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MSI GE72 7RE Apache Pro Notebook Review

Entry-level Gaming. The MSI GE72 revision from 2017 is interesting because of several reasons. First of all, Intel's brand new processor architecture enters the notebook segment with the Core i7-7700HQ. On the other hand, Nvidia's brand new gaming chip GTX 1050 Ti is on board, which ranks in between mid-range and upper class. We checked the gaming capabilities of the 17-inch model.

The GE62 or the GE72 are the right choice for price-conscious buyers who definitely do not want to spend more than 2,000 Euros on a gaming notebook. We were among the first editorial offices which have taken a look at the current generation.

We started with the 17-inch model for about 1550 Euros in the GE72 7RE-046 variant, which can almost be considered a bargain when compared to other high-end laptops. Well, the GTX 1050 Ti is significantly slower than a GTX 1070 or GTX 1080, but will you ever need that much power in the Full HD range? We will answer this question in the course of this article.

Apart from the GPU, the GE72 7RE-046 delivers almost everything gaming enthusiasts desire when buying a new model. 16 GB of DDR4 RAM and a combination of 256 GB SSD and 1 TB HDD should be sufficient for the coming 1-3 years. In our opinion, the display is particularly exciting. A 120-Hz model cannot even be taken for granted in significantly more expensive gaming bolides.

Due to its moderate weight of 2.98 kg, the GE72 belongs to the lighter 17-inch notebooks. In our opinion, the HP Omen 17, the Asus GL702VM, and the company's own MSI GS73VR 6RF belong to the main competitors. Most of them cost less than the initially mentioned 2000 Euros and use a GTX 1060 (apart from the HP). The Aorus X7 v6 with GTX 1070, which we also use for comparisons throughout the review, is significantly more expensive.

MSI GE72 7RE-046 (GE72 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-7700HQ 4 x 2.8 - 3.8 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1493 MHz, Memory: 3500 MHz, GDDR5, ForceWare 373.06, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM, Single Channel, 1 of 2 slots used, max. 32 GB
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 127 PPI, N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747), TN LED, Full HD, 120 Hz, glossy: no
Mainboard
HM175
Storage
Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY, 256 GB 
, SSD + HGST Travelstar HTS721010A9E630, 1 TB HDD @ 7200 rpm. Schächte: 1x m.2 Typ 2280 (optional NVMe/PCIe) & 1x 2,5 Zoll
Soundcard
Realtek ALC899 @ High Definition Audio-Controller
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: headphones (S/PDIF), microphone, Card Reader: SD,SDHC,SDXC
Networking
Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.2
Optical drive
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GUD0N
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 32 x 420 x 288 ( = 1.26 x 16.54 x 11.34 in)
Battery
51.4 Wh, 4730 mAh Lithium-Ion, 6 Zellen
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD (720p @ 30 fps)
Additional features
Speakers: 4.1 Dynaudio (Nahimic Audio Enhancer), Keyboard: Chiclet by SteelSeries, Keyboard Light: yes, power adapter: 150 Watt, accessories: Quick Start Guide, warranty information, recovery guide, Software: CyberLink PowerDVD 12, Killer Performance Suite, Magix Suite, MS Office 365 Trial, Norton Security Trial, XSplit Gamecaster 1 Jahr Premium , 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.98 kg ( = 105.12 oz / 6.57 pounds), Power Supply: 516 g ( = 18.2 oz / 1.14 pounds)
Price
1550 EUR
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Changes

Changes are hard to find on the outside. The chassis did not change at all; expect for the stickers. Thus, we omit evaluating chassis, connectivity, and input devices and focus on the upgrades under the hood. Information about the missing aspects can be found in the recently reviewed GE72VR 6RF predecessor.

