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Face Off: Three Generations of the 17-inch MSI GT Series

GT evolution. MSI's long-running GT series was mediocre in its early days, but everything changed with the introduction of the GT72 in 2014. We take a look back at how the 17-inch series has evolved over the years and how the GT75VR has upped the ante even further.

Any comprehensive list of the most recommendable 17-inch gaming notebooks is always guaranteed to have a model from the MSI GT family. The GT chassis has always been more versatile, more accessible, and generally stronger than the competition even after its numerous iterations.

For this Face Off, we'll be taking a step back to the 2012 GT70 to see how the manufacturer has improved after each revision and to identify any trends up to the current 2017 GT75VR. Since we've published on well over a dozen different configurations throughout the years, selecting just a few SKUs from the large pool would not fairly represent the entire GT7x family. A GT72 with the GTX 880M, for example, will likely have vastly different temperature and noise characteristics than a GT72 equipped with the GTX 1070. Thus, we've carefully chosen configurations from different hardware generations (i.e., GT70, GT72, GT73VR, GT75VR) instead of configurations from the same generation (i.e., GT72, GT72S, GT72VR) as we want to compare and contrast the hardware changes between each successive redesign.

We encourage users to check out our dedicated review pages below for more data and detailed analyses of the GT series. 

MSI GT70
MSI GT70
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR

Case

MSI has had no interest in creating a thinner or lighter gaming experience with the GT series as those are goals best suited to the GS series. Consequently, the jump from the GT70 to the GT72 and up have not resulted in more portable designs. The GT73VR, for example, is actually heavier than the GT72 it replaces and the GT75VR is even larger still because of the mechanical keyboard. By not having to worry about shaving off millimeters to be the "world's thinnest", the manufacturer has instead focused on rigidity, cooling, comfort, and expandability with excellent results. The GT72 in particular was the turning point as its more modular and easily serviceable components have lasted it from the early Nvidia Maxwell days up to the current Kepler family of GPUs. MSI saw no reason to retire the GT72/GT72S/GT72VR design until earlier this year even after introducing its direct GT73VR successor in 2016.

The jump from the GT72 to the GT73VR revised the chassis yet again but with special emphasis on the cooling solution. Whereas the older GT72 could support up to the GTX 1070, the GT73VR can house up to a single GTX 1080 with GTX 1070 SLI options. Moving from the GT73VR to the GT75VR is more minor in comparison as there were no major changes to the internals. Instead, the GT75VR integrates per-key RGB lighting, padded palm rests, and a mechanical keyboard. These luxurious features have added almost 10 mm in thickness and 500 g in weight over the GT73VR, which we find to be rather extreme.

MSI GT70
MSI GT70
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR
428 mm / 16.9 inch 314 mm / 12.4 inch 58 mm / 2.28 inch 4.6 kg10.1 lbs428 mm / 16.9 inch 288 mm / 11.3 inch 55 mm / 2.17 inch 3.8 kg8.36 lbs428 mm / 16.9 inch 287 mm / 11.3 inch 49 mm / 1.929 inch 4.1 kg9.06 lbs428 mm / 16.9 inch 294 mm / 11.6 inch 48 mm / 1.89 inch 3.8 kg8.42 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Ports in Comparison

MSI GT70
MSI GT70
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR

Connectivity

Gaming notebooks of this size are typically equipped with a wide range of ports and the GT series is not exception. MSI dropped both the legacy VGA and eSATA ports following the GT70 series and didn't drop the optical drive until after the GT72. USB Type-C was introduced in the GT72VR at the expense of one mDP port and multiple M.2 storage slots. The GT72VR series was introduced as a more affordable half-step between the GT72 and GT73VR and lacks Thunderbolt 3 support as a result. Nonetheless, the large number of USB and audio ports seems to be an ongoing tradition.

