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MSI GE75 Raider 9SG (Core i9-9880H, RTX 2080) Laptop Review

Core i9-9880H debut. After a poor debut last year with the 8th gen Core i9-8950HK, the 9th gen Core i9-9880H is actually a great buy especially if you value the high number of simultaneous threads available. Gamers will also benefit from the performance increase over a Core i7-8750H albeit just marginally.
(Source: MSI)
(Source: MSI)

On April 23rd, MSI announced that it would update nearly its entire G Series of gaming laptops with 9th gen Intel CPUs or Nvidia GeForce GTX 16 GPUs. The unit we have here today is the GE75 9SG with the new Core i9-9880H to mark the first time that the GE75 series would include a Core i9 option at all. Last year's configuration topped out at the GE75 8SG with "only" the 8th gen Coffee Lake Core i7-8750H.

Other than the processor swap, the 2019 GE75 9SG is identical to the 2018 GE75 8SG down to even the RTX 2080 GPU. As such, we recommend checking out our existing reviews on the GE75 8SG and GE75 8SF for more information on the chassis, keyboard, connectivity features, and display. This review will instead focus on the performance differences between the GE75 9SG and last year's GE75 8SG/8SF and how much of a gain users can expect from the Core i9-9880H.

The MSI GE75 9SG with Core i9-9880H can currently be found online for $3400 USD while the Core i7-9750H configuration retails for $2700 USD. Can the jump from a Core i7 to Core i9 really justify the massive price difference?

More MSI reviews:

MSI GE75 9SG (GE75 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i9-9880H 8 x 2.3 - 4.8 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1380 MHz, Memory: 1750 MHz, GDDR6, 430.64, Optimus
Memory
32 GB 
, DDR4-2666, PC4-21300, 19-19-19-43, Dual-Channel
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 127 PPI, Chi Mei N173HCE-G33, AHVA, CMN175C, 144 Hz, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR, 1024 GB 
Soundcard
NVIDIA TU104 - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm headphones, 3.5 mm microphone, Card Reader: SD/SDHC/SDXC
Networking
Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Cannon Lake-H/S CNVi: WiFi (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/)
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 27.5 x 397 x 268.5 ( = 1.08 x 15.63 x 10.57 in)
Battery
65 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD (720p)
Additional features
Speakers: Dynaudio Stereo, Keyboard: SteelSeries, Keyboard Light: yes, Dragon Center 2.5, Norton Security, MSI True Color, SteelSeries Engine 3, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.66 kg ( = 93.83 oz / 5.86 pounds), Power Supply: 978 g ( = 34.5 oz / 2.16 pounds)
Price
3300 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

428 mm / 16.9 inch 314 mm / 12.4 inch 58 mm / 2.28 inch 4.6 kg10.1 lbs428 mm / 16.9 inch 314 mm / 12.4 inch 30 mm / 1.181 inch 3.7 kg8.07 lbs419 mm / 16.5 inch 287 mm / 11.3 inch 30 mm / 1.181 inch 2.9 kg6.5 lbs399 mm / 15.7 inch 279 mm / 11 inch 27.6 mm / 1.087 inch 2.7 kg5.95 lbs397 mm / 15.6 inch 268.5 mm / 10.6 inch 27.5 mm / 1.083 inch 2.7 kg5.86 lbs399 mm / 15.7 inch 272 mm / 10.7 inch 19 mm / 0.748 inch 2.6 kg5.81 lbs393 mm / 15.5 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 18.9 mm / 0.744 inch 2.4 kg5.27 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

SD Card Reader

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Dell XPS 15 9570 Core i9 UHD
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
176.6 MB/s +551%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
80 MB/s +195%
MSI GE75 9SG
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
27.14 MB/s
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26 MB/s -4%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell XPS 15 9570 Core i9 UHD
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
207.8 MB/s +526%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
87 MB/s +162%
MSI GE75 9SG
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
33.17 MB/s
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
32 MB/s -4%

