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MSI GF65 9SD Laptop Review: GeForce GTX 1660 Ti for under $1000

Same looks, faster performance. The GF65 replaces last year's GF63 by introducing new Nvidia Turing GPU options, new display options, a larger cooling solution, and faster wireless. The narrow bezel chassis design remains unchanged.

The entry-level MSI GF65 is an update to last year's GF63. Along with the GP series and GL series, the GF series is home to some of MSI's least expensive gaming laptops for consumers on tighter budgets. SKUs range from the Core i5-9300H to Core i7-9750H CPU, 1080p 60 Hz, 120 Hz, or 144 Hz display, and up to 64 GB of DDR4 RAM. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU and 1080p resolution remain fixed across all configurations for now.

Visually, the GF65 is identical to the GF63 down to their keyboards, clickpads, ports, and even dimensions. We therefore recommend checking out our existing review on the GF63 as many of our comments will apply here on the GF65. Despite their similar chassis designs, there are some notable internal upgrades to the motherboard of the GF65 that we will detail below.

Direct competitors to the MSI GF65 are other budget gaming laptops including the 15.6-inch HP Pavilion 15 Gaming, Lenovo Legion Y540, Asus TUF FX505, Acer Nitro 5, and the Dell G3 and G5 series. Our GF65 9SD test unit can currently be found on CUKUSA.com for $950 USD.

More MSI reviews:

MSI GF65 9SD (GF65 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-9750H 6 x 2.6 - 4.5 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile - 6 GB VRAM, Core: 1455 MHz, Memory: 1500 MHz, GDDR6, 431.84, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4-2666, 19-19-19-43, Dual-Channel
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, AU Optronics B156HAN13.0, IPS, AUOD0ED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ, 512 GB 
Soundcard
NVIDIA TU116
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 21.7 x 359 x 254 ( = 0.85 x 14.13 x 10 in)
Battery
51 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 3-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: 2x 2 W, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Dragon Center, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
1.86 kg ( = 65.61 oz / 4.1 pounds), Power Supply: 739 g ( = 26.07 oz / 1.63 pounds)
Price
950 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
78.8 %
10/2019
MSI GF65 9SD
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
1.9 kg21.7 mm15.60"1920x1080
80.4 %
07/2019
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
R7 3750H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
2.2 kg26.8 mm15.60"1920x1080
82.3 %
10/2019
Dell G7 7590
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
2.5 kg19.9 mm15.60"1920x1080
82.3 %
08/2019
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
2.2 kg26 mm15.60"1920x1080

Case

As mentioned above, the chassis remains identical to the GF63 since the GF63 chassis is barely one year old. The design is notable for introducing narrow bezels to MSI's budget GP series as the feature was previously exclusive to the higher-end GS series. In addition, the MSI system is one of the lighter entry-level gaming laptops as well by a few hundred grams when compared to the Legion Y540 or Asus TUF FX505DT.

It's worth mentioning that the chassis is nearly identical to the WP65 workstation albeit with different internals, different bottom plate designs, and rearranged ports.

365 mm / 14.4 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 26 mm / 1.024 inch 2.2 kg4.85 lbs360.4 mm / 14.2 inch 262 mm / 10.3 inch 26.8 mm / 1.055 inch 2.2 kg4.92 lbs361 mm / 14.2 inch 246 mm / 9.69 inch 24.4 mm / 0.961 inch 2.1 kg4.69 lbs364.3 mm / 14.3 inch 273.4 mm / 10.8 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 2.5 kg5.51 lbs359 mm / 14.1 inch 254 mm / 10 inch 21.7 mm / 0.854 inch 1.9 kg4.1 lbs359 mm / 14.1 inch 254 mm / 10 inch 21.7 mm / 0.854 inch 1.9 kg4.1 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

While port options are decent for a budget gaming laptop, the positioning of the ports is questionable. There are no USB ports along the left edge and many of the ports are very close to the front edge where cables can occupy valuable desk space.The HDMI port, for example, is closer to the front of the laptop than it is to the rear. The bright side is that all ports are easy to reach since none are along the rear.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: 3.5 mm earphones, 3.5 mm microphone, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, USB 3.2 Type-C, Gigabit RJ-45, Kensington Lock
Right: 3.5 mm earphones, 3.5 mm microphone, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, USB 3.2 Type-C, Gigabit RJ-45, Kensington Lock
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Left: AC adapter, HDMI 1.4
Left: AC adapter, HDMI 1.4

Communication

WLAN has been upgraded from the 1x1 Intel 9462 with Bluetooth 4.2 on last year's GF63 to the more modern 2x2 Intel 9560 with Bluetooth 5. Transfer rates can be up to 4x faster should you have an 802.11ac network to support it. Transmit speeds are slower than usual likely due to a bug in our server setup, but we experienced no connectivity issues otherwise.

