Notebookcheck Logo

MSI GS66 Stealth 10SGS Laptop Review: Core i7 or Core i9?

Redefining the GS series. It's been a long time since we've seen a completely redesigned GS laptop from MSI. The GS66 is a leap forward for the series in terms of visual style and build quality while the new processors are just okay upgrades at best.

It takes more than just one configuration to get a feel for the whole series. After having just checked out the MSI GS66 10SFS with the Core i9-10980HK CPU and GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q GPU, we're now ready to tackle the GS66 10SGS configured with the Core i7-10750H and GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q instead. What differences can users expect between the two SKUs and is one more recommendable than the other?

The configuration as tested below can be found on Xotic PC for $2700 USD. The GS66 directly succeeds the GS65 and it competes directly with other high-end ultra-thin gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 15, Asus Zephyrus S GX531, Dell Alienware m15 R2, Gigabyte Aorus series, Lenovo Legion Y740-15, and the Acer Predator Triton.

More MSI reviews:

MSI GS66 10SGS (GS66 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-10750H 6 x 2.6 - 5 GHz, Comet Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 735 MHz, Memory: 1375 MHz, GDDR6, 445.87, Optimus
Memory
32 GB 
, DDR4-2666, Dual-Channel, 19-19-19-43
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, AU Optronics B156HAN12.0, IPS, AUO328E, glossy: no, 300 Hz
Mainboard
Intel HM470
Storage
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, 512 GB 
Soundcard
NVIDIA TU104 - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
5 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo
Networking
Killer E3100G 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000/2500MBit/s), Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth 5.1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 20 x 358 x 248 ( = 0.79 x 14.09 x 9.76 in)
Battery
99.99 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 4-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD (720p)
Additional features
Speakers: 2.0 Dynaudio, Keyboard: Chiclet, SteelSeries, Keyboard Light: yes, Dragon Center, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.167 kg ( = 76.44 oz / 4.78 pounds), Power Supply: 732 g ( = 25.82 oz / 1.61 pounds)
Price
2700 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
84 %
05/2020
MSI GS66 10SGS
i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
2.2 kg20 mm15.60"1920x1080
81.3 %
05/2019
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
2.1 kg19 mm15.60"1920x1080
88.8 %
05/2019
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
2.2 kg17.8 mm15.60"1920x1080
84.8 %
10/2019
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
2.3 kg25 mm15.60"1920x1080
83.3 %
02/2020
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
2.5 kg30 mm15.60"1920x1080

Case

One of the main criticisms of the GS65 was its pliable build compared to sturdier and more rigid alternatives like the Razer Blade 15. The GS66 addresses this by overhauling the chassis to be firmer and less likely to bend. It's definitely one of the biggest and most noticeable improvements over the GS65.

There are still a couple of drawbacks to the new metal design. Firstly, the chassis still bends and creaks a bit more than the Razer when twisting it from its corners. Secondly, it's not a unibody skeleton despite its sleek all-black demeanor; the front edge and rear, for example, are made of separate pieces meaning that there is room for uneven gaps and crevices between materials.

In order to strengthen the chassis and add a larger battery, MSI had to increase both the thickness and weight by about 2 mm and 200 g, respectively, over the older GS65 design. MSI had one of the lightest 15.6-inch gaming laptops in the market with the GS65 and so it's a bit of a bummer that the newer model is noticeably heavier. However, the move is probably for the best as the system feels better and longer-lasting than its predecessor.

Chassis is not a unibody design as noted by the crevice between the palm rest and glossy front edge strip
Chassis is not a unibody design as noted by the crevice between the palm rest and glossy front edge strip
Smooth matte metal surfaces look a lot like the Razer Blade 15, but the latter still has the edge
Smooth matte metal surfaces look a lot like the Razer Blade 15, but the latter still has the edge
Hinges are satisfactory with no creaking or teetering when adjusting their angle or typing
Hinges are satisfactory with no creaking or teetering when adjusting their angle or typing
Power button has been moved to the top right of the keyboard where the Delete key usually sits
Power button has been moved to the top right of the keyboard where the Delete key usually sits
One of the few gaming laptops where the lid can open all the way up to 180 degrees
One of the few gaming laptops where the lid can open all the way up to 180 degrees
Base is stronger and thicker than the outgoing GS65. Expect fingerprints everywhere yet again
Base is stronger and thicker than the outgoing GS65. Expect fingerprints everywhere yet again
362 mm / 14.3 inch 265 mm / 10.4 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 2.3 kg5.03 lbs362.2 mm / 14.3 inch 261.6 mm / 10.3 inch 19.8 mm / 0.78 inch 2.4 kg5.25 lbs360 mm / 14.2 inch 252 mm / 9.92 inch 19 mm / 0.748 inch 2.1 kg4.55 lbs358 mm / 14.1 inch 248 mm / 9.76 inch 20 mm / 0.787 inch 2.2 kg4.78 lbs358 mm / 14.1 inch 248 mm / 9.76 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 2 kg4.35 lbs355 mm / 14 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 17.8 mm / 0.701 inch 2.2 kg4.87 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Port options have changed from the last generation GS65. Most notably, MSI has swapped out the mini-DisplayPort in favor of a second USB Type-C port while the dedicated microphone port is now nowhere to be found. We suspect that most users don't even utilize these ports which had prompted MSI to drop them.

