MSI GT72VR 7RE Dominator Pro Notebook Review

For the original German review, see here.
The MSI GT72VR 7RE is the updated version of the GT72VR 6RE we already reviewed. The biggest change is the new Kaby Lake processor, while the sibling is equipped with a Skylake model. Rivals for the MSI system are laptops like the Gigabyte P57X v6, the HP Omen 17, and the Asus GL702VM.
The two GT72VR models use the same construction, so we will not cover the sections Case, Input Devices, and the Speakers in this article. The corresponding information is available in our review of the MSI GT72VR 6RE.
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D |
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 |
Display
The matte 17.3-inch screen of the GT72VR has a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The luminance of 277 nits is acceptable, but it is hardly impressive. At least the contrast is good (1107:1). Positive: We cannot determine PWM flickering at any brightness level.
MSI uses a panel that supports Nvidia's G-Sync technology, which adjusts the display refresh rates of the display and the GPU dynamically. This is supposed to ensure a smooth picture without line shifts–especially when you play games.
|
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 299 cd/m²
Contrast: 1107:1 (Black: 0.27 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 9.65 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9
ΔE Greyscale 9.68 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
100% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
75% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
86.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
68.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 1.89
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 Chi Mei N173HHE-G32 (CMN1747), 1920x1080 | MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US LG Philips LGD046E, 1920x1080 | Asus GL702VM-GC102D LG Philips LP173WF4-SPF3, 1920x1080 | HP Omen 17-w110ng LG Philips LGD046E, 1920x1080 | Gigabyte P57X v6 LGD0469, 1920x1080 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | 0% | -4% | -3% | 1% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 68.3 | 68.3 0% | 65.1 -5% | 66.6 -2% | 68 0% |
sRGB Coverage | 86.7 | 86.7 0% | 83.5 -4% | 84.1 -3% | 87.5 1% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 63.4 | 63.4 0% | 61.1 -4% | 61.5 -3% | 64 1% |
Response Times | -140% | -130% | -136% | -141% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 29 ? | 34.4 ? -19% | 38 ? -31% | 37 ? -28% | 33.6 ? -16% |
Response Time Black / White * | 7 ? | 25.2 ? -260% | 23 ? -229% | 24 ? -243% | 25.6 ? -266% |
PWM Frequency | |||||
Screen | 16% | -6% | 15% | 11% | |
Brightness middle | 299 | 348.7 17% | 326 9% | 362 21% | 329.2 10% |
Brightness | 277 | 327 18% | 312 13% | 342 23% | 321 16% |
Brightness Distribution | 87 | 89 2% | 91 5% | 87 0% | 93 7% |
Black Level * | 0.27 | 0.323 -20% | 0.5 -85% | 0.31 -15% | 0.267 1% |
Contrast | 1107 | 1080 -2% | 652 -41% | 1168 6% | 1233 11% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 9.65 | 4.09 58% | 6.3 35% | 4.5 53% | 5.93 39% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 15.43 | 9.02 42% | 11.69 24% | 9.31 40% | 11.07 28% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 9.68 | 2.14 78% | 7.37 24% | 3.48 64% | 6.72 31% |
Gamma | 1.89 116% | 2.25 98% | 2.37 93% | 2.23 99% | 2.12 104% |
CCT | 11652 56% | 6885 94% | 7116 91% | 6144 106% | 7611 85% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 75 | 56.9 -24% | 55 -27% | 55 -27% | 57 -24% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 100 | 86.5 -13% | 83 -17% | 84 -16% | 87 -13% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -41% /
-8% | -47% /
-22% | -41% /
-9% | -43% /
-12% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
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 8627 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. |
The color accuracy ex-works is average at best. We can measure a DeltaE-2000 color deviation of 9.65 (target value DeltaE <3) and we can notice a blue cast. This situation can be improved by a calibration. We saw a drop to 2.19 for the colors as well as a more balanced grayscale presentation. The blue cast is gone as well. Users of the GT72VR can use our color profile linked in the box to improve the colors. The panel from Chi Mei covers the whole sRGB gamut, and the AdobeRGB reference at least 75% covered.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
7 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 4 ms rise | |
↘ 3 ms fall | ||
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 18 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
29 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13 ms rise | |
↘ 16 ms fall | ||
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 35 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.7 ms). |
MSI equips the GT72VR with a TN panel, so the viewing angle stability is limited. However, the situation here is much better compared to the majority of TN panels, even though it cannot compete with an IPS screen. You can use the GT72VR outdoors when the sun is not too bright.