Ports and Connections

MSI GT70 MSI GT72 MSI GT72VR MSI GT73VR/GT75VR
USB 3x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 6x USB 3.0 6x USB 3.0, 1x USB Type-C Gen. 1 5x USB 3.0, 1x USB Type-C + Thunderbolt 3
Video-out HDMI, VGA 2x mDP, 1x HDMI mDP, HDMI mDP, HDMI
Audio 4x 3.5 mm audio 4x 3.5 mm audio 4x 3.5 mm audio 4x 3.5 mm audio
Storage Bays 2x mSATA, 1x 2.5-inch SATA III, Optical drive 4x M.2 2280, 2x 2.5-inch SATA III, Optical drive 1x M.2 2280, 1x 2.5-inch SATA III, Optical drive 3x M.2 2280, 1x 2.5-inch SATA III
Other eSATA, Kensington Lock, Gigabit RJ-45, SD reader Kensington Lock, Gigabit RJ-45, SD reader Kensington Lock, Gigabit RJ-45, SD reader Kensington Lock, Gigabit RJ-45, SD reader

Input Devices

The chiclet SteelSeries keyboard suffered from more clatter on the original GT70 but had improved dramatically on the GT72 and GT73VR. It wasn't until the GT75VR that MSI went all out on a SteelSeries mechanical keyboard with individually-lit RGB keys designed specifically for gamers. The QWERTY keys on the GT75VR are elevated higher above the base chassis compared to the GT72 or GT73VR in order to accommodate the deeper travel depth. The gaming experience is invariably better due to the "clickier" tactile feedback at the expense of louder keys. Auxiliary keys for toggling Turbo Fan and the optional iGPU are present on every generation albeit never in the same position.

The touchpad has also been changing from model to model. The original GT70 touchpad was slightly trapezoidal in shape and with a glossy plastic perimeter. This was dropped on the GT72 in favor of a larger rectangular touchpad with a backlit perimeter. The problem here, however, was that there was no tactile barrier to separate the smooth touchpad from the smooth surrounding palm rests and cursor control was subsequently frustrating. MSI wisely addressed this issue on the GT73VR by adding elevation and texture differences to the touchpad while keeping the same backlight options. Finally, the touchpad changed once again on the GT75VR with its new soft-touch rubber surface and more angled perimeter that we believe is a downgrade from the smoother glide of the GT72 and GT73VR. No matter the generation, MSI never abandoned the dedicated mouse keys that are almost universally more accurate than integrated clickpads.

MSI GT70
MSI GT70
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT70
MSI GT70
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT70
MSI GT70
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR

Display

Most 17-inch MSI gaming notebooks utilize panels from supplier Chi Mei. In fact, MSI has been offering the same Chi Mei N173HHE-G32 TN panel from the GT72 up to the current GT75VR. Users intending to configure a GT72, GT73VR, or GT75VR with a 120 Hz TN display will likely receive this panel with nearly identical contrast ratios, color spaces, response times, subpixel structures, and clarity between them. This is expected to change with the advent of new panels with 3 ms response times on the refreshed GT Raider and GS series.

It's not necessarily bad that three successive revisions of the GT notebooks have been utilizing the same panel. Color space is already very wide at over 100 percent of the sRGB standard and with faster black-white response times than other gaming notebooks using IPS displays. The latest GT75VR comes pre-calibrated and DeltaE values are subsequently very low for a significantly more accurate display than both the GT72 or GT73VR despite their panel similarities.

MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75
MSI GT75
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR
Displays at a Glance

MSI GT70 MSI GT72 MSI GT73VR MSI GT75VR
Display TN TN, G-Sync, 120 Hz TN, G-Sync, 120 Hz TN, G-Sync, 120 Hz
Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Panel ID Chi Mei N173HGE-L11 (CM01720) Chi Mei N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747) Chi Mei N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747) Chi Mei N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747)
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21MSI GT72VR 7RE-433MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
Display
Display P3 Coverage
65.4
68.3
91.2
90.3
sRGB Coverage
93.7
86.7
100
99.6
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
67.2
63.4
84.9
86.8
Response Times
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
29 ?(13, 16)
26 ?(12, 14)
11.6 ?(6.4, 5.2)
Response Time Black / White *
7 ?(4, 3)
6.8 ?(4.2, 2.6)
6.8 ?(4.8, 2)
PWM Frequency
25000 ?(15)
Screen
Brightness middle
325
299
314
274
Brightness
312
277
294
262
Brightness Distribution
80
87
89
87
Black Level *
0.36
0.27
0.23
0.26
Contrast
903
1107
1365
1054
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
11.28
9.65
9.74
1.36
Greyscale dE 2000 *
11.62
9.68
9.58
0.64
Gamma
2.33 94%
1.89 116%
2.5 88%
2.19 100%
CCT
14188 46%
11652 56%
11854 55%
6551 99%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
61
75
76
77
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
15.43
15.71
4.1
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
100
100
100
Total Average (Program / Settings)

