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MSI GE62VR 6RF Apache Xotic PC Edition Notebook Review

One step forward. The GE series was previously limited to the GTX 970M, but the introduction of the GTX 1060 now gives it GTX 980M-level graphics power without necessarily raising costs or temperatures.

We've already touched upon some of MSI's higher-end Pascal offerings including the GT73VR, GT72VR, GS73VR, and the smaller GS43VR. Now it's time for us to start moving down the totem pole to the more mainstream GE series updated with Nvidia's latest GPUs.

Like the GS40 to the GS43VR, the GE62VR is a minor update from its GE62 predecessor. Important changes include a stronger cooling solution and a move to the GTX 1060. Otherwise, its chassis, keyboard, connectivity options, and even display have all made the transition unscathed. We recommend checking out our previous review pages on the GE62 for our comments on the hardware as many still apply here on the GE62VR. The exact configuration of our test unit may not be available worldwide because of our Xotic PC reseller and provider.

MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Processor
Intel Core i7-6700HQ 4 x 2.6 - 3.5 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile - 6 GB VRAM, Core: 1404 MHz, Memory: 8008 MHz, GDDR5, 369.09, Optimus
Memory
32 GB 
, DDR4, Dual-Channel, 1300 MHz
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, IPS, Name: LG Philips LP156W6, ID: LGD046F, Dell P/N: 3874Y, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM170 (Skylake PCH-H)
Storage
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e, 512 GB 
, Secondary: HGST HTS721010A9E630
Soundcard
Intel Skylake PCH-H 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: 1x Mic-in, 1x Headphone-out (SPDIF), Card Reader: SD reader , Brightness Sensor
Networking
Qualcomm/Atheros e2400 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
HT-DT-ST DVDRAM GUD0N
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 29 x 383 x 260 ( = 1.14 x 15.08 x 10.24 in)
Battery
51 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD (30fps@720p)
Additional features
Speakers: 4x 2 Watt, Keyboard: SteelSeries Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Cleaning cloth, Quick Start guide, Warranty card, Nahimic 2, SCM, MSI Afterburner, SteelSeries Engine 3, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.48 kg ( = 87.48 oz / 5.47 pounds), Power Supply: 740 g ( = 26.1 oz / 1.63 pounds)
Price
1600 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

No refinements have been made to the chassis of the GE62 aside from Xotic PC's signature skin over the brushed aluminum outer lid underneath. The base is still rigid and resistant to twists and depressions with only minor creaking and warping when pushing down on the center of the keyboard. The hinges are firm while the lid itself is more susceptible to bending when compared to some other 15-inch gaming notebooks like the Asus UX501. It's also possible to flex the bottom maintenance panel down its center since there is a relatively large air gap between it and the motherboard underneath.

Workmanship is otherwise good from top to bottom with one exception: Our test unit exhibits noticeable gaps between the inner display bezel and the screen. As shown by our two images below, the bezel should be flushed against the edge of the display but instead protrudes in certain areas to reveal the lighting underneath. We saw this same phenomenon on our GT72VR test unit at a much smaller scale and we're disappointed to see it here again on a notebook worth well over $1000 USD.

As for size and weight, the GE62VR is both smaller and lighter than its pricier GT62VR sibling and Asus GL502VS alternative. It's still quite heavy for a 15-inch gaming notebook when compared to more rounded multimedia solutions like the Asus G501 or the Dell XPS 15 9550. The GE62VR could eventually lose some of its appeal should competing manufacturers decide to refresh their existing 15-inch multimedia notebooks with GTX-class Pascal graphics.

Inner bezel protrudes unevenly from the edge of the display
Inner bezel protrudes unevenly from the edge of the display
The unsightly gap is wide enough to show lighting underneath
The unsightly gap is wide enough to show lighting underneath
390 mm / 15.4 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 40 mm / 1.575 inch 2.9 kg6.44 lbs390 mm / 15.4 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 30 mm / 1.181 inch 2.6 kg5.73 lbs383 mm / 15.1 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 29 mm / 1.142 inch 2.5 kg5.47 lbs385 mm / 15.2 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 22 mm / 0.866 inch 2.3 kg5.05 lbs382 mm / 15 inch 253 mm / 9.96 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 2.2 kg4.95 lbs357 mm / 14.1 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 17 mm / 0.669 inch 2 kg4.33 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Available interfaces remain identical to the outgoing GE62. The positioning of these ports make them easily accessible, though it favors right-handed users as most of the ports take up the left edge. Higher-end gaming systems may include HDMI 2.0 for up to 4K @ 60 Hz.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: Optical drive, USB 2.0, SD reader, AC adapter
Right: Optical drive, USB 2.0, SD reader, AC adapter
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Left: Kensington Lock, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 1.4, mDP 1.2, USB 3.0, USB Type-C Gen. 2, 3.5 mm mic-out, headphone-out
Left: Kensington Lock, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 1.4, mDP 1.2, USB 3.0, USB Type-C Gen. 2, 3.5 mm mic-out, headphone-out

