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MSI Modern 15 A11M in review: Slim office laptop offers strong keyboard backlighting

Room for two SSDs. The MSI Modern 15 A11M combines a good configuration and solid input devices in a 15.6-inch laptop. The built-in hardware promises a lot of performance for office applications and other tasks. But our review will reveal the actual performance offered by the device.
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062

About a year ago, we were able to take a look at the MSI Modern 15 A10RB, which was especially praised for its price-performance ratio. It's now the turn of the Modern 15 A11M to show whether it can live up to this claim. For this, we compare the office laptop with the competitors listed below, to which further laptops from our database can be added under each section.

MSI Modern 15 A11M-062 (Modern 15 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-1165G7 4 x 2.8 - 4.7 GHz, 64 W PL2 / Short Burst, 45 W PL1 / Sustained, Tiger Lake-UP3
Memory
8 GB 
, single-channel
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, AU Optronics B156HW02, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Tiger Lake-UP3 PCH-LP
Storage
Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB, 512 GB 
, 480 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Tiger Lake-U/Y PCH-LP - cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech)
Connections
1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 USB 4.0 40 Gbps, 1 Thunderbolt, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: combined audio jack, Card Reader: microSD
Networking
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth 5.1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 17 x 357 x 234 ( = 0.67 x 14.06 x 9.21 in)
Battery
52 Wh Lithium-Polymer
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 0.9 MP, 16:9 (1280x720)
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, MSI Center, Norton Security, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
1.6 kg ( = 56.44 oz / 3.53 pounds), Power Supply: 280 g ( = 9.88 oz / 0.62 pounds)
Price
1 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Possible contenders in comparison

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
81.3 %
06/2021
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs
1.6 kg17 mm15.60"1920x1080
85.8 %
02/2021
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450
1.8 kg18.9 mm15.60"1920x1080
83.6 %
01/2021
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
i5-10400H, UHD Graphics 630
1.9 kg25 mm15.60"1920x1080
85.9 %
11/2020
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6
1.7 kg19.2 mm15.60"1920x1080

Case - Light office laptop

MSI has made the Modern 15 from an aluminum alloy that gives the laptop a high-quality impression. A MIL-STD-810G certificate is also meant to certify the reliability and longevity of the device. Gray and silver are offered as colors.

Furthermore, with a weight of just 1.6 kg, the Modern 15 A11M is the lightest laptop in our test field, and thanks to its small dimensions, it's also the slimmest and most compact device here.

MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062

Size comparison

359 mm / 14.1 inch 236 mm / 9.29 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 1.9 kg4.19 lbs365 mm / 14.4 inch 240 mm / 9.45 inch 18.9 mm / 0.744 inch 1.8 kg3.97 lbs359.7 mm / 14.2 inch 233.8 mm / 9.2 inch 19.2 mm / 0.756 inch 1.7 kg3.75 lbs357 mm / 14.1 inch 234 mm / 9.21 inch 17 mm / 0.669 inch 1.6 kg3.53 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity - MSI Modern 15 now with Thunderbolt 4

The MSI Modern 15 offers a basic selection of ports that should be sufficient for most use cases. The Thunderbolt 4 connection also enables adding more ports with the corresponding adapters.

Left side: Power supply, HDMI, 1x Thunderbolt 4 (including Power Delivery and DisplayPort), 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, combined audio jack
Left side: Power supply, HDMI, 1x Thunderbolt 4 (including Power Delivery and DisplayPort), 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, combined audio jack
Right side: microSD card slot, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
Right side: microSD card slot, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2

SD card reader

The SD card reader in the Modern 15 only supports cards in microSD format. Very good speeds are achieved with our reference memory card, the 128 GB AV PRO V60 microSD: 168.7 MB/s for copying data and 171.3 MB/s for reading data.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
  (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60)
168.7 MB/s
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB)
151.2 MB/s -10%
Average of class Office
  (8 - 196.8, n=49, last 2 years)
55.8 MB/s -67%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB)
191.6 MB/s +12%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
  (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60)
171.3 MB/s
Average of class Office
  (25 - 173.2, n=43, last 2 years)
65.6 MB/s -62%