WLAN module sits next to the M.2 storage slots
WLAN module sits next to the M.2 storage slots
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Aorus 15-SA
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
683 MBit/s +102%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
630 MBit/s +86%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
Realtek RTL8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCIe Adapter
617 MBit/s +83%
MSI GF63 8RC
Intel Wireless AC 9462
351 MBit/s +4%
MSI GF65 9SD
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
338 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Aorus 15-SA
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
670 MBit/s +6%
MSI GF65 9SD
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
630 MBit/s
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
619 MBit/s -2%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
Realtek RTL8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCIe Adapter
586 MBit/s -7%
MSI GF63 8RC
Intel Wireless AC 9462
278 MBit/s -56%

Maintenance

The bottom panel will require a Philips screwdriver and sharp edge to remove. It's latched very tightly around the 3.5 mm jack so care should be taken around this area. MSI had to relocate the WLAN module in order to integrate more copper heat pipes for the faster Turing GPU as shown by our comparison shots below.

Note that a Factory Seal sticker must be torn if you want to service the machine in any way.

MSI GE65
MSI GE65
MSI GE63 in comparison (Source: MSI)
MSI GE63 in comparison (Source: MSI)

Accessories and Warranty

There are no included extras in the box other than the usual manuals and the standard one-year limited warranty applies. Registering your purchase online with MSI may net a warranty extension for free.

Input Devices

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard and clickpad (10.6 x 6.5 cm) are identical to the ones on both the GF63 and WP65 and so we refer to our respective reviews for more information. In short, the GF series drops the SteelSeries keyboards as found on most higher-end MSI laptops like the GS, GE, and GT models for a shallower and more Ultrabook-like typing experience. The single-zone backlight offers three levels of illumination for all key symbols.

Same layout and key feedback as on the GF63 and WP65. Expect fingerprints to accumulate immediately
Same layout and key feedback as on the GF63 and WP65. Expect fingerprints to accumulate immediately
Precision-enabled clickpad could have been firmer and less spongy
Precision-enabled clickpad could have been firmer and less spongy
The red keys are indicative of a budget MSI laptop in contrast to the white SteelSeries keys on higher-end MSI models
The red keys are indicative of a budget MSI laptop in contrast to the white SteelSeries keys on higher-end MSI models
Full-size arrow keys
Full-size arrow keys

Display

Our test unit comes equipped with the 120 Hz 1080p IPS display option. The AU Optronics B156HAN13.0 panel here is the same one MSI uses on the GL65 for a very similar visual experience between them. It's an upgrade from the 60 Hz AU Optronics panel as found on the GE63 that we tested last year, but other core attributes like the average response times, average brightness, narrow gamut, and decent contrast ratio are otherwise quite similar as shown by the comparison table below.

Light-moderate uneven backlight bleeding is present on our unit, but it's thankfully difficult to notice in practice. The display is only slightly grainy as is common on most matte panels.

Thin side bezels while the "chin" is still thick
Thin side bezels while the "chin" is still thick
Very narrow bezels for an entry-level gaming laptop
Very narrow bezels for an entry-level gaming laptop
Matte RGB subpixel array
Matte RGB subpixel array
Light-moderate uneven backlight bleeding along the corners
Light-moderate uneven backlight bleeding along the corners
266.8
cd/m²
265
cd/m²
261
cd/m²
245.2
cd/m²
258.5
cd/m²
250.9
cd/m²
240.7
cd/m²
244.6
cd/m²
252.3
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B156HAN13.0 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 266.8 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 253.9 cd/m² Minimum: 4.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 258.5 cd/m²
Contrast: 923:1 (Black: 0.28 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.36 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.92
ΔE Greyscale 3.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
53.8% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
34.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
37.26% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
54.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
36.06% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.06
MSI GF65 9SD
AU Optronics B156HAN13.0, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
MSI GF63 8RC
AU Optronics B156HAN02.1, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
Panda LM156LF-GL, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Aorus 15-SA
LG Philips LP156WFG-SPB2 (LGD05E8), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Dell G7 7590
AU Optronics B156HAN, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
BOE 084D, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Display
9%
10%
76%
73%
74%
Display P3 Coverage
36.06
39.43
9%
39.56
10%
64.3
78%
64.4
79%
63.6
76%
sRGB Coverage
54.1
59.3
10%
59.5
10%
93.6
73%
90
66%
91.7
70%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
37.26
40.73
9%
40.91
10%
65.6
76%
65.3
75%
65.2
75%
Response Times
0%
3%
53%
58%
64%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
35.2 ?(18, 17.2)
33.2 ?(15.2, 18)
6%
30.4 ?(14, 16.4)
14%
15.6 ?(8, 7.6)
56%
14 ?(7.2, 6.8)
60%
8.8 ?(4, 4.4)
75%
Response Time Black / White *
25.6 ?(12.4, 13.2)
27.2 ?(15.6, 11.6)
-6%
27.6 ?(17.6, 10)
-8%
12.8 ?(8.4, 4.4)
50%
11.2 ?(6, 5.2)
56%
12 ?(6.8, 5.2)
53%
PWM Frequency
Screen
-3%
-2%
30%
-3%
29%
Brightness middle
258.5
266.6
3%
286.2
11%
266
3%
330.5
28%
299
16%
Brightness
254
257
1%
267
5%
254
0%
324
28%
290
14%
Brightness Distribution
90
89
-1%
84
-7%
90
0%
91
1%
89
-1%
Black Level *
0.28
0.29
-4%
0.33
-18%
0.28
-0%
0.71
-154%
0.29
-4%
Contrast
923
919
0%
867
-6%
950
3%
465
-50%
1031
12%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.36
5.93
-11%
5.45
-2%
3.11
42%
5.33
1%
3.7
31%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
23.23
16.28
30%
18.08
22%
5.84
75%
11.08
52%
7
70%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
4.92
3.6
27%
4.47
9%
1.37
72%
3.63
26%
2
59%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.4
6.8
-100%
5.3
-56%
3.94
-16%
6.7
-97%
4.1
-21%
Gamma
2.06 107%
2.43 91%
2.1 105%
2.53 87%
2.24 98%
2.19 100%
CCT
6192 105%
7192 90%
7679 85%
6210 105%
8035 81%
7166 91%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
34.2
37.6
10%
37.6
10%
60
75%
58.3
70%
59.3
73%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
53.8
59.3
10%
59.1
10%
93
73%
89.5
66%
91.5
70%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
2% / -0%
4% / 1%
53% / 41%
43% / 19%
56% / 42%