Port positioning continues to be a mixed bag because the ports are tightly packed and close to the front edge. In comparison, the Blade 15 has its ports further towards the rear where cables are less likely to get in the way.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: 3.5 mm combo audio, USB Type-C 3.2 Gen. 2, 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen. 2, 2.5 Gbps RJ-45
Right: 3.5 mm combo audio, USB Type-C 3.2 Gen. 2, 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen. 2, 2.5 Gbps RJ-45
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Left: AC adapter, USB Type-C + Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0, USB Type-A 3.2 Gen. 2
Left: AC adapter, USB Type-C + Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0, USB Type-A 3.2 Gen. 2

Communication

The Intel AX201 comes standard for Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and Buetooth 5.1. We experienced no issues when connected to our Netgear RAX200 test router. Users can upgrade to the Killer 1650s for additional software features, but raw throughout will otherwise be almost the same.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Asus ZenBook Duo UX481FL
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1434 (736min - 1523max) MBit/s +15%
MSI GP65 10SFK-047US
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1427 (808min - 1646max) MBit/s +15%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter (201NGW)
1330 MBit/s +7%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1243 (1000min - 1395max) MBit/s
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1030 (722min - 1235max) MBit/s -17%
iperf3 receive AX12
Asus ZenBook Duo UX481FL
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1379 (858min - 1529max) MBit/s +2%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1349 (804min - 1497max) MBit/s
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter (201NGW)
1320 MBit/s -2%
MSI GP65 10SFK-047US
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1314 (949min - 1439max) MBit/s -3%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1295 (1184min - 1487max) MBit/s -4%

Webcam

ColorChecker
11 ∆E
12.1 ∆E
10.5 ∆E
13.2 ∆E
12.9 ∆E
10.1 ∆E
10.8 ∆E
10.7 ∆E
13.5 ∆E
11.3 ∆E
9.2 ∆E
8.9 ∆E
7.2 ∆E
8.8 ∆E
18.6 ∆E
8.2 ∆E
15.9 ∆E
12.3 ∆E
1.5 ∆E
7.6 ∆E
8.9 ∆E
9.7 ∆E
9 ∆E
9.2 ∆E
ColorChecker MSI GS66 10SGS: 10.47 ∆E min: 1.53 - max: 18.64 ∆E

Maintenance

The bottom panel is secured by 9 Philips screws and owners will have to tear a 'Factory Seal' sticker to get inside. The bottom panel is more difficult to remove than the bottom panels of the GS65 or Razer Blade 15 and so we recommend both careful hands and a sharp edge to get the job done. 

Thankfully, MSI has ditched the upside-down motherboard layout that made upgrades on the GS65 more difficult than it needed to be. Owners get direct access to two storage bays, two SODIMM slots, the WLAN module, and the internal battery.

Accessories and Warranty

There are no notable extras in the box which is a bit disappointing because the GS65 would ship with a handy velvet cleaning cloth. The standard one-year manufacturer warranty applies with additional options if purchased from resellers like Xotic PC.

Input Devices

Keyboard and Touchpad

See our review here on our take on the keyboard and touchpad. In general, we don't find the typing experience to be any better or worse than last year's GS65 even though MSI has revised the layout and design. The clickpad, however, is larger and firmer this time around to be easier to use.

Annoyingly, the brightness controls are inexplicably swapped on the keyboard.

Brand new SteelSeries keyboard and layout for the GS66 series. Per-key RGB lighting returns
Brand new SteelSeries keyboard and layout for the GS66 series. Per-key RGB lighting returns
The wide clickpad is larger (14 x 6.5 cm) and much-improved over the GS65. The integrated click keys, for example, have more satisfying feedback when pressed
The wide clickpad is larger (14 x 6.5 cm) and much-improved over the GS65. The integrated click keys, for example, have more satisfying feedback when pressed
Key clatter is quiet for a gaming laptop. Edges and corners of the key caps are no longer translucent
Key clatter is quiet for a gaming laptop. Edges and corners of the key caps are no longer translucent
The 'Fn' key is awkwardly "merged" with the 'Ctrl' key
The 'Fn' key is awkwardly "merged" with the 'Ctrl' key

Display

All current SKUs come with 1080p displays at either 240 Hz or 300 Hz. Our second GS66 test unit uses the same 300 Hz AUO B156HAN12.0 IPS panel as found on our first test unit. The deep contrast ratio (~1500:1), wide color space (~100 percent sRGB), and very fast response times (3 ms to 5 ms) remain intact to represent a high quality display fit for a flagship gaming laptop. Razer is about to launch its own 300 Hz display option for the Blade 15 as well that will likely utilize this same AU Optronics panel.

Keep in mind that you don't have to reach 300 FPS in games to take advantage of a 300 Hz display. Even so, we'd love to see QHD or 4K UHD options in the future.

Minor-moderate uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom edge
Minor-moderate uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom edge
Matte RGB subpixel array
Matte RGB subpixel array
316.2
cd/m²
332.1
cd/m²
319.5
cd/m²
334.2
cd/m²
339.4
cd/m²
342.7
cd/m²
321.9
cd/m²
333.9
cd/m²
342.6
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B156HAN12.0 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 342.7 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 331.4 cd/m² Minimum: 15.32 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 339.4 cd/m²
Contrast: 1414:1 (Black: 0.24 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.58 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 1.47
ΔE Greyscale 2.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.4% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
64.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
71.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
69.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.24
MSI GS66 10SGS
AU Optronics B156HAN12.0, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
Sharp LQ156M1JW03 (SHP14C5), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
AU Optronics B156HAN08.2 (AUO82ED), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
Sharp LQ156M1JW03 (SHP14C5), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
HP Omen X 2S 15-dg0075cl
AU Optronics AUO82ED, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
BOE NV156FHM-N4J, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Display
-3%
-7%
-3%
-6%
-6%
Display P3 Coverage
69.9
67.6
-3%
64.9
-7%
66.9
-4%
66.2
-5%
67.7
-3%
sRGB Coverage
99.1
97.5
-2%
91
-8%
98.1
-1%
92.3
-7%
91.6
-8%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
71.1
68.9
-3%
65.9
-7%
68.5
-4%
67.2
-5%
67.1
-6%
Response Times
-21%
24%
-9%
-22%
-35%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
11.2 ?(6, 5.2)
13.6 ?(8, 5.6)
-21%
7.2 ?(3.8, 3.4)
36%
12.8 ?(6.8, 6)
-14%
15.2 ?(7.6, 7.6)
-36%
19 ?(9, 10)
-70%
Response Time Black / White *
10 ?(5.2, 4.8)
12 ?(7.6, 4.4)
-20%
8.8 ?(4.4, 4.4)
12%
10.4 ?(6, 4.4)
-4%
10.8 ?(6, 4.8)
-8%
10 ?(6, 4)
-0%
PWM Frequency
23260 ?(19)
23810 ?(10)
Screen
-0%
-23%
-6%
-58%
-18%
Brightness middle
339.4
282.3
-17%
286
-16%
293
-14%
324.8
-4%
477
41%
Brightness
331
269
-19%
275
-17%
270
-18%
316
-5%
431
30%
Brightness Distribution
92
90
-2%
90
-2%
87
-5%
84
-9%
84
-9%
Black Level *
0.24
0.32
-33%
0.37
-54%
0.29
-21%
0.26
-8%
0.175
27%
Contrast
1414
882
-38%
773
-45%
1010
-29%
1249
-12%
2726
93%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
1.58
1.17
26%
2.19
-39%
1.69
-7%
4.96
-214%
4.17
-164%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
3.8
3.29
13%
4.4
-16%
3.37
11%
8.95
-136%
6.97
-83%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
1.47
1.06
28%
2.27
-54%
1.24
16%
3.23
-120%
2.51
-71%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.3
1.3
43%
2.2
4%
2.3
-0%
5
-117%
3.49
-52%
Gamma
2.24 98%
2.2 100%
2.41 91%
2.3 96%
2.21 100%
2.5 88%
CCT
6952 93%
6643 98%
6405 101%
6758 96%
7742 84%
7076 92%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
64.8
63.8
-2%
59
-9%
63
-3%
59.8
-8%
60
-7%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
99.4
97.5
-2%
91
-8%
98.5
-1%
91.8
-8%
91
-8%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-8% / -3%
-2% / -14%
-6% / -6%
-29% / -44%
-20% / -18%