Communication

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
681 MBit/s 0%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Cannon Lake-H/S CNVi: WiFi
680 MBit/s
Acer Predator Triton 700
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
551 MBit/s -19%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
Realtek 8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
327 (275min - 394max) MBit/s -52%
iperf3 receive AX12
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
686 MBit/s +4%
Acer Predator Triton 700
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
682 MBit/s +3%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Cannon Lake-H/S CNVi: WiFi
661 MBit/s
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
Realtek 8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
271 (246min - 281max) MBit/s -59%

Maintenance

MSI GE75 8SF. The GE75 9SG is equipped with one more heat pipe for a total of 7 since it has to cool a more powerful RTX 2080 GPU
MSI GE75 8SF. The GE75 9SG is equipped with one more heat pipe for a total of 7 since it has to cool a more powerful RTX 2080 GPU

Display

The same Chi Mei N173HCE-G33 AHVA panel graces both the GE75 9SG and GE75 8SG. Thus, all our comments on the GE75 8SG display apply here. The screen is brighter than most 17-inch gaming laptops with an excellent contrast ratio, very fast black-white and gray-gray response times to reduce ghosting, fast 144 Hz native refresh rate for smooth animations, and surprisingly accurate colors out of the box. This is a very high quality panel with almost no graininess issues unlike what we observed on the budget 17-inch Dell Inspiron 17 3780.

Color space covers approximately 92 percent of sRGB to be good enough for most amateur graphic artists. This is, after all, a panel designed primarily for gaming purposes. The main problem with the display is the heavy uneven backlight bleeding on our specific test unit as shown by the picture below. While some clouding is expected from most IPS-based displays, its presence here on a >$2000 gaming laptop is surprising.

Matte display with no glossy options
Matte display with no glossy options
Narrow bezels on three sides of the display
Narrow bezels on three sides of the display
Moderate-heavy uneven backlight bleeding
Moderate-heavy uneven backlight bleeding
Subpixel array (127 PPI)
Subpixel array (127 PPI)
376.4
cd/m²
393.6
cd/m²
362.8
cd/m²
358.6
cd/m²
400.7
cd/m²
361.7
cd/m²
358.8
cd/m²
383.3
cd/m²
356.3
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Chi Mei N173HCE-G33 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 400.7 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 372.5 cd/m² Minimum: 21.44 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 400.7 cd/m²
Contrast: 1179:1 (Black: 0.34 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.33 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 1.39
ΔE Greyscale 1.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
92.1% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
58.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
92% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
61.5% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.24
MSI GE75 9SG
Chi Mei N173HCE-G33, AHVA, 17.30, 1920x1080
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AU Optronics B173HAN04.2, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
B173HAN04.0 (AUO409D), IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
CMN N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747), TN, 17.30, 1920x1080
Acer Predator Triton 700
AUO B156HAN04.2 (AUO42ED), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
Chi Mei N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747), TN WLED, 17.30, 1920x1080
Display
-1%
31%
-1%
31%
Display P3 Coverage
61.5
62.9
2%
90.9
48%
62.5
2%
90.8
48%
sRGB Coverage
92
87.8
-5%
100
9%
88.7
-4%
99.9
9%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
63.5
63.9
1%
86.2
36%
63.5
0%
85.8
35%
Response Times
-383%
-23%
1%
-435%
-133%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
7.2 ?(3.8, 3.4)
40 ?(20, 20)
-456%
7.2 ?(3.6, 3.6)
-0%
8 ?(4.4, 3.6)
-11%
44.8 ?(21.2, 23.6)
-522%
28 ?(16.4, 11.6)
-289%
Response Time Black / White *
6.6 ?(3.2, 3.4)
27 ?(16, 11)
-309%
9.6 ?(4.4, 5.2)
-45%
5.6 ?(3.8, 1.8)
15%
29.6 ?(15.6, 14)
-348%
13.6 ?(11.8, 1.8)
-106%
PWM Frequency
26040 ?(10)
26000 ?(19)
0%
25000 ?(14)
-4%
Screen
-34%
-17%
-14%
-94%
-40%
Brightness middle
400.7
322
-20%
288
-28%
240
-40%
291
-27%
273
-32%
Brightness
372
303
-19%
287
-23%
248
-33%
277
-26%
273
-27%
Brightness Distribution
89
84
-6%
91
2%
83
-7%
84
-6%
90
1%
Black Level *
0.34
0.32
6%
0.2
41%
0.22
35%
0.22
35%
0.26
24%
Contrast
1179
1006
-15%
1440
22%
1091
-7%
1323
12%
1050
-11%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
1.33
2.97
-123%
2.33
-75%
2.14
-61%
5.52
-315%
3.52
-165%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
3.51
5.08
-45%
5.34
-52%
5.04
-44%
10.72
-205%
6.34
-81%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
1.39
2.29
-65%
2.47
-78%
1.54
-11%
2.09
-50%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
1.3
2.26
-74%
1.19
8%
1.62
-25%
6.59
-407%
3.11
-139%
Gamma
2.24 98%
2.45 90%
2.41 91%
2.28 96%
2.44 90%
2.43 91%
CCT
6735 97%
6892 94%
6710 97%
6846 95%
7816 83%
6999 93%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
58.2
57
-2%
57
-2%
77
32%
58
0%
76
31%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
92.1
87
-6%
88
-4%
100
9%
89
-3%
100
9%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-209% / -87%
-14% / -15%
6% / -3%
-177% / -121%
-47% / -44%

