A new gaming laptop has been released by MSI that promises to be the world’s most powerful, with an impressive price tag. This is a comparison of the two models, GS66 and GS75. The difference between these laptops will help you decide which one best fits your needs for this year 2020 or beyond
The “msi gs66” is a laptop that is currently being released. The MSI GS66 is the successor to the MSI GS75. It has been released in 2020, and it comes with a 15 inch screen, 8th gen Intel Core i7-8750H CPU, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU.
We put the MSI GS75 to the test and compared it against the GS66 in terms of gaming performance, display quality, portability, price, battery life, and other factors.
The Ranking containing the results can be seen above, while the in-depth reviews on the two Gaming Laptops can be found below.
MSI GS75 Stealth comes in first.
- Best Gaming Capabilities
- The display frame is slim, and the 144Hz display is fantastic.
- Excellent battery life and portability
MSI’s ability to develop gaming laptops is widely recognized, and many gamers admire the company for it. MSI has outdone themselves in every way with the GS75 8SG-215 Stealth. There is probably no other gaming laptop on the market today that is both stylish and powerful.
MSI has outfitted the GS75 8SG-215 Stealth with an Intel Core i7 processor, 32 GB of RAM, and two raid-capable M.2 modules. A dedicated graphics card is also included in the 18.9 mm flat gaming laptop.
Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q with 8 GB VRAM is the only option.
Hardware
This time, we’re starting with the existing hardware rather than the design and display. Later, we’ll talk about the design and the 17.3-inch display.
We’ll start with a look at the CPU utilized by MSI in the GS75 8SG-215 Stealth. It goes without saying that it is an Intel 8th generation processor.
The processor is an Intel Core i7-8750H, which has six computational cores. The default clock rate is 2.2 GHz, which applies to all cores.
Individual CPU cores may attain a clock rate of up to 4.1 GHz in turbo mode with the right cooling. The Intel CPU also enables Hyper-Threading, allowing it to do 12 computations at the same time.
MSI uses two 16-gigabyte memory modules in dual-channel mode for the main memory. Two Samsung modules were fitted. When it comes to fixed memory, MSI isn’t content with industry norms either.
M and M. There are two memory modules built in, each having a capacity of 512 GB. The catch is that they’re set to RAID 0 by default. The resulting Super RAID drive offers excellent transfer speeds of 3.500 MB/s.
When reading, it is just slightly slower. There’s a third M.2 slot inside if you require extra SSD memory.
Let us now turn our attention to the graphics card, or more accurately, the two graphics solutions. One is the inbuilt Intel UHD Graphics 620, which is always utilized when there are no significant graphics demands. That would be, for example, Office or surfing.
MSI has chosen an RTX 2080 Max-Q as a secondary graphics option, with a monstrous 8 GB of GDDR6 video memory. This Nvidia graphic is now rated second in the Top10 for mobile graphic cards, only being surpassed by the RTX 2080. (without Max-Q). The RTX 2080 graphics cards for desktop PCs are the only ones that are quicker.
The Nvidia Geforce RTX 2080 with Max-Q design is a low-power variant of the RTX 2080, developed specifically for thin gaming laptops. The GPU’s power consumption and clock speeds have been decreased, resulting in less heat generation (heat).
Because there is less heat, the ventilation system may run more silently. The TU104 chip utilized in the desktop version is also used in the RTX 2080 Max-Q.
In terms of hardware, the built-in battery is a pleasant surprise. In the GS75 8SG-215 Stealth, MSI included an 82.0 Wh lithium-polymer battery, which lasted over 5 hours in our battery test. What about a gaming laptop and its battery?
Playing in battery mode has always been a double-edged blade, so that’s a good question. The battery life has always been limited, and in battery mode, Nvidia graphic cards decrease the frame rate to 30 fps.
As a result, playing without electricity was almost impossible. In the benchmark test, the MSI GS75 8SG-215 Stealth’s 82 watt/h battery barely ran out of juice after roughly 5 hours.
During gaming, this runtime is reduced, but the RTX graphics merely throttles the frame rate to 60 frames per second. In every way, this is a big advance.
Design
Next, we’ll take a look at the MSI gaming notebook’s exterior. The MSI GS75 8SG-215 Stealth is relatively flat with 18.9 mm, thus the first thing that strikes you is its compact size.
With 5.02 pounds, the 17-inch monitor is likewise quite light. The sandblasted aluminum case’s copper colored hinges and fan outlets give it a regal look.
The 17-inch laptop, as well as a little adaptor and some reading, are included in the delivery. The operating system, Windows 10 Pro, comes preloaded. Many settings for power management, fans, and keys may be made via the Dragon Center.