Btw., you should not expect too much from the card reader and the Wi-Fi module. While the first only runs at USB 2.0 speed, the Intel Wireless-AC 3168 partly performs significantly worse than the Wireless-AC 7265 (HP Omen 17) and the Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 (Aorus X7 v6). This is not surprising since the AC 3168 only achieves a maximum of 433 Mbit/s according to Intel's homepage.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Aorus X7 v6
 
78 MB/s +200%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
 
76 MB/s +192%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
 
72.6 MB/s +179%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
 
26 MB/s
MSI GS73VR 6RF
 
23.8 MB/s -8%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
HP Omen 17-w110ng
 
87 MB/s +211%
Aorus X7 v6
 
87 MB/s +211%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
 
84.6 MB/s +202%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
 
28 MB/s
MSI GS73VR 6RF
 
27.6 MB/s -1%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Aorus X7 v6
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
554 MBit/s +88%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
529 MBit/s +80%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
294 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
676 MBit/s +96%
Aorus X7 v6
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
496 MBit/s +44%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
345 MBit/s

Software

In the realm of software, we had to struggle with several problems (see also the GT73VR 7RF review, which was done at the same time). Even with the Shift mode of the Dragon Center set to »Power Options« (controls the clock rates according to the Windows power plan and not via MSI tool), the CPU always got stuck at its multi core level of 3.4 GHz and never reached its maximum single core turbo (3.8 GHz). At least the Core i7-7700HQ clocks perfectly down in the »ECO« and »Power Saver« modes for our idle measurements.

What is more important is that the CPU tended to throttling in several 3D applications. However, we cannot tell the latter for sure, since the benchmark results are normal and even the stress test with the Furmark and Prime95 tools ran without throttling. It should be possible to fix both »bugs« with a new BIOS or EC and/or an update of the Dragon Center (at least this was possible in the past).

Display

Subpixel
Subpixel

The used Full HD panel N173HHE-G32 is absolutely great for gamers. 120 Hz ensure for a immensely »smooth« and pleasant image given that the frame rate is high enough. Thanks to high contrast (about 1.050:1) and decent black value (0.24 cd/m²) dark scenes look great.

Because of the MSI software True-Color, which optimizes the image via pre-set scenarios and adjusts many settings, the brightness is lower than in other notebooks with the same display. While an average of 230 cd/m² is sufficient for indoor use, you will quickly wish for a higher brightness outdoors. At least, the display surface is matte. Hence, the display does hardly reflect.

217
cd/m²
251
cd/m²
226
cd/m²
225
cd/m²
253
cd/m²
228
cd/m²
218
cd/m²
231
cd/m²
217
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747) tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 253 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 229.6 cd/m² Minimum: 14 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 253 cd/m²
Contrast: 1054:1 (Black: 0.24 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.01 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 7.26 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
100% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
76% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
85.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
90.7% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.09
MSI GE72 7RE-046
N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747), 1920x1080
Aorus X7 v6
B173QTN01.0 (AUO1096), 2560x1440
HP Omen 17-w110ng
LG Philips LGD046E, 1920x1080
MSI GS73VR 6RF
1920x1080
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
LG Philips LP173WF4-SPF3, 1920x1080
Display
-26%
-24%
-1%
-24%
Display P3 Coverage
90.7
60.9
-33%
66.6
-27%
90
-1%
65.1
-28%
sRGB Coverage
99.9
84.2
-16%
84.1
-16%
99.9
0%
83.5
-16%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
85.2
61.2
-28%
61.5
-28%
83.6
-2%
61.1
-28%
Response Times
-13%
-102%
-6%
-99%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
27 ?(13, 14)
31 ?(11, 20)
-15%
37 ?(13, 24)
-37%
28 ?(13.2, 14.8)
-4%
38 ?(12, 26)
-41%
Response Time Black / White *
9 ?(6, 3)
10 ?(3, 7)
-11%
24 ?(4, 20)
-167%
9.6 ?(5.2, 4.4)
-7%
23 ?(5, 18)
-156%
PWM Frequency
Screen
-18%
10%
20%
-16%
Brightness middle
253
343
36%
362
43%
337.2
33%
326
29%
Brightness
230
312
36%
342
49%
315
37%
312
36%
Brightness Distribution
86
80
-7%
87
1%
86
0%
91
6%
Black Level *
0.24
0.5
-108%
0.31
-29%
0.308
-28%
0.5
-108%
Contrast
1054
686
-35%
1168
11%
1095
4%
652
-38%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.01
7.33
-46%
4.5
10%
2.96
41%
6.3
-26%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
10.4
10.79
-4%
9.31
10%
5.45
48%
11.69
-12%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
7.26
7.6
-5%
3.48
52%
2.57
65%
7.37
-2%
Gamma
2.09 105%
2.19 100%
2.23 99%
2.25 98%
2.37 93%
CCT
6329 103%
9024 72%
6144 106%
7114 91%
7116 91%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
76
55
-28%
55
-28%
74.3
-2%
55
-28%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
100
84
-16%
84
-16%
100
0%
83
-17%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-19% / -19%
-39% / -11%
4% / 12%
-46% / -29%

* ... smaller is better

After calibration, the GE72 7RE is an option for professional users. Apart from the gray scales, the DeltaE shift of the colors can also be reduced to below 3. 100 % sRGB and 76 % AdobeRGB coverage are also pros for photo and video experts.