SD Card Reader

Like the GS43VR and GS73VR, the SD reader in the GE62VR is very slow and limited to USB 2.0 speeds. We're both puzzled and disappointed to see MSI using slow SD readers for so many of its G series notebooks when most gaming models and even mainstream Ultrabooks have faster card readers. Transferring 1 GB of photos from the reader to desktop will take approximately 45 seconds.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US
 
135.3 MB/s +478%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
 
23.4 MB/s
MSI GS43VR 6RE-006US
 
22.6 MB/s -3%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US
 
186.3 MB/s +693%
MSI GS43VR 6RE-006US
 
25.55 MB/s +9%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
 
23.5 MB/s

Communication

WLAN is provided by an Intel wireless-ac 3165 M.2 module capable of transfer rates of up to 433 mbps. Competing gaming notebooks or higher-end Ultrabooks may ship with Killer or Intel 8260 M.2 modules with faster theoretical transfer rates of up to 867 mbps. A real-world test with Jperf settings as shown below reveal a transfer rate of about 300 Mbps when standing 1 meter away from our Linksys EA8500 test router.

Jperf (Client)
Jperf (Client)
Jperf (Server)
Jperf (Server)
Networking
iperf Server (receive) TCP 1 m 512KB
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
244 MBit/s
iperf Client (transmit) TCP 1 m 512KB
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
302.4 MBit/s

Accessories

Extras include the usual screen wipe, Quick Start guide, and warranty card with no adapters or carrying cases thrown in. The lack of Thunderbolt 3 limits compatibility with high-end docking solutions and certain external displays.

Maintenance

The GE62VR may have no external changes, but MSI has made some slight modifications to the M.2 configuration and cooling system as shown by our comparisons pictures below. The bottom panel can be removed easily after taking out the optical drive to reveal two storage bays, two DDR4 SODIMM slots, WLAN module, and the non-removable 6-cell Li-ion battery.

Warranty

MSI offers 24-month limited warranty as standard in the U.S. with additional extensions if owners register the notebook with the manufacturer. Xotic PC provides full refunds (minus shipping and 15 percent restocking fees) for returns within 15 days of purchase.

MSI GE62VR
MSI GE62VR
MSI GE62
MSI GE62

Input Devices

Keyboard & Touchpad

We applaud MSI for offering such a consistent feel and layout on its SteelSeries keyboards across all large G series notebooks. The size (~34.5 x 10.5 cm), travel, and tactile feedback on the GE62VR are the same as on the pricier GT72VR or GT73VR, so expect quiet keys with a solid impression. Desktop users will probably find the keys to be a little soft and may take some time to become accustomed to them.

The RGB backlight is customizeable in three sections of the keyboard and in three brightness levels. There are no dedicated Macro keys or individually lit keys, both of which are becoming increasingly common on higher-end gaming notebooks like the Lenovo Y900 and the latest Aorus refresh.

The touchpad (~11 x 6.1 cm) also remains identical to the GE62 including its strange brushed aluminum surface where sliding horizontally feels rough and sliding vertically is completely smooth. It's an unusual texture for a touchpad especially when compared to other notebooks, but its responsiveness is nonetheless ordinary. Its surface is firm and pushing down on it results in just minimal flexing.

The dedicated mouse keys offer shallow travel with tight feedback accompanied by a loud auditory click. Not much force is required from the finger to input a click, so clicking repeatedly is easy and will not strain the hand if an external mouse is not available.

Same RGB SteelSeries chiclet keyboard as the older GE62
Same RGB SteelSeries chiclet keyboard as the older GE62
Keys are comfortable with firm and quiet feedback. Note the brushed aluminum texture on the touchpad
Keys are comfortable with firm and quiet feedback. Note the brushed aluminum texture on the touchpad

Display

Display options include 1080p TN as its base configuration with 1080p IPS and 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) upgrades. There are no 120 Hz/5 ms options as found on the MSI GS73VR 6RF Notebook Reviewhigher-end 17-inch GS/GT series. Our test unit is equipped with a 1080p IPS LP156WF6 panel that is very commonly found on other 15.6-inch gaming notebooks including the Acer Predator 15, Gigabyte P55W v5, and even the previous generation GE62. Thus, the gamuts and response times between these systems should be similar or at least very close.