* ... smaller is better

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
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
6.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 3.2 ms rise
↘ 3.4 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 15 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
7.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 3.8 ms rise
↘ 3.4 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 14 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than 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 detected 26040 Hz ≤ 10 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 26040 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 10 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 26040 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

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.

Outdoors on cloudy day
Outdoors on cloudy day
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors on cloudy day
Outdoors on cloudy day
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

The 9th gen Core i9-9880H is indubitably the star of the show. When compared to the 8th gen Coffee Lake-H Core i7-8750H or even i9-8950HK, the i9-9880H carries two additional physical cores for a total of 16 threads versus "only" 12 threads on the aforementioned last generation processors. There is also an unlocked Core i9-9980HK CPU for potentially even faster performance than the i9-9880H although such an option is only available on the higher-end MSI GT75 series.

Nvidia Optimus is included for automatic graphics switching to the integrated UHD Graphics 630. G-Sync is not available as a result.

Processor

How much performance can an extra 4 threads bring to the table? When compared to the hexa-core Core i7-8750H on the GE75 8SG, the octa-core Core i9-9880H on the GE75 9SG is about 60 percent faster in multi-threaded workloads according to CineBench R15. This is also 25 percent faster than the last generation Core i9-8950HK and just 13 percent slower than the full-on desktop Core i9-9900K in the Eurocom Sky X7C. Single-thread performance, however, remains nearly identical to the 8th gen Coffee Lake-H series and so users will have to exploit all cores of the new 9th gen i9-9880H in order to see the massive performance gains.

Perhaps more surprisingly, Turbo Boost sustainability is very good. By running CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop to observe CPU performance over time, the initial score of 1728 points drops to 1610 points by the third loop to represent a performance dip of just 7 percent as shown by our chart below. Clock rates drop from 3.9 GHz to a more stable 3.6 to 3.7 GHz range as detailed in our Stress Test section.

See our dedicated page on the Core i9-9880H for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