Meanwhile, gamers will mainly appreciate the low response time. We hardly ever measure only 9 ms when changing from black to white and 27 ms when switching from gray to gray in notebooks. Cuts have to be accepted in the realm of viewing angles. Since the N173HHE-G32 is a TN-type, it cannot keep up with IPS models in this aspect. Subjectively, the brightness distribution was quite constant. Heavy screen bleeding should not be an issue.

CalMAN: Grayscale
CalMAN: Grayscale
CalMAN: Grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN: Grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN: Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN: Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN: Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
CalMAN: Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker
CalMAN: ColorChecker
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
MSI GE72 vs. sRGB (100 %)
MSI GE72 vs. sRGB (100 %)
MSI GE72 vs. AdobeRGB (76 %)
MSI GE72 vs. AdobeRGB (76 %)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
9 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6 ms rise
↘ 3 ms fall
The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 19 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
27 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 13 ms rise
↘ 14 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 31 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.8 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18034 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Performance

Before analyzing the performance, several screenshots depict the most important components.

Processor

The Kaby Lake Core i7-7700HQ processor replaces the extremely successful Skylake quad-core Core i7-6700HQ. As the review of the GT73VR 7RF has already shown, the new architecture with the same clock rate only brings slightly better performance. This is not surprising, since lithography (14 nm) as well as TDP (45 Watt) remained the same.

Single-core rendering
Single-core rendering
Multi-core rendering
Multi-core rendering
Throttling during the Unigine Heaven benchmark
Throttling during the Unigine Heaven benchmark
No throttling during 3DMark 11
No throttling during 3DMark 11

However, you'll get a bigger performance gain if you leave both CPUs at their standard settings. The Multi Core tests of Cinebench R15 and R11.5 are the best examples. The Core i7-7700HQ performs just under 10 % better than 6700HQ notebooks. However, you will hardly notice any difference if at all during everyday use, especially in 3D applications such as games. Hence, you can safely buy a cheap Skylake notebook if you find such.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Aorus X7 v6
Intel Core i7-6820HK
170 Points +17%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
148 Points +2%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
145 Points
MSI GS73VR 6RF
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
134 Points -8%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
134 Points -8%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Aorus X7 v6
Intel Core i7-6820HK
807 Points +10%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
732 Points
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
679 Points -7%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
678 Points -7%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
671 Points -8%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Aorus X7 v6
Intel Core i7-6820HK
1.93 Points +17%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.69 Points +2%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.65 Points
MSI GS73VR 6RF
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.5 Points -9%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.5 Points -9%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Aorus X7 v6
Intel Core i7-6820HK
8.88 Points +10%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.1 Points
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.47 Points -8%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.47 Points -8%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.41 Points -9%
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
10841
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.65 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
8.1 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
63.8 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
145 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
732 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
108.3 fps
Help

System Performance

As expected, the GE72 7RE performs quite well in the system tests. With 5,810 points, the 17-inch laptop ranks in between the HP Omen 17 and the Aorus X7 v6 in PCMark 7. Our Asus GL702VM, which has to make do with an HDD and only achieves 4,114 points (-29 %), makes apparent, that an SSD as Windows drive is almost obligatory these days.

PCMark 7 Score
5810 points
Help
PCMark 7 - Score
Aorus X7 v6
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
5946 Points +2%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
5810 Points
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256
5556 Points -4%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
4114 Points -29%

Storage Device

While expensive gaming notebooks mostly use SSDs based on PCIe or NVMe, the GE72 7RE »only« comes with a classical SATA III model from Toshiba (256 GB), which is limited to 500-550 MB/s as usual. Since performance with small files is most important in practice, the operating system is still very responsive and opens applications and games significantly faster than from an HDD.