There is only minimal screen graininess from the matte panel when viewing on maximum backlight brightness and against a white image. Measured contrast is very high at about 1700:1 even after double-checking and re-calibrating our X-Rite spectrophotometer, so black levels are surprisingly very good. This is unfortunately offset a bit by the moderate backlight bleeding around the top and bottom edges that become very noticeable during dimmer scenes or movie playback.

Moderate backlight bleeding around edges and top right corner
Moderate backlight bleeding around edges and top right corner
Subpixel array (141 PPI)
Subpixel array (141 PPI)
285.5
cd/m²
295.8
cd/m²
300.8
cd/m²
292.8
cd/m²
302
cd/m²
311.7
cd/m²
302
cd/m²
309.3
cd/m²
328.6
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro Basic 2
Maximum: 328.6 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 303.2 cd/m² Minimum: 4.74 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 302 cd/m²
Contrast: 1787:1 (Black: 0.169 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.61 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.32 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
84.4% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
55.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
61.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
84.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
65.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.24
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
LG Philips LP156WF6 (LGD046F), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
LG Philips LP156WF6-SPB6 (LGD046F), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
Display
-1%
-1%
11%
4%
Display P3 Coverage
65.6
64.6
-2%
64.5
-2%
68.5
4%
64.3
-2%
sRGB Coverage
84.3
84.6
0%
83.1
-1%
97.2
15%
89.9
7%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
61.7
61.8
0%
60.8
-1%
70.4
14%
65.4
6%
Response Times
13%
5%
-82%
-10%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
36.8 ?(16.4, 20.4)
34 ?(14, 20)
8%
38 ?(16, 22)
-3%
64 ?(27, 37)
-74%
43.2 ?(18, 25.2)
-17%
Response Time Black / White *
26.4 ?(5.2, 21.2)
22 ?(5, 17)
17%
23 ?(5, 18)
13%
50 ?(12, 38)
-89%
27.2 ?(7.6, 19.6)
-3%
PWM Frequency
Screen
-7%
-16%
-14%
-39%
Brightness middle
302
273
-10%
315
4%
371.5
23%
252.9
-16%
Brightness
303
278
-8%
290
-4%
356
17%
250
-17%
Brightness Distribution
87
88
1%
85
-2%
92
6%
89
2%
Black Level *
0.169
0.27
-60%
0.32
-89%
0.252
-49%
0.5
-196%
Contrast
1787
1011
-43%
984
-45%
1474
-18%
506
-72%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.61
3.67
20%
4.88
-6%
5.55
-20%
5.22
-13%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
9.98
8.33
17%
8.88
11%
10.95
-10%
8.33
17%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.32
2.73
18%
4.17
-26%
7.1
-114%
6.74
-103%
Gamma
2.24 98%
2.49 88%
2.53 87%
2.1 105%
2.45 90%
CCT
6358 102%
7029 92%
6683 97%
6026 108%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
55.4
55
-1%
55
-1%
63.4
14%
58.4
5%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
84.4
84
0%
83
-2%
97.9
16%
89.7
6%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
2% / -3%
-4% / -10%
-28% / -18%
-15% / -26%

* ... smaller is better

Color space is approximately 55 percent and 84 percent of the AdobeRGB and sRGB standards, respectively, and not unlike the panels on the GT62VR and Asus GL502VS. Some gaming notebooks may offer even wider color coverages to satisfy digital artists, though often at the cost of slower response times. Accurate colors are not priority when it comes to notebooks dedicated for gaming.

vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. Asus UX501VW
vs. Asus UX501VW
vs. Dell XPS 15 9550
vs. Dell XPS 15 9550

Further display measurements show generally accurate colors and grayscale out of the box, though a quick calibration is recommended to improve RGB Balance and grayscale even further. Colors become increasingly inaccurate at higher saturation levels due to the panel's imperfect sRGB coverage.

