MSI Creator Z16 A11UET-043 Review And Specification

Designed as an Nvidia Studio notebook for creatives, the MSI Creator Z16 is a professional laptop that combines the advantages of a mobile workstation and a mobile AAA gaming laptop. Although MSI currently has some of the greatest gaming and hybrid professional ultrabooks available, it appears that the MSI Creator Z16 is designed with strong hardware that is tailored for professional creatives in order to compete with Apple MacBook laptops.

Our review unit, the MSI A11UET-043, draws inspiration from the MacBook Pro series, but its 16-inch 16:10 display—which has become the professional creatives' "Swiss Knife" due to its ability to boost productivity while maintaining a chic, timeless design—must be its most notable feature. It lacks the glitz and glamour of more visually striking devices like the Acer ConceptD series, but it does have some really potent internal components that make it an excellent choice for a variety of video creators.

Professionals working in photography and video editing will adore the touch screen and 100% DCI-P3 color coverage of the display, while fans of recent AAA games will value the 120Hz refresh rate supported by an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU and an Intel Core i9-11900H CPU for side gaming.

All things considered, the MSI Creator Z16 is a well-tuned creative laptop that won't let you down if you purchase it during a sale. However, its high price tag isn't all that enticing, especially when you consider that there are more affordable, better-optimized models with comparable specs.

Providing the "best" of both worlds, the MSI Creator Z16 is a laptop that appeals to creative workers who need the power to run demanding games and equally resource-intensive programs. Though it's a rather novel approach, the idea of a gaming laptop with an edgy chassis and outrageous RGB lights hasn't faded.

Being an all-arounder has its drawbacks, but better standalone gaming laptops and creative workstations are available for significantly less money. A device with greater specs than our review model, such the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (Intel Core i9-12900H, RTX 3070 Ti), may be purchased for less than $2000 if you don't mind having a laptop with a "gamer" style and sole lighting RGBs on the body. However, you will be giving up the 16:10 aspect ratio.

Once more, the MSI Creator Z16's single GPU option—an RTX 3060—feels a little meek, and it would have been much better with a second option—an RTX 3070 or 3080—for users who require a bit more power. Instead of an HDMI, MSI included Thunderbolt, which is still a pain for people who use multiple screens frequently and prevents the A11UET-043 from working with devices like graphics drawing tablets.

 MSI Creator Z16 A11UET-043 Specification

• Processor : Intel Core i7-11800H 8 x 2.3 - 4.6 GHz, 70 W PL2 / Short Burst, 60 W PL1 / Sustained, Tiger Lake-H

• Graphics adapter : NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU - 6 GB VRAM, Core: 1357 MHz, Memory: 1500 MHz, 65 W TDP, GDDR6, GA106M, Nvidia 496.49, Optimus

• Memory : 32 GB , DDR4-3200 Dual Channel SK Hynix

• Display : 16.00 inch 16:9, 2560 x 1600 pixel 189 PPI, Multi-Touch, AUO B160QAN02.P, IPS True Pixel, True Pixel (~100% DCI-P3), glossy: yes, 120 Hz

• Mainboard : Intel WM590 (Tiger Lake PCH-H)

• Storage : Phison 1TB SM2801T24GKBB4S-E162, 1024 GB , 2x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4, 790 GB free

• Weight : 2.2 kg ( = 77.6 oz / 4.85 pounds), Power Supply: 770 g ( = 27.16 oz / 1.7 pounds)

Design

Although there are certain drawbacks with the MSI A11UET-043 design, there are many positive aspects of this device. It has an MSI dragon engraved on the lid, but it's hard to notice unless you catch it in the right light. It comes in a basic metallic gray hue. Like most gaming laptops, MSI plays it safe by omitting any bells and whistles and going with a simple, unassuming look. That was a smart design choice since it gives you a laptop that can play AAA games today while yet looking good enough to use on a desk at work.

In general, the design is passable—nothing overt—but in light of competing offerings, it seems a touch monotonous. We can remark that the subdued industrial style is a welcome change from the flaming vents and gaudy RGB lighting found on many gaming laptops.

It weighs 4.9 pounds and has a strong metal chassis that measures 14.13 x 10.08 x 0.64 inches. The build quality is good. This notebook's compact size makes it incredibly easy to carry around in a backpack, and its sturdy build gives you peace of mind if you need a laptop for your everyday commute. It won't get any scratches at all, so you can take it to college and use it on long-haul trips.

Port selection is good, however it could be better because of one major problem. Standard headphone/mic jack, USB-Type C, USB-Type A, and power port are located on the left side. A MicroSD reader, an extra USB-Type C port, and an extra USB-Type A port are located on the right side.

The only negative aspect, though, is that MSI omitted both HDMI and Display Port, which is strange considering how helpful these connectors are in both gaming and creative workspaces. For those who require a graphics drawing tablet for their projects, connecting the devices via thunderbolt connections through a docking station is still insufficient.

Considering the amount of area on the laptop's base, the touchpad is a little bit undersized. Although the keyboard is too small for the smartphone, other than that, typing on it is an excellent experience. From a design standpoint, you'll need some time to get used to it, although typing with it is still comfortable. Although SteelSeries, a well-known manufacturer of gaming keyboards, powers this keyboard, there is nothing about it that suggests it is a "gaming first" keyboard—aside from the RGB lights.

Display

The MSI Creator Z16 is an official Nvidia Studio laptop, a designation given by Nvidia indicating that the device was created with creative professionals in mind from the very beginning. More than anything else, the Creator Z16's display draws attention to that badge.

Its 16-inch screen is similar to the MacBook Pro in that it has thin bezels. The MSI Creator Z16, on the other hand, has a touch display, which puts it well ahead of the MacBook Pro and is useful for navigating around webpages and apps. 

The resolution is a little disappointing at 2560 x 1600; we were hoping for something greater, perhaps 3072 x 1920 or even full 4K, as these days we see several creative workstations sporting 3840 x 2160 resolution displays, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad P15 and the Apple MacBook Pro (M1 chip, 2021).

Though technically a 4K display is not necessary for a creative machine, and its addition would undoubtedly lower the refresh rate, it seems like you would be better off making the trade-off between gaming and editing high-resolution photos and videos at such an exorbitant price.

Although the screen is sufficiently bright—it measures about 397 nits, which is above average for a high-end laptop—it is difficult to watch in brightly lit areas due to the glossy surface. As long as you avoid open windows during the day, you should have no trouble viewing the laptop indoors, even in an office.

With 100% sRGB, 91% AdobeRGB, and 93% P3 coverage, the MSI Creator Z16 provides exceptional color accuracy that yields stunning color richness and depth. Although the contrast isn't as good as it could be because this isn't an OLED display, the screen is still of a very high caliber for a professional setting.

A Battery's Life

The battery life, which lasts 6 hours 13 minutes in PCMark 10 battery simulation and 6 hours throughout a looped video playback test, varies depending on whether you're coming from a gaming or workstation background.

Given that most laptops only last 4-5 hours on a single charge, the Asus ROG Zephyrus's ability to last over 8 hours is extremely impressive for a gaming laptop. Some, like the Alienware m15 R7, are very well-liked gaming laptops with good technology, but they have a hard time lasting longer than three hours.

For a portable workstation, that is significantly less than the majority of devices in this class, such as the MacBook Pro-16-inch and Dell XPS 15, which both have battery lives of more than 12 hours. Therefore, before making a purchase, you might want to think about the Creator Z16's battery capacity if you intend to avoid using a power outlet.

Share :