MSI GS63VR 7RF (7700HQ, 4K UHD, GTX 1060) Laptop Review

In terms of dimensions and weight, the system is just a millimeter or two thicker than both the XPS 15 and MacBook Pro 15 while being much more powerful than both. It has a larger footprint than either model and is also lighter than the Dell by about 200 g, so the MSI definitely doesn't feel as dense. Nonetheless, the system is surprisingly portable at under 2 kg compared to the significantly heavier Alienware 15 and Asus FX502VM.

The bottom panel requires only a Philips screwdriver to remove, though users should be careful of the sharp edges and corners when prying the rear latches. Access to the main motherboard components including the heat pipes, M.2 2280 slot, and 2x DDR4 SODIMM slots require further disassembly not unlike on the original GS60 Ghost.

Note that removal of the bottom maintenance panel requires destroying a warranty sticker first. Thus, users may risk voiding the manufacturer warranty if deciding to service any components.

Keyboard

MSI uses the familiar SteelSeries keyboard across its high-end lineup of gaming notebooks and the GS series is no exception. Gamers who have played on a GT72 should feel right at home as the keys are firm in feedback, do not wiggle in place, and clatter relatively quietly. Feedback is just slightly softer than on the GT72, however, since the keyboard base of the GS63VR is not as rigid as on the larger GT series. The NumPad is smaller than the main QWERTY keys and there are no dedicated auxiliary keys for additional functions. The three-zone RGB backlight makes its return, though a small part of us is hoping that future MSI notebooks will incorporate individually-lit RGB keys not unlike the latest Aorus and Razer systems.

Touchpad

The smooth plastic trackpad works as one would expect with no noticeable cursor jitters or unreliable corners. Pushing down on its center will not significantly warp the surface and the thin red chrome lining looks much classier than the printed plastic lining on many Asus ROG units including the G753. Less impressive are the integrated keys of the touchpad as feedback is soft and shallow. A fair amount of force is required to register a click, so clicking repetitively in quick succession can become tiresome.

Color space covers approximately 72 percent and 46 percent of the sRGB and AdobeRGB standards, respectively. This pales in comparison to the wider gamuts of the XPS 15 and MacBook Pro 15. The narrower gamut should have little impact on the target gaming audience as extreme color accuracy is typically reserved for digital artists. Nonetheless, certain gaming notebooks offer complete sRGB coverage including the Razer Blade series. It's also worth noting that the base 1080p option for the GS63VR has a wider color gamut than the 4K UHD configuration, so some users may prefer the lower-cost 1080p panel.

Colors and grayscale are inaccurate out of the box even with the MSI True Color software set to the preset sRGB option. Our own calibration efforts improve grayscale and colors dramatically by increasing color temperature and flattening the RGB balance curve. Colors still become more inaccurate the higher the saturation level due to the panel's imperfect sRGB coverage.

Outdoor visibility is average under shade and poor under direct sunlight. The display can be opened all the way up to 180 degrees to help reduce glare as much as possible, which is uncommon on most gaming notebooks. The wide IPS viewing angles also make the notebook easier to use outdoors than other gaming systems with TN displays. The backlight is unfortunately the one major attribute preventing the GS63VR from being the de factor outdoor gaming notebook as it is nowhere near as bright as a MacBook Pro 15 or Alienware 15.

Viewing too far off angle will cause slight contrast shifts and lighter colors.

Raw performance from the i7-7700HQ is only marginally better than the previous Skylake i7-6700HQ in multi-threaded workloads. The boost in single-threaded performance is higher and on par with the desktop i7-6700K. This is particularly notable as the i7-6700K is rated for almost twice the TDP as our mobile i7-7700HQ.

See our dedicated CPU page on the i7-7700HQ for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

PCMark 8 ranks our GS63VR similarly to other gaming notebooks of its class. Its PCMark Creative score, however, is notably worse than the similarly equipped FX502VM.

Subjectively, we experienced no software or hardware issues during regular use and gaming loads. Unfortunately, extreme benchmark loads with Prime95 and FurMark would consistently crash our test unit after half a minute or so of running. As such, we are unable to provide our usual fan noise, temperature, and power consumption measurements when subjected to both Prime95 and FurMark loads. Otherwise, games appear to run normally and we will provide Witcher 3 measurements instead as a replacement. We recommend that new owners of the GS63VR run benchmark checks and RAM diagnostic tools to make sure that the system behaves as it should when under extreme loads.