Communication

With our Netgear Nighthawk AX12 reference router, the Wi-Fi 6 module in the MSI laptop achieves good average rates of 1,159 Mb/s for transmitting data and 1,216 Mb/s for receiving data. This puts the office laptop on par with the competition.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1429 MBit/s +23%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1361 (1303min - 1408max) MBit/s +17%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
  (49.8 - 1775, n=324)
1161 MBit/s 0%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1159 (1007min - 1202max) MBit/s
Average of class Office
  (819 - 1332, n=4, last 2 years)
990 MBit/s -15%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
582 (334min - 641max) MBit/s -50%
iperf3 receive AX12
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1436 (1317min - 1462max) MBit/s +18%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1336 (862min - 1429max) MBit/s +10%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
  (136 - 1743, n=324)
1261 MBit/s +4%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1216 (649min - 1255max) MBit/s
Average of class Office
  (721 - 1690, n=4, last 2 years)
1067 MBit/s -12%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
847 (818min - 863max) MBit/s -30%
05010015020025030035040045050055060065070075080085090095010001050110011501200125013001350140014501500155016001650170017501800Tooltip
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1194 (649-1255)
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1335 (862-1429)
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1436 (1317-1462)
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1159 (1007-1202)
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201; iperf3 transmit AX12: Ø1429 (1381-1813)
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1361 (1303-1408)

Webcam

MSI has only included a low-resolution 0.9 MP webcam, which delivers an accordingly mediocre image quality.

ColorChecker
12 ∆E
12 ∆E
14.2 ∆E
14.2 ∆E
17.6 ∆E
14.4 ∆E
12.8 ∆E
17.7 ∆E
16.9 ∆E
11.5 ∆E
11.4 ∆E
11.9 ∆E
12 ∆E
11.4 ∆E
21 ∆E
7.5 ∆E
18.3 ∆E
18.6 ∆E
0 ∆E
9.5 ∆E
14.7 ∆E
13.2 ∆E
12 ∆E
9.9 ∆E
ColorChecker MSI Modern 15 A11M-062: 13.11 ∆E min: 0 - max: 20.99 ∆E

Maintenance

The MSI Modern 15 can be opened after removing all the screws at the bottom. This allows the access to two RAM slots and two SSD slots, making it possible to replace or expand the hardware installed there.

MSI Modern 15 - Maintenance options
MSI Modern 15 - Maintenance options

Warranty

MSI grants a 24-month warranty period for the MSI Modern 15 A11M.

Input devices - Very good keyboard and strong backlighting

Keyboard

The keys of the Modern 15 are comfortably large and offer a good pressure point. This makes typing tasks easy, and even special keys like Del and Ins as well as the scroll keys can be accessed without difficulty. The arrow keys were also designed in the same size as the rest of the keyboard. Furthermore, the three-stage backlight is very good, ensuring a uniform and unobtrusive illumination of the key labels.

Touchpad

A ClickPad is used as mouse replacement in the MSI Modern 15. Its surface isn't quite as smooth as that of the MSI Prestige 14 Evo, for example, but it's still well suited for navigating the mouse pointer. The pad also responded reliably to mouse clicks triggered by touch and mechanical pressure.

MSI Modern 15 - Input devices
MSI Modern 15 - Input devices
MSI Modern 15 - Keyboard backlight
MSI Modern 15 - Keyboard backlight

Display - High-contrast 15-inch panel

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid
Screen bleeding
Screen bleeding

MSI has made the screen of the Modern 15 out of a 15.6-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The maximum brightness of 269 cd/m² is on par with the competition, and the brightness distribution of 86% is also average. No PWM is used for brightness control, which should prevent problems even for users who have sensitive eyes.

