MSI Modern 14 (B11X) vs. Surface Laptop Go: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between MSI Modern 14 (B11X) and Surface Laptop Go specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

MSI Modern 14 (B11X) Pros

Reasons that MSI Modern 14 (B11X) is better than Surface Laptop Go.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1195G7 inside MSI Modern 14 (B11X) has a 67% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i5-1035G1 inside Surface Laptop Go.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
MSI Modern 14 (B11X) - Intel Core i7-1195G7
4,808
MSI Modern 14 (B11X) - Intel Core i7-1165G7
4,487
MSI Modern 14 (B11X) - Intel Core i5-1155G7
4,198
MSI Modern 14 (B11X) - Intel Core i5-1135G7
3,980
Surface Laptop Go - Intel Core i5-1035G1
2,878
Supports larger memory

MSI Modern 14 (B11X) supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Laptop Go. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Surface Laptop Go.

Max system memory size
MSI Modern 14 (B11X)
32 GB
Surface Laptop Go
16 GB
Upgradable memory

MSI Modern 14 (B11X) comes with one SODIMM slot that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the Surface Laptop Go since it has onboard memory.

MemoryMSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
Slots
x1
Onboard
TypeDDR4LPDDR4X
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to NVIDIA GeForce MX450 2GB GDDR6 vs. integrated

12% larger display

MSI Modern 14 (B11X) has a 14-inch screen size 12% larger than the 12.45-inch Surface Laptop Go.

Display size
MSI Modern 14 (B11X)
14-inch
Surface Laptop Go
12.45-inch

Surface Laptop Go Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop Go is better than MSI Modern 14 (B11X).

Supports faster memory

Surface Laptop Go supports a faster memory speed than the MSI Modern 14 (B11X). It supports up to 3733MHz versus 3200MHz of system memory on the MSI Modern 14 (B11X).

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop Go - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
MSI Modern 14 (B11X) - DDR4
3,200 MHz
About 15% lighter

Surface Laptop Go weighed 2.45 pounds, 15% lighter than the 2.87 pounds MSI Modern 14 (B11X).

WeightMSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
Pound
2.87 lbs.
2.45 lbs.
Kilogram
1.30 kg
1.11 kg

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

MSI Modern 14 (B11X) Price
MSI Modern 14 Laptop: Intel Core i3-1215U, UHD Graphics, 14" FHD, 8GB DDR4, 512GB NVMe SSD, 180-Degree Lay-Flat, Type C, Win 11 Home: Classic Black C12M-495US
MSI Modern 14 Laptop: Intel Core i3-1215U, UHD Graphics, 14" FHD, 8GB DDR4, 512GB NVMe SSD, 180-Degree Lay-Flat, Type C, Win 11 Home: Classic Black C12M-495US
By MSI
$499.99
MSI Modern 14 14" Laptop: Intel Core i5-1155G7, Intel Iris Xe, 8GB DDR4, 512GB NVMe SSD, 180-Degree Lay-Flat, USB Type-C, MicroSD Card Reader, Win 11 Pro: Classic Black C11M-065US
MSI Modern 14 14" Laptop: Intel Core i5-1155G7, Intel Iris Xe, 8GB DDR4, 512GB NVMe SSD, 180-Degree Lay-Flat, USB Type-C, MicroSD Card Reader, Win 11 Pro: Classic Black C11M-065US
By MSI
$599.99
$699.00 14% OFF
MSI Modern 14 Beige Mousse 14" Ultra Thin and Light Professional Laptop Intel Core i5-1155G7 Iris Xe 8GB 512GB NVMe SSD Win10 (B11MO-857)
MSI Modern 14 Beige Mousse 14" Ultra Thin and Light Professional Laptop Intel Core i5-1155G7 Iris Xe 8GB 512GB NVMe SSD Win10 (B11MO-857)
By MSI
$345.69
Surface Laptop Go Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (2023) - 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with Windows 11, Sandstone Color Copilot
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (2023) - 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with Windows 11, Sandstone Color Copilot
By Microsoft
$699.99
$799.99 13% OFF
MICROSOFT Surface Laptop GO 2, 12.4" PIXELSENSE Touchscreen, 11TH GEN Intel: i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD W10H-S Platinum (Renewed Premium),Silver
MICROSOFT Surface Laptop GO 2, 12.4" PIXELSENSE Touchscreen, 11TH GEN Intel: i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD W10H-S Platinum (Renewed Premium),Silver
By Microsoft
$380.99
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2-12.4" Touchscreen - Intel Core i5 8GB Memory - 128 SSD - Ice Blue (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2-12.4" Touchscreen - Intel Core i5 8GB Memory - 128 SSD - Ice Blue (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$508.46