* ... smaller is better

MSI GT70
MSI GT70
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR

Performance

CPU Performance

To nobody's surprise, processor performance has been steadily increasing from the old Ivy Bridge MQ days up to the current Kaby Lake HQ and unlocked HK series. In a very general sense, single-core performance has been growing more slowly than multi-core performance as shown by our CineBench benchmarks below. Users can expect a multi-core performance boost of about 50 percent from the i7-3610QM to the current i7-7820HK.

Internally, the motherboard and cooling solution have had two major revisions from the GT70 to the GT72 and then to the GT73VR. The second revision in particular invests heavily on a greater number of heat pipes to be one of the largest for a 17-inch gaming notebook alongside certain Clevo barebones. In comparison, the Alienware 17 R4 utilizes just two heat pipes with smaller surface area and subsequently poorer cooling potential. The longer length of heat pipes on the GT73VR/GT75VR are likely a direct response to the significantly higher TDP requirements of the GTX 1080 compared to the GTX 980M (180 W to 200 W vs. ~120 W).

See our dedicated pages on the Core i7-7820HK and Core i7-7700HQ CPUs for more benchmarks and comparisons.

MSI GT70
MSI GT70
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
1.48 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
1.61 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
1.52 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
1.81 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
1.59 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
1.74 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
1.62 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
1.52 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
1.88 Points
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
1.95 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
1.81 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
6.26 Points
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
6.86 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
7.45 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
6.98 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
8.17 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
7.4 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
7.74 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
7.97 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
7.15 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
9.24 Points
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
9.6 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
8.34 Points
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
142 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
137 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
159 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
139 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
154 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
145 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
135 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
164 Points
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
172 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
160 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
680 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
649 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
736 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
669 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
710 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
723 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
657 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
836 Points
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
864 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
758 Points
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value)
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
17132 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
19411 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
22270 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
20059 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
21181 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
21530 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
24966 Points
Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value)
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
4433 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
5069 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
5733 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
5055 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
5648 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
5511 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
6405 Points
wPrime 2.10
1024m (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
245.6 s *
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
333.8 s *
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
233.1 s *
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
222.7 s *
32m (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
7.617 s *
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
10.73 s *
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
7.859 s *
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
7.385 s *
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
48296 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
50504 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
45311 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
45688 Points
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
46345 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
48524 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
45547 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
43724 Points
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics (sort by value)
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
6303 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
7010 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
6577 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
7415 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
7001 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
7397 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
7368 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
6557 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
6663 Points
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
8730 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
7942 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics (sort by value)
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
8813 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
9754 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
9257 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
10488 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
9716 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
10250 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
10549 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
9284 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
9733 Points
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
12382 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
11041 Points
Fire Strike Extreme Physics (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
9640 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
10514 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
9757 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
9728 Points
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Physics (sort by value)
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
43034 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
46515 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
43824 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
48903 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
45347 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
47088 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
50957 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
44924 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
49679 Points
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
61788 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
52876 Points
PCMark 8
Storage Score (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
2397 Points
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
4491 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
4971 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
5404 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
4906 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
4434 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
4378 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
5444 Points
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
5443 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
4755 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
7765 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
6871 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
5804 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
8227 Points
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
3978 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
3892 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
5009 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
4551 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
4889 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
4252 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
5237 Points
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1 (sort by value)
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
136.6 fps
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
167.8 fps
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
143.2 fps
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
164 fps
Pass 2 (sort by value)
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
34.6 fps
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
46.1 fps
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
41.6 fps
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
44 fps

* ... smaller is better

GPU Performance

The jump in raw graphics power from the GTX 980M to the GTX 1080 is an even larger leap than from the GTX 780M to the GTX 980M according to 3DMark benchmarks. This represents a performance boost of over 100 percent, though the drawbacks in temperature and fan noise become apparent in the next few sections below.