241
cd/m²
232
cd/m²
248
cd/m²
253
cd/m²
269
cd/m²
265
cd/m²
251
cd/m²
247
cd/m²
255
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B156HW02 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 269 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 251.2 cd/m² Minimum: 6 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 269 cd/m²
Contrast: 1494:1 (Black: 0.18 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.01 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
36% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
56% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.38
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
AU Optronics B156HW02, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Lenovo LEN40BA, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
BOE0869, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
ChiMei CMN1512, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Display
8%
9%
16%
Display P3 Coverage
38.71
39.56
41.73
sRGB Coverage
56
58.2
4%
58.3
4%
62.3
11%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
36
39.99
11%
40.87
14%
43.18
20%
Response Times
50%
-18%
9%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
40 ?(18, 22)
28 ?(9, 19)
30%
48 ?(24, 24)
-20%
36 ?(18, 18)
10%
Response Time Black / White *
26 ?(14, 12)
8 ?(2, 6)
69%
30 ?(16, 14)
-15%
24 ?(15, 9)
8%
PWM Frequency
1000 ?(90)
Screen
-45%
-32%
-47%
Brightness middle
269
248
-8%
268
0%
265
-1%
Brightness
251
244
-3%
241
-4%
234
-7%
Brightness Distribution
86
87
1%
79
-8%
83
-3%
Black Level *
0.18
0.27
-50%
0.34
-89%
0.33
-83%
Contrast
1494
919
-38%
788
-47%
803
-46%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.5
5.07
-45%
4.64
-33%
4.46
-27%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
5.49
17.47
-218%
7.11
-30%
18.23
-232%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.01
1.91
5%
2.96
-47%
1.59
21%
Gamma
2.38 92%
2.39 92%
2.37 93%
2.27 97%
CCT
6806 96%
6697 97%
6343 102%
6496 100%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
37
37
40
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
58
52
62
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
3.67
4.12
Total Average (Program / Settings)
4% / -20%
-14% / -23%
-7% / -27%

* ... smaller is better

Color-space coverage (sRGB) - 56%
Color-space coverage (sRGB) - 56%
Color-space coverage (AdobeRGB) - 36%
Color-space coverage (AdobeRGB) - 36%

The display of the Modern 15 offers a very good contrast ratio of 1,494:1 and an equally very good black level of 0.18 cd/m². With a color-space coverage of 56% (sRGB) and 36% (AdobeRGB), MSI's office laptop is on par with the competition as well.

The CalMAN analysis also shows that the display already reproduces colors in a very balanced way out of the box.

CalMAN - Color accuracy
CalMAN - Color accuracy
CalMAN - Grayscales
CalMAN - Grayscales
CalMAN - Saturation
CalMAN - Saturation

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
26 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 14 ms rise
↘ 12 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 57 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
40 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 18 ms rise
↘ 22 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 56 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18071 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The MSI laptop can be used well outdoors as long as places in the shade are favored. Viewing-angle stability is also good, allowing content to be viewed from flat angles as well without this leading to distortions or inaccurate colors.

MSI Modern 15 - Outdoor use
MSI Modern 15 - Outdoor use
MSI Modern 15 - Viewing-angle stability
MSI Modern 15 - Viewing-angle stability

Performance - Good long-term CPU performance

With the Modern 15 A11M, MSI targets mobile office users who are looking for a 15-inch laptop for daily use. The only differences between the available models are the color and the built-in RAM, which is either 8 GB (single-channel) or 16 GB (dual-channel).

Processor

The Intel Core i7-1165G7 installed here is a quad-core processor from Intel's Tiger Lake generation that can process up to eight tasks simultaneously. Its clock rates are between 2.8 and 4.7 GHz, with the actual performance also depending on the cooling system and the configured TDP. The latter has a generous setting with a PL1 of 45 watts and a PL2 of 64 watts.

The i7-1165G7 achieves a very good single-core result in our benchmarks, and it's only pushed into second place by the AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 4650U in multi-core applications. In the endurance stress test, MSI's laptop can place itself ahead of the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2, which is also equipped with an Intel Core i7-1165G7.

