MSI goes hard on AI with a thicc desktop PC that chats with you

MSI is hoping that you aren’t yet tired of hearing about “AI” in consumer PCs, as the company’s lineup of high-end laptops and monitors at the German trade show IFA is jam-packed with artificial alleged-intelligence.

Most of it includes the usual bumps up to the latest processors, but a few products caught my eye — like a wacky desktop PC with a huge built-in screen for its dedicated AI-powered chatbot.

A desktop PC you can chat with

The MSI MEG Vision X AI is a desktop PC that’s truly thicc. It’s filled with the latest parts, of course, built around either an AMD Ryzen 9000 or Intel Arrow Lake CPU, with your choice of Nvidia or AMD graphics card. But none of that is what’s giving this desktop PC its bulk.

Nope. The bulk comes from its vertical touchscreen that takes up nearly the entire front fascia of the machine.

Screens hard-mounted to desktop cases aren’t a new idea, but MSI is pitching this one as a dedicated “Human Machine Interface,” which sounds like marketing speak for that giant spike that goes into the back of Neo’s head in The Matrix. MSI’s version is decidedly less spikey, of course, and it’s really just a dedicated view for the proprietary “MSI AI Engine,” which includes a chatbot that runs locally on the desktop.

MSI’s promotional materials don’t elaborate on what exactly you’ll chat with your desktop PC about, but it can “search documents within your local folders, analyze, summarize, and respond to you based on the data in your files.” That front-mounted display can also do more old-fashioned gaming desktop things, like showing info about system performance and temperature, giving you quick access to RGB color settings, etc.

MSI says the MEG Vision X AI will be available sometime later this year, but even though preliminary versions of the hardware were shown back at Computex, we still don’t have a final price or spec list. Expect to pay a lot for this AI-powered privilege.

An OLED monitor with syncing rear lights

The other MSI hardware that caught my eye at IFA is an OLED gaming monitor. Granted, OLED displays will catch anyone’s eye, but it’s getting harder to stand out in a crowded market.

But the MEG 31URX has a trick up its sleeve: the AI Sky Sight feature lets the 32-inch monitor detect the colors on your display and sync them to the rear-mounted LED light bar, giving you the same kind of backlight bling as those fancy syncing cameras you’ll see in some TV displays.

What does AI have to do with this? I have no idea. I’m sure artificial intelligence isn’t necessary for this sort of thing, since Phillips was building this tech into televisions a decade ago. But I can’t deny that it’s cool. Sadly, there’s no date or price for this, either.

Updated laptop models, too

MSI is planning updates to the latest chips across its laptop lineup, with the Summit, Prestige, Stealth, and Creator lines all getting “AI” slapped on their official product names.

The Summit 13 and Summit A16 both caught my eye, as they’re both 2-in-1 laptop designs that max out with AMD Ryzen 9 processors and speedy LPDDR5X 7500 memory.

The larger Summit A16 will get you a 16-inch, 2650×1600 touchscreen with an impressive 165Hz refresh rate, though it’s an IPS panel instead of a more cherished OLED. Integrated graphics max out at Radeon 880M, and ports are generous with double USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, USB-A for backup, HDMI (with double 4K/120Hz output!), and a microSD card reader slot. The whole thing comes in a fetching “Ink Black” colorway and MSI gives the weight as 4.4 pounds (2kg).

The smaller Summit 13 opts for an Intel Core Ultra 7 250V but pairs it to the same 32GB of maximum RAM and Gen4 storage. The 13.3-inch screen keeps its 16:10 aspect ratio while settling for a 1920×1200 resolution, and you keep almost all the ports except the card reader. Integrated graphics aren’t as beefy with Arc 140V, but you probably shouldn’t be using this thing as a gaming machine anyway. It’ll tip the scales at just under 3 pounds (1.35kg). I dig the stylish gold accents on the body side panels.

Long-time MSI fans will recognize the Stealth branding as a more premium option that crams high-powered specs into a thin chassis. The Stealth A16 is no exception thanks to its magnesium alloy build, allowing it to fit an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 discrete graphics into a 0.79-inch (19.95mm) thick laptop. The 16-inch screen maxes out at a 4K Mini-LED panel with 120Hz of refresh, though cheaper 1440p options will be available. There’s also a 1440p OLED at 240Hz for gamers.

Storage is limited to Gen4 drives, but you get two M.2 slots — not often seen on a laptop this slinky. Ditto for the 99.9-watt-hour battery, all the better to squeeze in that last Fortnite run while on the go. When you need to top it up, you can do so at up to 240 watts thanks to the slim adapter.

Other highlights include per-key RGB lighting on the keyboard, a generous touchpad, and a surprisingly low weight of 4.6 pounds (2.1kg). The only downsides are just one USB-C port (double USB-A) and a relatively low memory ceiling at just 32GB.