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
26.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 5.2 ms rise
↘ 21.2 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. » 61 % 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
36.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 16.4 ms rise
↘ 20.4 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. » 46 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (33.9 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 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor visibility is average at best as the GE62 was designed to be used indoors and flat on a desk. If portability is important, then we would recommend checking out the MSI GS series instead. Nonetheless, its matte panel and wide IPS viewing angles are good at reducing glare if working under shade. Direct sunlight or a bright overcast day will wash out colors and text for an uncomfortable viewing experience.

Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under sunlight
Outdoors under sunlight
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

In terms of configuration, the GE62VR is distinguished from the previous generation GE62 by its GTX 1060 Pascal GPU. Other core features including the CPU, storage drive options, and DDR4 RAM remain identical. Optimus is supported for automatic switching to the integrated HD Graphics 530 when appropriate.

It's worth noting that Xotic PC ships its gaming PCs already overclocked and so our benchmarks and measurements below all reflect the notebook as it was shipped to us. According to the pre-installed MSI Afterburner utility, GPU clock and memory clock are 50 MHz and 100 MHz above their respective base clock rates of 1405 MHz and 2002 MHz.

Processor

The Core i7-6700HQ has become ubiquitous on gaming notebooks and higher-end mainstream notebooks. It offers little raw performance advantages over the previous generation Broadwell i7-5700HQ and even the Haswell i7-4720HQ, but games are much more GPU-bound nowadays and Intel's HQ-series of mobile processors have proven to be more than sufficient for the task. CineBench benchmarks rank the i7-6700HQ in our GE62VR about average across all tested systems with the same CPU according to our database. Moving up to the overclockable Core i7-6820HK or i7-6700K will bring about a 30 percent performance boost in multi-threaded workloads.

See our dedicated CPU page on the Core i7-6700HQ for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15
CineBench R15
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
166 Points +20%
MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451
Intel Core i7-6820HK
158 Points +14%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
144 Points +4%
Toshiba Tecra Z40-C-11F
Intel Core i7-6600U
143 Points +4%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
138 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
125 Points -9%
CPU Multi 64Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
865 Points +31%
MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451
Intel Core i7-6820HK
860 Points +31%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
719 Points +9%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
658 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
490 Points -26%
Toshiba Tecra Z40-C-11F
Intel Core i7-6600U
311 Points -53%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
1.91 Points +15%
MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451
Intel Core i7-6820HK
1.78 Points +7%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
1.68 Points +1%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.66 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
1.46 Points -12%
CPU Multi 64Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
9.56 Points +29%
MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451
Intel Core i7-6820HK
9.53 Points +28%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
7.96 Points +7%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.42 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
5.29 Points -29%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
26150 Points +29%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
21681 Points +7%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20236 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
14329 Points -29%
Rendering Single 32Bit
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
6487 Points +20%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
5567 Points +3%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5424 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
4999 Points -8%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
Toshiba Tecra Z40-C-11F
Intel Core i7-6600U
520 s * -124%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
323 s * -39%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
232.3 s *
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
206.3 s * +11%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
178.5 s * +23%
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
575 s *
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
574 s * -0%
Toshiba Tecra Z40-C-11F
Intel Core i7-6600U
572 s * +1%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
569 s * +1%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Intel Core i7-6700K
498.3 s * +13%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
10311
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
20236
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5424
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
7.42 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
62.3 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.66 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
138 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
98.4 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
658 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark benchmarks place our GE62VR test unit in the same ballpark as older gaming systems with Maxwell GPUs. Thus, the Pascal-equipped MSI won't necessarily run everyday tasks any faster than older systems assuming an equal or equivalent CPU and SSD. We experienced no abnormal software or hardware behavior during our time with the MSI test unit.

PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
4651 Points +15%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
4059 Points
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
3946 Points -3%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
3753 Points -8%
Work Score Accelerated v2
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5046 Points
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
5011 Points -1%
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
5003 Points -1%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
4696 Points -7%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5136 Points
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, Adata IM2S3138E-128GM-B
4992 Points -3%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
4659 Points -9%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4059 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
5136 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5046 points
Help

Storage Devices

M.2 slot and 2.5-inch SATA III bay with adjacent DDR4 RAM
M.2 slot and 2.5-inch SATA III bay with adjacent DDR4 RAM

Internal storage options include an M.2 2280 slot, 2.5-inch SATA III bay, and an ODD bay occupied by the optical drive. MSI has removed two M.2 slots from this Pascal update as past GE62 systems shipped with as many as three M.2 slots. NVMe options are available to make up for the lack of RAID compatibility. Our test unit houses a primary 512 GB Samsung MZVP512HDGL NVMe SSD and a secondary 1 TB HGST HTS721010A9E630 2.5-inch HDD.

