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MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE (i7-8750H, GTX 1060, FHD) Xotic PC Edition Laptop Review

No-frills gaming. The GP63 Leopard is MSI's update of the long-lasting GP62 series. Our review laptop pairs mid-range GTX 1060 graphics with Intel's new hexa-core Coffee Lake-H CPU. How some internal design changes and the new hardware affect the performance is the subject of our review.

We've reviewed MSI's budget and thus more affordable GP series of gaming notebooks several times in the past. Last year's 15.6-inch MSI GP62 Xotic PC Edition packed a more entry-level Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti alongside a quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU; our review notebook this time features an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB of RAM and the new hexa-core Intel Coffee Lake Core i7-8750H CPU. Otherwise, the two systems are very similar: 120 Hz FHD TN display panel, 16 GB of RAM, and a 128 GB primary SSD alongside a 1 TB mechanical hard drive.

At a first glance, the new GP63 looks very similar to the predecessor, but the new model has been revised in several key areas:

  • no DVD+/-RW drive
  • one additional USB 3.1 Gen1 port
  • different motherboard layout
  • additional M.2 slot
  • revamped cooling system with seven heat pipes instead of six
  • two additional exhaust outlets
  • increased battery capacity

Our supplier Xotic PC offers the GP63 Leopard with Nvidia Gefore GTX 1050TI and FHD IPS display for $1300; our model with Nvidia Gefore GTX 1060 and 120 Hz FHD TN display sells for $1500. The sole processor available at this time is the hexa-core i7-8750H CPU.

Competitors in this realm are not hard to find and range from the more affordable HP Omen 15-ce002ng, the Lenovo Legion Y720, or the Acer Aspire V15 Nitro, among numerous others. Of particular interest is the fact that many of the currently available gaming systems are equipped with the same Nvidia GPU, but older Intel quad-core CPUs and are therefore sold at what could be considered bargain prices. 

Internal changes: GP63 on the left, GP62 on the right
Internal changes: GP63 on the left, GP62 on the right
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US (GP63 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-8750H 6 x 2.2 - 4.1 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile - 6 GB VRAM, GDDR5, 23.21.13.9094 (GeForce 390.94)
Memory
16 GB 
, PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM (Samsung)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, Chi Mei CMN15F4 (N156HHE-GA1 CMN), TN LED, 120 Hz
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ, 128 GB 
Soundcard
Intel Cannon Lake-H/S - cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech)
Connections
3 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 (XC/HC)
Networking
Qualcomm/Atheros e2400 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0
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, 6-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: FHD
Additional features
Speakers: SD (XC/HC), Keyboard: Chiclet (RGB Steeleries), Keyboard Light: yes, DRAGON CENTER 2.0, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.316 kg ( = 81.69 oz / 5.11 pounds), Power Supply: 764 g ( = 26.95 oz / 1.68 pounds)
Price
1500 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

As expected given its budget status, the chassis of the GP63 doesn't look particularly upscale, nor does it feel that way. The bottom unit consists of black plastic with the palm rest featuring a faux brushed-metal finish. For the GP series, MSI normally uses brushed aluminum on the back of the display lid, but Xotic PC customizes the design with the lid now covered in what appears to be a matte black "skin", which is adorned with a massive red Xotic PC logo.

The base unit is decently sturdy with acceptable rigidity and flex across the width of the keyboard and the palm rests. Even during more vigorous twisting attempts there's very little creaking. The lid is very flexible when twisting and bending (particularly between the hinges) and localized pressure induces ripples up front. The hinges, which allow for a very generous opening angle of about 150 degrees, are stiff enough to prevent the display from teetering during normal use.

The red ellipsis indicates the outermost "floating" corner contact point
The red ellipsis indicates the outermost "floating" corner contact point

With the laptop sitting on a glass table or a similar hard and smooth surface, placing a hand on the palm rests produces a touchpad-like clicking sound. Closer examination of the bottom corners reveals that the outermost contact point is actually a triangular piece of plastic and not the rubber foot located more towards the center. This plastic foot hovers a fraction of a millimeter above the surface the laptop is sitting on and makes contact only when pressure is applied from above. Although not detrimental in the least and more or less inaudible on other surfaces, this still seems like a peculiar design choice on MSI's part.

At 383 x 260 x 29 and tipping the scale at just over 2.3 kg, the dimensions remain unchanged compared to the MSI GP62 7REX. The GP63 thus features an average footprint, thickness and weight for the class. The Gigabyte Aero 15X is a lot slimmer and not as deep or wide, but costs a lot more.