* ... smaller is better

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB

X-Rite colorimeter measurements show a well-calibrated display out of the box and our own attempt to calibrate the display even further would not result in any major improvements. Average DeltaE grayscale and ColorChecker values are already excellent at 2.3 and 1.58, respectively. The pre-installed MSI True Color software allows for easy fine-tuning of colors and color temperature.

Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
10 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 5.2 ms rise
↘ 4.8 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 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 21 % 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
11.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6 ms rise
↘ 5.2 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. » 19 % 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 not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor visibility is not any better or worse than most gaming laptops out there as the display brightness of 300 nits is typical for the category. MSI still has the slight advantage here due to the 180-degree hinges for easier mitigation or glare.

Wide IPS viewing angles. Contrast and brightness changes only if viewing from extreme angles
Wide IPS viewing angles. Contrast and brightness changes only if viewing from extreme angles

Performance

Processor

The 10th gen hexa-core Core i7-10750H replaces the 9th gen Core i7-9750H as found on almost all gaming laptops of 2019. Overall performance is most similar to the Core i9-8950HK or roughly 15 percent faster than the average Core i7-9750H laptop. Users upgrading from the much older Core i7-7700HQ or Core i7-8750H series will see the most benefit. Of course, octa-core solutions like the Core i9-9880H, Core i7-10875H, or Core i9-10980HK will still outperform the Core i7-10750H. MSI offers the latter for approximately 27 to 34 percent faster multi-thread performance. 

Running CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop shows an initial score of 1271 points before falling 4 to 5 percent over time due to thermal limitations much like what we observed on the MSI GP65 10SFK.

See our dedicated page on the Core i7-10750H for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