Transfer rates are unsurprisingly very fast with sequential read and write rates of about 1700 MB/s and 1600 MB/s, respectively. The same Samsung SSD can also be found on our Asus Zenbook UX501VW, so CrystalDiskMark scores are very similar between these two systems while easily outpacing others limited by the SATA III interface. The Toshiba HDD returns an average transfer rate of 111 MB/s according to HD Tune, which is very good for a 7200 RPM drive.

See our growing table of HDDs and SSDs for more benchmark comparisons.

AS SSD (Primary SSD)
AS SSD (Primary SSD)
CDM (Primary SSD)
CDM (Primary SSD)
CDM (Secondary HDD)
CDM (Secondary HDD)
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
HD Tune (Secondary HDD)
HD Tune (Secondary HDD)
 
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
-65%
-57%
-30%
-5%
Read Seq
1696
485.4
-71%
523
-69%
1291
-24%
1633
-4%
Write Seq
1584
312.4
-80%
485.5
-69%
590
-63%
1579
0%
Read 512
1044
294.8
-72%
444.7
-57%
632
-39%
1068
2%
Write 512
1562
287.8
-82%
471.2
-70%
588
-62%
1570
1%
Read 4k
50.8
21.44
-58%
21.86
-57%
41.4
-19%
50.4
-1%
Write 4k
139.2
75.7
-46%
98.8
-29%
132.4
-5%
128.6
-8%
Read 4k QD32
591
149.4
-75%
350.3
-41%
542
-8%
534
-10%
Write 4k QD32
422.8
256.3
-39%
162.2
-62%
343.8
-19%
344
-19%
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Sequential Read: 1696 MB/s
Sequential Write: 1584 MB/s
512K Read: 1044 MB/s
512K Write: 1562 MB/s
4K Read: 50.8 MB/s
4K Write: 139.2 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 591 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 422.8 MB/s

GPU Performance

Does the minor GPU overclock result in higher 3DMark scores? The GE62VR does indeed outperform the GS73VR with the same GTX 1060 GPU in most 3DMark benchmarks by only a few percentage points. Overall performance still sits comfortably between the GTX 980M and the GTX 980 while being significantly faster than the GTX 960M and GTX 970M that the GTX 1060 supplants. Moving up to the GTX 1070 will bring about a 60 to 70 percent increase in raw GPU power.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Ice Storm Unlimited
Ice Storm Unlimited
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
17498 Points +47%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6400
13510 Points +14%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
11872 Points
MSI GS73VR 6RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
11506 Points -3%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
9608 Points -19%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
7321 Points -38%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
4249 Points -64%
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Graphics
MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
4067 Points +65%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6400
3093 Points +26%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
2596 Points +6%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
2459 Points
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
2299 Points -7%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
942 Points -62%
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6400
6261 Points +12%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
5595 Points
MSI GS73VR 6RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
5375 Points -4%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
4623 Points -17%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
3517 Points -37%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
2004 Points -64%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
23586 Points +53%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6400
17811 Points +15%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
15466 Points
MSI GS73VR 6RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
14904 Points -4%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
12472 Points -19%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
9824 Points -36%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5452 Points -65%
1280x720 Performance Combined
MSI GT73VR-6RE16SR451
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
10000 Points +22%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ
8343 Points +2%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
8172 Points
MSI GS73VR 6RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
8083 Points -1%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ
7952 Points -3%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6400
6666 Points -18%
HP Pavilion 15 UHD T9Y85AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5472 Points -33%
3DMark 11 Performance
12762 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
84062 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
21817 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
9873 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
5261 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The slight bump in GPU performance from the small overclock by Xotic PC is hardly noticeable when gaming. The standard GTX 1060 in the GS73VR, for example, trades blows with the GE62VR despite running on slightly slower clock rates. Some titles show wider margins, but these have no integrated benchmarks for perfect consistency. Instead, the takeaway message is the very large performance leap from the GTX 960M/970M to the GTX 1060 for 1080p gaming on Ultra or maximum settings at 60 FPS. It's possible to overclock the GPU even further on the GE62VR as shown by our core temperature measurements in the next section.