When testing high-performance thin gaming notebooks like the GS63VR, we're always on the lookout for potential GPU throttling or small cut corners that could negatively impact gaming performance. Fortunately, we can find no such drawbacks on the MSI notebook as GPU performance is essentially on par with the similarly equipped Asus FX502VM according to 3DMark benchmarks. Our desktop GeForce GTX 1060 reference card, however, is about 15 percent faster than the mobile GTX 1060 found on the MSI. Even so, raw graphics performance from the GS63VR is still about 10 to 15 percent faster than the GTX 980M.

See our review on the GTX 1060 for more technical information on the Pascal series.

Our usual stress tests involve running Prime95 and FurMark and then recording the core temperatures that the system will stabilize at. Since our specific test unit appears to crash when running Prime95 or when being heavily taxed to an unrealistic 100 percent load, we decided to run CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop and have recorded the results below. The CPU stabilizes at an acceptable 76 C with consistent 3.1 to 3.3 GHz Turbo Boost clock rates compared to its base clock rate of 2.8 GHz and a maximum Turbo Boost clock rate of 3.8 GHz. Meanwhile, the GPU is able to maintain Boost clock rates in the 1600 MHz range when running Witcher 3 compared to its base clock rate of 1404 MHz. The fact that such a thin system can maintain clock rates above their advertised base rates is impressive on its own right. The drawback is a high GPU temperature of 83 C compared to larger systems like the GT72 or GT73VR where core temperatures are usually in the cooler 70 C ranged.

Running Witcher 3 for over an hour results in no steadily declining frame rates or throttling issues. Average frame rates are stable at about 39 FPS throughout our entire test run as recorded below. Running on batteries will automatically limit frame rates to 30 FPS to save power.

Do more fans really make for a quieter experience? System noise is indeed measurably quieter than the outgoing GS60, but not by as much as one would hope. The fans are still always active on the GS63VR even when on Power Saver mode with fan speed set to Basic. Idling on desktop is already louder than most gaming or multimedia notebooks including the Asus FX502VM and XPS 15. Keep in mind that the fans are much more sensitive to RPM changes when the notebook is set to Balanced or High Performance modes, so Power Saver mode is recommended when working in classrooms or libraries.

Running 3DMark 06 and 3DMark 11 will bump fan noise slightly to 37.2 dB(A) and 45.5 dB(A), respectively. In comparison, the FX502VM and XPS 15 9560 will be at 46.2 dB(A) and 47.1 dB(A), respectively, when running 3DMark 11. While the GS63VR is a bit quieter, it also suffers from higher-pitched fans not unlike what we recorded on the larger GS73VR. For example, our microphone measurements below show a narrower peak at a higher frequency range compared to the broader peak of the Asus FX502VM. This is likely due to the addition of the smaller ~40 mm fan, so quieter fan noise comes at the cost of a slightly higher-pitched system. Earphones are recommend when gaming as we can record a fan noise of 47 dB(A) when playing Witcher 3.

Note that our Load Average measurements below for the XPS 15 and FX502VM were recorded while running 3DMark 11 while our Load Average measurement for the GS63VR was recorded while running 3DMark 06, so these values are not directly comparable with the MSI.

Outside of the fans, we can notice no coil whine on our test unit.

Surface temperatures are rather warm at almost 30 C even when idling on desktop and on the Power Saver mode. Running Witcher 3 for one hour will result in a warm keyboard and an even warmer underside as shown by our temperature maps below. While the palm rests and WASD keys remain relatively cool, we wouldn't recommend using the notebook on one's lap if running demanding applications. Similar hot spots can be observed on the Razer Blade and the XPS 15 9560, both of which are also very thin notebooks with dedicated Pascal GPUs.

Heat it expelled through the ventilation grilles on the left and right edges of the notebook. Thus, expect warm hands when gaming with an external mouse.

Sound quality is average due to poor bass. We set Bass Boost to its maximum through the included Nahimic software and music playback is still lacking in oomph. Larger gaming notebooks like the GT73VR or even multimedia notebooks like the Asus N55x series include dedicated subwoofers for a wider range of reproducible frequencies. Nonetheless, maximum volume is sufficiently loud with no static or major reverberations. Users with high-end headphones can take advantage of the gold-plated Hi-Fi audio jack and dedicated Sabre DAC for a better sound experience.