* ... smaller is better

Color space is limited at just 54 percent and 34 percent of sRGB and AdobeRGB, respectively, compared to >90 percent sRGB on pricier laptops like the Aorus 15, Dell G7 15 7590, or MSI's own GS series. This is not the laptop to use for any sort of professional graphics work.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB

Further measurements with an X-Rite colorimeter show a warmer color temperature than expected in contrast to older budget MSI laptops where color temperature was usually far too cool. An end-user calibration addresses this and slightly improves grayscale in the process. Color accuracy, however, remains poor due to the limited color space mentioned above. Blue in particular looks shallow and is represented most inaccurately out of all the primary and secondary colors.

Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration

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
25.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 12.4 ms rise
↘ 13.2 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 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 56 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
35.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 18 ms rise
↘ 17.2 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 43 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to 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.

Outdoor visibility is essentially the same as on the GF63 since their brightness levels and contrast ratios are comparable. In other words, expect lots of squinting, washed out colors, and some glare even if under shade. Viewing angles are wide with the usual changes to contrast and colors only if viewing from abnormally extreme angles.

Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

LatencyMon
LatencyMon

The hexa-core Core i7-9750H CPU and GTX 1660 Ti GPU are mid-range gaming specifications and a massive step up from the Core i5-9300H and GTX 1650 that most budget gaming laptops carry. Enthusiast alternatives like the MSI GE75 may carry even faster octa-core Core i9-9880H and GeForce RTX options.

Optimus comes standard to automatically exclude G-Sync SKUs. LatencyMon shows no DPC latency issues much like what we discovered on the MSI WP65.

Processor

CPU performance is essentially identical to the MSI GL65 9SEK equipped with the same Core i7-9750H CPU. Performance drops by about 10 percent when running CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop to show that maximum Turbo Boost is short-lived. Users upgrading from the Core i7-8750H won't see much of a difference, but upgrading from quad-core CPUs like the Core i7-7700HQ, i5-8300H, i5-9300H, or Ryzen 7 3750H will bring noticeable improvements.

See our dedicated page on the Core i7-9750H for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