CineBench R20 (Cooler Boost off)
CineBench R20 (Cooler Boost off)
CineBench R20 (Cooler Boost on)
CineBench R20 (Cooler Boost on)
0651301952603253904555205856507157808459109751040110511701235Tooltip
MSI GS66 10SGS GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1219 (1209.12-1272.47)
MSI GP65 10SFK-047US GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1240 (1233.16-1291.57)
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15 GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1023 (1010.13-1155.97)
Dell G7 17 7790 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1081 (1056.8-1189.87)
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø912 (890.85-1097.33)
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
4288 Points +46%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
3801 Points +30%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
3713 Points +27%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US
Intel Core i9-9880H
3505 Points +20%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
2928 Points
Medion Erazer X15805
Intel Core i9-8950HK
2924 Points 0%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (1749 - 3325, n=43)
2848 Points -3%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (2017 - 3133, n=55)
2564 Points -12%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
2410 Points -18%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG
Intel Core i7-8750H
2142 Points -27%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
1906 Points -35%
MSI GF63 Thin 9SC
Intel Core i5-9300H
1737 Points -41%
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
511 Points +13%
Medion Erazer X15805
Intel Core i9-8950HK
498 Points +10%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
495 Points +9%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
477 Points +5%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US
Intel Core i9-9880H
474 Points +4%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (431 - 504, n=43)
473 Points +4%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
454 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (416 - 486, n=55)
443 Points -2%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
437 Points -4%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
421 Points -7%
MSI GF63 Thin 9SC
Intel Core i5-9300H
418 Points -8%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG
Intel Core i7-8750H
409 Points -10%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
1863 Points +46%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
1818 (1544.4min - 1818.6max) Points +43%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
1635 (1518.31min - 1635.12max) Points +28%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US
Intel Core i9-9880H
1623 Points +27%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
1273 (1209.12min - 1272.47max) Points
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (804 - 1418, n=50)
1263 Points -1%
Medion Erazer X15805
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1217 Points -4%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (952 - 1306, n=85)
1182 Points -7%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
1156 (1010.13min - 1155.97max) Points -9%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG
Intel Core i7-8750H
1016 Points -20%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
839 (755.39min - 839.42max) Points -34%
MSI GF63 Thin 9SC
Intel Core i5-9300H
797 Points -37%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
213 Points +13%
Medion Erazer X15805
Intel Core i9-8950HK
203 Points +8%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
201 Points +7%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US
Intel Core i9-9880H
198 Points +5%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (184 - 213, n=45)
196.7 Points +5%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
193 Points +3%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
188 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (170 - 194, n=82)
183.7 Points -2%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
180 Points -4%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
174 Points -7%
MSI GF63 Thin 9SC
Intel Core i5-9300H
173 Points -8%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG
Intel Core i7-8750H
167 Points -11%
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
555 Seconds * -50%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
450 Seconds * -21%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (342 - 495, n=21)
433 Seconds * -17%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (322 - 587, n=43)
389 Seconds * -5%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
371 Seconds *
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
297 Seconds * +20%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
295 Seconds * +20%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
285 Seconds * +23%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
5457 MIPS +11%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
5227 MIPS +6%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (4504 - 5470, n=43)
5114 MIPS +4%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
4923 MIPS
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (4580 - 5090, n=21)
4846 MIPS -2%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
4662 MIPS -5%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
4634 MIPS -6%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
4622 MIPS -6%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
48577 MIPS +37%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
47170 MIPS +33%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
43786 MIPS +23%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
35505 MIPS
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (26040 - 37345, n=43)
33946 MIPS -4%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
33899 MIPS -5%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (28512 - 35174, n=21)
32357 MIPS -9%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
22139 MIPS -38%
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
1347 Points +12%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
1283 Points +6%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (1114 - 1333, n=43)
1263 Points +5%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
1218 Points +1%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
1207 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (1117 - 1251, n=13)
1190 Points -1%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
1143 Points -5%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
1141 Points -5%
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
8087 Points +24%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
7675 Points +18%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
7634 Points +17%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
6522 Points
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (4443 - 6674, n=43)
6135 Points -6%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
6068 Points -7%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (4859 - 6262, n=13)
5597 Points -14%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
4032 Points -38%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
13 fps +31%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
12.2 fps +23%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
12.19 fps +23%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
9.89 fps
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (5.54 - 11.6, n=43)
9.61 fps -3%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
9.1 fps -8%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (7.1 - 10.7, n=21)
8.72 fps -12%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
6.34 fps -36%
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (54.5 - 64.7, n=9)
59 s * -4%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
58.9 s * -4%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
56.9 s *
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (43.1 - 99.2, n=43)
53.3 s * +6%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
52.4 s * +8%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
52.4 s * +8%
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR
Intel Core i5-10300H
0.676 sec * -7%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 15
Intel Core i7-9750H
0.664 sec * -5%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (0.608 - 0.695, n=14)
0.643 sec * -2%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H
0.631 sec *
Average Intel Core i7-10750H
  (0.578 - 0.708, n=42)
0.611 sec * +3%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK
0.592 sec * +6%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP
Intel Core i7-10875H
0.547 sec * +13%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1273 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
114 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
188 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark benchmarks are consistently below the GS66 10SFS with the higher-end Core i9-10980HK but slower GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q GPU. Thus, the faster RTX 2080 Super Max-Q in our GS66 10SGS is not enough to make up for the CPU deficit at least for these types of scenarios.

PCMark 10
PCMark 10
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 10
Score
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
6490 Points +5%
MSI GS66 10SGS
GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
6154 Points
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G
5938 Points -4%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5839 Points -5%
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5725 Points -7%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
5654 Points -8%
Essentials
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
9953 Points +2%
MSI GS66 10SGS
GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
9748 Points
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
9380 Points -4%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G
9364 Points -4%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
9231 Points -5%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
9109 Points -7%
Productivity
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
8452 Points +4%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
8200 Points +1%
MSI GS66 10SGS
GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
8111 Points
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
7661 Points -6%
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
7657 Points -6%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G
7381 Points -9%
Digital Content Creation
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
8819 Points +10%
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G
8220 Points +3%
MSI GS66 10SGS
GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
8001 Points
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
7236 Points -10%
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
7090 Points -11%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
6936 Points -13%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G
5661 Points +24%
MSI GS66 10SGS
GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4579 Points
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4454 Points -3%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4380 Points -4%
Work Score Accelerated v2
MSI GS66 10SGS
GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
6219 Points
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G
5870 Points -6%
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5751 Points -8%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5749 Points -8%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4579 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
6219 points
PCMark 10 Score
6154 points
Help

DPC Latency

LatencyMon shows DPC latency issues when opening multiple browser tabs. 4K video playback is otherwise smooth with no frame drops.

DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
MSI GS66 10SGS
GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
1388 μs *

* ... smaller is better

Storage Devices

Our GS66 still uses the same Samsung PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ NVMe SSD as found on last year's GS65. An important gen-to-gen change, however, is that the two M.2 bays are now easier to access whereas they were hidden underneath the motherboard on the GS65 design.

See our table of HDDs and SSDs for more benchmark comparisons. Different drives may be possible depending on the reseller or retailer.

