MSI Pulse GL66 Series
Processor: Intel Alder Lake-P i9-12900H, Intel Alder Lake-S i7-12700H, Intel Tiger Lake i7-11800HGraphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU
Display: 15.60 inch, 17.30 inch
Weight: 2.1kg, 2.3kg, 2.301kg
Price: 1.899, 1300, 1400, 2000 euro
Average of 17 scores (from 34 reviews)
MSI Pulse GL66 11UDK
Specifications
Notebook: MSI Pulse GL66 11UDKProcessor: Intel Tiger Lake i7-11800H
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU 4096 MB
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 2.3kg
Links: MSI homepage MSI notebook section
Price comparison
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: Toptenreviews
MSl’s Pulse GL66 has been configured to catch the eye of gamers, but don’t let that put you off’ if gaming isn’t your thing. Its graphics are certainly powerful enough to produce stunning backdrops if, for example, you like to take Microsoft Flight Simulator out for a spin, but with a better processor and screen than we typically see in gaming laptops, it’s also ideal for everyday Windows users. With a decent screen and great Windows performance, this gaming laptop can do it all, though its bulky build and poor battery life make it less than ideal when out and about.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 12/25/2021
Rating: Total score: 100%
Source: Expert Reviews
The problem with the GL66 is that it’s not the cheapest RTX 30-series gaming laptop, despite using one of the cheapest – and weakest – RTX30-series GPUs. The Acer Nitro 5 has the more powerful RTX 3060 but can be picked up for £999, so at £1,099 I can’t help feeling the GL66 is a bit more expensive than it should be. Granted, the Acer has a much lower-quality screen and feels cheaper as a package and I’d much rather use the GL66 as a day-to-day notebook. However, these are gaming laptops first and foremost so gaming performance is paramount. With comparatively weak gaming figures and poor battery life, the MSI GL66 isn’t much of a winner.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/10/2021
Rating: Total score: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Notebook.cz CZ→EN
Positive: Powerful processor; nice display. Negative: Mediocre ergonomics.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/11/2021
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN
Positive: Stylish design; rich set of ports; comfortable keyboard; beautiful display; powerful processor; high gaming performance.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 10/17/2022
MSI Pulse GL66 11UEK-034
Specifications
Notebook: MSI Pulse GL66 11UEK-034Processor: Intel Tiger Lake i7-11800H
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 6144 MB
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 2.1kg
Price: 1400 euro
Links: MSI homepage MSI notebook section
Price comparison
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: Laptop Media
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/04/2022
Source: Technobig
MSI offers a wide range of gaming laptops – as many as four models in different price categories were presented on the market this year. Not so long ago, we already had reviews of the older Raider and the more affordable Katana. Today we have a mid-budget model in our editorial office – MSI Pulse GL66 11UEK.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/20/2021
Source: Techradar
The MSI Pulse GL66 is an excellent midrange gaming laptop so long as you don't take it anywhere and value doesn't mean anything to you. First, the positives. The Pulse GL66 puts out some fantastic gaming performance, even consistently getting 35 to 40 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at max settings with ray tracing and DLSS on. It also performed very well in some of our other performance benchmarks on top of generally being a great laptop to play games on, so there aren't many games that this laptop won't be able to chew through. Even the base configuration has at least a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, so you'll also have room to download more than one or two at a time.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/27/2021
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Think Digit
The MSI Pulse GL66 is a great gaming laptop that can be used reliably for both gaming as well as creative workloads. The Intel Core i7-11800H and the RTX 3060 combo works very well to deliver solid performance numbers to compete with the best when it comes to 1080p gaming. I did find the display to be a little disappointing on our review unit, and the fans get overly loud to keep the temperatures in check. But besides that, the MSI Pulse GL66 hits the sweet spot for 1080p gaming.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/06/2021
Rating: Total score: 75% price: 74% performance: 83% workmanship: 68%
Source: PC Mag
The GL66 Pulse is MSI's latest midrange gaming laptop for 2021, offering Intel "Tiger Lake-H" processing and Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series graphics for as low as $949 in the base configuration. (See our one-on-one interview with MSI about this model.) Though our $1,499 test unit produced good gaming performance thanks to its eight-core CPU and GeForce RTX 3060, it's a tough sell when the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro costs about the same with a faster AMD Ryzen processor and GeForce RTX 3070. Our top 15.6-inch value pick remains the $1,349 Acer Predator Helios 300, which delivers similar frame rates, more than double the battery life, and superior features. Overall, the GL66 Pulse struggles in too many areas to warrant more than a passing look, and even that only if you can find a discount.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/30/2021
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Laptop Media
Support, online available, Very Short, Date: 06/15/2021
Source: Laptop Media