CineBench R15
CineBench R15
CineBench R20
CineBench R20
01002003004005006007008009001000110012001300140015001600170018001900Tooltip
MSI GE75 9SG GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1619 (1602.44-1728.31)
Eurocom Sky X7C i9-9900K GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9900K, 2x Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB (RAID 0); CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1887 (1855.46-1948.65)
Eurocom Sky X4C GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1307 (1221.26-1330.45)
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Eurocom Sky X7C i9-9900K
Intel Core i9-9900K
212 Points +12%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Intel Core i9-8950HK
205 Points +8%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
192 Points +2%
Average Intel Core i9-9880H
  (181 - 198, n=11)
190.1 Points +1%
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
190 Points +1%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
189 Points
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
Intel Core i7-8750H
176.3 Points -7%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
Intel Core i5-9300H
176 Points -7%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
Intel Core i7-9750H
175 Points -7%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
142 Points -25%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Eurocom Sky X7C i9-9900K
Intel Core i9-9900K
1968 Points +14%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
1721 Points
Average Intel Core i9-9880H
  (1317 - 1721, n=11)
1506 Points -12%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1378 Points -20%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
1359 Points -21%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
Intel Core i7-9750H
1115 Points -35%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
Intel Core i7-8750H
1069 (913.12min - 1068.63max) Points -38%
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
897 Points -48%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
Intel Core i5-9300H
757 Points -56%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
742 Points -57%
Cinebench R20
CPU (Multi Core)
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
3712 Points
Average Intel Core i9-9880H
  (2953 - 3712, n=7)
3271 Points -12%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
Intel Core i7-9750H
2427 Points -35%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
1685 Points -55%
CPU (Single Core)
Average Intel Core i9-9880H
  (441 - 474, n=7)
459 Points +4%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
441 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
Intel Core i7-9750H
429 Points -3%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
362 Points -18%
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
15071
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
42456
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
6967
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
82 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
18.94 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
2.11 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
133.4 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1721 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
189 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark benchmarks rank our i9-powered GE75 9SG consistently ahead of last year's i7-powered GE75 8SG by a few percentage points. This tells us that only power users who can exploit the multi-threaded performance of the Core i9-9880H will notice any advantages over the last generation Core i7-8750H as day-to-day workloads are just marginally faster when all else is equal.

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
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, 2x Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP (RAID 0)
6558 Points +4%
Aorus X9 DT
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Transcend TS1TMTE850
6387 Points +1%
MSI GE75 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
6306 Points
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
5816 Points -8%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
4237 Points -33%
Essentials
Aorus X9 DT
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Transcend TS1TMTE850
9777 Points +2%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, 2x Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP (RAID 0)
9776 Points +2%
MSI GE75 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
9608 Points
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
8968 Points -7%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
7471 Points -22%
Productivity
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, 2x Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP (RAID 0)
8968 Points +7%
MSI GE75 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
8416 Points
Aorus X9 DT
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Transcend TS1TMTE850
8277 Points -2%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
7759 Points -8%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
6209 Points -26%
Digital Content Creation
Aorus X9 DT
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Transcend TS1TMTE850
8740 Points +4%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, 2x Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP (RAID 0)
8732 Points +4%
MSI GE75 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
8419 Points
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
7697 Points -9%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
4451 Points -47%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Aorus X9 DT
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Transcend TS1TMTE850
5859 Points +29%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, 2x Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP (RAID 0)
5720 Points +26%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
4918 Points +8%
MSI GE75 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
4550 Points
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
4041 Points -11%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Aorus X9 DT
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Transcend TS1TMTE850
6055 Points +1%
MSI GE75 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
6004 Points
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, 2x Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP (RAID 0)
5801 Points -3%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
5574 Points -7%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
4877 Points -19%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4550 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
6004 points
PCMark 10 Score
6306 points
Help

Storage Devices

Unlike our previous two GE75 test units with Kingston SSDs, MSI has equipped this latest SKU with the more expensive Samsung PM981. Transfer rates are faster across the board at well over 2000 MB/s according to AS SSD versus just 900 MB/s on the Kingston KC400. Of course, the exact SSD included will vary depending on region and reseller and so not all GE75 9SG SKUs will ship with the Samsung PM981.

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

AS SSD
AS SSD
CDM 5.5
CDM 5.5
MSI GE75 9SG
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
2x Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP (RAID 0)
Acer Predator Triton 700
2x SK Hynix Canvas SC300 512GB M.2 (HFS512G39MND) (RAID 0)
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
AS SSD
-28%
9%
10%
-2%
-84%
Seq Read
1358
1419
4%
911
-33%
3058
125%
2517
85%
511
-62%
Seq Write
2381
828
-65%
2347
-1%
2196
-8%
2372
0%
425.7
-82%
4K Read
27.02
35.71
32%
53
96%
38.37
42%
41.47
53%
14.07
-48%
4K Write
89.2
86.8
-3%
122.5
37%
97.7
10%
93
4%
38.34
-57%
4K-64 Read
1642
848
-48%
1577
-4%
1347
-18%
1057
-36%
351.4
-79%
4K-64 Write
1799
708
-61%
1734
-4%
1236
-31%
913
-49%
172.7
-90%
Access Time Read *
0.067
0.063
6%
0.08
-19%
0.056
16%
0.062
7%
0.235
-251%
Access Time Write *
0.05
0.044
12%
0.031
38%
0.038
24%
0.041
18%
0.097
-94%
Score Read
1805
1026
-43%
1721
-5%
1691
-6%
1350
-25%
417
-77%
Score Write
2127
878
-59%
2091
-2%
1553
-27%
1243
-42%
254
-88%
Score Total
4899
2405
-51%
4771
-3%
4066
-17%
3282
-33%
881
-82%
Copy ISO MB/s
3193
687
-78%
412.5
-87%
Copy Program MB/s
198.2
234.7
18%
192.9
-3%
Copy Game MB/s
1054
474.7
-55%
295.5
-72%