CDM 5.5
CDM 5.5
AS SSD
AS SSD
The GS66 houses up to two M.2 2280 SSDs much like its predecessor
The GS66 houses up to two M.2 2280 SSDs much like its predecessor
One slot supports both PCIe and SATA while the other is PCIe only
One slot supports both PCIe and SATA while the other is PCIe only
MSI GS66 10SGS
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
AS SSD
9%
-6%
3%
-49%
9%
Seq Read
1086
2005
85%
2506
131%
1832
69%
1372
26%
1065
-2%
Seq Write
1901
1580
-17%
1712
-10%
1864
-2%
746
-61%
2360
24%
4K Read
51
49.33
-3%
48.32
-5%
52.1
2%
35.42
-31%
48.09
-6%
4K Write
117.3
103.8
-12%
103.6
-12%
108.3
-8%
99.9
-15%
110.7
-6%
4K-64 Read
1503
1241
-17%
624
-58%
1159
-23%
302.1
-80%
1635
9%
4K-64 Write
1721
1730
1%
1253
-27%
1807
5%
191.4
-89%
1829
6%
Access Time Read *
0.059
0.054
8%
0.08
-36%
0.05
15%
0.132
-124%
0.071
-20%
Access Time Write *
0.1
0.036
64%
0.04
60%
0.034
66%
0.037
63%
0.034
66%
Score Read
1662
1490
-10%
923
-44%
1394
-16%
475
-71%
1790
8%
Score Write
2029
1991
-2%
1528
-25%
2102
4%
366
-82%
2176
7%
Score Total
4588
4230
-8%
2896
-37%
4221
-8%
1065
-77%
4950
8%
Copy ISO MB/s
2155
3025
40%
2083
-3%
1062
-51%
Copy Program MB/s
715
713
0%
496.5
-31%
426
-40%
Copy Game MB/s
1506
1554
3%
977
-35%
650
-57%
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
-7%
-4%
-3%
-41%
6%
Write 4K
132.5
91.3
-31%
97
-27%
137.2
4%
134.2
1%
131.3
-1%
Read 4K
45.03
40.73
-10%
49.58
10%
46.82
4%
37.72
-16%
45.84
2%
Write Seq
1987
1915
-4%
1838
-7%
1221
-39%
389.2
-80%
2370
19%
Read Seq
1434
2051
43%
2421
69%
1217
-15%
1030
-28%
1509
5%
Write 4K Q32T1
467.5
308.3
-34%
326.9
-30%
527
13%
238.9
-49%
481.5
3%
Read 4K Q32T1
536
417.4
-22%
372.9
-30%
614
15%
343.9
-36%
560
4%
Write Seq Q32T1
2003
1922
-4%
1894
-5%
1986
-1%
789
-61%
2392
19%
Read Seq Q32T1
3306
3395
3%
2828
-14%
3234
-2%
1502
-55%
3232
-2%
Write 4K Q8T8
293.4
Read 4K Q8T8
405.8
Total Average (Program / Settings)
1% / 3%
-5% / -5%
0% / 1%
-45% / -46%
8% / 8%

* ... smaller is better

Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3306 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 2003 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 536 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 467.5 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1434 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 1987 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 45.03 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 132.5 MB/s

Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

No graph data

GPU Performance

3DMark benchmarks are slightly below the Acer Triton 500 with the same GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q GPU. When looking at the bigger picture, some older laptops with the GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q are able to outscore our MSI by about 10 percent including the Dell Alienware m17 R2 and Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR. Users should therefore expect nearly the same gaming performance as the year old GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q. In fact, upgrading from the GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q configuration will only bring 5 to 10 percent more graphics horsepower.

Enabling Cooler Boost will increase GPU performance by only a hair. A 3DMark Fire Strike run with Cooler Boost active returns a Graphics score of 20784 points compared to 20117 points when the feature is off.

Note that G-Sync is not supported as the laptop uses Optimus instead. We can't say we miss the feature since the 300 Hz display will naturally cut down on screen tearing.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Port Royal
Port Royal
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
Time Spy
Time Spy
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop), R9 3900X
33935 Points +69%
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super FE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop), i7-7740X
28968 Points +44%
Asus ROG Mothership GZ700GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9980HK
26009 Points +29%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK
22391 Points +11%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (19655 - 23649, n=10)
21743 Points +8%
MSI GS66 10SGS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H
20117 Points
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK
18992 Points -6%
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
18962 Points -6%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7820HK
18505 Points -8%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 2019
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
16571 Points -18%
Maingear Vector 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
14718 Points -27%
MSI Alpha 15 A3DDK-034
AMD Radeon RX 5500M, R7 3750H
12441 Points -38%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK
9537 Points -53%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
MSI RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop), R9 3900X
14492 Points +90%
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super FE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop), i7-7740X
11423 Points +50%
Asus ROG Mothership GZ700GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9980HK
10149 Points +33%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK
8479 Points +11%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (7372 - 8979, n=11)
8210 Points +8%
MSI GS66 10SGS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H
7618 Points
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
7266 Points -5%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK
7084 Points -7%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 2019
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
6109 Points -20%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7820HK
6101 Points -20%
Maingear Vector 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
5534 Points -27%
MSI Alpha 15 A3DDK-034
AMD Radeon RX 5500M, R7 3750H
4298 Points -44%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK
2805 Points -63%
2560x1440 Port Royal Graphics
MSI RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop), R9 3900X
9021 Points +94%
Asus ROG Mothership GZ700GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9980HK
6005 Points +29%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK
5092 Points +9%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (4497 - 5086, n=6)
4800 Points +3%
MSI GS66 10SGS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H
4657 Points
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK
4280 Points -8%
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
4275 Points -8%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 2019
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
3464 Points -26%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop), R9 3900X
43576 Points +62%
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super FE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop), i7-7740X
41518 Points +55%
Asus ROG Mothership GZ700GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9980HK
35882 Points +34%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (26292 - 32995, n=10)
29663 Points +10%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK
29220 Points +9%
MSI GS66 10SGS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H
26855 Points
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK
25135 Points -6%
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
24926 Points -7%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7820HK
24425 Points -9%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 2019
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
21303 Points -21%
Maingear Vector 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
19670 Points -27%
MSI Alpha 15 A3DDK-034
AMD Radeon RX 5500M, R7 3750H
16335 Points -39%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK
12193 Points -55%
1280x720 Performance Combined
MSI RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop), R9 3900X
18534 Points +36%
Asus ROG Mothership GZ700GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9980HK
16358 Points +20%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK
15792 Points +16%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK
14894 Points +10%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (11707 - 17126, n=10)
14414 Points +6%
MSI GS66 10SGS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H
13592 Points
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
12732 Points -6%
Maingear Vector 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
12192 Points -10%
Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 2019
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
12182 Points -10%
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super FE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop), i7-7740X
12063 Points -11%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7820HK
9607 Points -29%
MSI GT72S-6QEG16SR421BW
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK
9459 Points -30%
MSI Alpha 15 A3DDK-034
AMD Radeon RX 5500M, R7 3750H
7309 Points -46%
3DMark 11 Performance
21793 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
39597 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
17585 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
7475 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Frame rates are consistently higher than the GS66 10SFS when playing at High or Extreme settings where games are more likely to be GPU bound. Differences are minor at 10 percent or less as predicted by the 3DMark results above.