After having our day full of tests of the MSI Pulse GL66, we can safely say, that the Core i7-11800H is one of the most exciting processors Intel has made. While it still lags behind the Ryzen 7 5800H in terms of rendering performance, the Photoshop score blew our mind. However, we have to mention one thing. MSI didn’t do a particularly good job with the cooling solution. Both the CPU and the GPU were hanging for dear life during gaming. Even though both of them were working at clocks higher than their base ones, the temperatures were too high.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 06/15/2021
Foreign Reviews
Source: El chapuzas Informatico ES→EN
Positive: Great display; high gaming performance; powerful hardware; comfortable keyboard. Negative: High price.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/06/2021
Source: Noticias 3D ES→EN
Positive: Good price / performance ratio; excellent display; good cooling system. Negative: Short battery life; no Thunderbolt port.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 06/18/2021
Source: Go4it.ro →EN
Positive: High gaming performance; great display.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/22/2021
Source: Computerblog.ro →EN
Positive: Premium design; compact size; light weight; powerful hardware; good price. Negative: Short battery life; noisy under loads.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 10/04/2021
Source: Arena IT →EN
Positive: Powerful hardware; high gaming performance; great dedicated graphics; excellent display; big screen; decent ergonomics; good cooling and silent system; nice speakers.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/07/2021
MSI Pulse GL66 11UGK-001
Specifications
Notebook: MSI Pulse GL66 11UGK-001Processor: Intel Tiger Lake i7-11800H
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU 8192 MB
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 2.3kg
Price: 1300 euro
Links: MSI homepage MSI notebook section
Price comparison
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: PCR
In conclusion, if you want a quality gaming laptop, which an MSI device can offer, and a fat 11th Gen Intel i7 CPU, a strong RTX 3070 instead of those weaker GPUs, this unit is a good choice. The 16GB of RAM can also deliver better performance than the basic 8GB of RAM. It is very hard to find the RTX 3070 MSI laptop these days (chips shortage everywhere), the CPU and GPU alone would cost about 800-ish. So although it is not the best in the gaming laptops category, with its smooth performance and many nice features it has, this MSI GL66 11UGK-001 is the best RTX 3070 gaming laptop in this price range.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/02/2021
Rating: Total score: 99% performance: 100% display: 96%
Source: Tech PowerUP
The MSI Pulse GL66 has a decent keyboard for gaming, but it's not a top-level mechanical variant as on other models. This laptop includes a trackpad, camera, and other things a laptop should have, but that's not where the focus lies. You get an RTX GPU, dual-channel memory, and a decent screen as well. The 512 GB storage drive is small. You can't fit your whole gaming library on here, but can add another M.2 device, or could even play those games off several USB-C drives you could purchase additionally, too. That helps keep the overall price of the Pulse GL66 down so more gamers can get their hands on it. Matched with 16 GB of RAM in dual channel, the MSI Pulse GL66 is a great option for those looking for decent gaming performance and good battery life in the same unit for a reasonable price.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 09/25/2021
Source: Digit week
The MSI GL66 Pulse churns out butter-smooth 1080p gaming frame rates and looks as elegant as any gaming high-end gaming laptop should. Other positives are abundant, like a high-refresh screen, capable productivity performance and is priced well below similarly configured competitors, like the Acer Predator Helios 300 and the Blade 15 Base. That said, there are some drawbacks, especially its mostly plastic build, single-zone keyboard lighting, and general lack of special features at odds with its asking price. A small discount would take the sting out of those complaints, but you’d still have to deal with the Pulse’s scanty battery life. Overall, the MSI Pulse GL66 11UGK-001 hits the mark in too many areas that make it easier for us to recommend it. Similarly, you can find many better midrange 15.6-inch gaming rigs to choose from, notably the latest refresh of the Acer Predator Helios 300 and (and for a few more money) the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro and Alienware m15 R4 (latest model).
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/08/2021
Rating: Total score: 81%
MSI Pulse GL66 11UEK-061XES
Specifications
Notebook: MSI Pulse GL66 11UEK-061XESProcessor: Intel Tiger Lake i7-11800H
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 6144 MB
Display: 17.30 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 2.3kg
Links: MSI homepage MSI notebook section
Price comparison
Foreign Reviews
Source: Mi Mundo Gadget ES→EN
Positive: Excellent display; backlit keys; decent processor; powerful dedicated graphics. Negative: No SD card reader.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 12/05/2021
MSI Pulse GL66 12UEK
Specifications
Notebook: MSI Pulse GL66 12UEKProcessor: Intel Alder Lake-P i9-12900H
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 6144 MB
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 2.301kg
Price: 1.899 euro
Links: MSI homepage MSI notebook section
Price comparison
Average Score:
Reviews
Last year, MSI started a new gaming series with the Pulse. But apparently, a new series even from an experienced manufacturer can still run into some early troubles and reveal the need for optimizations. Our extensive test shows what needs to improve.