389 mm / 15.3 inch 276 mm / 10.9 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 2.6 kg5.78 lbs391 mm / 15.4 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 22.5 mm / 0.886 inch 2.5 kg5.55 lbs383 mm / 15.1 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 29 mm / 1.142 inch 2.3 kg5.11 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 277 mm / 10.9 inch 30 mm / 1.181 inch 3.1 kg6.83 lbs356 mm / 14 inch 250 mm / 9.84 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 2.2 kg4.78 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

The port selection has been updated as well with the system losing the DVD+/-RW drive in favor of another USB port. The GP63 now features a single Type-C Gen2 USB 3.1 port in addition to 3x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen1 ports. The GP63's GTX 1060 GPU allows 4k60 output through both the HDMI and mDP ports. As before, the GP63 lacks a genuine Tunderbolt 3 port, even though competitors like the Lenovo Legion Y720 are already equipped with one. All physical ports are located somewhat closer to the front edge, which could potentially interfere with the operation of a mouse when a lot of peripherals and cables are plugged in.

Front: no connectivity
Front: no connectivity
Rear: no connectivity
Rear: no connectivity
Left: Kensington Lock, Gigabit Ethernet, USB3.1 Gen1, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, USB3.1 Gen1, USB Type-C Gen2, Microphone, Headphones
Left: Kensington Lock, Gigabit Ethernet, USB3.1 Gen1, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, USB3.1 Gen1, USB Type-C Gen2, Microphone, Headphones
Right: SD card reader, 2x USB3.1 Gen1, power jack
Right: SD card reader, 2x USB3.1 Gen1, power jack

SD Card Reader

The SD Card reader results of 32 MB/s and 26.3 MB/s for our AS SSD read and JPG Copy tests are an improvement, but performance remains unimpressive even when compared to other, lower-end gaming laptops. A fully inserted card still sticks out a bit, so care needs to be taken during transport to avoid potential damage.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) (sort by value)
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26.26 MB/s
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
77 MB/s
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
 
22.7 MB/s
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
67.2 MB/s
Eurocom Q6
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
170.7 MB/s
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) (sort by value)
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
32.84 MB/s
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
87 MB/s
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
 
27.2 MB/s
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
94.1 MB/s
Eurocom Q6
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
207.2 MB/s

Communication

 The GP63 features an upgraded high-performance Killer E2400 chipset for cable-based connectivity and an Intel Wireless-AC 9560 module for wireless access. With transmit and receive rates of 660 and 626 Mbps, respectively, the GP63 Leopard can certainly hold its own even when compared to some of the pricier competitors. We experienced no random disconnects or other issues during the review period.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
661 MBit/s 0%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
660 MBit/s
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
Atheros/Qualcomm QCA6174
618 MBit/s -6%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
426 MBit/s -35%
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
387 MBit/s -41%
Gigabyte Aero 15X
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
354 MBit/s -46%
iperf3 receive AX12
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
701 MBit/s +12%
Gigabyte Aero 15X
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
684 MBit/s +9%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
626 MBit/s
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
610 MBit/s -3%
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
Atheros/Qualcomm QCA6174
541 MBit/s -14%
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
511 MBit/s -18%

Software

The transparency can be somewhat distracting
The transparency can be somewhat distracting

MSI includes their Dragon Center 2.0 software, which provides system monitoring and tuning via customizable profiles, an LED wizard for the RGB keyboard, a gaming mode with auto-tuning functionality, a voice wizard, a mobil connection center, as well as a section for tools and help. The window is semi-transparent and cannot be resized. A mini-mode allows for a separate display of various applets, which remain on top at all times.

Accessories

Aside from the 180 W power adapter, the notebook itself and a few pamphlets, the shipping box is empty.

Maintenance

Maintenance is not overly difficult and requires the removal of eleven screws – one of which is hidden under the “factory seal” sticker – before the bottom can be pried off with a guitar pick or a similar plastic tool. Once the panel has been removed, all of the major internal parts - both RAM slots, the two M.2 NVMe slot and the 2.5-inch bay, the dual cooling fans, and the WLAN module are all easily accessible, so upgrades are very easy indeed. Kudos to MSI: the battery is attached with a single screw and easily replaceable should it become necessary. 

Warranty

Just like its predecessor, the GP63 features a 12-month depot warranty with lifetime technical support. A one-year Accidental Damage Warranty applies only if the product is registered within 30 days of the ship date. A one-year Xotic PC warranty is provided on all customized components as well. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices

Keyboard

As before, MSI includes their SteelSeries RGB Gaming Keyboard with full color backlighting. Most users won't have a problem with the keyboard - on the contrary: the key travel is adequate, the tactile feedback is good and the keys themselves are reasonably large with good spacing. The layout is decent as well, although we don't really care for the position of the delete key in the row above the dedicated number block - the position above the backspace key would make more sense in our opinion. The keyboard backlight is configurable in three different zones and features three brightness levels plus off. Visibility is very good and the "Exclusive Silver Lining Printed keys", as MSI calls them, are clearly visible in all environments regardless of the ambient brightness.

Touchpad

The touchpad surface is acceptably large at 11 x 6.2 cm and continues the faux brushed aluminum look, but is recessed slightly so the edges can be felt when operating in the dark. The Synaptics touchpad allows for smooth control even when operating it with sweaty fingers - the surface is better than most in this regard - and the dedicated buttons are less error-prone than clickpad-integrated buttons while providing good feedback, although they do require a fair amount of pressure.