060120180240300360420480540600660720780840900960102010801140Tooltip
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062 Intel Core i7-1165G7: Ø929 (850.21-948.86)
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE Intel Core i7-1165G7: Ø906 (876.83-971.84)
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW Intel Core i5-10400H: Ø781 (776.17-796.4)
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U: Ø1158 (1152.67-1167.58)
Cinebench R20: CPU (Single Core) | CPU (Multi Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Single 64Bit | CPU Multi 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Average of class Office
  (181.3 - 764, n=119, last 2 years)
558 Points 0%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
557 Points
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (442 - 589, n=81)
552 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
516 Points -7%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
471 Points -15%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
454 Points -18%
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Average of class Office
  (356 - 5904, n=119, last 2 years)
3085 Points +25%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
2692 Points +9%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
2472 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
2233 Points -10%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (1060 - 2657, n=81)
1967 Points -20%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
1924 Points -22%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
224 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
221 Points -1%
Average of class Office
  (82.6 - 284, n=117, last 2 years)
216 Points -4%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (115 - 230, n=78)
212 Points -5%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
192 Points -14%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
175 Points -22%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (160.8 - 2642, n=119, last 2 years)
1392 Points +47%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
1168 (1152.67min - 1167.58max) Points +23%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
971 (738.23min - 869.87max) Points +2%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
949 (850.21min - 948.86max) Points
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (553 - 1027, n=86)
846 Points -11%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
796 (776.17min - 796.4max) Points -16%
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (468 - 1138, n=80)
618 Seconds * -26%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
565 Seconds * -16%
Average of class Office
  (214 - 2844, n=119, last 2 years)
535 Seconds * -9%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
530 Seconds * -8%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
489 Seconds *
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
415 Seconds * +15%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
5249 MIPS +1%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
5214 MIPS
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (4478 - 5507, n=80)
5182 MIPS -1%
Average of class Office
  (2233 - 6687, n=120, last 2 years)
5007 MIPS -4%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
4766 MIPS -9%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
4204 MIPS -19%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Average of class Office
  (4226 - 62349, n=120, last 2 years)
34626 MIPS +36%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
32454 MIPS +28%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
25395 MIPS
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
24070 MIPS -5%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
23136 MIPS -9%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (15347 - 27405, n=80)
22935 MIPS -10%
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
1539 Points +3%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (1302 - 1595, n=77)
1524 Points +2%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
1492 Points
Average of class Office
  (510 - 1974, n=121, last 2 years)
1468 Points -2%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
1245 Points -17%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
1074 Points -28%
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core
Average of class Office
  (1018 - 11980, n=121, last 2 years)
6590 Points +42%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (3078 - 5926, n=77)
5155 Points +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
4822 Points +4%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
4705 Points +1%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
4649 Points
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
4332 Points -7%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Average of class Office
  (1.55 - 17.4, n=119, last 2 years)
9.18 fps +21%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
8.14 fps +7%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
7.61 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
7.3 fps -4%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (1.39 - 8.47, n=80)
6.3 fps -17%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
6.14 fps -19%
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
86.6 s * -59%
Average of class Office
  (31.3 - 117.5, n=119, last 2 years)
56.7 s * -4%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
54.3 s *
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
50 s * +8%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
49.6 s * +9%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (21.5 - 88.1, n=78)
49.2 s * +9%
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
0.663 sec * -14%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H
0.647 sec * -11%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (0.552 - 1.002, n=80)
0.594 sec * -2%
Average of class Office
  (0.4244 - 1.397, n=118, last 2 years)
0.588 sec * -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7
0.586 sec * -1%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7
0.583 sec *

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
949 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
81 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
97.8 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
224 Points
Help

System performance

The MSI Modern 15 achieves a result that is slightly below the average of other laptops with this configuration in the PCMark 10 benchmark for evaluating system performance. The Productivity score is particularly noticeable here, as it's clearly below the scores of the remaining models in our test field. Nevertheless, it achieves second place behind the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 in the overall rating.

How other laptops performed in comparison is listed in our CPU Benchmarks article.

PCMark 10
Score
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU
5606 Points +20%
Average of class Office
  (2325 - 7157, n=104, last 2 years)
5340 Points +14%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (4531 - 5454, n=50)
4959 Points +6%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
4691 Points
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0
4403 Points -6%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10400H, Micron 2200S 256GB
4151 Points -12%
Essentials
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (8997 - 11505, n=50)
10014 Points +10%
Average of class Office
  (5095 - 20841, n=104, last 2 years)
9828 Points +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU
9372 Points +3%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
9087 Points
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10400H, Micron 2200S 256GB
8688 Points -4%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0
8012 Points -12%
Productivity
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU
8678 Points +37%
Average of class Office
  (3041 - 10198, n=104, last 2 years)
7453 Points +18%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10400H, Micron 2200S 256GB
7232 Points +14%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0
6792 Points +7%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (5570 - 7136, n=50)
6711 Points +6%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
6339 Points
Digital Content Creation
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU
5878 Points +21%
Average of class Office
  (1912 - 9056, n=104, last 2 years)
5782 Points +19%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (4083 - 5550, n=50)
4937 Points +2%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
4864 Points
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0
4258 Points -12%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10400H, Micron 2200S 256GB
3090 Points -36%
PCMark 10 Score
4691 points
Help

DPC latencies

The MSI Modern 15 shows slightly increased interruption times in the test with LatencyMon. Therefore, it's only suitable for real-time applications to a limited extent.