CrystalDiskMark SSD
CrystalDiskMark SSD
AS SSD Benchmark SSD
AS SSD Benchmark SSD
CrystalDiskMark HDD
CrystalDiskMark HDD
HDTune HDD
HDTune HDD

Speaking of the HDD: An HGST Travelstar 7K1000 is used as secondary storage. It runs at 7,200 rpm and features a capacity of 1 TB.

MSI GE72 7RE-046
Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
Aorus X7 v6
Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
HP Omen 17-w110ng
Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256
MSI GS73VR 6RF
SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
124%
49%
-37%
-86%
Read Seq
540
1499
178%
1156
114%
334.3
-38%
134.6
-75%
Write Seq
495.7
1411
185%
294.9
-41%
319
-36%
130.6
-74%
Read 4k
22.7
44.33
95%
42.7
88%
20.3
-11%
0.602
-97%
Write 4k
112.9
155.5
38%
153.3
36%
42.51
-62%
1.146
-99%
Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
Sequential Read: 540 MB/s
Sequential Write: 495.7 MB/s
512K Read: 455.1 MB/s
512K Write: 481.4 MB/s
4K Read: 22.7 MB/s
4K Write: 112.9 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 372.5 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 212.9 MB/s

Graphic Card

Let's finally turn to the decisive factor for gamers: the graphic card. In contrast to the desktop counterpart, which has already been on the market for a few weeks, the mobile variant of the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti took a longer time to launch. Laptop enthusiasts who always consider the price performance ratio can find out themselves whether it was worth waiting for it.

It already gets obvious when checking the specifications that the DirectX-12 chip rather belongs to the mid-range than to the high-end range. With Mit 768 vs. 1280 shaders, the GTX 1050 Ti falls significantly behind the manufacturers' favorite, the GTX 1060. In order to cut costs, memory interface (128 vs. 192 bit) and VRAM capacity (4 vs. 6 GB GDDR5) are also smaller. The clock rate difference is smaller. For example the GTX 1050 Ti works at 1,493 vs. 1,506 MHz (core) and 3,500 vs. 4000 MHz (memory).

3DMark Vantage P Result
30690 points
3DMark 11 Performance
9269 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
69304 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
20933 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
6959 points
Help

Especially the VRAM capacity might become a problem in the future. In the meanwhile, many games require more than 4 GB for maximum details. (e.g. Call of Duty Infinite Warfare, Watch Dogs 2 & Deus Ex Mankind Divided), whereas the GTX 1050 Ti can also get too slow due to other reasons - depending on the game. We unconditionally recommend the Pascal chip in the price range of about 1.500 Euros - not least because of the better energy efficiency compared to the Maxwell predecessor.

According to the synthetic benchmarks and our gaming tests, the GTX 1050 Ti is about on par with the GTX 970M (with small advantage for the newcomer). However, the GE72 7RE cannot keep up with GTX 1060 models. In the Fire Strike test of the current 3DMark it is about 30 % slower and it performs about 50 % worse than the GTX 1070.

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Aorus X7 v6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
17068 Points +111%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
15806 Points +95%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
11506 Points +42%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
11311 Points +40%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
8086 Points
1280x720 Sky Diver Graphics
Aorus X7 v6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
55278 Points +103%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
53469 Points +97%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
37413 Points +38%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
27202 Points
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Aorus X7 v6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
23591 Points +132%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
20656 Points +103%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
14904 Points +46%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
14317 Points +41%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
10186 Points
Unigine Heaven 4.0 - Extreme Preset DX11
Aorus X7 v6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
109.1 fps +125%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
103.1 (24.3min - 206.9max) fps +113%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
48.5 fps

Gaming Performance

Those you can do without highest graphics settings if necessary will get a decent graphic card for Full HD gaming in the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. From 29 tested games, only the apparently very poorly optimized Mafia 3 refused to run smoothly in the preset high. Otherwise, the system mostly leveled off at above 40 fps.

Since Battlefield 1 refused running with the pre-installed driver (ForceWare 373.06), we used the brand new ForceWare 376.33 for running the world war shooter. Apart from this, the standard driver worked well. We neither observed crashes nor graphic errors. An average GPU clock of 1,700 MHz was recorded in 3D mode. The maximum clock was 1,785 MHz.