The keyboard is very decent ...
The keyboard is very decent ...
... and features three RGB zones as well as three brightness levels
... and features three RGB zones as well as three brightness levels
The Synaptics touchpad works quite well ...
The Synaptics touchpad works quite well ...
... but the options are less comprehensive than with Microsoft's Precision drivers
... but the options are less comprehensive than with Microsoft's Precision drivers

Display

MSI offers two different FHD panels clocked at 60 Hz and 120 Hz, respectively; G-Sync is not available. Our review notebook is equipped with the latter panel (Chi Mei CMN15F4 / N156HHE-GA1), which is based on TN and not the more common IPS technology. Cursor control is much smoother thanks to the higher refresh rate. The average brightness is quite decent at 340 nits and the contrast is also quite good. Despite the anti-glare treatment, the display appears less grainy than most and both text as well as the icons are very sharp.

RGB subpixel array (141 PPI)
RGB subpixel array (141 PPI)
Essentially no backlight bleeding
Essentially no backlight bleeding
348.8
cd/m²
355.3
cd/m²
336.1
cd/m²
322.2
cd/m²
368.5
cd/m²
320.5
cd/m²
338.9
cd/m²
348.5
cd/m²
328.1
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Chi Mei CMN15F4 (N156HHE-GA1 CMN) tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 368.5 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 340.8 cd/m² Minimum: 19.66 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 368.5 cd/m²
Contrast: 1084:1 (Black: 0.34 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 8.91 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 2.87
ΔE Greyscale 12 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.98% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
85.94% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
85.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
91.5% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 1.825
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
Chi Mei CMN15F4 (N156HHE-GA1 CMN), TN LED, 120 Hz, 15.60, 1920x1080
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
AUO42ED, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
LG Philips LGD0533 LP156WF6-SPK3, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
LG Display LP156WF6-SPP1, AH-IPS, Normally Black, Transmissive, 15.60, 1920x1080
MSI GE63VR 7RF Raider
Chi Mei N156HHE-GA1 (CMN15F4), TN LED, 15.60, 1920x1080
Display
-20%
-51%
-24%
0%
Display P3 Coverage
91.5
65.8
-28%
38.43
-58%
65.8
-28%
91.3
0%
sRGB Coverage
100
90.9
-9%
57.5
-42%
85.1
-15%
100
0%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
85.9
66.5
-23%
39.75
-54%
62.2
-28%
86.7
1%
Response Times
-176%
-95%
-188%
25%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
24 ?(12.8, 11.2)
43.2 ?(21.2, 22)
-80%
43 ?(22, 21)
-79%
41 ?(21, 20)
-71%
9.6 ?(5.2, 4.4)
60%
Response Time Black / White *
8.4 ?(6, 2.4)
31.2 ?(16.4, 14.8)
-271%
24 ?(12, 12)
-186%
34 ?(21, 13)
-305%
7.2 ?(5, 2.2)
14%
PWM Frequency
26040 ?(19)
21000 ?(90)
-19%
26000 ?(25)
0%
Screen
14%
-4%
6%
19%
Brightness middle
368.5
304
-18%
288
-22%
322
-13%
285
-23%
Brightness
341
289
-15%
275
-19%
297
-13%
273
-20%
Brightness Distribution
87
86
-1%
86
-1%
86
-1%
84
-3%
Black Level *
0.34
0.26
24%
0.36
-6%
0.31
9%
0.23
32%
Contrast
1084
1169
8%
800
-26%
1039
-4%
1239
14%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
8.91
3.46
61%
5.29
41%
4.73
47%
3.52
60%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
14.39
7.72
46%
9.97
31%
12.37
14%
5.18
64%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
2.87
Greyscale dE 2000 *
12
2.46
79%
4.5
62%
2.99
75%
3.41
72%
Gamma
1.825 121%
2.38 92%
2.39 92%
2.32 95%
2.05 107%
CCT
11519 56%
6915 94%
6839 95%
6905 94%
7077 92%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
85.94
59
-31%
37
-57%
56
-35%
77
-10%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
99.98
91
-9%
57
-43%
85
-15%
100
0%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-61% / -18%
-50% / -30%
-69% / -26%
15% / 16%

* ... smaller is better

Color space coverage is very good at 86 % for Adobe RGB and 100 % for sRGB, so with the right color profile (see caveat below), photo editing is not out of the question. Of course, the color space coverage will be of lower importance to most users - this is a gaming notebook, after all.

vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. Lenovo Legion Y720
vs. Lenovo Legion Y720

At a first glance, the result of our X-Rite spectrophotometer measurements appear to be downright dismal out of the box with grayscale and color DeltaE-deviations of 12 and 9, respectively and an average CCT north of 11K. We should point out here that the results are often skewed when there's special color profile software installed beyond the built-in software for Windows, as it is in this case. Our measurements are always performed at the out-of-the-box default settings, which in turn can help explain why the very same panel does much better in other implementations, including the predecessor GP62.  A calibration improves the accuracy markedly with the average DeltaE values dropping to 1.5 for grayscale and to under 3 for color. 

ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps 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
8.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6 ms rise
↘ 2.4 ms fall
The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 18 % 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
24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 12.8 ms rise
↘ 11.2 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 29 % 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 ≤ 19 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 26040 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 19 % 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 18071 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Since this is a TN panel, the viewing angles are more restricted than they would be with IPS displays. Horizontally there aren't any issues, but particularly when tilting the panel back, clouding and color inversions occur rather rapidly. 

Outdoor usability is quite decent thanks to the high brightness combined with the anti-glare coating, but the screen still needs to be adjusted carefully to minimize reflections particularly in direct sunlight and to ensure a head-on viewing position. 

Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
More restrictive TN viewing angles
More restrictive TN viewing angles

Performance

Thanks to the i7-8550U in combination with an Nvidia GeFroce GTX 1060, primary 128 GB SSD and 16 GB of RAM, the MSI GP63 Leopard is a very capable and well-performing system. Users who buy their MSI notebook through Xotic PC can upgrade various components in the online configurator at the time of purchase. Xotic PC also offers a a lower-end model with FHD IPS display and an Nvida GeForce TX 1050TI for $1200.  Both the processor as well as the GPU are fixed for either SKU, but there is a plethora of options especially when it comes to hard drives. An upgrade from the standard 128 GB SATA drive to a 500GB Certified M.2 PCIe SSSD costs $160, just to give just one example. 

Processor

Processor performance of the 8th gen i7-8750H CPU is generally impressive with a substantial boost over the quad-core predecessor i7-7700HQ especially when it comes to multi-core operation. The Cinebench benchmarks show single-digit improvement in the single-thread scores, but multi-core performance is up by 50 %. The sustained performance is also decent: running CineBench R15 Multi in a loop results in an 8 % initial drop with no further declines throughout the remainder of the test. Note that some systems - particularly the Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 - utilize their Turbo Boost much better and offer up to 20 % better performance than the test notebook. In most usage scenarios - including gaming - the difference in raw performance is more or less negligible.  

Please see our dedicated CPU page on the Intel Core i7-8750H for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

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Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit - MSI GP63 Leopard
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8
Intel Core i7-8750H
175 Points
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Intel Core i7-8750H
170 Points
Eurocom Q6
Intel Core i7-8750H
170 Points
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
Intel Core i7-8750H
170 Points
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
160 Points
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
160 Points
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
144 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
131 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
1408 Points
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Intel Core i7-8750H
1168 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8
Intel Core i7-8750H
1133 Points
Eurocom Q6
Intel Core i7-8750H
1070 Points
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
Intel Core i7-8750H
964 Points
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
740 Points
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
737 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
514 Points
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.99 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.98 Points
Eurocom Q6
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.95 Points
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.92 Points
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.83 Points
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
1.63 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
1.52 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
15.76 Points
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Intel Core i7-8750H
13.29 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8
Intel Core i7-8750H
12.93 Points
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
Intel Core i7-8750H
11.86 Points
Eurocom Q6
Intel Core i7-8750H
11.62 Points
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.18 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
5.92 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
7272
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
33703
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
6481
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
72.9 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
11.86 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.99 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
100 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
964 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
170 Points
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System Performance

The overall system performance according to PCMark 8 is about mid-pack and maybe a tad slower than expected. The likely culprit is likely the slow SATA-based SSD - the PCMark scores generally benefit from faster PCIe NVMe SSDs. The new hexa-core CPU thus doesn't automatically guarantee a higher synthetic benchmark score: as the tables below show, the HP Omen 15-ce002ng with i7- 7700HQ and GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q is able to perform about as well here as the (at least theoretically) faster GP63 with i7-8750H processor. The PCMark 10 benchmark failed  every time we attempted to run it with a score of zero and a message saying that "...the benchmark ended unexpectedly...".

Aside from the issues with PCMark 10 we didn't experience any additional software problems with our test unit during the review period.

PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4858 Points +10%
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LX015-1U7172
4757 Points +8%
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
4644 Points +5%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
4504 Points +2%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
4415 Points
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4115 Points -7%
MSI GP62 7REX-1045US
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5128GP
3928 Points -11%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
5751 Points +7%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
5676 Points +6%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
5354 Points
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5348 Points 0%
MSI GP62 7REX-1045US
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5128GP
5130 Points -4%
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5083 Points -5%
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LX015-1U7172
4877 Points -9%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4415 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
5336 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5354 points
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Storage Devices

PM871 M.2 2280 128 GB SATA III SSD with empty M.2 slot
PM871 M.2 2280 128 GB SATA III SSD with empty M.2 slot

Our review notebook is equipped with a Samsung PM871 M.2 2280 128 GB SATA SSD in combination with a 1 TB 7200 RPM HGST mechanical hard drive for storage. The secondary M.2 slot (also PCIe NVMe) is empty. The throughput is decent for a SATA-based SSD, but compared to competitors with PCIe NVMe drives, the results are less than spectacular. Especially the 4K read rates could be higher: the booting to the desktop is somewhat slow at 28 seconds. The mechanical hard drive offers rather pedestrian performance, but for data storage or games this isn't really an issue. Note that the predecessor GP62 lacked the additional M.2 slot, so the GP63 is definitely a better choice for users demanding maximum storage or those wanting to use RAID arrays for their system drives.

