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Contents12
  1. Consumer impact summary
  2. User freedom
  3. User privacy
  4. Business model
  5. Market control
  6. Incidents
  7. Threatening and controlling reviewers (2015—2020)
  8. Scalping graphics cards via Starlit Partner Subsidiary (2020)
  9. Motherboard CMOS Battery Obsolescence (2022-2026)
  10. Products
  11. See also
  12. References

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MSI
Basic information
Founded 4 Aug 1986
Legal Structure Public
Industry Computer hardware
Also known as Micro-Star International
Official website https://www.msi.com/

Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. or MSI is a Taiwanese technology company that designs, develops and provides computer hardware and related products and services. It was founded 4 August 1986.

Consumer impact summary

User freedom

  • MSI has historically placed "Warranty Void If Removed" stickers over chassis screws on their laptops and prebuilt PCs.[1] While the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruled that conditioning warranty coverage on breaking a factory seal violates the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and as such, warranties cannot actually be voided by breaking these stickers.[2]

User privacy

  • MSI's policies state that user data may be processed and shared with third-party service providers, advertising partners, or legal authorities under broad "legitimate interest" clauses.[3]
  • Certain software features and promotions require registration via an MSI Member Account, linking hardware directly to individual user identities and contact details.[3]

Business model

  • MSI operates primarily as a consumer electronics manufacturer. The majority of its revenue is generated through direct sales of graphics cards, motherboards, gaming laptops, desktop PCs and gaming monitors.[4]

Market control

  • MSI has strong competition from competitors like ASUS, Gigabyte, Razer and Corsair.

Incidents

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the MSI category.

Threatening and controlling reviewers (2015—2020)

MSI has employed tactics to control negative press for their company,[5] some of them are listed below.

  1. MSI representatives contacted reviewers to request them to edit their reviews or take them down.
  2. Stalling negative reviews by promising internal testing and validation that never happens to make criticism outdated.
  3. Offering hardware and opportunities to new reviewers to incentivize them to speak positively about MSI

Scalping graphics cards via Starlit Partner Subsidiary (2020)

In 2020, during the cryptocurrency boom, MSI sold their graphics cards above their MSRPs via a subsidiary called Starlit Partner, scalping them through this subsidiary.[6]

After backlash, MSI apologized and offered customers who purchased one of these graphics cards the option to return the card for a full refund, or a refund for the money paid above the MSRP of said card.

Motherboard CMOS Battery Obsolescence (2022-2026)

Main article: MSI Motherboard CMOS Battery Obsolescence

Recent MSI motherboards have changed from using easily accessible clip-mount holders for their CMOS batteries, and instead hiding it behind the voltage regulator module (VRM) heat-sink assembly, and affixing it to the main-board via a lead, and mounting it with adhesives and shrink-wrap plastic.[7][8]

Products

  • Motherboards (1986)
  • Digital Audio Players (2003)
    • MEGA (2003)
  • Pen Tablet PCs (2003)
    • PenNote3100 (2003)
  • Notebook PCs (2004)
    • M510C (2004)
  • Laptops (2008)
  • Desktops (2008)
  • GPUs (2008)
  • MSI Claw (2024)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "MSI laptop has a sticker that states void if removed. I can't upgrade the ram without removing the sticker. MSI support gave me a strange response". Reddit. 2015. Archived from the original on 4 Jun 2023. Retrieved 25 Jul 2026.
  2. ↑ Tyson, Mark (11 Apr 2018). "'Warranty Void if Removed' stickers illegal warns FTC". Hexus. Archived from the original on 15 Apr 2018. Retrieved 25 Jul 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Privacy Policy | MSI Global | MSI Global - The Leading Brand in High-end Gaming & Professional Creation". MSI. 25 Jul 2026. Archived from the original on 2 Jul 2026. Retrieved 25 Jul 2026.
  4. ↑ "MSI (Emesai Computer)". Tadviser. 25 Jul 2026. Archived from the original on 25 Jul 2026. Retrieved 25 Jul 2026.
  5. ↑ "Killshot: MSI's Shady Review Practices & Ethics". YouTube. 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2026-07-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ "MSI Subsidiary Caught Scalping RTX 3080, 3090 Cards on eBay". PCMag. 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2026-07-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ benjy124302a4 (2022-04-15). "MSI Pro B660M-A CMOS battery location?". MSI Global English Forum. Archived from the original on 2026-03-02. Retrieved 2026-03-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "Where is the location of CMOS battery on this motherboard?". MSI Global. 2023-11-29. Retrieved 2026-03-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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