Source: Tech Nave
All in all, we think the MSI Pulse GL66 is quite suitable for gamers who like to play single-player campaign video games. Compared with other RTX 30 series laptops, it's a cost-effective gaming laptop as long as you're not pursuing the most extreme gaming experience. We believe it can satisfy the needs of any gamer but the price tag is another story. For your information, the price is RM7599 which might be a bit expensive for some Malaysian gamers. But for what is worth, the cool black "mech" design, an effective cooling system and smooth gameplay for most games does make up for it. It's just too bad that recent inflation has caused this price spike for nearly every gaming laptop in the market.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/15/2022
Source: Tech Nave
All in all, we think the MSI Pulse GL66 is quite suitable for gamers who like to play single-player campaign video games. Compared with other RTX 30 series laptops, it's a cost-effective gaming laptop as long as you're not pursuing the most extreme gaming experience. We believe it can satisfy the needs of any gamer but the price tag is another story. For your information, the price is RM7599 which might be a bit expensive for some Malaysian gamers. But for what is worth, the cool black "mech" design, an effective cooling system and smooth gameplay for most games does make up for it. It's just too bad that recent inflation has caused this price spike for nearly every gaming laptop in the market.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/15/2022
Source: Hitech Century
The MSI Pulse GL66 has it where it counts and prioritises performance and upgradability while eschewing frippery to keep costs at a modest pace. For what you pay for, you’re getting the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9 H-series CPU and a fairly beefy RTX 3060 for RM7,599. If you’re looking for a solid laptop for gaming and schoolwork that can handle content creation tasks, this won’t let you down. If you’re keen, MSI Malaysia is holding a limited-time Back to School promotion that is from 1st July until 14th August 2022 for the Pulse GL66 which will see the MSI Pulse GL66 configuration that we reviewed going for just RM7,299 which is an RM300 discount off the original price. You can also acquire it with similar specifications save for having just 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD for RM6,299 (original price RM6,599). You can also get in on the ground floor with a variant that has an 11th Gen i7-11800H, an NVIDIA RTX 3050 with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM, a more modest 144Hz 1080p display, 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD for just RM4,699 (original price RM5,399).
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/01/2022
Rating: Total score: 72% price: 80% performance: 80% display: 80% mobility: 60% workmanship: 60%
Source: Hitech Century
The MSI Pulse GL66 has it where it counts and prioritises performance and upgradability while eschewing frippery to keep costs at a modest pace. For what you pay for, you’re getting the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9 H-series CPU and a fairly beefy RTX 3060 for RM7,599. If you’re looking for a solid laptop for gaming and schoolwork that can handle content creation tasks, this won’t let you down. If you’re keen, MSI Malaysia is holding a limited-time Back to School promotion that is from 1st July until 14th August 2022 for the Pulse GL66 which will see the MSI Pulse GL66 configuration that we reviewed going for just RM7,299 which is an RM300 discount off the original price. You can also acquire it with similar specifications save for having just 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD for RM6,299 (original price RM6,599). You can also get in on the ground floor with a variant that has an 11th Gen i7-11800H, an NVIDIA RTX 3050 with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM, a more modest 144Hz 1080p display, 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD for just RM4,699 (original price RM5,399).