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Combined
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
7751 Points
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC
GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
7304 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
6946 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
6168 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
5951 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
4336 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
3713 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
3695 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
3652 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
2722 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
2332 Points
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
1925 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
21366 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
21270 Points
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
21026 Points
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC
GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
18408 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
17625 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
11957 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
9809 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
9697 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
9653 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
7241 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
6197 Points
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
5104 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
16478 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
15851 Points
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC
GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
14984 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
14820 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
13685 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
9878 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
8429 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
8364 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
8353 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
6389 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
5577 Points
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
4631 Points
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
29109 Points
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
28675 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
27685 Points
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC
GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
26098 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
23170 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
12869 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
12781 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
12731 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
12501 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
9570 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
8614 Points
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
7427 Points
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
2798 Points
1280x720 Performance Physics
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
11142 Points
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC
GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
10863 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
9949 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
9375 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
8978 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
8805 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
8594 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
8166 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
8028 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
7950 Points
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
7780 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
7230 Points
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
6533 Points
1280x720 Performance Combined
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC
GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
11274 Points
MSI GT73VR 7RF-296
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
10945 Points
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
9878 Points
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
9064 Points
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
8705 Points
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
8338 Points
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
8031 Points
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
7958 Points
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
7712 Points
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
7667 Points
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
6707 Points
MSI GT70H-80M4811B
GeForce GTX 780M, 4700MQ, SanDisk X100 128GB SD5SF2128G1014E
6110 Points
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
2758 Points
Cinebench R15 - OpenGL 64Bit
MSI GT72S 6QE-071PL
GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
108.1 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
107 fps
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
105.9 fps
MSI GT73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x SanDisk X400 1TB M.2 SD8SN8U1T001122 (RAID 0)
104.5 fps
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
103.8 fps
MSI GT70 2PE-890US
GeForce GTX 880M, 4800MQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
96.7 fps
MSI GT72VR 6RD-063US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
89.8 fps
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
89.3 fps

Stress Test

We run both Prime95 and FurMark to simulate maximum stress and to test system stability. These unrealistic conditions do not represent daily workloads and are instead meant to put both the CPU and GPU at 100 percent capacity.

In each of our four SKUs below, the CPUs never throttle below their respective base clock rates for reliable processor performance across the board. Stable core temperatures drop by a few degrees C when moving from the GT70 to the GT72 and again from the GT72 to the GT73VR even after considering the huge GPU performance upgrade from the GTX 970M to the GTX 1070. Our GT75VR and both its overclockable i7-7820HK and GTX 1080 processors run at faster clock rates than any GT7x notebook before it and the temperature readings are noticeably warmer as a result. Its CPU and GPU stabilize at 99 C and 81 C, respectively, to really push the limits of the cooling solution. Opting for a lower-end SKU of the GT75VR will yield cooler core temperatures if the similar GT73VR is of any indication.

MSI GT70
MSI GT70
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR
CPU and GPU Clock Rates Under Prime95 + FurMark stress

MSI GT70 MSI GT72 MSI GT73 MSI GT75
Processor Core i7-4710MQ Core i7-7700HQ Core i7-6820HK Core i7-7820HK
GPU GTX 970M GTX 1070 GTX 1070 GTX 1080
Rated GPU Core Clock (MHz) 924 1443 1543 1582
Stable GPU Core Clock on FurMark (MHz) 1149 1266 1304 1607
Rated CPU Core Clock (GHz) 2.5 2.8 2.7 2.9
Stable CPU Core Clock on Prime95 (GHz) 2.7 3.4 3.2 3.5
Stable CPU temperature (degrees C) 93 85 82 99
Stable GPU temperature (degrees C) 80 77 70 81
MSI GT70
MSI GT70
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emissions and Energy

System Noise and Temperature

The performance gains come at a hefty cost as fan noise hasn't really improved throughout the years. The fans are always active in the low to mid 30 dB(A) range when the system is idling regardless of the generational design leaps. Fan RPM remains relatively stable during medium (3DMark06) loads with the exception of the GT75VR as its more powerful GTX 1080 will run significantly louder than the GT72VR or GT73VR with GTX 1070 graphics under all tested conditions.

Surface temperature development is directly related to the cooling solution and positioning of the processors. Since the GT72 and GT73VR/GT75VR have more symmetrical cooling solutions compared to the GT70, the temperature gradients between the GT72 and GT73VR/GT75VR are quite similar as shown by our temperature maps below. While we don't have a temperature map of the GT70 because of our ever-evolving test equipment, our existing temperature readings show a much warmer left half of the notebook compared to the right half. The comparatively flatter temperature of the palm rests and keyboards on the GT72 and GT73VR/GT75VR make for a more comfortable typing experience on the newer MSI models overall.