Battlefield 1
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
Aorus X7 v6
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
124 fps +144%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
110.1 fps +117%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
79 fps +56%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
50.8 fps
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T
Aorus X7 v6
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
136 fps +140%
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
118.9 fps +110%
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
87.4 fps +54%
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
56.7 fps
low med. high ultraQHD4K
Dirt Rally (2015) 93.4 65.7 57.8
The Witcher 3 (2015) 48.7 26.9 17.6
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 60 41 19
Mad Max (2015) 89.7 82.7 28.6
Anno 2205 (2015) 63.7 20.6 24
Fallout 4 (2015) 56 46.2 18.5
Star Wars Battlefront (2015) 72.4 62.7 22.4
Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015) 47.8 23.5 17.1
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 92.2 74.4 28.4
Just Cause 3 (2015) 58.9 52.7 22.1
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 47.4 39.7 17.6
XCOM 2 (2016) 37.7 19 10.3
Far Cry Primal (2016) 53 40 17
The Division (2016) 45 34.9 16.6
Hitman 2016 (2016) 38.4 36.6 16.3
Need for Speed 2016 (2016) 60.4 46.4 21.3
Doom (2016) 68.3 63.8 21.2
Overwatch (2016) 118 71 38.3
Mirror's Edge Catalyst (2016) 50.3 45.1 16.2
No Man's Sky (2016) 44.6 22 18.1
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 38.3 19.7 12.3
FIFA 17 (2016) 130 128 66.1
Mafia 3 (2016) 28.7 9.8
Battlefield 1 (2016) 56.7 50.8 19.8
Farming Simulator 17 (2016) 130 117 59.7
Titanfall 2 (2016) 62 56.2 18.7
Call of Duty Infinite Warfare (2016) 67.4 58.8 27.4
Dishonored 2 (2016) 48.7 39.6 18.2
Watch Dogs 2 (2016) 42.4 26.6 14.4
Resident Evil 7 (2017) 64.5 24.3
For Honor (2017) 66 () 62 () 45 ()
Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017) 106 46.1 40.3 9.8
Mass Effect Andromeda (2017) 105 50.2 27.9 23
Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War III (2017) 112 46.6 29.8 25.8 0
Rocket League (2017) 158 61
Dirt 4 (2017) 74.2 39.2
Team Fortress 2 (2017) 105 74.4
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) (2017) 54.1 45.2
F1 2017 (2017) 66 40 16
Ark Survival Evolved (2017) 89 31.6 21.8
FIFA 18 (2017) 149 62.3
Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) 121 62 43 29 12
The Evil Within 2 (2017) 61.8 36.1 32.9 31 2
ELEX (2017) 102 52.2 41.9 31 19.6 6.6
Destiny 2 (2017) 116 65.5 62.1 51.1 26.1 17.8
Assassin´s Creed Origins (2017) 77 45 38 28 20 4
Call of Duty WWII (2017) 191 129 67.8 42.4 30.8 18.9
Need for Speed Payback (2017) 115 66 54.7 50.9 30.3 9.7
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017) 135 75 65 43 19.5 5.7
Fortnite (2018) 61 45.1 28.8 8.8
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 74 37.1 23.4
Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018) 107 49.5 40.5 28 16.9 6
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 77.3 69.9 61.2 45.3
Far Cry 5 (2018) 95 47 43 39 25 12
The Crew 2 (2018) 51 44.1
Monster Hunter World (2018) 93 41.2 35.5 27.9
F1 2018 (2018) 146 81 62 37 28 15
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 97 38 31 25 17 8
FIFA 19 (2018) 192 169 157 150 51.3
Forza Horizon 4 (2018) 122 62 55 40
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey (2018) 77 41 31 17
Call of Duty Black Ops 4 (2018) 35.5 10.2
Hitman 2 (2018) 55.6 39 29.7 23.6
Fallout 76 (2018) 48.4 45.3

Emissions

System Noise

The system noise is more or less on par with the other 17-inch notebooks in our comparison group. While the GE72 7RE is audible in idle mode with 34-36 dB, this is not yet disturbing (the left fan appears to run all the time).

System noise while ilding
System noise while ilding
System noise under load
System noise under load
Sound characteristic of the speakers
Sound characteristic of the speakers

The cooling system first attracts attention under load, even though 38 and 43 dB during 3DMark 06 (average: 41 dB) and a maximum of 49 dB during the stress test are not utterly loud. Apart from the HP Omen 17 and the MSI GS73VR, also the Aorus X7 v6 is louder. However, these laptops come with a more powerful graphic chip.

