MSI GP62 2QE Notebook Review

MSI carries an extensive lineup of gaming notebooks for its G series family. While we've covered most of them up to date including the tiny GS30 all the way up to the gargantuan GT80, the GP model is a newcomer to our database.
With that said, the GP series shares many similarities with the GE series including the reuse of large portions of the chassis and hardware. Thus, we recommend checking out our previous reviews on the GE62 for more information and details on the analogous hardware features. However, there are some key differences both inside and out and we will go over exactly what the lower-end $999 GP62 is omitting compared to its more expensive GE62 siblings.
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Case
The chassis of the GP62 is nearly identical to the GE62 with only a couple of noteworthy changes. Firstly, the outer lid is no longer brushed aluminum with slight curves for visual appeal. Instead, the lid is now flat with a smooth matte surface. This also applies to the palm rests and inner surfaces as the aluminum texture is now completely gone in favor of the smooth matte texture. Lastly, the bottom maintenance panel has been flattened, though it still shares the same number of screws and ventilation grilles as the GE62. These subtle changes make for a more stale appearance to separate the GP series further from the higher-end GT and GE models.
Case quality is essentially the same as the GE series since the above changes are largely cosmetic. The base is still rigid even towards the center of the keyboard. Surfaces warp slightly more easily on the right side of the notebook compared to the left since this area has fewer components underneath. In contrast, the outer lid is unfortunately average in quality as it is weak towards the center and can be easily twisted from the front corners. The hinges are small yet strong enough to prevent the display from rocking and allow for a wide opening angle.
In terms of weight, the GP62 is lighter than the GE62, Aspire V15 Nitro, and Lenovo Y50 by about 100 grams. The weight difference may be attributed to the smaller cooling system of the GP62 as detailed in our Emissions section below. Our MSI is also noticeably thicker than these same models.
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Connectivity
Ports and port placement remain unchanged from the GE62 series. All connections are on the left- and right-hand sides of the notebook only, which makes them more accessible than on most other gaming notebooks. However, this increases the likelihood of entangled cables and reduced table space since there are no ports on the rear. Left-handed users are also at a disadvantage here.
The GP62 offers no Thunderbolt or external GPU options like on the MSI GS30 or the latest Alienware systems.
Communication
The Intel Wireless-AC 3160 M.2 module is a dual-band 1x1 card capable of transfer rates of up to 433 Mbps. It's an entry-level WLAN card compared to 2x2 modules that are capable of multiple streams for even faster speeds. The usual Bluetooth 4.0 and WiDi features are integrated.
The notebook provides no configuration options for WWAN or GPS.
Maintenance
The bottom panel takes some time to remove but is generally accessible as it uses regular Philips head screws. Note that the optical drive must be taken out first as it hides additional screws underneath.
The motherboard allows direct access to the optical drive SATA slot, 2.5-inch SATA III slot, M.2 slot, both SODIMM slots, WLAN card, and cooling system. Both the CPU and GPU are soldered onto the motherboard.
Accessories
Included extras outside of the AC adapter are the Quick Start guide and cleaning cloth. There are no proprietary accessories since the GP62 lacks a dedicated docking port. MSI sells branded mice, keyboards, and bags for its gaming G series.
Warranty
MSI offers two-year limited warranty as standard. Users can also receive one year of accidental damage protection at no extra cost if they register their purchase within 30 days of shipment.
Input Devices
Keyboard
The Chiclet keyboard (34.5 x 10.5 cm) is the same Steelseries model as found on the GE62. Thus, it provides the same satisfactory feedback and deep travel when typing. The keys feel firm as they do not waggle in place and are surprisingly quiet despite the firm pressure point.
However, the individual keys themselves are a bit small and the space between them are wider than normal. It can take some time to be accustomed to the layout of the keyboard. Also note that the GP62 offers no backlight lighting compared to its GE62 sibling.
Touchpad
The touchpad is again of similar size (10.9 x 6.1 cm) to the one on the GE62 even down to the chrome-cut perimeter. The slightly textured surface responds clearly to single and multi-touch commands with no cursor jumping or other issues. The two dedicated mouse keys are comfortable to use as well as they provide very firm feedback when pressed. The auditory click is quite loud, however, especially compared to the muted keyboard keys.
