MSI Pro 24X

MSI makes a move on professional all-in-ones, but is the Pro 24X Series a one hit wonder, or more of a one star work PC?

While the sharp monitor stand accompanying MSI’s new Pro 24X Series might give off the impression this all-in-one is ready to cut through some demanding games, there’s nothing but business under the hood of MSI’s latest. If you weren’t convinced by the name, a quick glance at the spec sheet is enough to make it clear that this PC has been designed with pragmatism in mind. The Pro 24X Series is fitted with a totally standard 23.8-inch 1080p 60Hz IPS panel run by a just-powerfulenough integrated 10th generation Intel GPU.

You control this ‘space saving’ setup with the included chiclet keyboard that’s reminiscent of something you would have typed on while checking emails in an internet cafe somewhere in Asia in the early 2000s… only it’s perhaps a little more springy and you can’t unlearn your dependency on the now ubiquitous backlight.

The Pro 24X can be configured with a 10th generation Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 CPU, depending on how demanding your day-to-day work will be, but seeing as the devices start at around the $1,000 mark for the entry level processors and range to $1,450 for an i7 configuration we really wouldn’t recommend going for anything less than the i5-10210U CPU – unless you’re really only buying it to check emails each Wednesday.

The Pro 24X Series is one of those devices sold in exclusive configurations through different outlets, so be sure to take note of the model number if you are hoping to buy the exact model you read about. We tested the Pro 24X Series 10M-081AU, which comes with the Core i7-10510U CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB PCIe SSD from WD and an Intel Wi-Fi 6 ax201 networking chip and retails for around $1,449 (or $1,899 if you want Windows 10 Pro rather than Home).

As the top of the line unit, it’s unsurprising that it’ll be able to dig you out of the vast majority of spreadsheet, browser and light editing workloads, but even the Core i5 model should be sufficient for the vast majority of modern workflows. While it wasn’t the fastest we’ve tested, the 512GB SSD was three and more than ten times faster, respectively, than SATA or older HDD-based desktop hard drives, which you really notice in overall boot and loading times. The Wi-Fi 6 and Gigabit Ethernet ports also offer the latest specifications and will help keep the devices responsive for years to come.

With two networking ports, six USB sockets, an HDMI output and 3.5mm audio jack there’s enough interface options to keep most modern employees satisfied and the hard drive slot has been built on the edge of the chassis so you can upgrade if you ever need to in the future.

You can definitely find better priced devices around, but the Pro 24X Series is quiet, compact and competent, so we can’t see anyone really regretting this purchase.

A sleek all-in-one work device that ticks all the essential boxes and ends up at a fair price.