MSI GE66 Raider Gaming Pc Review

Specs

Right here are the specs of the MSI GE66 Raider I have been making an are trying out:

• Mannequin: MSI GE66 Raider (10SGS-057)
• Point out: 15.6-depart 300Hz 3ms FHD (1920×1080)
• Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK 2.4GHz (16M cache, 5.3GHz Max Turbo)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Spacious with Max-Q (8GB GDDR6)
• Memory: 32GB 2666Mhz DDR4
• OS: Home windows 10 Knowledgeable
• Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
• Webcam: 1080p
• Ports: 1 x SD card reader, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Ethernet port, 1 x USB-C miniDisplay USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB Gen 2, 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2
• Connectivity: WiFi 6 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1
• Dimensions: 14.09 x 10.51 x 0.92-inches (WxDxH)
• Weight: 5.25-pounds
• Ticket: $2,999

Put

The finest arrangement I will listing the GE66 Raider is that or no longer it’s a low key gaming pc pc. When powered off or with the lid shut, the pc pc appears to be like extremely bland, lifeless, and dull. Nonetheless whenever you boot it up, the general front edge of the deck lights up, along with the keyboard. On the front is the RGB Aurora Mystic Lightbar appears to be like downright cool. You are going to have the opportunity to customize its coloration draw in MSI’s utility, but accurate by means of my making an are trying out, I left it on the default rainbow of colours right due to it develop into once keen.

There is a 1080p webcam centered above the 15.6-depart command, which has slim bezels on both aspect, with thicker bezels on the dwell and backside. The beefy-dimension keyboard has personally lit RGB keys, with a touchpad that is centered with the keyboard, no longer the pc pc’s deck.

There is an abundance of ports on the GE66, spanning three different facets. On the attend, yow will discover a miniDisplayPort, a USB-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, a Killer E3100 Gigabit Ethernet jack, HDMI 2.0 port and the vitality connection. I’ve acknowledged it earlier than, but having ports on the attend of a pc pc is one among my current aspects. It permits you to cowl extra connections unhurried an opened lid, instead of plugging issues love exterior drives and displays into the aspect of the housing.

Talking of the edges, on the left aspect is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port and a USB-C 3.2 Gen2x2 port that would per chance per chance take care of up to 20GB of files speeds. There is also a headphone jack on that very same aspect.

On the particular aspect of the housing is an SD card reader, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports.

The outer shell of the Raider is silver, and has some refined geometric protrusions where the hinge meets the rear of the deck, but is otherwise rather dull.

All all over again, how the GE66 appears to be like on the out of doorways is below no circumstances the arrangement it appears to be like whenever you launch it up.

Efficiency and gaming

I’ve viewed a handful of gaming laptops come across my desk in the final few months, all of which possess boasted the identical core internals: 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK and an Nvidia RTX 2080 Spacious w/Max-Q. The Raider starts there, with MSI including 32GB of 2666MHz memory, 1TB of NVMe SSD storage, and a 15.6-depart FHD 300Hz command.

Sounds impressive, appropriate? And it’s. IGN honest currently reworked our benchmark guide, so we form no longer possess many files factors to review. Nonetheless I happen to possess a Razer Blade 15 Developed on hand, and or no longer it’s similarly spec’d. Right here are these results:

At some level of the board, the GE66 Raider took care of industry. Benchmarks are handiest one reference level, however, so I spent a huge selection of time gaming on the Raider.

From Minecraft Dungeons to Name of Duty: Warzone, the Raider kept up with whatever I can even throw at it. I frail Xbox Game Bar to video display fps rates in Warzone, writing down random 60-2nd averages accurate by means of a match, which I then averaged these readings, and after that long-winded clarification, the Raider build out a extraordinarily delighted 133fps, with RTX enabled.

The 300Hz display conceal conceal is a long way faster than one thing else I want appropriate now, but however, I preferred how at ease posthaste turns and intense gunfights were displayed.

Sound volume develop into once extra than loud enough, however the sound quality left me searching extra. Especially when it came to finer sounds, love yell chat, accurate by means of video games. Oftentimes the background tune and noise in a game overshadowed all the pieces. Footsteps were audible, however the route develop into once almost very unlikely to detect. And, as I acknowledged, yell chat develop into once unusable except I went into the game settings and made well-known adjustments. With headphones, however, the audio develop into once extra even across the board.

One other minor gripe I in actuality possess with the Raider is the keyboard. It appears to be like out of the ordinary as it lights up, however the keys are, for lack of a nearer note, at ease. The keys also in actuality feel love they bleed collectively when typing and gaming, ensuing in errant key presses. Over my time making an are trying out, I started to gain a nearer in actuality feel for when key presses would register and where the keys were positioned, however the Raider’s keyboard is no longer one I loved the expend of on the open.

The total draw ran cool and at ease, and the fans weren’t overly loud, even at beefy tilt.

All acknowledged, the GE66 Raider has been a stress-free machine to game on. I wish the 300Hz command develop into once one thing I can even fully leverage, but on the identical time, playing Warzone at 130fps on a pc pc is one thing I’m extra than happy with.

The 1TB storage is good enough for me, but there’s but any other slot on hand so as to add but any other PCIe NVMe SSD in listing for you additional dwelling.

Battery existence

I build the Raider by means of IGN’s battery rundown test, which contains atmosphere the command to 50% brightness, disabling Bluetooth, Jam and any other pointless connections, but leaving Wi-Fi enabled, and working PCMark 10’s Up-to-the-minute Space of enterprise battery test.

The 99.9Wh hour battery-powered by means of 255 minutes or 4 hours and 15 minutes. The Razer Blade 15 Developed surpassed the Raider, with 374 minutes in the identical battery test.

Either arrangement, as a long way as gaming laptops streak, several hours of battery existence is nothing I will ever salvage fault with.

Gadget

For the most phase, MSI will get out of the arrangement of Home windows 10 Knowledgeable. Then again, there are a few of MSI’s admire apps preinstalled, and, sadly, Norton Security.

I frail MSI Dragon Center moderately a bit to transfer between MSI’s performance profiles and video display draw stats accurate by means of gameplay.

There are several different performance settings, with Vulgar Efficiency being the profile I spent most of my time the expend of. There is also a Spacious Battery profile that it’s most likely you’ll expend to squeeze out every final minute of battery existence whereas you in actuality make a selection it.

SteelSeries Engine 3 is what it’s most likely you’ll per chance expend to customize and swap the coloration draw of the RGB keyboard and Mystic Mild on the front of the Raider. The app is easy enough to admire and navigate, allowing you to contrivance custom keyboard themes and expend them for particular video games.

Launch air of Norton Security, there is nothing to complain about when it comes to preinstalled utility on the GE66 Raider. Discontinue me whereas you’ve got got heard this earlier than, but a $3,000 pc pc need to nonetheless no longer come with bloatware.

Procuring Info

I have been making an are trying out the high of the line $2,999 model, which comes equipped with a 300Hz command, Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 2080 Spacious for a few weeks. You form no longer possess to gain the dwell of the line model, however. There are several different configurations, ranging from $1,799 for a 240Hz command, i7 processor and RTX 2070 GPU to the $2,699 model with 300Hz command, i7 processor, and RTX 2080 Spacious.