GPU		Intel UHD 630	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 with 2 GB GDDR5
RAM		8 GB DDR4		16 GB DDR4
Storage		256 GB SSD	512 GB SSD
Price		$899	$1,099	$1,349

Buy MSI PS42 8RB-059 on Amazon.com
Related Reading:

• MSI Prestige PS42 Laptop: Made For Business
• Apple Updates MacBook Pro Family for 2018: More CPU Cores, DDR4, & Same Form Factors
• Asus ZenBook S (UX391): ZenBook Gets a Lift
• Asus VivoBook S14 (S430) and S15 (S530): Mid-Range Options
• Acer Predator Helios 300 SE: White and Gold Gaming Laptop

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A supplier of PCs from China has added support for Intel’s Coffee Lake CPUs to its platforms based on Intel’s H110 chipset. The announcement does not mean that mainboards from other brands can work with Intel’s latest CPUs, but certainly raises questions.

Onda, a supplier of computers from China, tweeted that its H110C+ (rev. 1.00) mainboards now support Intel’s Core i3-8100 and Core i3-8350K processors. Both CPUs belong to the Coffee Lake family, which uses a different power delivery method than processors which belong to the Skylake and Kaby Lake families (please check our Coffee Lake review for details). Yet, the producer of motherboards found a way to support Intel’s latest CPUs on its entry level platforms, we assume, by adjusting the firmware to detect and change the identification pins. Other considerations have to be in place as well, such as VRM temperatures and power delivery - the listing does not show support for the Core i7-8700K for example, which has much higher power delivery requirements.
Running a Coffee Lake CPU on motherboards featuring the LGA1150 v1 socket is not exactly surprising. Enthusiasts have managed to work the latest parts on older platforms, such as onto the ASRock Z170 OC Formula, but this requires adjusting the pin pads on the bottom of the processor.

Onda, by contrast, is the first company to announce the support with publically available firmware.
Related Reading

• ASRock Confirms Eight-Core Coffee Lake CPUs, Adds Their Support to Intel 300-Series Boards
• ASUS Adds Support for 9th Gen Core CPUs to Their Intel 300-Series Motherboards
• GIGABYTE Adds Support for Intel’s 9th Gen Core Processors to Existing Motherboards
• MSI Z370 Motherboards Now Support Intel’s 9th Gen Core CPUs
• Analyzing Z370 for Intel's 8th Generation Coffee Lake: A Quick Look at 50+ Motherboards
• Intel 8th Generation and 9th Generation Processor Lists Leaked: Coffee Lake Refresh?
• Intel Outs Z390 & X399 PCHs for Cannon Lake & Coffee Lake CPUs
• Intel Documents Point to AVX-512 Support for Cannon Lake Consumer CPUs
• Intel Officially Reveals Post-8th Generation Core Architecture Code Name: Ice Lake, Built on 10nm+
• ASUS Publishes List of Upcoming Intel Z390-Based Motherboards
• MSI Z370 Motherboards Now Support Intel’s 9th Gen Core CPUs

Source: Onda (via Twitter)

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