MSI Pro 24X 7M All-in-One Review: Design Efficiency at its Finest

At first glance, the MSI Pro 24X 7M ($819.99 as tested) looks like a monitor, so it’ll catch your attention once you realize there’s a computer in there. With a super-slim display and barely-there stand, this machine is a huge space-saver. And with a great screen, it’s a fine addition to your home. But a 7th generation Intel laptop processor means heavy productivity may have to take a backseat.

Specifications

Design

The Pro 24X 7M lacks the RGB flair of MSI’s gaming products, but what it lacks in flash it makes up in efficient design. It sets the bar for minimalistic design with a look so sleek you’d think it was just a monitor. As an all-in-one, it’s naturally advantageous for conserving desk real estate, but this machine takes simplicity a step further by eliminating the bulky box or base you'll find on competitors. All of the Pro 24X 7M’s components live in the back of the metal display within a plastic casing, which sits atop a slender, v-shaped metal stand.

The PC‘s display has very slim bezels, measuring at 2.2 millimeters. Its lower bezel and stand are both gray, but that’s the only colorwork here.

Ports and Upgradeability

Keeping with this less-is-more design, MSI put all ports on the display hardware rather than on a bulky base. You can easily access four of the Pro 24X 7M’s ports by simply reaching over to the left side of the display, where you can find some commonly used ports: two USB 3.1 Gen Type-A ports, a headphone jack and a microphone jack.

To access the rest of the ports, you’ll have to find your way to the back of the PC. Luckily, the monitor is very thin, so that’s not a difficult task.

Grouped together on the back are two Ethernet jacks, an HDMI port, two more USB 3.1 Gen Type-A USB ports and two USB 2.0 ports. To the left of that (if you’re facing the back of the PC) is the Kensington lock.

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It’s remarkably easy to upgrade this machine’s hard drive, but not its RAM. On the right side of the screen is a small compartment housing the HDD. You’ll need to remove one Phillips head screw and open the compartment. Once that’s open, there’s a small silver tray that slides out. Then, you can remove the hard drive by unscrewing four Phillips screws.

Performance

With an Intel Core i5-7200U CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB, 7,200-rpm HDD, this all-in-one can handle light productivity but might falter slightly if you kick things up a notch. With 25 Edge tabs open, including one streaming an episode of Arrested Development on Netflix, the Pro 24X 7M kept things moving. Switching tabs usually went off without a hitch, unless one of those tabs had its own video playing. In that case, the computer paused for a beat before recovering.

On the Geekbench 4 benchmark the Pro 24X scored a 6,692, falling behind the Acer Aspire S 24 all-in-one, which is backed by a superior 8th generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 12GB of RAM and a 1TB, 5,400-rpm HDD.

It took the Pro 24X 7M 1 minute and 41 seconds to transfer 4.97GB of files, a rate of 50.4MBps. The Aspire S 24 outperformed the MSI all-in-one with a faster 68.8MBps.

On our Excel Macro Test, it took the Pro 24X 7M 2:27 seconds to match 65,000 names and addresses, a snail’s crawl compared to how the Aspire S 24 performed.

The Pro 24X 7M also lagged during our Handbrake test, taking 31:06 to transcode a 4K video to 1080p.

The Pro 24X 7M isn’t a gaming machine; it runs an Intel HD Graphics 620 integrated GPU, which means its GPU shares memory with the CPU’s processor and is less desirable for gaming than a discrete GPU. We ran the Pro 24X 7M through the Ice Storm Unlimited benchmark for entry-level gaming machines, and it scored a 41,222. The Aspire S 24 fared better with a score of 61,061 thanks to a more powerful processor and an Intel UHD Graphics 620.

Display

I tested the high-resolution waters with a 4K trailer for Glass. The all-in-one did not disappoint here. Every fine detail--from Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson’s small, gray beards, to Sarah Paulson’s faint worried grins, to the laugh lines that creep around James McAvoy's eyes during his demented smiling--popped. Even the shattered glass effect around title cards was crisp. Grays and browns weren’t lost in this darker-toned video, and when things did get vibrant (like in a scene in a comic book store), bright colors like neon purples were pure and saturated.