Display
The 1080p matte display is a good match considering the GPU power, so we prefer this FHD resolution over 2K or 3K for gaming purposes. The screen is sufficiently bright for indoor use and it exhibits no major backlight bleeding, no screen-door effect, and minimal color grains. While it is far from bad, the display is simply not as good compared to most other gaming notebooks. Contrast and colors are poor considering the price and overall quality doesn't hold a candle to IPS panels.
Its N156HGE-EA1 TN panel is the same panel used on the older IdeaPad Z510, Acer Aspire V5-561G, and the ThinkPad L540. Consequently, we found the displays on all these models to be below average and these same reasons apply here.
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Brightness Distribution: 74 %
Center on Battery: 274.8 cd/m²
Contrast: 398:1 (Black: 0.69 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 11.78 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 13.81 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
73.5% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
47.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
52.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
73.6% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
50.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.19
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712) | Asus G501JW-CN168H | Alienware 15 (R9 M295X) | MSI GE62 2QD | Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | 1% | 44% | 21% | 24% | 15% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 50.8 | 50.6 0% | 76.5 51% | 65.5 29% | 64.5 27% | 63.2 24% |
sRGB Coverage | 73.6 | 76.3 4% | 100 36% | 85.4 16% | 87 18% | 80.6 10% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 52.4 | 52.3 0% | 76.4 46% | 62.4 19% | 66.2 26% | 58.9 12% |
Screen | 28% | 56% | 46% | 32% | 47% | |
Brightness middle | 274.8 | 290 6% | 344 25% | 314 14% | 361 31% | 320 16% |
Brightness | 265 | 257 -3% | 337 27% | 294 11% | 345 30% | 283 7% |
Brightness Distribution | 74 | 81 9% | 95 28% | 87 18% | 88 19% | 83 12% |
Black Level * | 0.69 | 0.512 26% | 0.31 55% | 0.33 52% | 0.646 6% | 0.32 54% |
Contrast | 398 | 566 42% | 1110 179% | 952 139% | 559 40% | 1000 151% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 11.78 | 3.72 68% | 5.98 49% | 4.14 65% | 5.3 55% | 5.31 55% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 13.81 | 3.11 77% | 5.75 58% | 2.8 80% | 7 49% | 4.73 66% |
Gamma | 2.19 100% | 2.48 89% | 2.51 88% | 3.19 69% | 2.35 94% | 2.36 93% |
CCT | 15314 42% | 6959 93% | 7366 88% | 6540 99% | 7168 91% | 5980 109% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 47.8 | 48.16 1% | 71 49% | 56 17% | 58.63 23% | 52.9 11% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 73.5 | 100 36% | 85 16% | |||
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 15% /
21% | 50% /
53% | 34% /
40% | 28% /
29% | 31% /
38% |
* ... smaller is better
Color coverage is roughly 48 percent and 74 percent of AdobeRGB and sRGB, respectively. This is better than most TN panels on inexpensive and mainstream notebooks, though it still falls behind most IPS panels on more expensive gaming notebooks like the Alienware 15 or Asus G501. Fortunately, pinpoint color accuracy is not normally a priority over response times when gaming. The GP62 display is more than sufficient in this case.
Further analyses with a spectrophotometer reveal inaccurate grayscale and colors. Color temperature is also much too cool out-of-the-box with higher deviations than most other gaming notebooks. A quick calibration fixes many of these shortcomings for a much more accurate display. We strongly recommend a calibration for the GP62 more so than on other notebooks of its class.
Outdoor visibility is average at best when under shade and on maximum display brightness. The backlight is dimmer if running on batteries unless if the user manually disables the Power Saver settings through the Intel Graphics Properties menu. The matte screen helps to reduce glare, but the backlight is simply not powerful enough to overcome ambient light outdoors.
Viewing angles are limited due to the underlying TN panel. This isn't an issue for the sole user looking directly at the screen, though it can make sharing the display with others a bit more difficult. In comparison, newer gaming notebooks with higher quality IPS screens are becoming more common.
Performance
Our GP62 configuration houses a 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7-5700HQ paired with an Nvidia GTX 950M GPU. The CPU can run up to 3.5 GHz for all four cores via Turbo Boost and will throttle to 800 MHz in Power Saver mode to conserve energy. The GTX 950M core clock can run up to 1124 MHz via Boost while its memory can be up to 2072 MHz. If idling on Power Saver, the GPU be at 135/405 MHz core/memory according to GPU-Z. Optimus is supported with the integrated HD Graphics 5600 for additional power savings. The current Xotic PC page does not offer other CPU or GPU options.