CineBench R15
CineBench R15
CineBench R20
CineBench R20
0801602403204004805606407208008809601040112012001280136014401520Tooltip
MSI GF65 9SD GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1188 (1174.61-1309.11)
MSI GF75 8RD-001 GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø935 (909.48-1089.06)
MSI GF75 8RD-001 GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø935 (909.48-1089.06)
MSI GL65 9SEK GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1185 (1166.86-1278.16)
MSI P65 Creator 9SF-657 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i9-9880H, 2x Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ (RAID 0); CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1439 (1417.84-1545.36)
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
Intel Core i9-9900K
212 Points +20%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Intel Core i9-8950HK
205 Points +16%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
189 Points +7%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (170 - 194, n=82)
183.7 Points +4%
MSI GF65 9SD
Intel Core i7-9750H
177 Points
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
Intel Core i7-8750H
176.3 Points 0%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7
174 Points -2%
Dell G3 3590
Intel Core i5-9300H
172 Points -3%
MSI GV62 8RE-016US
Intel Core i5-8300H
162 Points -8%
MSI GF62VR 7RF-877
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
144 Points -19%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
144 Points -19%
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
Intel Core i9-9900K
2022 Points +57%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
1721 Points +34%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1378 Points +7%
MSI GF65 9SD
Intel Core i7-9750H
1286 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (952 - 1306, n=85)
1182 Points -8%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
Intel Core i7-8750H
1069 (913.12min - 1068.63max) Points -17%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7
830 Points -35%
MSI GV62 8RE-016US
Intel Core i5-8300H
813 Points -37%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
805 Points -37%
Dell G3 3590
Intel Core i5-9300H
790 Points -39%
MSI GF62VR 7RF-877
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
734 Points -43%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Intel Core i9-8950HK
2.33 Points
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7
2.13 Points
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
2.11 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (1.96 - 2.19, n=10)
2.1 Points
MSI GV62 8RE-016US
Intel Core i5-8300H
1.78 Points
MSI GF62VR 7RF-877
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.73 Points
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
1.64 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
18.94 Points
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Intel Core i9-8950HK
15.05 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (11.3 - 14.1, n=10)
13 Points
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7
9.37 Points
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
9.21 Points
MSI GF62VR 7RF-877
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.08 Points
MSI GV62 8RE-016US
Intel Core i5-8300H
7.48 Points
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
42456 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (28251 - 36304, n=13)
33539 Points
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7
26481 Points
MSI GF62VR 7RF-877
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
21839 Points
MSI GV62 8RE-016US
Intel Core i5-8300H
21752 Points
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
20687 Points
Rendering Single 32Bit
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7
7260 Points
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
6967 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (6659 - 7214, n=13)
6923 Points
MSI GV62 8RE-016US
Intel Core i5-8300H
6115 Points
MSI GF62VR 7RF-877
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5528 Points
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
4770 Points
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7
232.9 s *
MSI GF62VR 7RF-877
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
213 s *
MSI GV62 8RE-016US
Intel Core i5-8300H
205.9 s *
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
197.1 s *
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
 
154.4 s *
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
118.7 s *

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
177 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1286 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
115.8 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help

System Performance

PCMark benchmarks are nearly identical to the Dell G7 15 7590 while being consistently ahead of the Asus TUF FX705 with the slower Ryzen 5 3550H CPU and GTX 1650 graphics. The older MSI GF63 is far behind due in part to its slower primary HDD.

We experienced no software or hardware issues during our time with the test unit. Be prepared for the usual Norton Anti-Virus and MSI pop-ups during the initial boot up.

PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 10
Score
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
5761 Points +5%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G
5716 Points +4%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (4807 - 5829, n=15)
5531 Points 0%
MSI GF65 9SD
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
5508 Points
Dell G7 7590
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G
5368 Points -3%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
4732 Points -14%
MSI GF63 8RC
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Seagate BarraCuda Pro Compute 1TB ST1000LM049
3711 Points -33%
Essentials
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
9379 Points +2%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (8621 - 10098, n=15)
9360 Points +2%
MSI GF65 9SD
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
9170 Points
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G
9020 Points -2%
Dell G7 7590
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G
8852 Points -3%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
8355 Points -9%
MSI GF63 8RC
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Seagate BarraCuda Pro Compute 1TB ST1000LM049
5849 Points -36%
Productivity
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (7241 - 8136, n=15)
7519 Points +1%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G
7430 Points 0%
MSI GF65 9SD
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
7412 Points
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
7311 Points -1%
Dell G7 7590
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G
7140 Points -4%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
6518 Points -12%
MSI GF63 8RC
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Seagate BarraCuda Pro Compute 1TB ST1000LM049
5694 Points -23%
Digital Content Creation
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
7570 Points +13%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G
7564 Points +13%
MSI GF65 9SD
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
6673 Points
Dell G7 7590
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G
6641 Points 0%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (4426 - 7638, n=15)
6558 Points -2%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
5282 Points -21%
MSI GF63 8RC
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Seagate BarraCuda Pro Compute 1TB ST1000LM049
4164 Points -38%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
5081 Points +21%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (4074 - 5217, n=11)
4518 Points +7%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G
4507 Points +7%
Dell G7 7590
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G
4317 Points +3%
MSI GF65 9SD
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
4205 Points
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
3917 Points -7%
MSI GF63 8RC
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Seagate BarraCuda Pro Compute 1TB ST1000LM049
3704 Points -12%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
5913 Points +10%
Dell G7 7590
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G
5558 Points +4%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (5041 - 5913, n=12)
5540 Points +3%
MSI GF65 9SD
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
5357 Points
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G
5041 Points -6%
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
4701 Points -12%
MSI GF63 8RC
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Seagate BarraCuda Pro Compute 1TB ST1000LM049
4609 Points -14%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4205 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5357 points
PCMark 10 Score
5508 points
Help

Storage Devices

Two M.2 NVMe PCIe slots are available with no 2.5-inch SATA III options. The 512 GB Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ SSD in our test unit is a budget NVMe drive with sequential read and write rates of about 1000 MB/s each. Pricier NVMe drives like the Samsung PM981 or Intel 760p can offer over twice the sequential read and/or write rates.