Availability

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
Released20202020
Release Date-
  • Introduced: October 1, 2020
  • Pre-ordered: October 1, 2020
  • Released: October 13, 2020
Pricing-
  • For Consumer (Windows 10 Home):
    • $549.99 - i5 | 4GB | 64GB eMMC | No Fingerprint | Platinum only
    • $699.99 - i5 | 8GB | 128GB SSD
    • $899.99 - i5 | 8GB | 256GB SSD
  • For Commercial (Windows 10 Pro):
    • $799.99 - i5 | 8GB | 128GB SSD
    • $999.99 - i5 | 8GB | 256GB SSD
    • $1,199.99 - i5 | 16GB | 256GB SSD | Platinum Only
Generations-

Exterior

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
Dimensions12.56” x 8.62” x 0.66” (319 x 219 x 16.9 mm)10.95” x 8.1” x 0.62” (278.18mm x 205.67 mm x 15.69 mm)
Weight2.87 lbs (1.3 kg)
  • 2.45 lb (1,110 g)
Colors
Carbon Gray Beige Mousse Bluestone
Ice Blue Sandstone Platium
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard
    • Backlight Keyboard (Single-Color, White)
    • 1.5mm key travel
  • Touchpad
    • Precision touchpad support multitouch gestures and intuitive response.
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size keyboard with a soft-touch feel and full 1.3mm travel.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 115 mm x 76.66 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
Size14 Inches12.45 Inches
Info14.0" FHD (1920x1080), IPS-Level, Wide View Angle, Thin Bezel.
  • Resolution: 1536 x 1024 (148 PPI)
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch

Ports

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
MSI Modern 14 (B11X) Ports
Image Source: MSI
  • 1 x USB Type-C with Thunderbolt™ 4.
    Supports USB 4, DisplayPort, and Power Delivery charging.
  • 2 x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2
  • 1 x MicroSD Card Reader
  • 1 x HDMI (4K @ 60Hz)
  • 1 x Mic-in/Headphone-out Combo Jack
  • 1 x DC-in
Surface Laptop Go Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery, DisplayPort
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (1)
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Magnet Charging, Docking

Internal Specs

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
Processor
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.40 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1155G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 4.50 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.80 → 4.70 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
  4. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1195G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.90 → 5.00 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G1
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.00 → 3.60 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1155G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  4. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1195G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1400 MHz
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G1
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
Memory
  • 8GB 16GB
    3200 MHz DDR4 onboard memory.
  • 1 x SO-DIMM slot for expansion, max out at 32GB.
4GB 8GB 16GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Discrete Graphics
MSI Modern 14 B11SB
  • NVIDIA® Geforce® MX450
    Video memory: 2GB GDDR5 VRAM.
MSI Modern 14 B11M
  • No discrete graphics
-
Storage1 x M.2 SSD slot (NVMe PCIe Gen4)
  • 64GB
    eMMC
  • 128 GB 256 GB
    SSD

Connectivity

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
Wi-Fi802.11 AX Wi-Fi 6
  • Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
BluetoothBluetooth 5.1
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology

Battery

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
Size52 Wh (3-cell Li-Polymer battery)39.7 Wh
Battery Life-Up to 13 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply
MSI Modern 14 B11M
MSI Modern 14 B11SB
  • 39W power supply
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in just over one hour)

Software

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
OS
  • Windows 10 Home
  • Windows 10 Pro
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home in S-mode
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
  • MSI Center for Business & Productivity
Microsoft 365 Family 30-day trial

Camera & Audio

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
CameraFront-facing camera
720p (1280 x 720 HD) top mounted camera.
  • 720p HD f2.0 front-facing video camera
Audio
  • 2 x 2W Speaker
  • Nahimic 3
  • High-Resolution Audio ready
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium

Misc

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
Inking-Not Support
Sensors-
  • Ambient light sensor
Security-
  • Firmware TPM
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello sign-in
  • One-Touch sign in with FingerPrint Reader Power button
Note Surface Laptop Go i5/4GB/64GB does not include Fingerprint Power Button.
In the box-
  • Surface Laptop Go
  • 39W Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty1-year Limited Warranty (Include 1 Year Global)
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
More-
Best-in-class support from Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store Promise for Surface:
  • 60-day return policy
  • 90 days of free technical phone support
  • Free virtual workshops and training
  • Surface price promise

Key Features

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go
At Glance
Released in
2020
16:9 FHD
14”
1080p 60Hz
Weight
2.87 lb
1.30 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1195G7
4C/8T, 2.90 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,458
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,808
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1400 MHz
Upgradable up to
32GB
3200 MHz DDR4
MSI Modern 14 (B11X) Ports
NVIDIA GeForce
MX450
2GB GDDR6
Released in Late
2020
3:2 1.5K
12.45”
1024p 60Hz
Weight
2.45 lb
1.11 kg
Powered By
Intel Core i5-1035G1
4C/8T, 1.00 → 3.60 GHz
Geekbench 5
979
Single Core
Geekbench 5
2,878
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
32 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Laptop Go Ports
Starting at
$550
i5, 4GB, 64GB eMMC, No Fingerprint
Up to
13 Hours
Battery Life
Optional
Fingerprint Reader
On Power Button
Single
USB-A
USB 3.0
Single
USB-C
w/ DP & PD
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.0

Comparison Summary

MSI Modern 14 (B11X) vs. Surface Laptop Go

MSI has released the Modern 14 (B11X), a 14-inch machine, in 2020. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1195G7 with a boost clock speed up to 5.00 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to NVIDIA GeForce MX450 with 2GB GDDR6.

On the other hand, we have the 12.45-inch Surface Laptop Go was introduced by Microsoft around the same year in late-2020. It comes with a quad-core Intel Core i5-1035G1 with a boost clock speed up to 3.60 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics (32 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)1
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G71,19581.96%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1155G71,32690.95%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G71,37494.24%
4
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1195G71,458100.00%
Surface Laptop Go1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G197967.15%
01,458

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)1
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G73,98082.78%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1155G74,19887.31%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G74,48793.32%
4
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1195G74,808100.00%
Surface Laptop Go1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G12,87859.86%
04,808

The MSI Modern 14 (B11X) has a 14-inch display which is slightly larger than the 12.45-inch Surface Laptop Go. In addition, the MSI Modern 14 (B11X) weighs 2.87 lbs. about 17% heavier than the 2.45 lbs. Surface Laptop Go. Moreover, measured at 12.56” x 8.62” x 0.66”, the MSI Modern 14 (B11X) is considerably bulkier than the Surface Laptop Go at 10.95” x 8.1” x 0.62”.

MSI Modern 14 (B11X)Surface Laptop Go

Moving over to upgradability, MSI claims that the MSI Modern 14 (B11X) supports up to 32GB 3200 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with memory module slots on the motherboard. It also comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Surface Laptop Go, it supports up to 16GB 3733 MHz LPDDR4X memory. Unlike MSI Modern 14 (B11X), it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it has a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace or upgrade when needed.

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