* ... smaller is better

Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3087 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 2399 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 453.6 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 337.5 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1465 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 2370 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 44.98 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 116.1 MB/s

GPU Performance

The GeForce RTX 2080 performs identically to last year's GE75 despite the much faster Intel 9th gen CPU. 3DMark Time Spy results are within just 3 percent of the 2018 GE75 8SG with the 8th gen Core i7-8750H. The additional cores of the i9-9880H have minimal impact on gaming performance as most titles are not optimized for 16 simultaneous threads.

Nonetheless, the extra CPU horsepower can come in handy if targeting very high frame rates. Titles like Witcher 3 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider show 10 percent gains in FPS each which is not insignificant when targeting a stable 144 FPS. If targeting 60 FPS, however, the Core i9 will likely be overkill.

Running Witcher 3 shows no recurring frame dips to suggest smooth gaming performance and no interrupting background activity.

See our dedicated page on the GeForce RTX 2080 for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
Port Royal
Port Royal
DLSS 2K
DLSS 2K
Time Spy
Time Spy
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI RTX 2080 Gaming X Trio
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop), R7 2700X
27620 Points +12%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
25203 Points +2%
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
24623 Points
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
21515 Points -13%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 17
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700
21104 Points -14%
Acer Predator Triton 700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
18120 Points -26%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H
17980 Points -27%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H
17335 Points -30%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
15731 Points -36%
Schenker Compact 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
14193 Points -42%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
9292 Points -62%
Dell XPS 15 9570 Core i9 UHD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i9-8950HK
7374 Points -70%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H
6331 Points -74%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
MSI RTX 2080 Gaming X Trio
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop), R7 2700X
11294 Points +16%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
9816 Points +1%
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
9754 Points
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
8512 Points -13%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 17
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700
6977 Points -28%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H
6716 Points -31%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
5783 Points -41%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H
5697 Points -42%
Schenker Compact 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
5408 Points -45%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H
1789 Points -82%
2560x1440 Port Royal Graphics
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
5538 Points
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
4655 Points -16%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H
3721 Points -33%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
3020 Points -45%
2560x1440 Time Spy Score
MSI RTX 2080 Gaming X Trio
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop), R7 2700X
10820 Points +17%
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
9266 Points
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
9018 Points -3%
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
8098 Points -13%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 17
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700
6942 Points -25%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H
6639 Points -28%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H
5773 Points -38%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
5679 Points -39%
Schenker Compact 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
5569 Points -40%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H
1909 Points -79%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI RTX 2080 Gaming X Trio
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop), R7 2700X
37989 Points +12%
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
34050 Points
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
33741 Points -1%
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
29453 Points -14%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 17
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700
28621 Points -16%
Acer Predator Triton 700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
23694 Points -30%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H
23261 Points -32%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H
22005 Points -35%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
20157 Points -41%
Schenker Compact 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
18750 Points -45%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
13125 Points -61%
Dell XPS 15 9570 Core i9 UHD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i9-8950HK
9032 Points -73%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H
8220 Points -76%
1280x720 Performance Combined
MSI GE75 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H
16523 Points
MSI RTX 2080 Gaming X Trio
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop), R7 2700X
13644 Points -17%
Schenker Compact 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
12916 Points -22%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 17
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700
12643 Points -23%
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
11825 Points -28%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H
11625 Points -30%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
11339 Points -31%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H
11115 Points -33%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
9159 Points -45%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-8750H
9099 Points -45%
Acer Predator Triton 700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
9075 Points -45%
Dell XPS 15 9570 Core i9 UHD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i9-8950HK
8450 Points -49%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H
6399 Points -61%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
39973 points
3DMark 11 Performance
27116 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
41840 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
18947 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
9266 points
Help
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T
MSI RTX 2080 Gaming X Trio
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop)
110 fps +1%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
109 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
  (69 - 124, n=7)
102.9 fps -6%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
99 fps -9%
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
78 (42min) fps -28%
MSI GL73 8SE-010US
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
65 fps -40%
Schenker Compact 15
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
65 (43min) fps -40%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
Intel Core i5-9300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
44 (9min) fps -60%
05101520253035404550556065707580859095Tooltip
MSI GE75 9SG GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR: Ø89.4 (84-96)
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 341.4 303.9 280.7 190.9
The Witcher 3 (2015) 289.7 250.1 173 95.3
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 250.6 187.2 161.7 144.3
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 146 120 115 109