Keep in mind that the system will likely come with different SSDs and thus different storage performance depending on the reseller.

WLAN and M.2 storage slots sit underneath the right palm rest
WLAN and M.2 storage slots sit underneath the right palm rest
AS SSD
AS SSD
CDM 5.5
CDM 5.5
MSI GF65 9SD
Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
Asus TUF FX505DT-EB73
Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
Aorus 15-SA
Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
Dell G7 7590
Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G
AS SSD
7%
50%
-52%
92%
Seq Read
1148
1019
-11%
2601
127%
1013
-12%
2927
155%
Seq Write
962
889
-8%
1507
57%
203.8
-79%
2149
123%
4K Read
22.87
48.22
111%
56.3
146%
29.57
29%
42.43
86%
4K Write
80.6
115.5
43%
110.3
37%
71.4
-11%
147.1
83%
4K-64 Read
772
321.5
-58%
877
14%
332.1
-57%
1286
67%
4K-64 Write
711
787
11%
914
29%
152.9
-78%
1432
101%
Access Time Read *
0.125
0.065
48%
0.05
60%
0.183
-46%
0.065
48%
Access Time Write *
0.138
0.047
66%
0.034
75%
0.248
-80%
0.026
81%
Score Read
910
472
-48%
1193
31%
463
-49%
1621
78%
Score Write
887
992
12%
1175
32%
245
-72%
1794
102%
Score Total
2254
1717
-24%
2938
30%
913
-59%
4208
87%
Copy ISO MB/s
1103
942
-15%
2104
91%
263.6
-76%
Copy Program MB/s
537
444.5
-17%
387.7
-28%
213.8
-60%
Copy Game MB/s
997
867
-13%
1021
2%
188
-81%

* ... smaller is better

Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 1604 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1036 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 508 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 492.5 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 929 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 928 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 33.8 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 75.1 MB/s

GPU Performance

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is performing where we expect it to be at within 1 percent of the average GTX 1660 Ti in our database. When compared to the desktop GTX 1660 Ti, our mobile version is only about 2 to 7 percent slower. Overall performance is very close to the mobile RTX 2060 when excluding any DLSS or ray-tracing features.