Display
Aside from the internal components, the display of MSI’s latest gaming laptop is out of this world. MSI has fitted a 17.3-inch wide-view display with a refresh rate of 144 Hz and a reaction time of 3 milliseconds. The display edge is strikingly thin, measuring just 5.2 mm on all sides.
The average lighting is also rather excellent. In our MSI GS75 8SG-215 Stealth Gaming laptop test device, we measured an illumination of over 300 cd/m2. The sRGB color space is nearly completely covered.
Ports
Despite the fact that the housing is incredibly flat at 18.9 mm, MSI was able to fit all of the necessary connections.
There are a total of 5 USB ports on the gaming laptop, two of which are USB Type C compliant. HDMI or Thunderbolt may be used to connect external displays.
MSI may additionally have a complete RJ-45 port (Gigabit-LAN / Killer E2500) as well as a microSD card reader. A rapid WLAN is used to connect to the wireless network (Killer DoubleShot Pro). Bluetooth 5.0 was, of course, included.
Touchpad & Keyboard
MSI has relied on the tried-and-true SteelSeries gaming keyboard for the GS75 8SG-215 Stealth, which is also very nice. The key arrangement is well-organized, and there’s a separate numeric keypad on the right.
The keys offer a comfortable short stroke with a lighting that can be turned on or off. This doesn’t simply glow in one hue; it glows in all of the rainbow’s colors. Similarly, various lighting effects may be activated.
MSI has added a large touchpad in the wrist-rest, like it did with the PS63 8RC-089 Modern. MSI has increased its size by 35%, and it now measures 140 by 65 mm, making it particularly huge. The surface is pleasant to the touch and accommodates a wide range of multiples.
Upgradability
Although the tiny laptop is simple to open, it is not essential to upgrade the components. For the life of the laptop, 32 GB RAM and two M.2 modules with 512 GB storage each should enough. You may easily update an M.2 module if desired.
Gaming Capabilities
The benchmarks were held to a high standard. The measurement results had to stand out from prior gaming laptops thanks to the Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia’s RTX graphics. And we were not let down.
The benchmark rates were expected to do well. With the Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia’s RTX graphics, the measuring results had to stand out from prior gaming laptops. And we were not let down.
Four ventilation apertures on the housing efficiently carry the power dissipation of the mounted gear to the outside.
The three fans run silently and are only noticeable when the load is high (e.g. during gaming). The Cooler Boost Trinity+ System is substantially quieter than those of other gaming laptops.
Verdict
The GS75 8SG-215 Stealth confirms MSI’s reputation for delivering unexpected results. The 18.9 mm flat gaming notebook’s powerful hardware is impressive. The days of powerful gaming laptops being bulky and hefty are long gone. It’s also difficult to imagine that the 17-inch screen barely weighs 5.02 pounds.
MSI has a strong track record when it comes to hardware. A new RTX 2080 in Max-Q design was fitted in addition to an Intel Core i7 with six computational cores.
There is no need to upgrade the RAM since MSI has already loaded 32 GB. MSI also provided a considerable amount of fixed memory. Why install one M.2 module when two may be installed? Two fast M.2 modules, each with 512 GB of storage, are housed within and operate in a RAID array.
This RAID drive’s transfer rate exceeds the 3,500 MB/s sound barrier. When writing, the transmission rate hardly changes. A third M.2 module may be fitted if there is still insufficient storage capacity.
The built-in battery is another pleasant surprise. A gaming notebook’s battery life is typically two to three hours. In the PC Mark test, the GS75 8SG-215 Stealth lasted over 5 hours. So that you may play games that are both sensible and lengthy while on the move. The frame rate is not limited to 30 fps by the RTX graphics, but only to 60 fps.
MSI also done an excellent job with the casing. The GS75 8SG-215 Stealth is distinguished not only by its compact size and low weight, but also by its design.
MSI GS66 Stealth comes in second.
- Excellent gaming performance
- Better Value
- Housing has gotten considerably more stable in recent years.
Extreme transformation. While the GS65 struggled against the competition in many ways, MSI has released the GS66, which is a totally redesigned replacement. See what’s changed for the better in our in-depth test report.
Features
MSI provides the GS66 Stealth in a variety of configurations to cater to the biggest potential audience of purchasers. The CPU is a six- or eight-core Comet Lake variant from Intel’s current generation. The Core i7-10750H, unlike the Core i9-10980HK, is forced to work without an open multiplier.
In addition to the high-end CPU, there is a high-end GPU on board. The GeForce RTX 2060 is joined by the GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q and the GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q.
A 1 to 2 TB M.2 SSD and 16 to 32 GB DDR4 RAM (each in Dual Channel) complete the kit. The picture reproduction is handled by a matt Full-HD panel with 240 or 300 Hz.