Emissions

System Noise

Fan noise has not changed from the GE75 8SG when gaming despite the significant gains in CPU performance. In other words, the system is still very loud at 54 dB(A) when running the latest titles. We recommend headphones for gaming laptops that break the 50 dB(A) mark as the fans can become distracting.

The system fans also remain sensitive to onscreen loads. Simple tasks like web browsing or video streaming can cause the fans to pulse between 30.4 dB(A) and 33.4 dB(A) when on the High Performance profile. Thus, be sure to set the system to Power Saver mode if the extra horsepower is not needed.

Our test unit exhibits slight coil whine towards the left half of the chassis that we suspect is related to the RAM or SSD modules. It's thankfully minor enough to only be noticeable when in a completely quiet room.

MSI GE75 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
Aorus X9 DT
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Transcend TS1TMTE850
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i9-8950HK, 2x Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP (RAID 0)
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
Noise
-9%
-18%
-1%
-9%
-3%
off / environment *
28.2
30
-6%
30
-6%
29
-3%
30
-6%
30
-6%
Idle Minimum *
30.4
30
1%
36
-18%
29
5%
32
-5%
32
-5%
Idle Average *
30.4
34
-12%
37
-22%
32
-5%
34
-12%
33
-9%
Idle Maximum *
33.4
37
-11%
43
-29%
33
1%
37
-11%
34
-2%
Load Average *
37.1
52
-40%
50
-35%
47
-27%
43
-16%
41
-11%
Witcher 3 ultra *
54.2
53
2%
57
-5%
49
10%
57
-5%
50
8%
Load Maximum *
56.4
54
4%
61
-8%
51
10%
62
-10%
54
4%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
30.4 / 30.4 / 33.4 dB(A)
Load
37.1 / 56.4 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: 28.2 dB(A)

Temperature

Four sets of exhaust grilles
Four sets of exhaust grilles

Surface temperatures are warmer than we were expecting even when idling on desktop. We're able to record a temperature of almost 36 C on the center of the keyboard just by idling on Power Saver for almost an hour compared to 25 C on last year's GE75 8SF. We suspect that there could have been background activity related to the pre-installed Norton Anti-Virus software or other automatic updates during this downtime.

When gaming, the keyboard center can become as warm as 49 C compared to 46 C on the GE75 8SG. The palm rests, NumPad, and WASD keys will always be cooler for comfortable use since the cooling solution occupies the rear half of the chassis.

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 stress the laptop with synthetic loads to test for any potential throttling or stability issues. When running Prime95, the CPU can be observed running at up to 3.9 GHz for the first few seconds until core temperature hits 96 C. Thereafter, clock rates stabilize at the 3.6 to 3.7 GHz range in order to maintain a more manageable core temperature of 90 C. Since the base clock rate of the Core i9-9880H is 2.3 GHz, we find this to be a respectable level of reliable Turbo Boost. These results are much faster and warmer than what we observed on the GE75 8SF where the Core i7-8750H stabilized at 3.0 GHz and 73 C when under the same conditions.

When running Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously, CPU and GPU temperatures stabilize at 80 C and 77 C, respectively, compared to 95 C and 76 C on last year's GE75 8SG with the same RTX 2080 GPU. The cooler core temperature on the GE75 9SG is due to its steeper performance throttling down to 2.4 GHz when both the CPU and GPU are stressed.