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

AS SSD - primary SSD
AS SSD - primary SSD
CrystalDiskMark 5 - primary SSD
CrystalDiskMark 5 - primary SSD
HD Tune - secondary HDD
HD Tune - secondary HDD
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
Gigabyte Aero 15X
Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
Eurocom Q6
Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
MSI GE63VR 7RF Raider
Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
AS SSD
259%
282%
16%
145%
Copy Game MB/s
220.7
933
323%
633
187%
382.5
73%
Copy Program MB/s
328.1
323.8
-1%
363.4
11%
274.8
-16%
Copy ISO MB/s
690
1851
168%
1768
156%
814
18%
Score Total
742
3570
381%
3894
425%
930
25%
2405
224%
Score Write
245
1333
444%
1693
591%
293
20%
594
142%
Score Read
325
1522
368%
1477
354%
420
29%
1241
282%
Access Time Write *
0.072
0.033
54%
0.039
46%
0.045
37%
0.037
49%
Access Time Read *
0.155
0.068
56%
0.049
68%
0.168
-8%
0.058
63%
4K-64 Write
137.8
1106
703%
1403
918%
170.6
24%
375.8
173%
4K-64 Read
253
1225
384%
1195
372%
350.3
38%
929
267%
4K Write
60.8
113.8
87%
96.2
58%
77.3
27%
100.2
65%
4K Read
21.88
46.56
113%
29.62
35%
19.55
-11%
46.95
115%
Seq Write
462.9
1124
143%
1943
320%
447
-3%
1181
155%
Seq Read
504
2508
398%
2523
401%
506
0%
2652
426%

* ... smaller is better

Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 207.8 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 146.2 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 517 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 325 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 517 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 325 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 33.25 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 61 MB/s
CDM 6 Write 4K Q8T8: 482.5 MB/s
CDM 6 Read 4K Q8T8: 539 MB/s

GPU Performance

The GP106-based Nvidia GTX1060 features 6 GB of GDDR5 RAM and performs admirably. In fact, according to the 3DMark 11 and 3DMark 13 benchmark tests, the GP63 outperforms many of the other GTX 1060 candidates. With the notebook disconnected from the mains, the performance takes a serious hit: a run of 3DMark 11 with the notebook running on battery shows reduced graphics (-64 %) and physics (-19 %) scores with an overall drop of 8200 points (-58 %).

For additional technical information and benchmark comparisons, please see our dedicated page on the GeForce GTX 1060.

3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI GE63VR 7RF Raider
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
23246 Points +51%
Gigabyte Aero 15X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
18689 Points +21%
Eurocom Q6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
18363 Points +19%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
15411 Points
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700
15264 Points -1%
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
15145 Points -2%
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
14942 Points -3%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (12620 - 15607, n=77)
14692 Points -5%
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
14233 Points -8%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
13279 Points -14%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ
13075 Points -15%
1280x720 Performance Combined
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
11209 Points
Eurocom Q6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
10351 Points -8%
Gigabyte Aero 15X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
9152 Points -18%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700
8946 Points -20%
MSI GE63VR 7RF Raider
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
8937 Points -20%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
8762 Points -22%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (5655 - 12930, n=76)
8458 Points -25%
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7957 Points -29%
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7358 Points -34%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ
6264 Points -44%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
MSI GE63VR 7RF Raider
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
110219 Points +28%
Eurocom Q6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
105079 Points +22%
Gigabyte Aero 15X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
101163 Points +17%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
86193 Points
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
82913 Points -4%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ
73603 Points -15%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
73391 Points -15%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (26770 - 86193, n=68)
71237 Points -17%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700
68629 Points -20%
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
66973 Points -22%
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
66856 Points -22%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI GE63VR 7RF Raider
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
17793 Points +45%
Eurocom Q6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
14694 Points +20%
Gigabyte Aero 15X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
14607 Points +19%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H
12235 Points
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
12038 Points -2%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (10708 - 12298, n=77)
11547 Points -6%
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
11494 Points -6%
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
11134 Points -9%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700
11010 Points -10%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
10349 Points -15%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ
10263 Points -16%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Gigabyte Aero 15X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
215087 Points
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
196751 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ
156285 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
  (33205 - 257260, n=33)
152262 Points
3DMark 11 Performance
14174 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
32310 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
10722 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
5536 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Gaming performance is excellent for a system with GTX 1060 graphics and the recorded frame rates are up to 10 % higher than average. Notebooks with the GTX 1070 allow for 20 - 30 % higher frame rates depending on the game and the graphics settings, while the older GP62 with GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics trails the test unit by up to 50 %.