Around $2550 is needed for our test setup, which is based on the Core i9-10980HK, the GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, 16 GB RAM, and a 1 TB SSD, which is pretty pricey for a 2070 laptop.
Design
The fact that MSI has taken the predecessor’s criticism to heart is particularly evident in this circumstance. If we were still complaining about the GS65’s lack of torsional rigidity, the GS66 is now one of the most stable thin & light models. Under increased pressure, the chassis barely yields marginally.
Because of the stronger material, the building height rises from 1.8 to 2.0 cm and the weight rises from 4.18 to 4.62 lbs. This is totally reasonable in our opinion.
MSI may enhance its craftsmanship, which is inferior to that of most of its rivals. As a result, certain pieces don’t mix in as well as others.
There is no reason to be dissatisfied with the quality. Even if the metal surfaces of the lid and base unit tend to become filthy fast (keyword: fingerprints), not least due to the dark hue, they give off a high-quality impression.
The case’s large opening angle is a unique selling point: we seldom see 180° in gaming laptops. MSI should also be commended for its minimalist design, which does not seem to be a gaming platform at first look.
Touchpad and Keyboard
The keyboard was designed with gamers in mind. The >|-key, for example, is at an unusual location. It’s also not ideal that Ins and Del share a key.
Also worth noting: the spacebar has been shifted to the right in comparison to its predecessor, resulting in extremely small and continuous Fn- and Ctrl keys (see photos). There is a lot of training time due to the aforementioned anomalies.
Meanwhile, we loved the typing experience, which was a good mix of nice pressure and enough feedback. The GS66 is only ideal for quiet locations like libraries to a limited degree since the keyboard and touchpad aren’t precisely silent while typing.
The RGB lighting is one of the keyboard’s most notable features, which can be changed in multiple stages but may be a little brighter for our tastes. If you don’t want a light show (there are various options to choose from), just choose a color.
The touchpad on the MSI also sets it apart from the competition. For a 15-inch device, a width of 14 cm is quite ample. As a result, significantly longer image stretches may be achieved without repositioning the finger.
In exchange, the mouse replacement is just 6.5 cm tall, which is rather little. Because the touchpad is quite stable and receives input pretty accurately and cleanly (except in the edge region), the lack of separate mouse buttons isn’t a significant loss.
There were no particularly noticeable features in the multi-touch support, though. In the test, 2-finger motions like zooming and scrolling were largely correctly identified.
Display
Following the dominance of 144 Hz displays in gaming laptops in 2019, 240 and 300 Hz technologies will rule in 2020.
Although the latest Hz leaps are becoming less noticeable (the move from a 60 to a 144 Hz display has a far bigger impact) and graphic cards only seldom achieve adequate FPS rates, the test configuration’s 300 Hz screen is a major selling point.
The AU Optronics B156HAN12.0 is a non-glare (IPS level) panel with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels that MSI employs. In several tests, the latter performs considerably better than its predecessor’s 240 Hz display (Sharp LQ156M1JW03).
While the black value has decreased from 0.32 to 0.21 cd/m2, the brightness has grown from about 282 to 311 cd/m2, making the GS66 more appropriate for outdoor usage (above 400 cd/m2 is recommended). Instead of the prior 900:1, the contrast is now roughly 1500:1.
With 100 percent sRGB and 65 percent AdobeRGB, the color space is comparable. The new panel, on the other hand, is no longer as color accurate as our Calman measurements indicate, while the values are still within within the intended range (dE less than 3).
The GS66, like the GS65, has a very fast reaction time. Most gamers should be satisfied with a black-to-white time of 9.6 milliseconds and a grey-to-grey time of 14 milliseconds. In the test, there was no screen flicker.
Performance
The GS66 Stealth belongs to the high-end sector, whether it’s an RTX 2060, RTX 2070, or RTX 2080. For native Full HD resolution, all three graphics cards are more than capable. A modern SSD with 1,000 to 2,000 GB of storage and 16 to 32 GB of RAM is also available. Not to mention the processor’s six or eight cores.
The Core i9-sense 10980HK’s and nonsense may be debatably debated. On the one side, the Octacore delivers incredible performance, but because to the high cooling needs, we’re seeing the most powerful model from Intel’s Comet Lake generation in huge desktop replacements.
As a result, it’s not unexpected that the 10980HK only uses a small portion of its turbo. Only 4.3 to 4.9 GHz of the theoretically potential 5.3 GHz remains under single core load.
The clock rate drops to 3.6 to 3.9 GHz when all cores are loaded, which isn’t bad, but falls short of the CPU’s potential and calls into question the already poor price-performance ratio, especially since performance in our Cinebench R15 loop – other notebooks send their regards – continues to deteriorate from the second run.
As a result, when purchasing the GS66, we would suggest the Core i7-10750H, which is similarly fast but less demanding.