Noise Level

Idle
34 / 35 / 36 dB(A)
DVD
40 / dB(A)
Load
41 / 49 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 30 dB(A)
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Aorus X7 v6
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
Noise
-4%
-1%
2%
6%
off / environment *
30
30
-0%
30
-0%
28.4
5%
30.5
-2%
Idle Minimum *
34
33
3%
33
3%
31.9
6%
31.4
8%
Idle Average *
35
35
-0%
34
3%
32
9%
31.4
10%
Idle Maximum *
36
40
-11%
35
3%
34
6%
31.5
12%
Load Average *
41
43
-5%
45
-10%
47
-15%
40.9
-0%
Load Maximum *
49
54
-10%
52
-6%
49.4
-1%
46.2
6%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

In general, the case temperatures are alright. While the chassis achieves a maximum of 32 °C in idle mode, our thermometer showed up to 46 °C under full load. More powerful gaming notebooks often exceed the 59 °C level in the stress test. However, MSI could improve the position of the components. In contrast to the thicker 17-inch sibling GT73VR, the palm rests alreadsy get slightly warm in idle mode. Among others, this is caused by the location of the HDD.

Stress test
Stress test
Top side under full load (Optris PI 640)
Top side under full load (Optris PI 640)
Underside under full load (Optris PI 640)
Underside under full load (Optris PI 640)

Let's briefly discuss the inner components. »Thanks« to fact that the CPU Turbo sticks at 3.4 GHz, the Core i7-7700HQ gets quite warm unter full load. After one hour, the HWMonitor tool reported about 90 °C. Most of the time, the GPU remained significantly cooler with a maximum of 69 °C - no reason to complain apart from the fact that it slightly throttles.

Max. Load
 45.4 °C
114 F
44.8 °C
113 F
39 °C
102 F
 
 45.1 °C
113 F
45.8 °C
114 F
38.6 °C
101 F
 
 40.3 °C
105 F
39.8 °C
104 F
28.1 °C
83 F
 
Maximum: 45.8 °C = 114 F
Average: 40.8 °C = 105 F
34.7 °C
94 F
38.4 °C
101 F
45.2 °C
113 F
30.5 °C
87 F
37.5 °C
100 F
40.4 °C
105 F
24.7 °C
76 F
30.2 °C
86 F
36.6 °C
98 F
Maximum: 45.2 °C = 113 F
Average: 35.4 °C = 96 F
Power Supply (max.)  47.4 °C = 117 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 40.8 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 45.8 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 45.2 °C / 113 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.7 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(-) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 40.3 °C / 104.5 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-11.4 °C / -20.5 F).
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Aorus X7 v6
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
Heat
-3%
-2%
-7%
-8%
Maximum Upper Side *
45.8
47.5
-4%
45
2%
50.8
-11%
53.1
-16%
Maximum Bottom *
45.2
54.5
-21%
54.3
-20%
60
-33%
44.9
1%
Idle Upper Side *
31.7
28.6
10%
29.6
7%
27.4
14%
32.9
-4%
Idle Bottom *
29.9
28.8
4%
28.6
4%
28.8
4%
33.4
-12%

* ... smaller is better

Speakers

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs203237.12541.243.53142.143.54028.531.35027.431.96325.336.58024.438.310023.846.612522.150.916023.755.22002258.525020.860.931518.968.940019.372.850018.376.263018.175.280017.172.910001774125017.477.3160017.182.2200017.682.9250017.883.231501881.1400018.377.2500018.573.3630018.875.4800019.273.81000019.675.51250020.173.81600020.567.9SPL30.491N1.486.8median 18.8median 74Delta1.44.339.334.639.341.739.641.742.839.942.837.235.237.237.532.337.541.828.241.830.32630.340.72640.748.325.448.349.623.349.647.623.847.65222.75258.221.658.263.920.263.95719.65756.618.656.657.218.657.256.51856.554.817.454.857.117.957.158.117.558.158.217.858.26017.96066.21866.259.818.359.853.418.453.448.518.448.548.918.448.948.718.248.743.418.443.471.330.571.328.31.428.3median 56.5median 18.4median 56.55.11.15.1hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMSI GE72 7RE-046Asus GL702VM-GC102D
MSI GE72 7RE-046 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (91 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 17.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 19% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 75% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 12% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 85% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Asus GL702VM-GC102D audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (64 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 7.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | reduced highs - on average 5.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 40% of all tested devices in this class were better, 10% similar, 50% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 24% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 70% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequenzdiagramm im Vergleich (Checkboxen oben an-/abwählbar!)