Running Witcher 3 results in stable CPU and GPU temperatures of 81 C and 76 C, respectively. These temperatures are high when compared to a gaming desktop but are otherwise normal for a high-performance gaming laptop with GTX 1080 or RTX 2080 graphics.

Running on battery power will reduce performance. A 3DMark 11 run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 9402 and 6900, respectively, compared to 17046 and 34050 points when on mains.

System idle
System idle
Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Witcher 3 stress
Witcher 3 stress
Dragon Center system vitals when running Witcher 3
Dragon Center system vitals when running Witcher 3
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle -- -- 47 50
Prime95 Stress 3.6 - 3.7 -- 90 57
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 2.4 1575 80 77
Witcher 3 Stress 4.2 1800 81 76
Max. Load
 45 °C
113 F
45 °C
113 F
43.6 °C
110 F
 
 38.4 °C
101 F
48.8 °C
120 F
36 °C
97 F
 
 30.8 °C
87 F
28.4 °C
83 F
29.6 °C
85 F
 
Maximum: 48.8 °C = 120 F
Average: 38.4 °C = 101 F
52 °C
126 F
45 °C
113 F
51.8 °C
125 F
29.6 °C
85 F
29 °C
84 F
39.6 °C
103 F
25.6 °C
78 F
26.6 °C
80 F
27 °C
81 F
Maximum: 52 °C = 126 F
Average: 36.2 °C = 97 F
Power Supply (max.)  50 °C = 122 F | Room Temperature 20.4 °C = 69 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 38.4 °C / 101 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 48.8 °C / 120 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 52 °C / 126 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.8 °C / 89 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(-) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 40 °C / 104 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (32 °C / 89.6 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-3.1 °C / -5.6 F).

Speakers

Pink noise at maximum volume
Pink noise at maximum volume
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2040.744.52538.440.53138.738.84038.740.5503742.16335.443.48034.946.710034.253.31253457.116032.461.82003265.92503269.131531.47140030.366.350029.571.763029.382.980029.285.3100029.280.4125028.976.5160028.580.7200028.886.6250028.583.1315028.377.6400028.174.9500028.275.3630028.171.780002874.9100002880.91250027.679.61600027.775.2SPL40.892.9N497.9median 28.9median 75.3Delta1535.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMSI GE75 9SGApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
MSI GE75 9SG audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (92.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 12.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (11.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.9% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 39% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 55% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 23% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 72% 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

The newer GE75 with 9th gen Core i9 is slightly more power-hungry than the GE75 with 8th gen Core i7 under all tested conditions as shown by our table below. When gaming, for example, the GE75 9SG draws  231 W compared to 207 W on the GE75 8SG. The system is notably less demanding than the older GT75 with 8th gen Core i9 and GTX 1080 graphics while being 17 to 40 percent faster when gaming.

When running Prime95, consumption spikes to a maximum of 181 W during the first few seconds before dropping and stabilizing at 160 W. This behavior mimics our findings during the CineBench R15 loop test and performance stress test above.

Running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously draws a maximum of 291 W from the large (~18 x 8.5 x 3.5 cm) 280 W AC adapter. Consumption throttles down to a more manageable 247 W after just a few seconds.