LatencyMon - Stats
LatencyMon - Stats
LatencyMon - Drivers
LatencyMon - Drivers
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10400H, Micron 2200S 256GB
11132 μs * -749%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU
2991 μs * -128%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
1311 μs *
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0
1219 μs * +7%

* ... smaller is better

Storage

The 512 GB SSD from Kensington installed here achieves good read and write speeds. However, the comparison with our test field shows that these are slightly slower than those of the competitors that we chose.

The performance offered by other storage drives can be found in our HDD/SSD Benchmarks article.

MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Micron 2200S 256GB
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0
Average Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
 
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
12%
15%
-13%
6%
Write 4K
215.1
118.8
-45%
72.6
-66%
72
-67%
194.5 ?(107.3 - 286, n=8)
-10%
Read 4K
47.9
37.55
-22%
43.41
-9%
34.01
-29%
47.3 ?(42.5 - 50.4, n=8)
-1%
Write Seq
965
1224
27%
1098
14%
978 ?(965 - 985, n=8)
1%
Read Seq
1149
1589
38%
1770
54%
1299 ?(1043 - 1990, n=8)
13%
Write 4K Q32T1
335.3
409.5
22%
465.8
39%
390.2
16%
505 ?(327 - 625, n=8)
51%
Read 4K Q32T1
303.4
335.5
11%
374.9
24%
347.7
15%
301 ?(298 - 303, n=8)
-1%
Write Seq Q32T1
968
1427
47%
1104
14%
793
-18%
978 ?(968 - 982, n=8)
1%
Read Seq Q32T1
1986
2353
18%
2921
47%
2143
8%
1930 ?(1631 - 1986, n=8)
-3%
Write 4K Q8T8
318.5
981
Read 4K Q8T8
605
301
AS SSD
89%
73%
50%
69%
Seq Read
1747
1886
8%
2058
18%
1633
-7%
1570 ?(252 - 1777, n=10)
-10%
Seq Write
909
1226
35%
788
-13%
649
-29%
904 ?(716 - 941, n=10)
-1%
4K Read
40.89
32.37
-21%
39.7
-3%
39.59
-3%
48.2 ?(36.2 - 60.2, n=10)
18%
4K Write
75.6
100.8
33%
68.6
-9%
101.9
35%
118.9 ?(66 - 170.5, n=10)
57%
4K-64 Read
163.6
842
415%
731
347%
591
261%
415 ?(163.6 - 473, n=10)
154%
4K-64 Write
262.6
485
85%
753
187%
342.3
30%
829 ?(263 - 928, n=10)
216%
Access Time Read *
0.134
0.102
24%
0.079
41%
0.085
37%
0.1294 ?(0.081 - 0.191, n=10)
3%
Access Time Write *
0.048
0.037
23%
0.128
-167%
0.036
25%
0.0371 ?(0.019 - 0.084, n=10)
23%
Score Read
379
1063
180%
977
158%
794
109%
619 ?(379 - 701, n=10)
63%
Score Write
429
708
65%
900
110%
509
19%
1036 ?(429 - 1178, n=10)
141%
Score Total
976
2286
134%
2322
138%
1671
71%
1955 ?(976 - 2184, n=10)
100%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
51% / 57%
44% / 49%
19% / 28%
38% / 43%

* ... smaller is better

Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 1986 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 968 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 303.4 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 335.3 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1149 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 965 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 47.9 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 215.1 MB/s

Continuous load read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

No graph data

Graphics card

The internal Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 graphics unit is responsible for displaying image content in the MSI Modern 15 A11M. It shares RAM with the CPU and benefits from memory running in a dual-channel configuration. Since the 8 GB of RAM used here only operates in single-channel mode, the benchmark results are comparatively low. The Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2, which uses 16 GB of RAM in dual-channel mode, is an example of what's possible.