See our dedicated review and GPU pages on the GTX 1060 for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

Fallout 4 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
95.4 fps +49%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
GeForce GTX 980, 6400, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
78.8 fps +23%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
63.9 fps
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
57.9 fps -9%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
57.1 fps -11%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
43.5 fps -32%
BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
124 fps +27%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
GeForce GTX 980, 6400, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
119.2 fps +22%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
100 fps +2%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
97.7 fps
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
86.4 fps -12%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
69.5 fps -29%
Guild Wars 2 - 1920x1080 All Maximum / On AA:FX
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
GeForce GTX 980, 6400, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
60.1 fps +5%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
57.4 fps
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
51.4 fps -10%
Metro: Last Light - 1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
103.3 fps +51%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
GeForce GTX 980, 6400, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
86.4 fps +27%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
77.4 fps +13%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
68.3 fps
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
50.5 fps -26%
Thief - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FXAA & High SS AF:8x
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
GeForce GTX 980, 6400, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
83.2 fps +23%
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
77 fps +13%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
67.9 fps
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
65.7 fps -3%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
58.6 fps -14%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
47.5 fps -30%
Batman: Arkham Knight - 1920x1080 High / On AA:SM AF:16x
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
77 fps +71%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
GeForce GTX 980, 6400, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
63 fps +40%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
57 fps +27%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
45 fps
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
36 fps -20%
Metal Gear Solid V - 1920x1080 Extra High / On
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
60 fps 0%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
60 fps 0%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
GeForce GTX 980, 6400, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
60 fps 0%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
60 fps 0%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
60 fps
Rise of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
84.6 fps +63%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
GeForce GTX 980, 6400, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
74.1 fps +43%
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
61.4 fps +18%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
55 fps +6%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
52 fps
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128
42.8 fps -18%
Doom - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:SM
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
117 fps +43%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
82.1 fps
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
76.3 fps -7%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
56 fps -32%
Overwatch - 1920x1080 Epic (Render Scale 100 %) AA:SM AF:16x
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
147 fps +35%
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN980-U
GeForce GTX 980, 6400, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
116 fps +7%
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
108.5 fps
MSI GS73VR 6RF
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
102.1 fps -6%
Asus Strix GL502VY-DS71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
87.3 fps -20%
low med. high ultra
Guild Wars 2 (2012) 57.4
BioShock Infinite (2013) 97.7
Metro: Last Light (2013) 68.3
Thief (2014) 67.9
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 83 45
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 60
Fallout 4 (2015) 63.9
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 52
Doom (2016) 82.1
Overwatch (2016) 108.5

Stress Test

The CPU is able to maintain its maximum Turbo Boost of 3.0 to 3.1 GHz when under Prime95 stress with core temperature plateauing at just under 70 C. Impressively, the CPU doesn't buckle at all when running both Prime95 and FurMark as it holds steady at its maximum 3.1 GHz clock rate. Core CPU and GPU temperatures flatten at about 83 C and 78 C, respectively, when under such extreme loads. Running Unigine Valley will see the CPU and GPU flatten at much lower temperatures of about 60 C and 68 C, respectively, with no signs of throttling.

Activating Turbo Fan will not necessarily increase performance and will instead drop processor temperatures by about 4 to 5 degrees. Core temperatures are already acceptably low when under gaming loads, so we don't find this feature to be imperative during regular use.

Running on battery power will throttle the GPU while limiting CPU Turbo Boost potential. A 3DMark 11 run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 6555 and 10529 points, respectively, compared to 8510 and 15466 points when on mains.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Unigine Valley stress
Unigine Valley stress
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.0 -- 69 53
FurMark Stress -- 1304 - 1342 53 69
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 3.1 1316 83 78
Unigine Valley Stress 3.1+ 1645 60 68
Prime95 + FurMark Stress (Turbo Fan Active) 3.1+ 1342 - 1367 78 72

Emissions

System Noise

(Gray: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: Unigine Valley, Yellow: Prime95+FurMark, Green: Turbo Fan)
(Gray: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: Unigine Valley, Yellow: Prime95+FurMark, Green: Turbo Fan)

While no changes have been made to the twin ~45 mm fans, MSI has slapped on two more heat pipes on this latest refresh for a total of six. The additional surface area should improve the passive cooling capabilities of the system even when considering the jump to a potentially more demanding Pascal GPU.

Fan noise is steady at about 33 dB(A) when the system is idling or under low loads. We can notice no pulsating or coil whine during our time with the test unit when compared to the previous GE62. Nonetheless, the system is never silent, so it's not the most discrete system to be using in the library or classroom.