Power consumption when running 3DMark 06
Power consumption when running 3DMark 06
Constant power consumption when running Witcher 3
Constant power consumption when running Witcher 3
Prime95 initiated at 20s mark
Prime95 initiated at 20s mark
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 20s mark
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 20s mark
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.06 / 1.6 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 13.9 / 18.8 / 23.1 Watt
Load midlight 112.3 / 291.5 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 GE75 9SG
i9-9880H, GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR, AHVA, 1920x1080, 17.30
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ, AHVA, 1920x1080, 17.30
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
i9-8950HK, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 2x Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP (RAID 0), TN, 1920x1080, 17.30
Acer Predator Triton 700
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, 2x SK Hynix Canvas SC300 512GB M.2 (HFS512G39MND) (RAID 0), IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY, TN WLED, 1920x1080, 17.30
Power Consumption
19%
-3%
-61%
-31%
4%
Idle Minimum *
13.9
7
50%
19
-37%
31
-123%
28
-101%
15
-8%
Idle Average *
18.8
15
20%
22
-17%
35
-86%
33
-76%
20
-6%
Idle Maximum *
23.1
22
5%
30
-30%
45
-95%
41
-77%
26
-13%
Load Average *
112.3
92
18%
104
7%
130
-16%
94
16%
97
14%
Witcher 3 ultra *
231
207
10%
167
28%
268
-16%
160
31%
186
19%
Load Maximum *
291.5
254
13%
203
30%
374
-28%
222
24%
239
18%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Battery life has not changed from last year's GE75 8SG when running typical WLAN loads. Expect a runtime just shy of 5 hours when on the Balanced profile with Optimus set to the integrated GPU.

Recharging takes just under 2 hours with the included AC adapter. The system will charge more slowly if running extremely high CPU and GPU loads.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
4h 54min
MSI GE75 9SG
i9-9880H, GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, 65 Wh
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
R5 3550H, Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), 64 Wh
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, 76 Wh
Acer Predator Triton 700
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, 54 Wh
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 51 Wh
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, 65 Wh
Battery Runtime
46%
-22%
-51%
-37%
-4%
WiFi v1.3
294
430
46%
230
-22%
144
-51%
186
-37%
281
-4%
Reader / Idle
757
298
150
303
468
Load
122
52
70
38
53
Witcher 3 ultra
50

Pros

+ surprisingly small and lightweight for a full-power RTX 2080 17-inch gaming laptop
+ high multi-thread performance gains over the Core i7-8750H
+ slightly faster gaming performance
+ easy to service and upgrade
+ very loud quad speakers
+ per-key RGB lighting

Cons

- moderate-heavy uneven backlight bleeding
- warmer CPU temperatures when gaming
- servicing will tear an anti-tamper sticker
- slightly higher power consumption
- still very loud when gaming
- still no Thunderbolt 3
- slow SD card reader
- no G-Sync

Verdict

In review: MSI GE75 9SG. Test model provided by MSI
In review: MSI GE75 9SG. Test model provided by MSI

The Core i9-9880H is what the Core i9-8950HK should have been. The two extra cores give it the firm performance advantage it needs over both the Core i7-8750H and Core i7-9750H. The average i7-8750H is about 36 percent slower before accounting for any performance throttling.

The disadvantages are what you would expect from a faster CPU based on the same underlying architecture. Namely, core temperatures and power consumption are higher when the CPU is fully stressed. The i9-9880H stabilizes at 90 C when running Prime95 compared to 73 C on the i7-8750H SKU. Meanwhile, gaming consumes 231 W versus 207 W on last year's GE73 8SG. Applications that don't fully utilize all eight cores will see less of a performance gain over the hexa-core Core i7 series.

Of course, the GE75 9SG is just one example of the Core i9-9880H. The very wide clock rate range of the i9-9880H (2.3 - 3.8 GHz) means other OEMs may implement the same CPU at slower clock rates for potentially slower performance than what we've observed here. Nonetheless, our first taste of the 9th gen Core i9 is already looking very promising.

Enthusiasts will want to consider the 9th gen Core i9 especially if they rely on applications optimized for eight CPU cores. Gamers also have something to gain from the i9-9880H as well albeit at a much smaller 10 percent performance increase for most titles. In either case, the new CPU is in a much better place compared to last year's Core i9-8950HK.

MSI GE75 9SG - 07/02/2020 v7
Allen Ngo

Chassis
75 / 98 → 76%
Keyboard
85%
Pointing Device
89%
Connectivity
59 / 80 → 74%
Weight
59 / 10-66 → 87%
Battery
63 / 95 → 66%
Display
89%
Games Performance
98%
Application Performance
93%
Temperature
83 / 95 → 87%
Noise
75 / 90 → 84%
Audio
81%
Camera
48 / 85 → 56%
Average
77%
86%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > MSI GE75 Raider 9SG (Core i9-9880H, RTX 2080) Laptop Review
Allen Ngo, 2019-05-18 (Update: 2019-05-18)