Performance
MSI's GT72VR 7RE is a 17.3-inch gaming notebook and the system can handle all modern games. Our test model is supposed to retail for 2,300 Euros (~$2449), but we could not find any other SKUs as of this writing.
Test Settings
We used the following settings in MSI's Dragon Center for our measurements:
- Shift mode: "Power Options"
- Fan speed: "Auto". We did not use the button for the fan turbo at any point.
Processor
The GT72VR is shipped with a brand-new quad-core processor from the Kaby Lake generation with the designation Core i7-7700HQ. The name already shows we are dealing with the direct successor to the Core i7-6700HQ (Skylake) here. Both CPUs have a TDP of 45 watts and only the clocks are different. The 7700HQ has a base frequency of 2.8 GHz and can reach 3.4 GHz (four cores), 3.6 (two cores), and 3.8 GHz (one core) via Turbo Boost. This means the new model is between 200-300 MHz faster than the previous model, and we also see it in the benchmarks, where the Kaby Lake is a bit faster. The technical specifications between Skylake and Kaby Lake are otherwise very similar, so the advantage is only a result of higher clocks, and not architectural improvements. The Turbo can be utilized on both mains and battery power.
Cinebench R15 | |
CPU Single 64Bit | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
CPU Multi 64Bit | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 |
Cinebench R11.5 | |
CPU Multi 64Bit | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
CPU Single 64Bit | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D |
Cinebench R10 | |
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
Rendering Single 32Bit | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US |
Geekbench 3 | |
32 Bit Single-Core Score | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
32 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D |
Geekbench 4.0 | |
64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D |
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D |
Octane V2 - Total Score | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
It is not surprising that the subjective performance impression of the GT72VR is very good: The combination of a powerful processor and a fast Solid State Disk ensures a smooth and responsive system. Our impression is supported by the excellent scores in the PCMark benchmarks. MSI's laptop is more than adequately suited for all scenarios–games, picture and video editing. It is possible to increase the performance a bit by adding a second RAM module, so the memory would run in a dual-channel configuration.
PCMark 7 Score | 6618 points | |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 5009 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 7765 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 5404 points | |
Help |
PCMark 8 | |
Home Score Accelerated v2 | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
Work Score Accelerated v2 | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D |
Storage Devices
The operating system of the GT72VR is stored on a Solid State Disk from Kingston. It is an M.2-SSD (2280) with a capacity of 256 GB, and you can use about 200 GB for your own applications or files. The rest is occupied by the Windows installation. The transfer rates of the SSD are decent in general for an SATA-III model. Much faster (and more expensive) PCIe/NVMe models are optional.
Modern video games require plenty of storage space, so many gaming notebooks are equipped with an additional HDD besides the SDD to provide more capacity. This is also the case for the GT72VR, where MSI includes a 1 TB model (7200 rpm). The recovery partition of the system is also stored on the HDD.
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG5 | MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1122 | Asus GL702VM-GC102D HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630 | HP Omen 17-w110ng Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256 | Gigabyte P57X v6 Transcend MTS800 256GB M.2 (TS256GMTS800) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CrystalDiskMark 3.0 | -18% | -87% | 37% | -14% | |
Read Seq | 521 | 529 2% | 134.6 -74% | 1156 122% | 481.7 -8% |
Write Seq | 311.8 | 338.5 9% | 130.6 -58% | 294.9 -5% | 315.4 1% |
Read 512 | 403.1 | 288.9 -28% | 44.85 -89% | 616 53% | 303.1 -25% |
Write 512 | 332.3 | 319.2 -4% | 63.3 -81% | 294.7 -11% | 314.4 -5% |
Read 4k | 33.35 | 23.1 -31% | 0.602 -98% | 42.7 28% | 25.93 -22% |
Write 4k | 111.1 | 99.4 -11% | 1.146 -99% | 153.3 38% | 84.6 -24% |
Read 4k QD32 | 331.1 | 147.5 -55% | 1.106 -100% | 600 81% | 273.9 -17% |
Write 4k QD32 | 318.3 | 236.9 -26% | 1.186 -100% | 295.3 -7% | 274.9 -14% |
GPU Performance
The integrated GPU (HD Graphics 630) of the system is deactivated, so the usual switchable graphics technology is deactivated as well. The dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 is therefore running all the time. Nvidia's modern Pascal chip is the second fastest GPU right now with support for DirectX 12 and core speeds of up to 1900 MHz. However, the latter cannot be maintained all the time. We determined an average clock of around 1600 MHz during our tests. The GPU is also equipped with 8 GB GDDR5 video memory and the benchmark results are in the expected range for this model.
