MSI CR420 and CX420 Laptops on Core i3

We got 3 brand new laptops from MSI this week to test out and the first two were 14-inch laptops running on an Intel Core i3 processor — the MSI CR420 and the MSI CX420.

The two are almost twins, only separated at birth with the one having a more powerful discreet graphics card while the other uses the integrated graphics from Intel.

MSI CX420x – i33+
Intel Core i3-330M @ 2.13GHz
14.1″ LCD display @ 1366×768
ATi Mobility Radeon HD5470 1GB DDR3
2GB DDR3 RAM (max 4GB)
320GB SATA HDD
Super-Multi DVD+RW
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth (optional)
1.3-megapixel webcam
4-in-1 card reader
D-Sub, HDMI port
3 x USB 2.0 ports
6-cell Li-Ion battery

MSI CR420
Intel Core i3-330M @ 2.13GHz
14.1″ LCD display @ 1366×768
Intel HD Graphics
2GB DDR3 RAM (max 4GB)
320GB SATA HDD
Super-Multi DVD+RW
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 (optional)
1.3-megapixel webcam
4-in-1 card reader
D-Sub, HDMI port
3 x USB 2.0 ports
6-cell Li-Ion battery

Both laptops come pre-installed with Windows 7 Home Premium. The CX420 comes with a 1GB DDR3 ATI Radeon HD5470 that should suffice your needs for gaming. That rig has a suggested retail price of Php35,995USD 613INR 51,998EUR 584CNY 4,467.

However, if you’re on a budget and don’t want a discreet graphics card but still looking to get a Core i3 laptop, the MSI CR420 is a more affordable option at only Php31,999USD 545INR 46,226EUR 519CNY 3,971. That’s about a 4 grand difference just for the Radeon HD5470.

Both units weight in at 2.2 kilograms (4.8lbs) so they’re not really that light to lug around. They’re more of a desktop replacement, IMO.

So far, there 2 models are among the cheapest in the Core i3 category (see our list of Core i3 laptops here) and should pose as a huge challenge to the competitors. More on this when we get the benchmark results for the Core i3 processor.