Interestingly, there are cases where the GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q can outperform our MSI. The Aorus 17G XB, for example, slightly edges out our system on Shadow of the Tomb Raider while it falls behind our system when running Borderlands 3. The faster Core i7-10875H CPU in the Gigabyte laptop is likely responsible for the discrepancy.

See our dedicated page on the GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q for more technical information and benchmarks comparisons. 

Shadow of the Tomb Raider
1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop)
110 fps +15%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
109 fps +14%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
99 fps +3%
Aorus 17G XB
Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
99 (77min) fps +3%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
96 (81min - 156max) fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (89 - 106, n=10)
95.8 fps 0%
MSI GP65 10SFK-047US
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
93 fps -3%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
91 (72min) fps -5%
Walmart EVOO Gaming 17
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
83 fps -14%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q
74 fps -23%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:SM
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
115 fps +11%
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop)
115 fps +11%
Aorus 17G XB
Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
110 (90min) fps +6%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
105 fps +1%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (93 - 116, n=7)
104.7 fps +1%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
104 (84min - 157max) fps
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
102 (83min) fps -2%
MSI GP65 10SFK-047US
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
102 fps -2%
Walmart EVOO Gaming 17
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
94 fps -10%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q
84 (79min - 138max) fps -19%
The Witcher 3
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop)
109 (81min - 123max) fps +47%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
95.3 fps +28%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (74.3 - 96, n=11)
85.3 fps +15%
MSI GP65 10SFK-047US
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
82.1 (77min - 86max) fps +10%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
78 fps +5%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
74.3 fps
Aorus 17G XB
Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
73.6 (62min) fps -1%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
70.5 (55min) fps -5%
Walmart EVOO Gaming 17
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
68.9 fps -7%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q
58.4 fps -21%
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop)
195 (161min - 213max) fps +37%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
173 fps +21%
MSI GP65 10SFK-047US
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
160.8 (152min - 177max) fps +13%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
149.6 fps +5%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (138 - 160, n=7)
148.6 fps +4%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
142.7 fps
Aorus 17G XB
Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
142 (118min) fps 0%
Walmart EVOO Gaming 17
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
131 fps -8%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
131 (109min) fps -8%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q
100.6 fps -30%
Borderlands 3
1920x1080 Badass Overall Quality (DX11)
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (62.5 - 71.6, n=4)
66.4 fps +5%
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
63.5 fps
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
58.9 fps -7%
Aorus 17G XB
Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
58.9 fps -7%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q
48.3 fps -24%
1920x1080 High Overall Quality (DX11)
MSI GS66 10SGS
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
81.1 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
  (78.2 - 84.3, n=4)
80.9 fps 0%
Aorus 17G XB
Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
77.2 fps -5%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
76.3 fps -6%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV
AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q
61.9 fps -24%
0510152025303540455055606570Tooltip
MSI GS66 10SGS GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ: Ø69.3 (64-75)
low med. high ultra
The Witcher 3 (2015) 310.3 239.5 142.7 74.3
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 147 132 122 116
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 102 90.9 76.8
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 138 109 104 96
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey (2018) 102 87 75 54
Apex Legends (2019) 299 196 148.8 147.6
Metro Exodus (2019) 143.3 96.2 74.4 59
Dirt Rally 2.0 (2019) 252 168.4 158.5 90
The Division 2 (2019) 165 117 96 73
Anno 1800 (2019) 159 98.2 76.7 44.4
Total War: Three Kingdoms (2019) 233 127.8 88.5 64.1
F1 2019 (2019) 205 168 147 142
Borderlands 3 (2019) 132.5 105.7 81.1 63.5
Ghost Recon Breakpoint (2019) 117 96 86 65
GRID 2019 (2019) 174.8 125 111 74
Need for Speed Heat (2019) 101.9 92 84 76.9
Escape from Tarkov (2020) 121 121 120 120
Hunt Showdown (2020) 207.4 121.4 102
Doom Eternal (2020) 256 167.6 147.1 140

Emissions

System Noise

The cooling solution consists of two ~50 mm fans and a smaller ~40 mm one with seven heat pipes between them. Fan noise will always be present at about 30 to 30.9 dB(A) no matter the setting or onscreen load even if on the preset MSI "Silent" power profile. Though audible, we don't find this to be bothersome when browsing or video streaming. Still, we recommend using the laptop in Power Saver or Silent mode if not gaming or else the fans will pulse frequently.

Speaking of fan pulse, our GS66 10SGS is able to remain quieter for longer than the GS66 10SFS before plateauing at the same final decibel reading. For example, fan noise when running the first benchmark scene of 3DMark 06 would top out at 53 dB(A) on the 10SFS while the 10SGS would return a lower fan noise of 39.5 dB(A). When considering the higher Turbo Boost potential of the Core i9 in the 10SGS, the results make sense. When running Witcher 3, fan noise would stabilize at 48 dB(A) on both laptops. Overall results are on par with the GS66 despite the thicker and heavier build of the GS66.

Fan noise tops out at about 53 dB(A) when under more extreme loads like Prime95 and FurMark. If Cooler Boost is enabled, fan noise will increase to a steady 59.4 dB(A). We prefer to keep Cooler Boost off when gaming as it will not boost performance by all that much relative to the extreme increase in fan noise.