The move to a more symmetrical fan design on the GT72 and onwards was definitely the right call as it's now become a common theme on enthusiast gaming notebooks regardless of size.

MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT72
MSI GT72
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT73VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT75VR
MSI GT70-2QD16SR21MSI GT72VR 7RE-433MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
Noise
Idle Minimum *
33.8
34
32
33
Idle Average *
35.2
35
33
34
Idle Maximum *
35.6
37
35
38
Load Average *
36.6
37
35
44
Load Maximum *
53
44
49
62
off / environment *
31
30
30
Witcher 3 ultra *
56

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption

We can identify a steady uptick in average power consumption through each successive redesign. In particular, power draw when idling can be as high as 50 W on the GT75VR compared to almost half that on the GT70 when under similar conditions. Gaming loads may demand about 20 percent more power on the GT73VR (w/ GTX 1070) compared to the GT70 (w/ GTX 970M), but the difference is almost minuscule compared to the +200% raw GPU performance advantage between the Maxwell and Pascal GPUs.

MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
GeForce GTX 970M, 4710MQ, Hynix HFS128G3AMNB
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5
MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK, 2x Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL (RAID 0)
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL NVMe (RAID 0)
Power Consumption
Idle Minimum *
14.2
20
31
34
Idle Average *
21.5
27
35
41
Idle Maximum *
26.2
31
40
50
Load Average *
97.4
86
106
106
Load Maximum *
186.1
184
218
320
Witcher 3 ultra *
257

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Battery life is yet another aspect that has seen no major improvements from revision to revision. Capacity has been falling from 87 Wh on the original GT70 to 75 Wh on the latest GT75VR. Combine this with the higher power consumption shown above and the added auxiliary features and you have measurably shorter runtimes on the GT75VR compared to earlier designs.

Another noteworthy difference is that the older GT70 has a swappable battery pack whereas the batteries for the GT72, GT73VR, and GT75VR are protected underneath their bottom panels. It's clear that battery life has been taking more of a back seat for each successive chassis redesign.

MSI GT70-2QD16SR21
87 Wh
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
83 Wh
MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451
75 Wh
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
75 Wh
Battery Runtime
Reader / Idle
418
316
290
182
WiFi v1.3
263
230
206
144
Load
74
91
72
65
H.264
228
148

Verdict

Bigger is better, but not necessarily in all the ways we'd expect
Bigger is better, but not necessarily in all the ways we'd expect

Looking back through five years of the MSI GT family reveals some interesting trends. The more obvious improvements aside from performance include firmer keyboard tactility and stronger successive designs without sacrificing serviceability.

There are a few aspects that have unfortunately remained constant or have even grown worse over time. Battery capacity has been decreasing, power consumption has been rising, weight and size have been increasing, and fan noise has been growing louder in a general sense. One would expect newer, heavier, and bigger gaming notebooks to at least run noticeably quieter than their older counterparts, but this does not appear to be the case. The highest-end configuration for the GT75VR in particular will still run hotter and louder despite its wider girth and advancements in cooling over the GT70 and GT72. We have the feeling that CPU and GPU power are growing at a faster rate than what MSI is able to effectively dissipate with their cooling solutions. Asus has been investing in vapor chamber cooling on certain G752 SKUs for potentially better cooling, but MSI has yet to show any interest in adopting this approach.

All the above drawbacks show that MSI is putting performance front and center even if it means taking space away from the internal battery and creating a bigger notebook in the process. None of our tested systems exhibited throttling when subjected to extreme stress and surface temperatures were never an issue in practice.

Based on what we've seen, we're hoping that future 17-inch GT models can at least maintain the current size and noise level of the GT75VR while still offering similar connectivity features and display options. A denser and more powerful cooling solution will certainly be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome should MSI want to keep the growing sizes and noise levels in check.

MSI GT72VR

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MSI GT73VR

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MSI GT75VR

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Face Off: Three Generations of the 17-inch MSI GT Series
Allen Ngo, 2017-08-31 (Update: 2018-05-15)