The GS66 is outperforming the competition in terms of application performance, owing in part to its powerful CPU. PCMark 10’s total score of 6,490 points puts it between 8% and 18% ahead of the competition. The operating system boots quickly and responds quickly in other areas (loading times, installs, etc.).
We have enhanced our latency test significantly in response to reader requests (it now includes web browsing and video playback, among other things).
The MSI GS66 still has space for improvement in this area, according to the results of the tool LatencyMon.
In the test device, mass storage is provided by a Samsung NVMe model, namely the PM981 MZVLB1T0HARL. In both reading and writing, the M.2 drive clearly outperforms the competition from Intel (Aero 15 Classic), Seagate (Schenker XMG Neo 15), and WDC (Predator Triton 500 & HP Omen X 2S).
There’s an empty M.2 slot behind the hood if you wish to add more RAM.
The GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q is a tweaked version of the previous GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q. (also Turing architecture). Nvidia, for example, has raised its shader count from 2,304 to 2,560. The GDDR6 video memory is 8 GB in capacity and is coupled to the GPU via a 256-bit interface.
The base frequency, according to the manufacturer, is 930 MHz, however with the automated GPU boost, much higher numbers may be attained.
The Ungine Heaven 4.0 benchmark and the role-playing game The Witcher 3 were used to see how the clock rate responds under stress. A good result is about 1.300 to 1.400 MHz.
When it comes to The Witcher 3, the graphics performance, in contrast to the processing performance, is rather consistent.
There were no FPS breakdowns or other issues throughout the 60-minute endurance test. In battery mode, you merely need to be cautious.
Without a power source, the frame rate lowers dramatically (-85% @GS66), as it does in most laptops, since the CPU and GPU cut down heavily.
Our GPU benchmarks demonstrate that the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q can definitely shine on the mains. Even while the GS66 performs somewhat lower in 3DMark 11 and 13 than the previously tested Aero 17 HDR XB, it still outperforms rival laptops with “regular” RTX 2070 Max-Q by several percent.
Temperature and noise levels are also important factors to consider.
To put it plainly, the loudness isn’t exactly the GS66’s chocolate side. MSI follows the lead of the competition by allowing the fans to operate at a very high RPM when under load.
Without a headphone, the volume ranges from 48 to 53 decibels, which may deter some prospective purchasers.
In idle mode, the GS66 performs better, but we weren’t really pleased with the results. The fact that the fans are never totally turned down in the Dragon center settings that have been tested isn’t really the issue.
In actuality, the intermediate revving up is considerably more irritating, and the reason is frequently a mystery to us. Simple activities like video, online, and installations/updates tend to make the fans make a lot of noise.
One alternative is to utilize quiet mode, however we’ve seen in the past with other MSI laptops that this only helps with a few issues and significantly reduces speed (jerky YouTube videos). Regardless of fan speed, the MSI GS66’s fan noise isn’t very nice.
The temperatures are average for a thin, high-end notebook of this kind. In 3D mode, the base unit may achieve temperatures of up to 53 °C (top) and 55 °C (bottom), however the casing remains below 30 °C in idle.
The final conclusion on the components is ambiguous. On the plus side, the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q should be emphasized, since it achieves a maximum temperature of 75 degrees Celsius even when fully loaded (Furmark & Prime95).
The processor seems to be getting worse. The Core i9-10980HK settles at roughly 90 °C in the stress test, despite the turbo hardly getting a chance.
This is just another indicator that the CPU was selected inappropriately for the casing – particularly when considering the noise level, which is largely attributable to the 10980HK in our experience.
Life of the Batteries
Unlike the GS65, which had to make due with an 82 Wh battery, the successor has a massive 99.99 Wh battery. Even the Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic, which has been cut for portability, can’t match this price (94 Wh). The majority of players are only given a maximum of 80 Wh.
However, given the large storage, the runtimes are a little depressing. Although up to 8.5 hours of battery life under ideal circumstances (no load, lowest display brightness) and roughly 6 hours of internet browsing through WLAN with medium brightness are outstanding for a high-end laptop, the competition obtains equal or even better results with inferior batteries. As a result, the GS66’s energy management seems to be less than ideal.
Verdict
MSI addressed the most significant criticisms by improving the small case’s stability and maintenance capabilities.
The MSI GS66 is also praised for its modern connection (Thunderbolt 3), the fast and high-contrast 300 Hz display, and the large battery, which can’t completely show off its potential, which is why the MSI GS66 is ranked second behind the MSI GS75.
Regardless, the GS66 is a fantastic gaming laptop at a much lower price, so if you’re on a budget, this is the laptop for you!
The “msi gs66 stealth” is a laptop that has been released in 2020. The GS75 is the latest model and it is worth looking into.
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