MSI intros 1,000-nit mini LED HDR on 17-inch laptop, bizarro concept gaming desktop

Who doesn't want this warrior robot head on their desk?

Lori Grunin Senior Editor / Advice

I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.

Expertise Photography | PCs and laptops | Gaming and gaming accessories

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Lori Grunin

Jan. 7, 2020 10:00 a.m. PT

msi-ces-2020-aegis-ti5-product-image-2 — And now for something completely different in a gaming desktop, the MSI MEG Aegis Ti5.
MSI

Why should dual-screen laptop manufacturers have all the conceptual fun? At CES 2020, MSI is showing off its robot-head concept gaming desktop, the MEG Aegis Ti5, which takes the aesthetic of its Aegis compact desktops a little further out. It's a lot less scary looking, though. In more pragmatic news, though, the company also showed off its new DisplayHDR 1000 17-inch Creator 17 laptop, the first we've heard of with that display.

Watch this: CES 2020: Dell Alienware Project UFO

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The desktop concept features its Gaming Knob on the front which displays system status and would incorporate (as-yet unannounced) Intel 10th-generation Core K-series processors and built-in 5G wireless.

And while monitor companies have been stepping up announcements of Mini LED-backlights for 1,000-plus-nit desktop monitors, this is the first announcement we've heard for a laptop with one. In addition to its 1,000-nit peak brightness, the MSI Creator 17's screen hits a 100% P3 gamut coverage. That's all we know for the moment, though.

But wait -- there's more! A new model in MSI's G-series gaming laptops, the GE66 Raider, will sport a 300MHz-refresh display -- presumably 1080p -- and a 99.9Wh battery. The maximum battery capacity that you can take on an airline is 100Wh, so MSI's slipping in just under the limit there.

And it looks like someone's taking notes from Samsung ; the MSI Optix MAG342CQR uses a 1000R curved Quantum Dot panel for its latest gaming monitor. But while Samsung's new 1000R displays come in 27-, 32- and 49-inch sizes, MSI's is 34 inches.