See our dedicated page on the mobile GTX 1660 Ti for more technical information and benchmark comparisons. Idling on Witcher 3 shows no recurring frame dips to suggest no interrupting background activity or major throttling issues when gaming.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Time Spy
Time Spy
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
130202 Points +30%
MSI GF65 9SD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
99907 Points
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
95118 Points -5%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (59839 - 104780, n=18)
94171 Points -6%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop), R7 2700X
91194 Points -9%
MSI GP72VR 7RFX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
81711 Points -18%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
77569 Points -22%
MSI GE75 8SF
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H
64283 Points -36%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H
59375 Points -41%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
49314 Points -51%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, R7 3750H
44557 Points -55%
Asus FX504GD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H
38881 Points -61%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
21366 Points +42%
MSI GE75 8SF
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H
20236 Points +35%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop), R7 2700X
16024 Points +7%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
15731 Points +5%
MSI GF65 9SD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
15043 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (14186 - 16488, n=24)
14867 Points -1%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
14394 Points -4%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, R7 3750H
13355 Points -11%
MSI GP72VR 7RFX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
11870 Points -21%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H
9350 Points -38%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
7791 Points -48%
Asus FX504GD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H
6356 Points -58%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
MSI GE75 8SF
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H
7789 Points +37%
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
7166 Points +26%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop), R7 2700X
6131 Points +8%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
5783 Points +2%
MSI GF65 9SD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
5675 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (5335 - 6123, n=22)
5653 Points 0%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, R7 3750H
4867 Points -14%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
4548 Points -20%
MSI GP72VR 7RFX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
3689 Points -35%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H
3470 Points -39%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
2536 Points -55%
Asus FX504GD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H
1597 Points -72%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
29109 Points +41%
MSI GE75 8SF
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H
26097 Points +26%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop), R7 2700X
22128 Points +7%
MSI GF65 9SD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
20705 Points
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
20157 Points -3%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (18610 - 22670, n=24)
20096 Points -3%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
18205 Points -12%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, R7 3750H
17170 Points -17%
MSI GP72VR 7RFX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
15161 Points -27%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H
13143 Points -37%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
9466 Points -54%
Asus FX504GD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H
7133 Points -66%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop), R7 2700X
13940 Points +9%
MSI GF65 9SD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
12793 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (9500 - 13311, n=23)
12019 Points -6%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H
11904 Points -7%
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
9878 Points -23%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
9099 Points -29%
MSI GE75 8SF
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H
8811 Points -31%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
8540 Points -33%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
7573 Points -41%
MSI GP72VR 7RFX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7340 Points -43%
Asus FX504GD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H
7025 Points -45%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, R7 3750H
6644 Points -48%
3DMark 11 Performance
18059 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
36975 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
13483 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
5825 points
Help
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
Intel Core i9-9900K, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
100 fps +65%
MSI P65 Creator 9SF-657
Intel Core i9-9880H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
80.8 fps +33%
MSI GT75VR 7RF-012 Titan Pro
Intel Core i7-7820HK, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
75.9 fps +25%
MSI GE75 8SF
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
70.9 fps +17%
Dell G7 7590
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
62.4 fps +3%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop)
62 (43min - 74max) fps +2%
MSI GF65 9SD
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
60.6 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (51.6 - 65.1, n=21)
56.2 fps -7%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
55.1 fps -9%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
53.1 (50min, 51P1 - 58max) fps -12%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
Intel Core i7-7700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
50.2 fps -17%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
48.8 fps -19%
MSI GF75 8RD-001
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q
43 (39min - 46max) fps -29%
MSI GF62VR 7RF-877
Intel Core i7-7700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
39 fps -36%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
37.7 fps -38%
MSI GF63 8RC
Intel Core i5-8300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
20.6 fps -66%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
7.8 fps -87%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop)
76.7 fps +20%
Dell G7 7590
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
75 fps +17%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (62 - 73, n=8)
68.4 fps +7%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
65 fps +2%
MSI GF65 9SD
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
64 fps
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
49 fps -23%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
45 fps -30%
0510152025303540455055Tooltip
MSI GF65 9SD GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ: Ø54.2 (50-59)
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 317.1 264 250.9 128.6
The Witcher 3 (2015) 287.9 191.6 116 60.6
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 135 81 72 64

Emissions

System Noise

Since the GTX 1660 Ti is more demanding than the GTX 1050, MSI has upgraded the cooling solution to include more heat pipes and an additional fan when compared to the GF63. Fan noise is always present no matter the setting even when set to Power Saver at just over 33 dB(A) against a background of 28.7 dB(A). Thankfully, the fans do not pulse when browsing or streaming which would have been annoying.

When gaming, fan noise jumps to 49.5 dB(A) to be noticeably louder than the less powerful GF63. Enabling Cooler Boost mode (i.e., Maximum fan mode) will bump fan noise to a constant 59.5 dB(A).

Smaller ~45 mm fan
Smaller ~45 mm fan
Larger ~60 mm fan
Larger ~60 mm fan
SODIMM slots sits next to the CPU
SODIMM slots sits next to the CPU
Three copper heat pipes dedicated to the GPU
Three copper heat pipes dedicated to the GPU
MSI GF65 9SD
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
MSI GF63 8RC
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Seagate BarraCuda Pro Compute 1TB ST1000LM049
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G
Dell G7 7590
GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H, Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G
Aorus 15-SA
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, R7 3750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
Noise
6%
12%
5%
-7%
3%
off / environment *
28.7
28
2%
29.3
-2%
28.4
1%
29
-1%
28
2%
Idle Minimum *
33.3
33.8
-2%
29.3
12%
29.5
11%
32
4%
29.4
12%
Idle Average *
33.9
34
-0%
29.3
14%
29.6
13%
35
-3%
31.9
6%
Idle Maximum *
33.9
34.2
-1%
29.3
14%
29.6
13%
41
-21%
33
3%
Load Average *
41
37.3
9%
35.7
13%
45
-10%
54
-32%
41.2
-0%
Witcher 3 ultra *
49.5
43.4
12%
44.2
11%
51.5
-4%
52
-5%
53.8
-9%
Load Maximum *
59.5
46
23%
45.6
23%
53
11%
56
6%
55.7
6%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
33.3 / 33.9 / 33.9 dB(A)
Load
41 / 59.5 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: 28.7 dB(A)

Temperature

Three sets of exhaust vents
Three sets of exhaust vents

Surface temperatures when idling average below 30 C with the keyboard center being the warmest at about 29 C as shown by the temperature maps below. When gaming, the hot spot shifts to the top row of keyboard keys where fingers are unlikely to touch. The WASD keys can become as warm as 37 C while the palm rests will remain cool no matter the load.

The bottom panel has a fair number of grilles exposing the copper heat pipes. These areas can thus become very warm when under high processing loads and so it's important to not impede these openings.