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 30145 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 15575 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 133525 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 26904 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 13685 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 7506 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 5097 points | |
Help |
3DMark | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US |
Gaming Performance
The CPU/GPU combination of the MSI notebook does not have any problems with the Full HD screen. All tested games run smoothly in the native FHD resolution and high up to maximum details. Many titles can also be enjoyed in 4K when you attach a corresponding screen.
low | med. | high | ultra | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tomb Raider (2013) | 437.3 | 411.1 | 392.1 | 207.4 |
BioShock Infinite (2013) | 219.2 | 188.7 | 182.5 | 133.2 |
Battlefield 4 (2013) | 195.7 | 186.9 | 185.7 | 144.8 |
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) | 60.2 | 59.1 | 55.3 | |
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) | 99.9 | 93.3 | 76.3 | 43.7 |
Battlefield 1 (2016) | 147.3 | 129.5 | 114.7 | 106 |
Civilization VI (2016) | 72 | 58.7 | 51.7 | 52.1 |
Titanfall 2 (2016) | 144 | 144 | 130.6 | 121.5 |
BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF) | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US | |
Gigabyte P57X v6 | |
HP Omen 17-w110ng | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D |
Battlefield 4 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS | |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 | |
Asus GL702VM-GC102D |
Emissions
System Noise
The laptop is comparatively quiet while idling, despite the powerful hardware. The fans are running all the time and produce a constant murmur, which can also be tolerated over long periods. We could not notice occasional pulsating while idling, either. The fans will obviously get louder when you stress the gaming system. We measured 44 dB(A) during our stress test, while you can expect around 37 dB(A) (35-40 dB(A)) during gaming. The fans will slowly increase their rpm levels under load. All in all, the GT72VR is a bit quieter than its Skylake predecessor.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 34 / 35 / 37 dB(A) |
Load |
| 37 / 44 dB(A) |
![]() | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | Asus GL702VM-GC102D 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile | HP Omen 17-w110ng 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | Gigabyte P57X v6 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | 1% | 3% | -4% | -4% | |
off / environment * | 31 | 28.9 7% | 30.5 2% | 30 3% | 29.7 4% |
Idle Minimum * | 34 | 32.4 5% | 31.4 8% | 33 3% | 33.2 2% |
Idle Average * | 35 | 32.4 7% | 31.4 10% | 34 3% | 33.2 5% |
Idle Maximum * | 37 | 32.4 12% | 31.5 15% | 35 5% | 33.2 10% |
Load Average * | 37 | 39.4 -6% | 40.9 -11% | 45 -22% | 47.5 -28% |
Load Maximum * | 44 | 52 -18% | 46.2 -5% | 52 -18% | 52.5 -19% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark for at least one hour) brings up slightly different results on mains and on battery power. The processor is clocked at 3.4 GHz on mains and the GPU clock varies between 1250-1350 MHz, while we can see 2.5-2.9 GHz for the CPU and around 1443 MHz for the GPU on battery.
The temperature development of the system is moderate considering the hardware equipment. Only one spot shows more than 50 °C (122 °F), but the temperature distribution of the GT72VR differs a bit from the previous Skylake model. The latter reached high temperatures underneath the fan exhausts, while the heat is more distributed on the Kaby Lake GT72VR. Our stress test is an extreme scenario and not representative for practice. The chassis temperatures will be lower in everyday situations.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.5 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 40.5 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 50.6 °C / 123 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.3 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 33.9 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27 °C / 80.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+1.9 °C / 3.4 F).
