MSI Thin 15 vs HP OMEN Transcend 14-fb1023dx
MSI Thin 15, Core i5-13420H, 16GB, 1TB SSD, RTX 4050, Cosmos Gray
HP OMEN Transcend 14-fb1023dx 2025, Core Ultra 9 285H, 32GB, 1TB SSD, RTX 5070, Shadow Black
The MSI Thin 15 is for someone on a tight budget who just needs a basic gaming laptop and doesn't mind giving up the OLED screen, half the RAM, and a much weaker CPU and GPU.
Grab the HP OMEN Transcend 14 if you want a premium gaming and creator laptop with a stunning OLED display, serious CPU muscle, and a build quality owners consistently rave about.
Key Differences
- The OMEN's Core Ultra 9 285H scores 34,200 in multi-core benchmarks vs the MSI's 16,891 for the i5-13420H, and it packs 16 cores against the MSI's 8.
- GPU performance is night and day: the RTX 5070 in the HP hits 28,703 vs 14,244 for the MSI's RTX 4050, with 8GB of VRAM against 6GB.
- The HP has a 3K OLED panel while the MSI makes do with a standard IPS screen, and the OMEN doubles the RAM at 32GB vs 16GB.
- Owners of the OMEN consistently praise the premium all-metal build and excellent cooling, but note the RAM is soldered and the RTX 5070 runs at a capped 75W, so it's not a full-power laptop GPU.
- The MSI Thin 15 has no customer reviews yet, which is a real gamble when the OMEN sits at 4.6/5 from 287 reviews with strong sentiment around performance and display quality.
What Buyers Say
MSI Thin 15, Core i5-13420H, 16GB, 1TB SSD, RTX 4050, Cosmos Gray
No customer feedback yet
HP OMEN Transcend 14-fb1023dx 2025, Core Ultra 9 285H, 32GB, 1TB SSD, RTX 5070, Shadow Black
This HP laptop impresses with its powerful 16-core Intel chip, 32GB of RAM, and stunning 3K OLED display, delivering top-tier performance for both gaming and productivity. Users praise its premium build, excellent cooling, and long battery life in eco mode, though the soldered RAM and lower-wattage RTX 5070 GPU are noted limitations. The open-box value is frequently highlighted as a major plus.
Pros
- Powerful 16-core Intel processor
- Stunning 3K OLED display
- Premium all-metal build
- Excellent cooling system
- Long battery life in eco mode
Cons
- Soldered RAM (no upgrade possible)
- Underpowered RTX 5070 GPU (75W max)
- Short battery life in normal mode
- Only two USB-A ports on right side
- Premium price without discount
Scores
Specifications
| MSI Thin 15 | HP OMEN Transcend 14-fb1023dx | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | ||
| CPU* | Intel Core i5 13420H | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H★ |
| CPU Multi-Core Score | ||
| Cores | 8 | 16★ |
| Frequency | 2.1 GHz | 2.9 GHz★ |
| L3 Cache | 12 MB | 24 MB★ |
| Graphics | ||
| GPU* | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070★ |
| GPU Benchmark Score | ||
| Type | discrete | discrete |
| VRAM | 6 GB | 8 GB★ |
| VRAM Type | GDDR6★ | GDDR7 |
| Memory & Storage | ||
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB★ |
| RAM Generation | — | LPDDR5X★ |
| Storage 1 | 1 TB | 1 TB |
| Storage 1 Type | NVMe SSD★ | SSD |
| Display | ||
| Size | 15.6" | 14" |
| Resolution | — | 2880 px★ |
| Panel | IPS | OLED★ |
| Refresh Rate | 144 Hz★ | 120 Hz |
| Brightness | — | 500 nits★ |
| Color Gamut | — | DCI-P3 |
| Connectivity | ||
| USB-C Ports | 1 | 2★ |
| USB Ports | 4★ | 2 |
| Thunderbolt | — | Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | HDMI | HDMI 2.1 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Ethernet | — | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Physical | ||
| Weight | 1.86 kg | 1.63 kg★ |
| Battery | 52 Wh | 71 Wh★ |
| OS | Windows 11 | Windows 11 Home |
Pros & Cons
MSI Thin 15, Core i5-13420H, 16GB, 1TB SSD, RTX 4050, Cosmos Gray
- Strong gpu (83rd percentile)83rd %ile
- Strong storage (79th percentile)
- Strong port selection (68th percentile)
- Below average social proof (20th percentile)20th %ile
HP OMEN Transcend 14-fb1023dx 2025, Core Ultra 9 285H, 32GB, 1TB SSD, RTX 5070, Shadow Black
- Strong social proof (97th percentile)97th %ile
- Strong screen (97th percentile)97th %ile
- Strong gpu (93rd percentile)93rd %ile
- Strong cpu (90th percentile)90th %ile
- Below average affordability (8th percentile)8th %ile
- Below average reliability (33rd percentile)
Verdict
Scores 79 overall, wins 8 of 8 usage categories and 16 of 30 specs.