System is never truly silent as the fans are always active
System is never truly silent as the fans are always active
One of the few gaming laptops with three fans
One of the few gaming laptops with three fans
Heat pipes are now easier to access and clean unlike on the upside-down GS65
Heat pipes are now easier to access and clean unlike on the upside-down GS65
Accessible DDR4 RAM modules
Accessible DDR4 RAM modules
Fan noise profile (White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: 3DMark 06, Orange: Witcher 3, Green: Cooler Boost enabled
Fan noise profile (White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: 3DMark 06, Orange: Witcher 3, Green: Cooler Boost enabled
MSI GS66 10SGS
GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
HP Omen X 2S 15-dg0075cl
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-1T00
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
Noise
2%
-10%
9%
-1%
2%
-11%
off / environment *
28.5
28.3
1%
30
-5%
28.3
1%
29
-2%
30
-5%
30
-5%
Idle Minimum *
30
30.4
-1%
31
-3%
28.8
4%
30.5
-2%
31.3
-4%
32
-7%
Idle Average *
30
30.5
-2%
33
-10%
28.8
4%
31.5
-5%
31.3
-4%
34
-13%
Idle Maximum *
30.9
30.6
1%
38
-23%
29
6%
31.5
-2%
31.3
-1%
39
-26%
Load Average *
39.5
37.6
5%
50
-27%
33.5
15%
40.6
-3%
42
-6%
53
-34%
Witcher 3 ultra *
48
46
4%
53
-10%
45
6%
49.5
-3%
42.1
12%
48
-0%
Load Maximum *
59.4
55.1
7%
56
6%
45.2
24%
53.4
10%
46.5
22%
53
11%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
30 / 30 / 30.9 dB(A)
Load
39.5 / 59.4 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28.5 dB(A)

Temperature

Surface temperatures are similar to what we recorded on last year's MSI GS65. The hot spot continues to be on the very center of the keyboard in contrast to the Asus Zephyrus S GX531 where the hot spot is above the keyboard and away from the keys. If gaming, expect the WASD keys to be about 40 C.

The front half of the laptop will always be much cooler than the back half since the battery occupies most of the front.

Four sets of exhaust grilles
Four sets of exhaust grilles
AC adapter after running Witcher 3 for over an hour
AC adapter after running Witcher 3 for over an hour
Max. Load
 36.8 °C
98 F
41 °C
106 F
36.4 °C
98 F
 
 41 °C
106 F
47.8 °C
118 F
33.8 °C
93 F
 
 28.6 °C
83 F
25.4 °C
78 F
26.6 °C
80 F
 
Maximum: 47.8 °C = 118 F
Average: 35.3 °C = 96 F
47.2 °C
117 F
54.4 °C
130 F
43 °C
109 F
34.2 °C
94 F
52.2 °C
126 F
37.8 °C
100 F
30.4 °C
87 F
33.2 °C
92 F
32.8 °C
91 F
Maximum: 54.4 °C = 130 F
Average: 40.6 °C = 105 F
Power Supply (max.)  49 °C = 120 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.3 °C / 96 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 47.8 °C / 118 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 54.4 °C / 130 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 33.3 °C / 92 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 28.6 °C / 83.5 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+0.3 °C / 0.5 F).
System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle (bottom)
System idle (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Prime95+FurMark stress (top)
Prime95+FurMark stress (top)
Prime95+FurMark stress (bottom)
Prime95+FurMark stress (bottom)

Stress Test

We stress the system with synthetic loads to identify for any potential throttling issues. When running Prime95, the CPU would boost up to 4.2 GHz for only a couple of seconds before dropping to 3.8 - 3.9 GHz for the next 30 to 40 seconds. Afterwards, clock rates and core temperature would stabilize at 3.6 to 3.7 GHz and a toasty 91 C, respectively. Running Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously causes the CPU and GPU to stabilize at 93 C and 71 C, respectively.

Running Witcher 3 is more representative of real-world gaming loads. The CPU and GPU would stabilize at 82 C and 68 C, respectively, compared to 81 C and 71 C on the older GS65 with the Core i7-9750H and RTX 2080 Max-Q. Enabling Cooler Boost would reduce CPU and GPU temperatures by about 10 C each while boosting GPU clock rate ever so slightly (1365 MHz vs. 1410 MHz).

Running on battery power will impact performance. A Fire Strike run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 12931 and 5667 points, respectively, compared to 17764 and 20117 points when on mains.

System idle
System idle
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost off)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost off)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost on)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost on)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost off)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost off)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost on)
Witcher 3 stress (Cooler Boost on)
Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle -- -- 55 46
Prime95 Stress 3.6 - 3.7 -- 91 48
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 3.3 - 3.4 810 93 71
Witcher 3 Stress (Cooler Boost off) 4.2 - 4.3 1365 ~82 68
Witcher 3 Stress (Cooler Boost on) 4.2 - 4.3 1410 71 57

Speakers

Dual 2 W speakers near front corners
Dual 2 W speakers near front corners
Pink noise at maximum volume
Pink noise at maximum volume
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2035.93435.92534.335.234.33136.334.936.34035.433.135.45034.331.334.36336.830.236.88033.528.933.510033.229.233.212534.628.734.616037.427.837.420042.426.842.425047.927.247.931554.426.654.440065.424.465.450071.924.671.963078.923.378.980082.825.682.8100081.32381.3125083.222.883.2160085.522.785.5200084.622.984.6250078.622.978.6315077.922.977.9400077.323.477.3500071.423.571.4630066.223.566.2800065.223.565.21000059.523.659.51250061.123.761.11600059.823.859.8SPL92.335.792.3N83.52.583.5median 71.4median 23.6median 71.4Delta12.61.112.635.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMSI GS66 10SGSApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
MSI GS66 10SGS audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (92.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 9.3% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | reduced highs - on average 6.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (29.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 94% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 4% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 85% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 12% 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 on Power Saver mode at the minimum brightness setting and with the iGPU active will consume about 15 W. Bumping brightness up to maximum will draw about 2.5 W more. If set to High Performance mode, consumption jumps to almost 30 W meaning it's worth changing the power profile manually to prolong battery life if simply browsing, video streaming, or emailing.

When under higher loads, power consumption trails behind the GS65 10SGS with the Core i9-10980HK even though the latter uses the slower GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q GPU. This makes sense because the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q and RTX 2080 Super Max-Q share nearly the same TDP while the octa-core Core i9 has a cTDP of up to 65 W compared to just 35 W to 45 W on our hexa-core Core i7. Running Witcher 3 draws an average of 146 W to be about 6 percent less than the GS65 10SGS.