System RAM is supported up to 16 GB via two accessible SODIMM slots. LatencyMon shows no latency spikes when sitting on desktop with wireless radios active.
Processor
The new Core i7-5700HQ is able to consistently outrun the older Core i7-4720HQ that was so popular on high-end notebooks of 2014. CineBench single-thread benchmarks are a few percentage points faster on the new Broadwell core while multi-threaded benchmarks show larger gaps. This is partly due to the higher multi-core Turbo Boost for the i7-5700HQ compared to the i7-4720HQ.
The desktop Core i7-4790K still outranks our MSI by at least 20 percent in all cases. This discrepancy has little significance when gaming since modern titles tend to be GPU-bound and the i7-5700HQ is already quite adept for gaming loads.
More benchmarks and technical data on the Core i7-5700HQ can be found on our dedicated CPU page here.
Cinebench R10 | |
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 inch 2015 | |
Aorus X3 Plus v3 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 | |
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 inch 2015 | |
Aorus X3 Plus v3 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 |
3DMark | |
Fire Strike Extreme Physics (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 inch 2015 | |
Aorus X3 Plus v3 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 inch 2015 | |
Aorus X3 Plus v3 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 inch 2015 | |
Aorus X3 Plus v3 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 | |
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 inch 2015 | |
Aorus X3 Plus v3 | |
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 inch 2015 | |
Aorus X3 Plus v3 |
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 inch 2015 | |
Aorus X3 Plus v3 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 |
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 inch 2015 | |
Aorus X3 Plus v3 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
PCMark benchmarks score our GP62 alongside top performers like the HP Omen Pro 15 and Aorus X5. At the same time, however, the results may not be an apples-to-apples comparison due to our test model running Windows 10. The Aorus, for example, carries RAID 0 SSDs and faster SLI graphics, yet it is scores roughly the same in PCMark 7. Nonetheless, navigation on the GP62 is smooth and apps launch almost instantaneously as expected from an SSD-based notebook.
Our test model had recurring DSP_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION errors towards the end of our testing. Fortunately, a quick System Restore was able to resolve the seemingly random BSOD issue.
PCMark 7 Score | 6411 points | |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3920 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 4870 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 4999 points | |
Help |
Storage Devices
A total of three bays are available: One M.2 slot and two 2.5-inch SATA slots. The bays are not officially RAID compatible and the last 2.5-inch slot in particular holds the optical drive by default. This drive can be easily removed and re-inserted without any screws required.
Our particular test model uses a 512 GB Micron M600 M.2 SSD and secondary 1 TB HGST HDD. Performance from the Micron drive is standard for a SATA III SSD with sequential read and transfer rates of roughly 500 MB/s. In particular, its write rate for 512K blocks is on the upper-end of the performance spectrum at 481 MB/s. The 7200 RPM Travelstar HDD also performs quite well for its class with an average transfer rate of 106.4 MB/s according to HD Tune. Most hard drives typically score in the 90 MB/s range or even lower for 5400 RPM models.
Our growing comparison table of HDDs and SSDs can be found here.
GPU Performance
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 24148 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 4892 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 105776 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 16297 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 3026 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 1551 points | |
Help |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Gigabyte P37X | |
Gigabyte P55 V4 | |
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501JW-FI218H | |
Lenovo Yoga 3 14-80JH0035GE | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G |
Cinebench R15 - OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Gigabyte P37X | |
Gigabyte P55 V4 | |
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501JW-FI218H | |
Lenovo Yoga 3 14-80JH0035GE | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G |
Cinebench R11.5 - OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Gigabyte P37X | |
Gigabyte P55 V4 | |
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501JW-FI218H | |
Lenovo Yoga 3 14-80JH0035GE | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G |
Cinebench R10 - Shading 64Bit (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Gigabyte P37X | |
Gigabyte P55 V4 | |
Lenovo Yoga 3 14-80JH0035GE |
Gaming Performance
Real-world performance in games is as expected from this class of Nvidia GPU. The GTX 950M is unable to play most games at 1080p on Ultra or Extreme graphics settings. Most 3D titles will run in the 20 FPS range with a few exceptions, so users will have to tune down the graphics to Medium or Medium-high if they wish to play on the native screen resolution. Jumping from the 950M to the 960M will see frame rates improve by at least 20 percent to as much as 50 percent depending on the title. For smoother 1080p30 playback on higher graphics settings, a system with the GTX 960M or 965M is preferred.