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Since the GE72 7RE is slightly more designed for mobility than its thicker siblings, MSI omitted G-Sync support and decided to implement an automatic graphics switch instead. Nvidia's Optimus technology uses either the GTX 1050 Ti or the processor graphics (Intel HD Graphics 630) depending on the software. Hence, energy is not wasted when running simple tasks such as office or web surfing.

The power consumption does hardly differ from several GTX 1060 notebooks, for example the Asus GL702VM, which is almost on par overall. MSI includes a 150 W power adapter, which weighs moderate 516 g and should be sufficient for the used components.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.2 / 0.8 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 14 / 20 / 25 Watt
Load midlight 82 / 135 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Aorus X7 v6
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
HP Omen 17-w110ng
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
Power Consumption
-67%
-28%
-44%
-3%
Idle Minimum *
14
29
-107%
19
-36%
22.6
-61%
15.6
-11%
Idle Average *
20
31
-55%
25
-25%
32.7
-64%
20.2
-1%
Idle Maximum *
25
38
-52%
31
-24%
32.8
-31%
21.4
14%
Load Average *
82
111
-35%
90
-10%
114.7
-40%
90
-10%
Load Maximum *
135
253
-87%
193
-43%
167.9
-24%
147
-9%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The graphics switch of the GE72 7RE, can only make up for the modest battery capacity of 51 Wh to some extent. 3:04 hours of web surfing via Wi-Fi and 3:15 hours HD video playback at medium brightness are not much for users who are fond of travelling. Those who are frequently on the move should therefore rather buy the HP Omen 17 (95 Wh) or the Asus GL702VM (76 Wh).

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
3h 04min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
3h 15min
MSI GE72 7RE-046
51.4 Wh
Aorus X7 v6
94 Wh
HP Omen 17-w110ng
95 Wh
MSI GS73VR 6RF
65 Wh
Asus GL702VM-GC102D
76 Wh
Battery Runtime
-1%
27%
16%
35%
H.264
195
233
19%
262
34%
WiFi v1.3
184
182
-1%
247
34%
213
16%
250
36%

Pros

+ Dragon Center with many features (e.g. fan control)
+ top modern hardware thanks to Kaby Lake und Pascal
+ highly configurable keyboard light
+ Optimus graphics switch
+ 120 Hz panel
+ SSD plus HDD

Cons

- display frame poorly fixed in the test model
- strange behavior of the CPU clock rate
- card reader at USB 2.0 level
- GPU throttling under full load
- no Thunderbolt 3
- poor battery

Verdict

In review: MSI GE72 7RE Apache Pro. Test model provided by MSI Germany.
In review: MSI GE72 7RE Apache Pro. Test model provided by MSI Germany.

Although the GE72 7RE lacks a certification for virtual reality, you can still consider it a gaming notebook. Nvidia's brand new GeForce GTX 1050 Ti mostly offers sufficient performance for achieving halfway decent frame rates with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and high details.

The performance will first fall quickly in the 3K and 4K range and make demanding titles unplayable. However, gamers should generally consider spending extra money on a GTX 1060. In the long run, 6 GB VRAM are more future-proof than 4 GB and such devices hardly cost more.

In our opinion, Intel's Kaby Lake architecture is quite unspectacular and only slightly improves CPU performance.

Those you are on the fence between a cheap multimedia laptop and a genuine high-end laptop might be happy with the GE72 7RE.

MSI GE72 7RE-046 - 12/28/2016 v6(old)
Florian Glaser

Chassis
74 / 98 → 75%
Keyboard
81%
Pointing Device
78%
Connectivity
57 / 81 → 71%
Weight
57 / 10-66 → 83%
Battery
69%
Display
83%
Games Performance
90%
Application Performance
91%
Temperature
87 / 95 → 91%
Noise
70 / 90 → 78%
Audio
75%
Average
76%
82%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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Florian Glaser, 2017-01- 3 (Update: 2018-05-15)