We're able to record a maximum of 210.9 W from the relatively large (~16.5 x 7.5 x 3.3 cm) 230 W AC adapter when running Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously. This peak is only temporary as shown by the graphs below.

Constant consumption when running the first benchmark scene of 3DMark 06
Constant consumption when running the first benchmark scene of 3DMark 06
Constant consumption when running Witcher 3
Constant consumption when running Witcher 3
Prime95 initiated at 10s mark. Consumption spikes to 127 W before falling to 110 W and then finally 100.7 W. The timing and behavior mimics our clock rate observations in the Stress Test section above
Prime95 initiated at 10s mark. Consumption spikes to 127 W before falling to 110 W and then finally 100.7 W. The timing and behavior mimics our clock rate observations in the Stress Test section above
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 10s mark. Consumption spikes to 210.9 for just a few seconds before falling and stabilizing at 176.2 W
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 10s mark. Consumption spikes to 210.9 for just a few seconds before falling and stabilizing at 176.2 W
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 1.3 / 1.8 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 14.9 / 17.5 / 29.5 Watt
Load midlight 94.8 / 210.9 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 GS66 10SGS
i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0), IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Omen X 2S 15-dg0075cl
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-1T00, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, WDC PC SN520 SDAPMUW-128G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Power Consumption
-8%
-31%
9%
-97%
-15%
-1%
Idle Minimum *
14.9
18.3
-23%
24
-61%
12.5
16%
46
-209%
22.2
-49%
13
13%
Idle Average *
17.5
22
-26%
27
-54%
15.3
13%
59
-237%
24.9
-42%
16
9%
Idle Maximum *
29.5
28.8
2%
33
-12%
20.7
30%
65.5
-122%
30.6
-4%
27
8%
Load Average *
94.8
93
2%
129
-36%
90.2
5%
99.8
-5%
101
-7%
109
-15%
Witcher 3 ultra *
146.1
142.6
2%
176
-20%
162
-11%
154.1
-5%
143
2%
155
-6%
Load Maximum *
210.9
215.9
-2%
216
-2%
209.3
1%
222.7
-6%
186
12%
236
-12%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

One of the major differences between the GS65 and newer GS66 is the increase in battery capacity from 82 Wh to 99 Wh. There is no consumer laptop with an integrated battery pack larger than 99 Wh since the FAA does not allow batteries higher than 100 Wh onboard commercial aircraft. The result is a long battery life especially for a gaming laptop with RTX 2080 graphics at almost 7 hours of real-world WLAN use. Be sure to set the system to Power Saver or Balanced mode to reduce power consumption as mentioned above.

A drawback to the large battery capacity is the slower charging rate. Expect to wait around 2.5 to 3 hours for a full charge compared to 1.5 to 2 hours on most other laptops. The system cannot be recharged via USB Type-C unlike on the Asus Zephyrus M.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
10h 14min
WiFi Websurfing
6h 53min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 34min
MSI GS66 10SGS
i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, 99.99 Wh
MSI GS65 Stealth 9SG
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, 82 Wh
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 76 Wh
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, 80 Wh
Lenovo Legion Y740-15ICHg
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, 57 Wh
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS
i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, 99.99 Wh
Battery Runtime
-12%
-41%
20%
-57%
-7%
Reader / Idle
614
353
-43%
953
55%
505
-18%
WiFi v1.3
413
362
-12%
220
-47%
393
-5%
179
-57%
364
-12%
Load
94
62
-34%
102
9%
102
9%

Pros

+ silky-smooth 240 Hz and 300 Hz panels come standard
+ long battery life especially for a gaming laptop
+ fast black-white gray-gray response times
+ stronger chassis than the GS65
+ extra-wide clickpad
+ full-size Arrow keys

Cons

- Performance differences between 2070 Super Max-Q and 2080 Super Max-Q are very small
- loud fan noise when gaming
- long charging time
- no Thunderbolt 3

Verdict

In review: MSI GS66 10SGS-036US. Test unit provided by Xotic PC
In review: MSI GS66 10SGS-036US. Test unit provided by Xotic PC

The MSI GS66 comes in several SKUs with two CPU options (Core i7-10750H, Core i9-10980HK) and three GPU options (GeForce RTX 2060, RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, RTX 2080 Super Max-Q). The two SKUs we've tested so far are the GS66 10SGS (Core i7-10750H, RTX 2080 Super Max-Q) and GS66 10SFS (Core i9-10980HK, RTX 2070 Super Max-Q). If we had to choose between the faster CPU with slower GPU or slower CPU with faster GPU for gaming purposes, it would definitely be the latter as games will still run marginally faster overall with this configuration.

If you intend to use the GS66 for CPU heavy tasks outside of gaming, then the octa-core Core i9 SKU might make more sense because of its 25 to 35 percent faster multi-thread performance advantage over the hexa-core Core i7. Otherwise, any differences would be too marginal when gaming where the faster GPU option often takes precedence. Users who want the best of both worlds can always go with the ultra high-end GS66 10SGS-031 configuration.

Impressive new chassis with not-as-impressive gaming upgrades. The GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q in the GS66 offers just 5 to 10 percent faster graphics performance than the older MSI GS65 with the GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q. The best reasons to purchase the GS66 over the GS65 are therefore for its stronger chassis design and upgradeability rather than the minor performance gains when gaming.

MSI GS66 10SGS - 05/17/2020 v7
Allen Ngo

Chassis
78 / 98 → 80%
Keyboard
77%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
62 / 80 → 78%
Weight
62 / 10-66 → 93%
Battery
74 / 95 → 77%
Display
89%
Games Performance
95%
Application Performance
91%
Temperature
86 / 95 → 90%
Noise
59 / 90 → 66%
Audio
74%
Camera
43 / 85 → 51%
Average
75%
84%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

Read all 14 comments / answer
static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > MSI GS66 Stealth 10SGS Laptop Review: Core i7 or Core i9?
Allen Ngo, 2020-05-17 (Update: 2020-06-24)