Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

MSI takes on MacBook Pro with RTX 3080 Ti-powered Creator Z16P

Luke Larsen
By

MSI’s Creator Z16 was always meant to be a true MacBook Pro competitor, and at CES 2022, it has been upgraded to be an even stronger rival.

The MSI Creator Z16, launched in 2021, was MSI at a laptop for content creators — those who need a laptop with more performance than your average ultrabook. It came with an 11th-gen Intel H-series processor and an RTX 3060.

Related Videos
The MSI Creator Z16P and Z17 next to each other on a table.

But in 2022, MSI is releasing the Z16P, a version that not only bumps the processor up to Intel’s 12th-gen with up to 14 cores but also pushes performance on the graphics front. Nvidia’s new RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti are both optional upgrades with the MSI Creator Z16P.

Related

That represents more than just a generational step up. That’s offering a significant amount more graphics performance than in the previous model. The Creator Z16 was already an impressively powerful laptop, especially in tasks like video editing.

Along with the improved components, you’ll also find an upgraded thermal system. In addition to the two fans, you now have a vapor chamber cooler, which MSI says provides 65% more airflow and cooler surface temperatures (by two degrees Celsius).

That increase in power does come at a change in size. The Creator Z16P is 0.75 inches thick, while the standard Z16 is just 0.63 inches thick. That brings it in as thicker than the 0.66-inch, MacBook Pro.

The Creator Z16P is also considerably heavier, at 5.3 pounds, compared to the 4.9 pounds of the original.

The other change is in the screen. It’s still a 2560 x 1600 resolution across configurations, but now it comes with a higher refresh rate, up to 165Hz from 120Hz.

Both the Creator Z16P and Z17 use a “True Pixel” display, which MSI claims to hit up to 1,000 nits of brightness and 100% of the DCI-P3 color space.

Above the display, you’ll also find an upgraded webcam, now sporting a 1080p resolution.

Other than that, however, the Creator Z16P looks nearly identical to the Z16. It still has a dark silver chassis, a per-key RGB keyboard, and a reflective MSI logo on the lid.

Impressively, it’s all still powered by USB-C, now with a larger 240-watt power adapter. The Creator Z16P does, smartly, swap out the mini-SD card slot with a full-sized one.

The Creator Z16P starts at $2,999, which is a Core i7 with an RTX 3070 Ti, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. You can pay up to $4,399 if you want the RTX 3080 Ti model with 64GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.

MSI also announced a slightly large 17-inch model, the Creator Z17. Again, it looks nearly identical to the Z16 and Z16P — it’s even the same 0.75 inches thick. The Creator Z17 even comes with the same processor, graphics options, screen resolution as the Z16P.

The side profile of the MSI Creator Z17.

Interestingly, the vapor chamber cooling is only available in the Creator Z16P model. The Z17 relies on a more traditional three fans and five heat pipes instead.

The Creator Z17 also has a slightly different port selection. It comes with an HDMI port, as well as a proprietary power connector.

The MSI Creator Z17 costs $250 more for the base configuration ($3,249) but also starts with 32GB of RAM.

MSI also announced a number of new gaming laptops, which use a new “phase-changing” liquid metal cooling system.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Apple announces new MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips
A person sitting in a vehicle using a MacBook Pro on their lap.

Apple has unveiled new versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, ending months of speculation surrounding the devices. New features include the latest M2 Pro and M2 Max chips -- but not much else.

Almost everything else remains the same as what we saw in the M1 Pro and M1 Max versions of the MacBook Pro: the same flat-edged design, the same mini-LED display, and the same port arrangement. That’s not particularly surprising, as the M1 versions of these laptops themselves featured a major design overhaul. Another big change so soon was not really in the cards.

Read more
ROG Zephyrus G16 vs. ROG Zephyrus M16: which to buy?
The ROG Zephyrus M16 on a white table.

Asus has two very similar new machines that were introduced at CES 2023. The ROG Zephyrus G16 and ROG Zephyrus M16 are 16-inch gaming laptops configured with some of the fastest available components.

But they're not identical. The Zephyrus M16 is considered the "flagship," and therefore gets some of the most high-end components and stylistic upgrades. But does the Zephyrus G16 offer the better overall value for gamers? Neither model has been launched in 2023 yet, but here's what we know so far.
Specs

Read more
Here’s what kind of gaming laptop $1,000 will buy you this year
The MSI Cyborg gaming laptop on a white table.

The days of cheap gaming laptops are long gone. You used to be able to get a decent gaming laptop for under $1,000 that could deliver some solid performance.

But like desktop GPUs and other PC hardware these days, prices keep on going up. And while Nvidia wanted us to focus on the maxed-out new RTX 4090 chip being offered in a variety of new gaming laptops announced at CES 2023, I was curious what the low end was going to look like in this new era. After all, Nvidia says RTX 40-series gaming laptops start at $1,000. So, what exactly does that buy you?

Read more