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | Asus GL702VM-GC102D 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile | HP Omen 17-w110ng 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | Gigabyte P57X v6 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heat | -8% | -18% | -10% | -30% | |
Maximum Upper Side * | 41.5 | 40.6 2% | 53.1 -28% | 45 -8% | 59 -42% |
Maximum Bottom * | 50.6 | 59.4 -17% | 44.9 11% | 54.3 -7% | 66 -30% |
Idle Upper Side * | 26.4 | 28.2 -7% | 32.9 -25% | 29.6 -12% | 33.2 -26% |
Idle Bottom * | 25.4 | 27.8 -9% | 33.4 -31% | 28.6 -13% | 30.6 -20% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 5.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (11.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 10% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 86% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 7% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 91% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Asus G752VS-XB78K audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (76 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 9.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.7% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (10.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | reduced highs - on average 8.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (22.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 78% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 16% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 62% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 31% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Frequency Comparison (Checkboxes select/deselectable!)
Energy Management
Power Consumption
MSI deactivated the integrated GPU (HD Graphics 630), so the idle consumption of the GT72VR is higher than it could be. A comparison with the Gigabyte P57X v6 (with switchable graphics) clearly shows the differences. We can measure up to 184 watts during our stress test – enough headroom for the 230-watt power adapter. The Skylake predecessor consumed about 20 watts more during the stress test.
Off / Standby | ![]() ![]() |
Idle | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Load |
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Key:
min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | Asus GL702VM-GC102D 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile | HP Omen 17-w110ng 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | Gigabyte P57X v6 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -20% | 19% | 0% | -16% | |
Idle Minimum * | 20 | 22.3 -12% | 15.6 22% | 19 5% | 18.4 8% |
Idle Average * | 27 | 27.3 -1% | 20.2 25% | 25 7% | 22.8 16% |
Idle Maximum * | 31 | 30 3% | 21.4 31% | 31 -0% | 24 23% |
Load Average * | 86 | 152.2 -77% | 90 -5% | 90 -5% | 175.5 -104% |
Load Maximum * | 184 | 204.2 -11% | 147 20% | 193 -5% | 229.5 -25% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Runtime
There are no differences between the Skylake and Kaby Lake model of the GT72VR in terms of battery runtimes. Our current test model lasts 3:50 h in our WLAN test (predecessor: 3:44 h). We use a script that simulates the load when you browse the web, while the power plan is set to "Balanced", the power-saving features are deactivated, and the luminance is adjusted to around 150 nits. The video runtime of the MSI is similar at 3:48 hours. We play a loop of the short movie Big Buck Bunny (H.264, 1920x1080 pixels) with deactivated wireless modules and power-saving features, while the luminance is once again adjusted to around 150 nits.
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433 i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 83 Wh | MSI GT72VR 6RE-015US 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 83 Wh | Asus GL702VM-GC102D 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 76 Wh | HP Omen 17-w110ng 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 95 Wh | Gigabyte P57X v6 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 75.81 Wh | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | -2% | 8% | 18% | 11% | |
Reader / Idle | 316 | 322 2% | 353 12% | 432 37% | 418 32% |
H.264 | 228 | 262 15% | 233 2% | ||
WiFi v1.3 | 230 | 224 -3% | 250 9% | 247 7% | 201 -13% |
Load | 91 | 86 -5% | 87 -4% | 115 26% | 103 13% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The powerful hardware of the GT72VR 7RE can play all modern games in the native Full HD resolution at high up to maximum details. Nvidia's G-Sync technology ensures a smooth presentation on the 120 Hz display. The new Core i7-7700HQ quad-core processor from the Kaby Lake generation leaves a good impression. It is a bit faster than its predecessor (Core i7-6700HQ), which is supported by the benchmark scores. However, the improvements are not huge.
MSI's GT72VR Dominator Pro is a successful gaming machine.
A fast SATA-III SSD ensures a responsive system, and it could even be replaced by an even faster PCIe/NVMe drive if necessary. The required storage space for games is provided by an additional 2.5-inch hard drive. The 1 TB model could also be replaced by an even bigger drive. You just have to remove the bottom panel to replace the drives, which is no problem at all.
The matte Full HD screen has a refresh rate of 120 Hz. It manages decent luminance results with a good contrast. However, it is not an IPS display with wide viewing angles, but it outperforms common TN panels in this respect.
MSI GT72VR 7RE-433
- 01/05/2017 v6 (old)
Sascha Mölck