Our GPU Benchmarks article shows the performance that can be expected from other graphics cards.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
NVIDIA GeForce MX450, Intel Core i7-1165G7
8296 Points +54%
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (2867 - 7471, n=193)
6342 Points +18%
Average of class Office
  (1474 - 12230, n=113, last 2 years)
5932 Points +10%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1165G7
5391 Points
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel UHD Graphics 630, Intel Core i5-10400H
1867 Points -65%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
NVIDIA GeForce MX450, Intel Core i7-1165G7
27150 Points +34%
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (13162 - 38040, n=171)
26309 Points +30%
Average of class Office
  (5681 - 58068, n=96, last 2 years)
24181 Points +20%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1165G7
20212 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (2286 - 6143, n=206)
4903 Points +58%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
NVIDIA GeForce MX450, Intel Core i7-1165G7
4611 Points +48%
Average of class Office
  (712 - 8815, n=115, last 2 years)
4125 Points +33%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1165G7
3113 Points
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
2158 Points -31%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
NVIDIA GeForce MX450, Intel Core i7-1165G7
1975 Points +99%
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (707 - 1871, n=203)
1494 Points +50%
Average of class Office
  (242 - 3186, n=111, last 2 years)
1341 Points +35%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1165G7
994 Points
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
653 Points -34%
3DMark 11 Performance
5425 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
15906 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2677 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
1121 points
Help

Gaming performance

The graphics unit used in the Modern 15 is able to smoothly run older games or games with low graphics performance requirements. However, medium to low graphics levels have to be prioritized in order to get stable frame rates. Once again, the laptop would achieve a slightly better result here if its RAM was in a dual-channel configuration.

The performance that can be expected in different titles is listed in our GPU Games article.

The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (10.6 - 45.9, n=184)
28.6 fps +92%
Average of class Office
  (3.49 - 59.1, n=102, last 2 years)
24.6 fps +65%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450
21 fps +41%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
14.9 fps
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
10.7 (8min - 13max) fps -28%
X-Plane 11.11 - 1920x1080 med (fps_test=2)
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450
73.5 fps +121%
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (11.6 - 69.5, n=207)
35.1 fps +5%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
33.3 fps
Average of class Office
  (6.45 - 95.2, n=121, last 2 years)
31.8 fps -5%
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
25.3 fps -24%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H, Intel UHD Graphics 630
11.2 fps -66%
Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 high (2/3)
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450
88.6 (78.4min) fps +163%
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (23.2 - 88.1, n=206)
53.8 fps +60%
Average of class Office
  (8.9 - 110.4, n=122, last 2 years)
50.1 fps +49%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
33.7 (24.2min) fps
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
32.2 (29.9min) fps -4%
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
Intel Core i5-10400H, Intel UHD Graphics 630
21.3 (19.8min) fps -37%
GTA V - 1366x768 Normal/Off AF:4x
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (24.1 - 137, n=158)
82.2 fps +81%
Average of class Office
  (7.47 - 153.1, n=102, last 2 years)
81.8 fps +80%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
45.5 (5.89min, 28.6P1 - 80.9max) fps
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 Standard Quality
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450
26 fps +100%
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (10.5 - 28, n=170)
21.7 fps +67%
Average of class Office
  (3.02 - 49.9, n=105, last 2 years)
19.1 fps +47%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
13 fps
Strange Brigade - 1280x720 lowest AF:1
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
  (48.5 - 107.3, n=160)
84.6 fps +56%
Average of class Office
  (16.3 - 173.8, n=109, last 2 years)
79 fps +45%
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
54.4 (13.1min, 17P1 - 281max) fps
low med. high ultra
GTA V (2015) 59.2 45.5 9.7 4.22
The Witcher 3 (2015) 52.6 33.3 14.9
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 75.1 57.6 33.7 30.8
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 24.7 13 9.53
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 44.3 33.3 30.1
Strange Brigade (2018) 54.4 18.8 16.5

Emissions - Quiet operation is possible

Noise emissions

Noise
Noise

Under load, the fan in the MSI Modern 15 can get quite loud at up to 48.2 dB(A). However, an almost silent operation is possible in office mode and under the Balanced performance profile.