The system averages about 41 to 42 dB(A) when under gaming loads to be in line with most other gaming notebooks save for the generally louder super-thin ones where fan noise can be in the higher 40 dB(A) range. Running both Prime95 and FurMark will bump fan noise to 50 dB(A) or 55 dB(A) with Turbo Fan active.

Noise Level

Idle
32.8 / 32.9 / 32.9 dB(A)
Load
41.6 / 55 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28.2 dB(A)
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
MSI GE62-6QD16H11
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 250 GB
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Noise
2%
1%
-1%
10%
off / environment *
28.2
30
-6%
30
-6%
Idle Minimum *
32.8
32
2%
32
2%
33
-1%
28.9
12%
Idle Average *
32.9
33
-0%
33
-0%
34
-3%
28.9
12%
Idle Maximum *
32.9
34
-3%
34
-3%
38
-16%
30.2
8%
Load Average *
41.6
40
4%
39
6%
42
-1%
41.8
-0%
Load Maximum *
55
46
16%
51
7%
46
16%
43.9
20%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Surface temperatures are generally cool on both the top and bottom sides with some notable warm spots on the touchpad and left palm rest as both the primary and secondary drives are located directly underneath. The bottom surface remains relatively cool compared to most notebooks when under heavy processing load since there is a notable air gap between the bottom plate and heat pipes. The Numpad and WASD keys on top remain comfortable to use while the keys closer to the CPU and GPU can become much warmer.

Average surface temperatures on the GE62VR are cooler than on the previous generation GE62 according to our measurements. Whereas the older GE62 with the GTX 960M can have surface temperatures averaging in the mid to high 40 C range, the GE62VR plateaus in the lower 40 C range.

Maximum load (Top)
Maximum load (Top)
Maximum load (Bottom)
Maximum load (Bottom)
Max. Load
 38.8 °C
102 F
43.2 °C
110 F
42.6 °C
109 F
 
 38.2 °C
101 F
53.2 °C
128 F
38.4 °C
101 F
 
 38.2 °C
101 F
47.8 °C
118 F
34.6 °C
94 F
 
Maximum: 53.2 °C = 128 F
Average: 41.7 °C = 107 F
59.4 °C
139 F
34.4 °C
94 F
57 °C
135 F
32.6 °C
91 F
43.8 °C
111 F
37.8 °C
100 F
30.6 °C
87 F
33.6 °C
92 F
38.4 °C
101 F
Maximum: 59.4 °C = 139 F
Average: 40.8 °C = 105 F
Power Supply (max.)  46.2 °C = 115 F | Room Temperature 21 °C = 70 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 41.7 °C / 107 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 53.2 °C / 128 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 59.4 °C / 139 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.4 °C / 85 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 47.8 °C / 118 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-18.9 °C / -34 F).

Speakers

The sound system remains unchanged with four 2 W speakers upfront and a subwoofer near the rear. Audio quality is good for a notebook with a respectable balance across the frequency ranges and a more gradual decline at lower bass frequencies where most Ultrabooks have trouble with. Maximum volume is sufficiently loud with slight but tangible vibrations. Further adjustments can be done via the same Nahimic 2 software that's also pre-installed on other VR-class MSI notebooks.

External speakers can be connected via the 3.5 mm gold-plated audio jack, though without the Sabre Audio DAC that is available on the higher-end MSI solutions.

Dedicated 2 cm subwoofer
Dedicated 2 cm subwoofer
(Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise)
(Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2040.442.42537.538.23137.935.94034.834.95034.334.66332.8338031.434.310030.235.512530.440.616028.349.120028.35325028.358.331527.2614002763.450026.665.36302663.680025.656100025.463125025.765.6160025.162.4200024.153.1250024.156.5315023.762.9400023.964.9500023.767.1630023.664.8800023.371.71000023.368.71250023.462.61600023.458.3SPL36.876.9N2.840.9median 25.4median 62.6Delta1.65.935.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMSI GE62VR 6RF-001USApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (76.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 13.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (12% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.4% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (10.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 57% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 34% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 36% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 56% 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%

Frequency Comparison (Checkbox selectable!)
Graph 1: Pink Noise 100% Vol.; Graph 2: Audio off

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The TDP of the GTX 1060 is roughly on par with the GTX 970M. Nonetheless, the overclocked GE62VR draws more power than even the faster GT62VR and Strix GL502VS when under gaming loads at just under 112 W. The high power consumption during low loads also partly explains the very short runtimes of the system as shown in the section below.