Max. Load
 47.2 °C
117 F
52.8 °C
127 F
44 °C
111 F
 
 43.2 °C
110 F
45.8 °C
114 F
32.8 °C
91 F
 
 24.6 °C
76 F
23 °C
73 F
24.8 °C
77 F
 
Maximum: 52.8 °C = 127 F
Average: 37.6 °C = 100 F
45.2 °C
113 F
53 °C
127 F
47.6 °C
118 F
27 °C
81 F
34.4 °C
94 F
32 °C
90 F
23.4 °C
74 F
26.8 °C
80 F
24.6 °C
76 F
Maximum: 53 °C = 127 F
Average: 34.9 °C = 95 F
Power Supply (max.)  48 °C = 118 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 37.6 °C / 100 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 52.8 °C / 127 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 53 °C / 127 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.5 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 33.4 °C / 92 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 26.2 °C / 79.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+2.7 °C / 4.8 F).
System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle (bottom)
System idle (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Prime95+FurMark stress (top)
Prime95+FurMark stress (top)
Prime95+FurMark stress (bottom)
Prime95+FurMark stress (bottom)

Stress Test

We subject the system to synthetic stress to identify for any potential throttling or stability issues. When running Prime95, CPU clock rate will boost to 4.0 GHz for about 30 seconds until core temperature reaches 95 C. Thereafter, clock rate drops to the 3.5 GHz range in order to maintain a cooler core temperature of ~86 C. Running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously will induce constant CPU and GPU temperatures of 94 C and 86 C, respectively, when Auto fan mode is engaged.

Core temperatures are cooler when running Witcher 3 as shown by the table below. If Cooler Boost fan mode (i.e., Turbo fan) is active, core temperature can drop by as much as 10 degrees at the cost of louder fan noise. Note that performance will not increase significantly when on Cooler Boost mode meaning that Cooler Boost is primarily for temperature control rather than performance control.

Running on battery power will limit performance. A Fire Strike run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 11928 and 3738 points, respectively, compared to 17414 and 15043 points when on mains.

System idle
System idle
Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
Witcher 3 stress (Auto fan)
Witcher 3 stress (Auto fan)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost fan)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost fan)
Prime95+FurMark stress (Auto fan)
Prime95+FurMark stress (Auto fan)
Prime95+FurMark stress (Cooler Boost fan)
Prime95+FurMark stress (Cooler Boost fan)
Witcher 3 stress (Auto fan)
Witcher 3 stress (Auto fan)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost fan)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost fan)
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle -- -- 40 39
Prime95 Stress 3.4 - 3.5 -- 86 52
Prime95 + FurMark Stress (Auto fan) 3.5 - 3.7 1380 94 86
Prime95 + FurMark Stress (Cooler Boost fan) 3.6 - 3.7 1395 91 80
Witcher 3 Stress (Auto fan) 4.0 1725 ~72 82
Witcher 3 Stress (Cooler Boost fan) 4.0 1725 ~61 72

Speakers

The 2x 2 W stereo speakers offer a balanced audio experience as shown by the pink noise graph below. Whereas the pink noise graphs on most other inexpensive laptops look more like a hill, the graph for the GF65 appears more linear before roll off begins at about 250 Hz. Maximum volume will cause the palm rests to vibrate just slightly to the touch.

Downward-facing stereo speakers near the front corners
Downward-facing stereo speakers near the front corners
Stable pink noise for laptop speakers
Stable pink noise for laptop speakers
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2044.541.12539.140.93138.439.14037.438.85036.436.16339.537.18036.836.810034.334.712535.535.916034.142.520032.554.925032.665.931531.869.640031.270.150030.270.563030.770.780029.975.4100029.869.2125030.470.3160030.272.2200028.975.6250028.269.4315028.269.7400028.466500027.470630027.377.6800027.274.71000027.270.11250027.174.11600027.171.5SPL41.284.6N4.264.9median 29.9median 70.1Delta1.83.735.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMSI GF65 9SDApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
MSI GF65 9SD audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.5% lower than median
(-) | bass is not linear (15.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.5% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (10.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 44% of all tested devices in this class were better, 12% similar, 43% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 27% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 64% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Idling on desktop demands anywhere between 9 W and 22 W depending on the brightness and power profile. When running Witcher 3, consumption becomes steady at about 134 W compared to just 93 W on the older GF63 with GTX 1050 graphics. The 44 percent increase is a small price to pay relative to the 130 percent to 260 percent increase in graphics horsepower when jumping from the GTX 1050 to the GTX 1660 Ti.

We're able to record a maximum draw of 187 W from the medium-sized (~15.3 x 7.5 x 3 cm) 180 W AC adapter. Recharge rate will slow to a crawl if the CPU and GPU are each at 100 percent utilization.