1080p gaming on the lower-end 940M would require very low settings that hardcore gamers might find unappealing. The GTX 950M is one step above this ground floor. Because of this, the GP62 will age quite quickly as new and more demanding games are released. Arkham Knight, for example, is already proving to be a bit too much for the 950M to handle.
low | med. | high | ultra | |
Sleeping Dogs (2012) | 139.4 | 63.9 | 15.7 | |
Guild Wars 2 (2012) | 60.7 | 23.2 | ||
Tomb Raider (2013) | 130.7 | 71.6 | 34.1 | |
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) | 152.5 | 100.2 | 36.8 | |
BioShock Infinite (2013) | 110.1 | 89.8 | 29.6 | |
Metro: Last Light (2013) | 78.5 | 45.5 | 22.9 | |
Thief (2014) | 54.5 | 43.8 | 20.6 | |
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) | 55.4 | 29 | 22.5 | |
Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) | 50.7 | 23.1 | 21.4 | |
F1 2014 (2014) | 118 | 118 | 78 | |
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) | 73.9 | 24.5 | 16.6 | |
Battlefield Hardline (2015) | 111.7 | 38.2 | 22.9 | |
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) | 43 | 22 |
Thief | |
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1366x768 High Preset AA:FXAA & Low SS AF:4x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FXAA & High SS AF:8x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 |
Sleeping Dogs | |
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:Normal (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
1366x768 High Preset AA:High (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
1920x1080 Extreme Preset AA:Extreme (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD |
Guild Wars 2 | |
1366x768 Best Appearance Preset AA:FX (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
1920x1080 All Maximum / On AA:FX (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG P505 |
Tomb Raider | |
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 |
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm | |
1366x768 Medium (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
1366x768 High AA:on (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
1920x1080 Ultra / Extreme AA:on (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD |
BioShock Infinite | |
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1366x768 High Preset (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF) (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H |
Metro: Last Light | |
1366x768 Medium (DX10) AF:4x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
1366x768 High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 |
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | |
1344x756 Medium Preset (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset (HD Package) (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 |
Ryse: Son of Rome | |
1366x768 Medium Texture Res. + Normal Graphics Quality (Rest Off/Disabled) AF:4x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1920x1080 High Texture Res. + High Graphics Quality (Rest Off/Disabled) AF:8x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 | |
1920x1080 Very High Texture Res. + High Graphics Quality (Motion Blur & Temporal AA On, Rest Off/Disabled) AF:8x (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Schenker XMG P505 |
F1 2014 | |
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G |
Dragon Age: Inquisition | |
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality AA:2x MS (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Schenker XMG A505 |
Battlefield Hardline | |
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD | |
Asus Asuspro Essential P751JF-T2007G | |
Asus X555LB-DM223H | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality (DX11) AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD |
Stress Test
We stress the notebook with synthetic benchmarks to identify any potential throttling or stability issues.
With just Prime95 active, the CPU operates at a constant 3.1 to 3.2 GHz and core temperature hovers in the low 90 C range. This is slower than the advertised maximum Turbo Boost of 3.5 GHz. On the other hand, the GPU operates at its maximum 1124 MHz core clock and 1001 MHz memory clock consistently when under FurMark stress. GPU temperature plateaus at 77 C.
Running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously will cause the CPU to throttle slightly to the 2.4 to 2.6 GHz range while the GPU runs unscathed at 1124/1001 MHz core/memory. CPU and GPU core temperatures peak at 90 C and 86 C, respectively, after half an hour of maximum load.
Performance under Unigine Heaven stress is much smoother for the CPU as it is able to maintain a steady 3.4 to 3.5 GHz Turbo Boost. CPU and GPU core temperatures remain steady at 75 C each. Activating the Turbo Fan feature on the GP62 will drop core temperatures by an extra 7 or 8 C, though actual performance remains the same. Users should see this feature as a tradeoff between fan noise and temperature instead of fan noise and performance.
Running on batteries will reduce both CPU and GPU performances. A 3DMark 11 run returns Physics and Graphics scores of 4071 points and 7437 points, respectively, versus 4624 points and 9024 points when running on mains.