A quick note on the new processor: although the i7-8750H offers substantial performance gains over the i7-7700HQ, it does so mainly for for multi-threaded productivity titles which can take advantage of the two additional cores. Many modern games will be bottlenecked by the GPU first, so the raw performance gains on the processor side are not necessarily going to translate to a much smoother gaming experience.

The Witcher 3
1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
165.2 fps +19%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
138.7 fps
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1002
129 (114min) fps -7%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
119 fps -14%
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
118 fps -15%
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
97 fps +42%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
92.8 fps +35%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
73.4 fps +7%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
68.5 fps
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1002
67.4 (58min) fps -2%
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
66 fps -4%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
63.2 fps -8%
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
MSI GE63VR 7RF Raider
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
62.2 fps +47%
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
52.4 fps +24%
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
48.9 fps +16%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
42.3 fps
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LX015-1U7172
39 fps -8%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1002
37.4 (31min) fps -12%
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
35.5 fps -16%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
35.2 fps -17%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
34.6 fps -18%
Rise of the Tomb Raider
1366x768 Medium Preset AF:2x
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
166.2 fps +20%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
138.2 fps
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
124 fps -10%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1002
121 (114min) fps -12%
MSI GP62 7REX-1045US
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5128GP
71 fps -49%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x
MSI GE63VR 7RF Raider
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
118.8 fps +54%
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
97.8 fps +27%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
77.3 fps
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
67.5 fps -13%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
65.6 fps -15%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1002
64 (57min) fps -17%
MSI GP62 7REX-1045US
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5128GP
44 fps -43%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
MSI GE63VR 7RF Raider
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
102.5 fps +54%
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
82.4 fps +24%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
66.6 fps
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LX015-1U7172
56 fps -16%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
55.4 fps -17%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), R7 1700, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1002
53 (47min) fps -20%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
51.1 fps -23%
MSI GP62 7REX-1045US
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5128GP
36 fps -46%
BioShock Infinite
1366x768 Medium Preset
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
246.7 fps +6%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
233.2 fps
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
171.1 fps -27%
MSI GP62 7REX-1045US
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5128GP
164 fps -30%
1366x768 High Preset
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
230.8 fps +2%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
225.4 fps
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
159.5 fps -29%
MSI GP62 7REX-1045US
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5128GP
155 fps -31%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
Eurocom Q6
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
132.1 fps +14%
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
115.4 fps
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LX015-1U7172
111 fps -4%
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
99.5 fps -14%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
95.3 fps -17%
MSI GP62 7REX-1045US
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5128GP
71 fps -38%
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 272.4 233.2 225.4 115.4
The Witcher 3 (2015) 197.4 138.7 68.5 42.3
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 180.3 138.2 77.3 66.6

Stress Test

We subject our review notebooks to unrealistically high CPU and GPU loads to identify throttling and potential stability issues. Under Prime95 load, the CPU cores run at between 2.7 - 2.9 GHz at a temperature of 78 - 80 C. The two fans slowly increase in speed and end up at about 3200 RPM for the CPU and 2800 RPM for the GPU, respectively. With Furmark running on its own, the GPU runs at just under 1400 MHz with the temperature eventually reaching 76 C and the fans working much harder at 4600/4200 RPM.

Stressing both the CPU and GPU simultaneously with Prime95 and FurMark results in CPU clock rates of between 2.7 - 2.9 GHz at temperatures of 93 - 95 C, while the GPU remains at just under 1400 MHz at a maximum of 82 C. The fans speeds reach new heights at roughly 5200/4700 RPM.

Witcher 3 load much better represents real-world gaming stress. Here, the CPU runs at 3.9 GHz at temperatures of up to 83 C, while the GPU runs at 1700 MHz at 80 C. The fans remain at around 4600 RPM for the duration.

Our main observation here is that MSI employs fairly aggressive thermal management especially during periods of heavy CPU stress, which might help to explain why other notebooks with the same processor score better in the Cinebench tests. MSI's Cooler Boost technology reduces the temperatures of both the CPU and GPU by a about 10 - 12 C with the GPU cycling between 1400 - 1600 MHz. There's no apparent improvement in benchmark performance or frame rates, however, so we used the "auto" setting for the most part to avoid the additional noise the fans generate at maximum RPM.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Witcher 3 stress
Witcher 3 stress
01234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344Tooltip
The Witcher 3 ultra
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 2.7-2.9 - 78-80 -
FurMark Stress - 1400 - 76
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 2.7-2.9 1400 93-95 82
Witcher 3 Stress 3.9 83 1700 80

Emissions

System Noise

MSI GP63 Leopard (White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: 3DMark06, Orange: Witcher 3, Green: Prime95+FurMark)
MSI GP63 Leopard (White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: 3DMark06, Orange: Witcher 3, Green: Prime95+FurMark)

As we mentioned above, the two fans work pretty hard at times to keep the internal temperatures in check. During idle, the CPU fan will start spinning occasionally for a maximum noise level of 33 dB. Gaming will push both fans into the 4000-5000 RPM range with the noise occasionally topping 50 dB. Maximum load during the stress test resulted in a noise level of almost 57 dB, which is louder than most competitors under similar conditions. Systems like the HP Omen 15 and the Lenovo Y720 are significantly quieter when gaming; the larger 17.3-inch Asus Strix GL703VM is about as loud as the review notebook.

