The MSI Modern 15 (B12M-003FR) is equipped with an Intel Core i7-1255U processor accompanied by 16 GB of RAM. This 12th generation processor is designed with a hybrid architecture with 2 so-called high-performance hyperthreaded cores and 8 so-called efficient cores; its thermal envelope is announced at 15 W with a boost of 55 W.
The MSI Modern 15 gets a performance index of 95, making it on par with the HP Pavilion Aero 13 and its Ryzen 5 5600U. It is logically placed between the Core i5-1135G7 of the HP Envy x360 13 (69) and the Core i7-1260P of the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro.
In use, the Core i7-1255U of the MSI Modern 15 proves to be responsive, but shows signs of running out of steam during heavy tasks. During our encoding requesting all the cores, we noticed strong drops in frequency. So as long as the processor temperature does not exceed 95°C, the P-cores operate at 3.6 GHz with a power envelope of 45 W. Once past this temperature, the P-Cores stabilize at around 1 .1 GHz in a 10 W envelope, until temperatures drop to 40°C, and so on…
MSI seems to have chosen short-term speed over endurance for its Modern 15’s low-power Core i7-1255U. A processor choice that’s all the more intriguing given that Intel’s U-series processors are normally aimed at laptops. ultrathins or hybrids and other tablet PCs.
The SSD delivers acceptable performance, around 2.5 GB/s in reading and 1.2 GB/s in writing. It is certainly far from the best models, but it is more than enough for office use.