Noise Level

Idle
28.8 / 28.8 / 28.8 dB(A)
Load
34 / 48.2 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 26 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2022.522.532.925.622.52527.927.444.634.927.93131.134.23630.531.14021.723.332.62421.75031.232.835.227.531.26326.922.23123.526.98021.117.221.517.121.110017.917.722.11817.912516.915.422.717.116.916017.415.718.316.917.420018.314.717.716.618.325018.41516.315.818.431525.515.314.814.325.540022.917.514.312.922.950022.916.514.512.922.963025.617.914.112.525.680027.819.214.212.327.8100032.923.217.312.432.9125035.424.917.712.235.4160036.52419.912.636.520004025.72013.140250038.22514.513.338.2315036.219.71413.636.24000371914.713.837500036.919.114.514.236.9630037.618.215.815.237.6800037.818.916.416.237.81000034.518.916.417.334.5125002414.914.514.8241600015.513.513.313.815.5SPL48.33428.82648.3N5.71.710.75.7median 27.8median 18.2median 15.8median 13.8median 27.8Delta93.61.71.59hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseMSI Modern 15 A11M-062

Temperature

Stress test
Stress test

According to our measurements, the surfaces of the MSI laptop heat up to 49.1 °C (~120 °F) under load. The warmest point is at the center of the bottom's rear section, and the temperatures of the palm rests remain moderate at all times.

During our endurance stress test, the temperatures inside the Modern 15 A11M rose to up to 91 °C (~196 °F). At the same time, the clock rates dropped below the base clock speed and could be stabilized by the system to an average value of around 2 GHz. The temperatures quickly dropped again after the end of the test, and the system remained completely functional. Therefore, no restrictions due to excessively high temperatures have to be expected.

Max. Load
 40.3 °C
105 F
41.4 °C
107 F
38.1 °C
101 F
 
 32.6 °C
91 F
35.3 °C
96 F
33.3 °C
92 F
 
 29.4 °C
85 F
29.2 °C
85 F
29.8 °C
86 F
 
Maximum: 41.4 °C = 107 F
Average: 34.4 °C = 94 F
46.1 °C
115 F
49.1 °C
120 F
45.9 °C
115 F
32.8 °C
91 F
33.5 °C
92 F
34.2 °C
94 F
30 °C
86 F
30.2 °C
86 F
30.7 °C
87 F
Maximum: 49.1 °C = 120 F
Average: 36.9 °C = 98 F
Power Supply (max.)  53.6 °C = 128 F | Room Temperature 23.6 °C = 74 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.4 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.4 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 49.1 °C / 120 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.2 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29.8 °C / 85.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-2.1 °C / -3.7 F).

Speakers

The speakers in the MSI Modern 15 A11M offer a medium volume and a sound spectrum characterized by higher tones. This allows for a good reproduction of speech content in quiet environments, but external speakers or headphones are recommended for music or the like.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs203125.6312534.734.934.73131.630.531.6402724275027.327.527.36319.923.519.9801717.11710019.51819.512526.317.126.316032.316.932.320030.516.630.525043.315.843.331549.614.349.640056.112.956.150057.512.957.563057.412.557.480067.512.367.5100070.812.470.812507512.275160074.812.674.8200073.513.173.5250069.713.369.7315072.313.672.340007613.876500068.514.268.5630069.315.269.3800068.516.268.51000066.717.366.71250061.114.861.1160006813.868SPL83.82683.8N54.30.754.3median 67.5median 13.8median 67.5Delta10.41.510.435.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMSI Modern 15 A11M-062Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (75 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 33.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6.9% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 62% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 28% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 65% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 28% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy management - Increased energy demand

Energy consumption

According to our measurements, MSI's office laptop shows a power consumption of up to 54 watts under load. While this value is rather low compared to our test field, the average idle power consumption of 11 watts is higher than that of the competition.