We did not notice any coil whine or electronic noise on our unit even when running hard drive benchmarks.

Noise Level

Idle
32.8 / 32.8 / 33 dB(A)
Load
35.8 / 52.3 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 (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28.4 dB(A)
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
Asus Strix GL703VM-DB74
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LX015-1U7172
Noise
-0%
6%
3%
2%
off / environment *
28.4
30
-6%
30.3
-7%
30.4
-7%
28.4
-0%
Idle Minimum *
32.8
30
9%
31
5%
30.9
6%
30.2
8%
Idle Average *
32.8
33
-1%
30.9
6%
30.9
6%
30.2
8%
Idle Maximum *
33
37
-12%
31.5
5%
31.5
5%
30.2
8%
Load Average *
35.8
41
-15%
38.7
-8%
40.7
-14%
38.4
-7%
Witcher 3 ultra *
51
42
18%
42
18%
45.5
11%
49.7
3%
Load Maximum *
52.3
50
4%
41.9
20%
43.9
16%
54.5
-4%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Two vents in each corner (Witcher 3 load)
Two vents in each corner (Witcher 3 load)

Despite the comparatively aggressive thermal management with well-controlled hardware temperatures, the surface areas do become quite warm. Both our stress test with Prime95 and Furmark and the Witcher 3 test increase the temperature to a maximum of 48 C on the bottom in the middle quadrant. Many competing systems get hotter though: the HP Omen 15 reaches up to 54 C under the same conditions. The WASD key area only gets moderately warm at about 35 C when gaming and the palm rests as well as the touchpad stay cool to the touch even under sustained heavy loads. The new and improved cooling system - MSI now employs seven heat pipes and two additional exhaust vents - keeps the palm rests markedly cooler compared to the predecessor GP62, which could reach 40 C in the touchpad area.

System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle (bottom)
System idle (bottom)
Maximum stress (top)
Maximum stress (top)
Maximum stress (bottom)
Maximum stress (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Max. Load
 42 °C
108 F
42.2 °C
108 F
40 °C
104 F
 
 37.6 °C
100 F
41.2 °C
106 F
33.4 °C
92 F
 
 24.2 °C
76 F
25.4 °C
78 F
25 °C
77 F
 
Maximum: 42.2 °C = 108 F
Average: 34.6 °C = 94 F
41.8 °C
107 F
36 °C
97 F
42.4 °C
108 F
29.8 °C
86 F
47.8 °C
118 F
30.8 °C
87 F
31.4 °C
89 F
27.4 °C
81 F
27 °C
81 F
Maximum: 47.8 °C = 118 F
Average: 34.9 °C = 95 F
Power Supply (max.)  47 °C = 117 F | Room Temperature 22.4 °C = 72 F | Raytek Raynger ST
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.6 °C / 94 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 42.2 °C / 108 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 47.8 °C / 118 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.9 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 34.7 °C / 94 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29.6 °C / 85.3 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-0.7 °C / -1.3 F).

Speakers

MSI refers to the sound system simply as "giant speakers" and promises "louder sound, more resonance, and higher quality". Our measurements unfortunately can't really confirm the latter claims: the speakers do get quite loud with balanced mids and highs, but the bass output is pretty much non-existent. Despite the included Nahimic software, the speakers remain tinny and unpleasant. We highly recommend headphones or external speakers for a much more satisfying experience. 

One of the "Giant Speakers"
One of the "Giant Speakers"
Speaker sound profile
Speaker sound profile
Nahimic software
Nahimic software
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2039.836.22536.236.23133.733.3403434.55033.934.76332.433.48031.534.310030.433.812530.835.916029.342.720028.444.525028.452.131527.160.540026.465.650026.166.563026.868.980026.267.1100025.267.4125025.368160025.978.3200025.275.5250024.777.1315024.874.9400024.470.5500024.569.5630024.173.3800023.976.51000023.974.71250023.868.11600023.967.2SPL37.385.8N2.963.7median 25.3median 68Delta1.68.335.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013USApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.8% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 74% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 22% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 53% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 39% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