The viewing angles were also very accommodating. Sitting nearly perpendicular to the screen, I could still see all the action, and the picture seemed only slightly dimmer.

We can attribute the color accuracy to the Pro 24X 7M covering 129.3 percent of the sRGB color gamut. For comparison, consider that the Aspire S 24 covers just 114.8 percent.

When it comes to brightness, the MSI averaged a satisfying 250 nits, again surpassing the Aspire S 24 (234 nits).

Notably, the Pro 24X 7M’s display also has anti-flicker technology, which helps yours eyes from feeling strained during long days of work.

Audio

The Pro 24X 7M’s built-in stereo speakers face downward and produce a tinny sound. I listened to Porches’ “Be Apart” at full volume, and although I could hear every distinct instrument, the sound quality was diminished by the metallic sound. I gave the speakers another shot by playing The Killers’ “When You Were Young,” but the music still sounded like it was playing out of a tin can. The volume was loud enough to satisfy but was far from booming.

Keyboard and Mouse

The Pro 24X 7M came with a lightweight, plastic keyboard that feels more like a toy than a PC peripheral. The keys had decent depth and produced quite the audible clicking noise with every press. I was able to maintain my 100 words per minute on the 10fastfingers.com typing test.

Problematic, however, is the fact that the keyboard is not American English. Sure, you can decode buttons like “Invio” or “Bloc Num,” but there were several foreign symbols I couldn’t translate without research. And punctuation marks, like those on the number row and to the right of the letters, were not where they typically are, so this keyboard won’t do in an American business setting. However, this isn’t a non-starter since all-in-ones often come with less desirable keyboards.

The mouse MSI included was also rather basic, a small lightweight mouse with two buttons on a scroll wheel. You might as well get something with more buttons, which you can get with a new keyboard since you’ll want to replace that.

Software and Warranty

The Pro 24X 7M comes with a few pieces of software you could probably do without. Our sample had PhotoDirector 8 for MSI, Music Maker Jam, Norton Security Scan, Norton Studio and a trial of Dolby Access.

It also was packed with all the standard Windows 10 bloatware, like Candy Crush Soda Saga, Disney Magic Kingdoms and Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure.

MSI offers a one-year warranty for the Pro 24X 7M.

Configurations

I tried out the MSI Pro 24X 7M with an Intel Core i5-7200U, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB, 7,200-rpm HDD, a 16GB Intel Optane SSD and an Intel HD Graphics 620 integrated GPU for $819.99.

If you’re looking to spend less, you can downgrade to an Intel Celeron 3865U, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB, 7,200-rpm HDD, a 32GB M.2 SATA SSD and an Intel Graphics 610 integrated GPU for $449.99. Configurations with this processor go all the way up to $699.99. That version gets you 16GB of RAM, a 1TB 5,400-rpm HDD and 500GB NVMe SSD.

The $466.68 variant lands you an Intel Pentium 4415U processor, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB, 7,200-rpm HDD and 32GB M.2 SATA SSD and an Intel HD Graphics 610 integrated GPU.

Bottom Line

MSI’s Pro 24X 7M has the mind of a PC but the look of a scantily-clad monitor. Between its slim display and nearly non-existent base, it carries an impressive design you’d be hard-pressed to find in any PC, including competing all-in-ones.

However, with a laptop-grade Intel Core i5-7200U processor, the 24X 7M failed to impress in the performance category. While sufficient for handling average workloads, heavier productivity led to brief pauses. Acer’s Aspire S 24 all-in-one fared better in all of our performance benchmarks for $60 more ($879.99).

Still, the Pro 24X 7M has a bright display with great color accuracy, making for a solid device for watching movies or doing artwork. If you’re using the PC for light to moderate workloads and want something with an efficient design and impressive looks, the Pro 24X 7M is right up your alley.

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