At worst, we were able to record a power draw of just over 163 W when subjected to both Prime95 and FurMark stress against a power adapter (~15.5 x 7.5 x 3 cm) rated for 180 W.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.23 / 1.46 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 25.4 / 30.3 / 31.5 Watt
Load midlight 111.8 / 163.2 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 GE62VR 6RF-001US
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GE62-6QD16H11
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 250 GB, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501JW-FI218H
4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, SanDisk SD7SN3Q128G1002, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Power Consumption
4%
12%
13%
38%
Idle Minimum *
25.4
20
21%
20
21%
20
21%
15.6
39%
Idle Average *
30.3
26
14%
24
21%
24
21%
20.5
32%
Idle Maximum *
31.5
32
-2%
29
8%
30
5%
21.2
33%
Load Average *
111.8
100
11%
86
23%
97
13%
75.8
32%
Load Maximum *
163.2
202
-24%
183
-12%
155
5%
72.9
55%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Battery runtimes from all our tested Xotic PC notebooks have been subpar likely due to all the software tinkering done by the reseller. Combine this with the small 51 Wh battery and we were only able to record a maximum runtime of just under 2.5 hours when idling on desktop at the minimum brightness setting with Power Saver and Optimus. Users should be able to achieve longer battery life by resetting the software or bringing the GPU back down to its base clock rates, though runtimes weren't so great to begin with based on our experience with previous GE62 test units.

Charging from near empty to full capacity will take just under two hours.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
2h 17min
WiFi Websurfing
1h 41min
Load (maximum brightness)
0h 35min
MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 51 Wh
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 75.24 Wh
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 62 Wh
MSI GE62-6QD16H11
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, 53 Wh
Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW-DS71T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M, 96 Wh
Battery Runtime
147%
79%
51%
304%
Reader / Idle
137
300
119%
243
77%
184
34%
689
403%
WiFi v1.3
101
246
144%
196
94%
149
48%
379
275%
Load
35
97
177%
58
66%
60
71%
117
234%

Pros

+ relatively cool operating and core temperatures
+ optional 4K UHD and NVMe SSD
+ great keyboard feedback
+ good speaker quality
+ accessible internals
+ USB Type-C Gen. 2
+ high contrast ratio
+ strong base

Cons

- no individually lit keys or dedicated Macro keys
- non-upgradeable GPU; no MXM 3.0b slot
- small battery capacity; short battery life
- no RAID compatibility; no Thunderbolt 3
- moderate uneven backlight bleeding
- bezel quality issues on our test unit
- no 120 Hz/5 ms display options
- lid could have been more rigid
- system fans always active

Verdict

In review: MSI GE62VR 6RF PRO-001. Test model provided by Xotic PC
In review: MSI GE62VR 6RF PRO-001. Test model provided by Xotic PC

The GE62 was available early last year in the $1700 USD price range with GTX 965M/970M graphics and a Haswell CPU. Fast-forward 18 months and the GE62VR now delivers GTX 980M-level graphics and a more efficient Skylake CPU for about the same price. Unlike the jump from the GT72 to the GT72VR, the GE62VR drops no major features from its GE62 predecessor to make it a more compelling buy especially when considering that systems with the faster GTX 1070 frequently retail for as much as $2000 USD or more.

The same advantages and drawbacks from the GE62 still apply here since this is only a minor hardware update. Battery life continues to be below average, the lid flexes somewhat easily, and fan noise is essentially always audible no matter the workload even after the implementation of two more heat pipes. The uneven backlight bleeding and gaps between the bezel and edges of the screen on our test unit has us a bit concerned about quality control on some newer MSI units. Missing features like Thunderbolt 3, Sabre Audio DAC, and 120 Hz panels continue to be reserved for higher-end MSI G series models.

The GE series is about core performance and the GE62VR delivers very well in this regard. There is no throttling and core temperatures are kept lower than initially anticipated. This is still the same barebones experience - just cooler and much faster than before.

MSI GE62VR 6RF-001US - 09/08/2016 v5.1(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
76 / 98 → 77%
Keyboard
79%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
63 / 81 → 78%
Weight
60 / 10-66 → 89%
Battery
57%
Display
88%
Games Performance
93%
Application Performance
91%
Temperature
82 / 95 → 86%
Noise
71 / 90 → 79%
Audio
60%
Camera
40 / 85 → 47%
Average
72%
82%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > MSI GE62VR 6RF Apache Xotic PC Edition Notebook Review
Allen Ngo, 2016-09- 9 (Update: 2020-06- 8)