The included charger offers an output of 65 watts and has therefore a sufficiently high capacity.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.4 / 0.6 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 8.8 / 11 / 15.5 Watt
Load midlight 26.4 / 54 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Kingston OM8PCP3512F-AB, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
i5-10400H, UHD Graphics 630, Micron 2200S 256GB, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6, SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs
 
Average of class Office
 
Power Consumption
19%
6%
33%
0%
13%
Idle Minimum *
8.8
4.4
50%
3
66%
3.6
59%
5.26 ?(2.2 - 46.5, n=184)
40%
4.28 ?(2.2 - 9.6, n=106, last 2 years)
51%
Idle Average *
11
8.2
25%
5.9
46%
6.6
40%
8.46 ?(3.8 - 63, n=184)
23%
7.34 ?(3.8 - 20.6, n=106, last 2 years)
33%
Idle Maximum *
15.5
10.3
34%
8.8
43%
9.5
39%
10.6 ?(5.8 - 68.9, n=184)
32%
9.11 ?(4.8 - 23.9, n=106, last 2 years)
41%
Load Average *
26.4
25
5%
39
-48%
27.6
-5%
44.8 ?(12.5 - 77.5, n=184)
-70%
40.8 ?(8.7 - 75.2, n=105, last 2 years)
-55%
Witcher 3 ultra *
26.4
Load Maximum *
54
64
-19%
95
-76%
36.4
33%
66.6 ?(30.1 - 118, n=184)
-23%
57.8 ?(11.1 - 101.4, n=106, last 2 years)
-7%

* ... smaller is better

Energy consumption under load

05101520253035404550Tooltip
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062; Witcher 3 ultra: Ø26.4 (24-32.9)
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062; 1280x720 Prime95 28.10 and Furmark 1.25: Ø24.7 (23-54.6)

Battery life

The Modern 15 A11M achieves a battery runtime of just under 7 hours in our real-world Wi-Fi test. This means that it can't make as good use of its 52 Wh battery as the comparable competition. In our test field, laptops with a lower battery capacity, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2, manage to last longer.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
6h 54min
MSI Modern 15 A11M-062
i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 52 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, 45 Wh
Dell Latitude 15 5511-VNJNW
i5-10400H, UHD Graphics 630, 68 Wh
HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA
R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6, 56 Wh
Average of class Office
 
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3
414
481
16%
774
87%
734
77%
594 ?(300 - 1137, n=106, last 2 years)
43%

Pros

+ very light
+ good maintenance options
+ high-contrast display
+ good long-term performance
+ very good keyboard with full-size arrow keys

Cons

- only a microSD card slot
- moderate battery life
- no fingerprint sensor, no Kensington lock

Verdict - Good laptop for office use

In review: MSI Modern 15 A11M. Test device provided by:
In review: MSI Modern 15 A11M. Test device provided by:

MSI presents a solid office laptop with the Modern 15 A11M. Performance is sufficient for many tasks, and thanks to good maintenance options, users can upgrade the device's storage and RAM later on. The display shows content in a balanced way, and the system performance is able to keep up with the competition.

The MSI Modern 15 A11M offers a solid system performance and good input devices. However, battery life could have certainly been a bit better.

A direct comparison with the competition also reveals weaknesses, though. In particular, the battery life of the MSI laptop is not only shorter, but the battery's capacity isn't very well utilized either. On the other hand, the input devices are pleasing, and long typing tasks can be carried out easily with them as well. If the battery life provided is sufficient, the MSI Modern 15 A11M is a clear recommendation. If more emphasis is placed on mobility, competitors like the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 are the better choice.

Price and availability

You can find the MSI Modern 15 A11M on Amazon for around $1,030 (i7-1165G7, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD).

MSI Modern 15 A11M-062 - 06/18/2021 v7
Mike Wobker

Chassis
80 / 98 → 81%
Keyboard
79%
Pointing Device
78%
Connectivity
61 / 80 → 77%
Weight
68 / 20-75 → 87%
Battery
74%
Display
84%
Games Performance
62 / 78 → 79%
Application Performance
90 / 95 → 95%
Temperature
90%
Noise
82%
Audio
62%
Camera
33 / 85 → 38%
Average
73%
81%
Office - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > MSI Modern 15 A11M in review: Slim office laptop offers strong keyboard backlighting
Mike Wobker, 2021-06-22 (Update: 2021-06-22)