Emissions
System Noise
The cooling system of the GP62 has been halved compared to the GE62 since this configuration uses a lower-power GTX 950M. Thus, instead of having two fans and four heat pipes, the GP62 uses only one fan and two heat pipes.
Does this improve fan noise? Unfortunately not as the GP62 still suffers from the same pulsating fan as does the GE62. The fan is always active at 33 dB(A) on the Power Saver profile and will pulsate frequently between 33 dB(A) and 37 dB(A) during even light loads such as browsing or Flash games.
Fan noise when gaming remains flat at about 41 dB(A). This is definitely quieter than most thin gaming notebooks like the Aorus X5 and Lenovo Y50 where fan noise can be closer to 50 dB(A) under similar conditions. Activating the Turbo Fan mode will bump fan noise to 52 dB(A). Sadly, there are no other manual fan controls as found on most Gigabyte and Eurocom notebooks.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 33.3 / 33.4 / 37 dB(A) |
DVD |
| 38 / 0 dB(A) |
Load |
| 40.7 / 52.5 dB(A) |
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30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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Temperature
The GP62 is one of the few notebooks where average surface temperatures on the palm rests and keyboard are warmer than the bottom when idling or under stress. The left side of the keyboard is at least 34 to 35 C near the WASD keys and is even warmer towards the center as both the CPU and GPU are situated near this area. The corner quadrant nearest the system fan can be as warm as 50 C while quadrants closest to the optical drive will barely experience changes in temperature.
Compared to other 15-inch gaming notebooks, the GP62 has a steeper temperature gradient due in part to its smaller and more concentrated cooling system. Systems with dual fans tend to spread the heat more evenly towards the rear and away from the front, such as the thinner and more powerful Asus G501. Surface temperatures on our MSI aren't nearly as bad as on the Lenovo Y50, but it's unfortunate that the WASD keys could not have been any cooler when gaming.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 48.2 °C / 119 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 50.2 °C / 122 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 33.3 °C / 92 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(-) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 45.4 °C / 113.7 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-16.5 °C / -29.7 F).

The four speakers are located on the bottom front corners of the notebook. The GP series is overtly lacking the subwoofer featured on the costlier GE series despite the fact that the GP62 retains the same square speaker grille for the subwoofer underneath.
We found sound quality on the GE62 to be lacking in bass and this is doubly true on the GP62 due to the lack of a dedicated subwoofer. Still, the speakers produce no static even on high volume settings and can be quite loud. External 3.5 mm solutions are recommended for better movie and music playback.
Battery Life
The integrated 42 Wh battery is non-removable and on the small side compared to most 15-inch gaming notebooks.
Runtimes are extraordinarily low. At best, we clocked in just above 2 hours on minimum brightness, Power Saver profile, and integrated graphics active. Competing models are able to last for hours longer under similar conditions.
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD 42 Wh | Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231 54 Wh | Asus G501JW 60 Wh | Alienware 15 (R9 M295X) 92 Wh | MSI GE62 2QD 51 Wh | Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-574H 52 Wh | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | 111% | 207% | 196% | 59% | 340% | |
Reader / Idle | 131 | 388 196% | 415 217% | 647 394% | 277 111% | 797 508% |
WiFi v1.3 | 96 | 203 111% | 286 198% | 161 68% | 448 367% | |
Load | 66 | 84 27% | 202 206% | 64 -3% | 64 -3% | 161 144% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The MSI GP62 is simply a GE62 with cut corners. Users are losing the brushed aluminum surfaces, subwoofer, backlit keyboard, and IPS panel. Worst of all, GPU performance from the GTX 950M is simply no match against the GTX 965M on the GE62.
What's left are the core basics: A passable TN display, comfortable keyboard and touchpad, a strong and accessible base, 3x storage bays, and a GPU capable of 1080p30 on Medium to Medium-high settings. We're a bit disappointed to see that battery life has not improved even though the GP62 utilizes a smaller cooling system, newer Broadwell CPU, and weaker GPU.
We highly suggest spending that extra cash for a GE model instead as it brings superior gaming performance and a more complete package.
As of this writing, the GP62 and GE62 start at $999 and $1149, respectively. We highly suggest spending that extra cash for a GE model instead as it brings superior gaming performance in a more complete package.
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
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08/17/2015 v4(old)
Allen Ngo