3DMark 06 power consumption
3DMark 06 power consumption
Witcher 3 power consumption
Witcher 3 power consumption
Prime95 initiated at 10s mark. Consumption spikes to about 144 W for the first 40 seconds before dropping and stabilizing at 120 W
Prime95 initiated at 10s mark. Consumption spikes to about 144 W for the first 40 seconds before dropping and stabilizing at 120 W
Prime95 and FurMark initiated at 10s mark. Consumption comes close to the 180 W limit of the AC adapter
Prime95 and FurMark initiated at 10s mark. Consumption comes close to the 180 W limit of the AC adapter
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.56 / 0.84 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 9.5 / 12.4 / 22 Watt
Load midlight 80.8 / 187.1 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
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 GF65 9SD
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
R7 3750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GF63 8RC
i5-8300H, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Seagate BarraCuda Pro Compute 1TB ST1000LM049, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Aorus 15-SA
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell G7 7590
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo Legion Y7000P-1060
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Power Consumption
6%
29%
-38%
-35%
14%
Idle Minimum *
9.5
7.4
22%
5.4
43%
20
-111%
11.2
-18%
4.9
48%
Idle Average *
12.4
8.6
31%
10.4
16%
23
-85%
16.3
-31%
8.1
35%
Idle Maximum *
22
39.1
-78%
10.5
52%
29
-32%
46.2
-110%
16.5
25%
Load Average *
80.8
65.9
18%
84.7
-5%
87
-8%
123.3
-53%
109.2
-35%
Witcher 3 ultra *
133.9
106.9
20%
92.7
31%
136
-2%
135.6
-1%
124.6
7%
Load Maximum *
187.1
141.3
24%
119.9
36%
173
8%
181.5
3%
175.2
6%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Battery capacity remains the same as the last generation GF63 at 51 Wh. Runtimes are therefore nearly the same at just over 5 hours of real-world WLAN use.

Recharging from empty to full capacity takes a bit longer than usual at 2 to 2.5 hours.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
5h 05min
MSI GF65 9SD
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, 51 Wh
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
R7 3750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, 76 Wh
MSI GF63 8RC
i5-8300H, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, 51 Wh
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, 57 Wh
Dell G7 7590
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, 60 Wh
Aorus 15-SA
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, 62 Wh
Battery Runtime
58%
9%
-52%
-10%
-45%
WiFi v1.3
305
482
58%
332
9%
145
-52%
275
-10%
169
-45%
Reader / Idle
916
571
240
666
208
Load
123
56
76
106
122

Pros

+ 2x M.2 NVMe PCIe slots; upgradeable RAM
+ larger cooling solution than the GF63
+ fast 120 Hz refresh rate
+ lightweight for its class
+ full-size arrow keys
+ no PWM

Cons

- servicing is relatively difficult; Factory Seal sticker must be broken
- loud when gaming even for a gaming laptop
- constant fan noise; no true silent mode
- port positioning takes getting used to
- average black-white response times
- chassis and lid could be stronger
- no HDMI 2.0 or G-Sync options
- spongy clickpad feedback
- narrow color space

Verdict

In review: MSI GF65 Thin 9SD. Test unit provided by CUKUSA.com
In review: MSI GF65 Thin 9SD. Test unit provided by CUKUSA.com

The most notable upgrade from the older GF63 is the GTX 1660 Ti GPU in the GF65. The GF63 is limited to the GTX 1050 Ti which offers roughly 50 percent slower graphics performance than the GTX 1660 Ti. The difference when gaming will be tangible.

Other than the GPU swap, the GF65 sports additional M.2 slots, 120/144 Hz display options, fans, and copper heat pipes under the hood in order to accommodate the more power-hungry GPU. Almost everything else is nearly the same including the average battery life, average black-white response times, budget chassis, great speakers, and moderately difficult serviceability. One important change, however, is fan noise because the GF65 will be louder than its predecessor when gaming.

You're getting a lot of gaming power from the MSI GF65 GTX 1660 Ti for under $1000 especially when you consider that slower GTX 1060 laptops launched at even higher prices. You'll have to cope with the loud fan noise, moderate level of ghosting, and unconventional port positioning.

MSI GF65 9SD - 05/15/2020 v7
Allen Ngo

Chassis
71 / 98 → 73%
Keyboard
79%
Pointing Device
72%
Connectivity
44 / 80 → 55%
Weight
65 / 10-66 → 98%
Battery
64 / 95 → 67%
Display
82%
Games Performance
91%
Application Performance
89%
Temperature
86 / 95 → 90%
Noise
64 / 90 → 71%
Audio
78%
Camera
30 / 85 → 35%
Average
70%
79%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > MSI GF65 9SD Laptop Review: GeForce GTX 1660 Ti for under $1000
Allen Ngo, 2019-10-21 (Update: 2019-10-21)