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

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Idling on desktop will consume 8 to 13.5 W depending on the brightness level, chosen profile, and Optimus setting. The Dell Inspiron 15 with i5-7300HQ and GTX 1060 Max-Q graphics is more frugal here and consumes up to 35 % less. The average and maximum power consumption is up significantly compared to the predecessor and tops other notebooks equipped with either GTX 1060 or GTX 1060 Max-Q GPUs. Gaming can draw up to 160 W, which is probably why MSI chose to go with a more capable 180 W power adapter (previous model: 150 W). Some systems with the GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q - like the Eurocom Q6 - actually consume less power under load than the test unit.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.6 / 0.97 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 7.99 / 12.15 / 13.4 Watt
Load midlight 103.62 / 164.29 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 GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Samsung PM871b MZNLN128HAHQ, TN LED, 120 Hz, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GP62 7REX-1045US
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5128GP, TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Power Consumption
-46%
17%
34%
-14%
Idle Minimum *
7.99
18
-125%
8
-0%
7.1
11%
14.6
-83%
Idle Average *
12.15
23
-89%
10.9
10%
7.6
37%
17.2
-42%
Idle Maximum *
13.4
30
-124%
11.8
12%
8.6
36%
17.3
-29%
Load Average *
103.62
85
18%
70
32%
59.5
43%
82.7
20%
Witcher 3 ultra *
156.1
96
39%
102
35%
89
43%
107
31%
Load Maximum *
164.29
158
4%
148
10%
112.8
31%
136.7
17%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Compared to the GP72, the internal battery pack has seen a 25 % bump in capacity to 51 Wh. Real-world browsing results are decent for a gaming notebook with a such a modestly-sized battery and with run times close to 5 hours, users don't always have to be in the vicinity of outlets when traveling. Other laptops feature larger batteries and consequently longer run times. The Dell Inspiron 15 also has a smallish 56 Wh battery, but lasts up to seven hours per charge.

As we mentioned earlier, the performance is massively reduced when running on battery power, so playing games might be a frustrating experience.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
7h 31min
WiFi Websurfing
4h 46min
Load (maximum brightness)
0h 52min
MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 51 Wh
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, 70 Wh
Lenovo Lenovo Legion Y720 80VR002XGE
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 60 Wh
Acer Aspire VN7-593G-73HP V15 Nitro BE
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 69 Wh
MSI GP62 7REX-1045US
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 41 Wh
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, 56 Wh
Battery Runtime
-7%
42%
71%
-34%
59%
Reader / Idle
451
256
-43%
707
57%
501
11%
259
-43%
659
46%
WiFi v1.3
286
198
-31%
380
33%
357
25%
174
-39%
416
45%
Load
52
80
54%
71
37%
144
177%
41
-21%
96
85%

Pros

+ good keyboard and touchpad
+ strong GPU performance
+ easy to upgrade
+ dual PCIe NVMe slots + 2.5-inch bay
+ bright 120 Hz display
+ improved cooling system
+ decent battery life

Cons

- uninspiring build quality
- quite noisy under full load
- display lid with low torsional rigidity
- TN display has limited viewing angle stability
- no Thunderbolt 3
- average speakers
- no G-Sync
- not exactly a bargain

Verdict

In review: MSI GP63 Leopard. Test model provided by Xotic PC
In review: MSI GP63 Leopard. Test model provided by Xotic PC

The MSI GP63 Leopard Xotic PC Edition picks up where the predecessor GP62 left off. The quality of the chassis still isn't all that impressive, but the updated hardware in form of the hexa-core Coffee Lake-H CPU and a slightly higher-end GTX 1060 graphics card guarantees a significant bump in performance and a more enjoyable gaming experience. We also appreciate the additional USB 3.0 port in lieu of the previously integrated DVD+/-RW drive. The tri-zone backlit RGB keyboard is a pleasure to use and the touchpad does its job well. The 120 Hz TN display is bright with still acceptable viewing angles and - at least after a calibration - decent color and grayscale accuracy. The battery capacity has been increased as well, so the machine can serve limited duty as an allrounder notebook as well.

MSI's thermal management remains fairly conservative despite the upgraded and much improved cooling system, which now features seven heat pipes instead of six. While the CPU temperatures generally remain lower across the board than we would have expected, the raw processing power takes a hit as well. We think that a 128 GB primary SSD is the bare minimum these days and given the choice, we would probably upgrade to a larger and faster 256 GB PCIe NVMe SSD. Despite the 120 Hz display, G-Sync is not available.

The MSI GP63 Leopard Xotic PC Edition is a well-mannered gaming laptop with perfectly adequate performance - but it isn't offered at a bargain price. 

MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE-013US - 06/13/2018 v6(old)
Bernie Pechlaner

Chassis
68 / 98 → 70%
Keyboard
90%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
58 / 81 → 71%
Weight
61 / 10-66 → 91%
Battery
80%
Display
82%
Games Performance
94%
Application Performance
96%
Temperature
88 / 95 → 93%
Noise
77 / 90 → 85%
Audio
40%
Camera
61 / 85 → 71%
Average
75%
82%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > MSI GP63 Leopard 8RE (i7-8750H, GTX 1060, FHD) Xotic PC Edition Laptop Review
Bernie Pechlaner, 2018-06-20 (Update: 2019-03- 9)