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/01/2022
Rating: Total score: 72% price: 80% performance: 80% display: 80% mobility: 60% workmanship: 60%
Foreign Reviews
MSI Pulse GL66 Review - Krachtige midranger MSI Pulse GL66 Review - Krachtige midrangerSource: Ixbt RU→EN
Positive: Powerful processor; great dedicated graphics card; 16GB RAM; rich set of ports; comfortable keyboard; attractive price.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 03/14/2023
Source: Ixbt RU→EN
Positive: Powerful processor; great dedicated graphics card; 16GB RAM; rich set of ports; comfortable keyboard; attractive price.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 03/14/2023
MSI Pulse GL66 12UG
Specifications
Notebook: MSI Pulse GL66 12UGProcessor: Intel Alder Lake-S i7-12700H
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU 8192 MB
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 2560 x 1440 pixels
Weight: 2.3kg
Price: 2000 euro
Links: MSI homepage MSI notebook section
Price comparison
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: Techradar
The MSI Pulse GL66 is a gaming laptop that gets a number of things right and misses the mark elsewhere. Overall, it’s a great value for a budget gaming laptop, but there are arguably better options.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/14/2022
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Think Digit
The MSI Pulse GL66 (2022) is created specifically for gamers who prioritize function over form. This is one heavy machine, coming in the backdrop of thinning gaming rigs, with an outdated aesthetic that will not wow in quite the same manner as some more streamlined gaming machines like the Asus Zephyrus G15 and Razer Blade 14. However, its performance as both a gaming machine and productivity notebook speaks for itself. With the latest generation Intel Core i7 CPU and capable RTX 3070 GPU, there’s some serious grunt in all that space, and t works well to deliver some serious numbers when it comes to buttery smooth frame rates and fast load times. If you’re looking for an impressive gaming laptop that you’ll not be moving too often at a great price, the MSI Pulse GL66 12UGKV-464 is a worthy investment considering the latest generation processors. However, if it’s portability that drove you to a laptop rather than raw gaming muscle, we’d recommend checking out thinner models that often pack a slightly weaker punch, cost too much, or both.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/06/2022
Rating: Total score: 78%
Source: Stuff TV
The MSI Pulse GL66 is a solid gaming laptop with a mid-range design and, in our review spec, high-end components. You get an extremely colour-rich screen with a near-ideal 1440p resolution, Intel’s new and swift 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and an Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU just a couple of steps away from the best you can get. There are a few issues to consider, though. MSI seems to limit the graphics card’s power more than some of the competition when playing games. While the fan system isn’t actually loud when set to manage its own performance, its tone is quite noticeable. The design also may seem a little basic if you pick one of the top specs, pushing the cost closer to £1700-1800. While we don’t think a lack of an intense RGB light show or plastic keyboard plate should put everyone off, not having a Thunderbolt 4 port may sting.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/02/2022
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Trusted Reviews
The MSI Pulse GL66 (2022) is one of the most powerful gaming laptops I’ve ever tested. That cutting-edge 12th Gen Intel chip is remarkable, offering both a stellar performance and an improved battery life, while the Nvidia RTX GPU options enable you to make the most out of that Quad HD screen. But this gaming laptop is held back by its bland, plastic design, which is so heavy and large that you won’t want to take it out of your front door for on-the-go gaming. The fans can also be irritatingly loud, and the RGB lighting is limited to a single backlight, which is disappointing. If you’re happy to sacrifice a bit of performance power, you’ll find better all-round quality from the likes of the ROG Zephyrus G15 and Razer Blade 15. But if you crave the best possible performance, the GL66 is still worth considering.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 02/23/2022
Rating: Total score: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Hi-Tech Mail RU→EN
Positive: Powerful processor; high gaming performance; nice display. Negative: Noisy under loads.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/28/2022
MSI Pulse GL66 11UGKV-231CA
Specifications
Notebook: MSI Pulse GL66 11UGKV-231CAProcessor: Intel Tiger Lake i7-11800H
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU 8192 MB
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 2.3kg
Links: MSI homepage MSI notebook section
Price comparison
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: PC Verge
The MSI GL66 Pulse churns out butter-smooth 1080p gaming frame rates and looks as elegant as any gaming high-end gaming laptop should. Other positives are abundant, like a high-refresh screen, capable productivity performance and is priced well below similarly configured competitors, like the Acer Predator Helios 300 and the Blade 15 Base. That said, there are some drawbacks, especially its mostly plastic build, single-zone keyboard lighting, and general lack of special features at odds with its asking price. A small discount would take the sting out of those complaints, but you’d still have to deal with the Pulse’s scanty battery life. Overall, the MSI Pulse GL66 11UGKV-231CA hits the mark in too many areas that make it easier for us to recommend it. Similarly, you can find many better midrange 15.6-inch gaming rigs to choose from, notably the latest refresh of the Acer Predator Helios 300 and (and for a few more money) the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro and Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/05/2022
Rating: Total score: 82%
Comment
MSI: Micro-Star International (MSI) was founded in 1986 in Taiwan. MSI is especially known as a manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards for PCs, but also offers computer accessories, complete systems, motherboards, graphics cards, laptops, desktop PCs, monitors and other components. However, the Microstar brand name in Germany belongs to the Medion company. MSI is known for its gaming products and has developed a wide range of gaming laptops and desktop PCs. The company is also active in workstations, servers and industrial automation. MSI has offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
With these GPUs you are able to play modern and demanding games fluently at medium detail settings and HD resolution.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU: Mid-range gaming laptop graphics card based on the Ampere GA107 chip.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU: High-End laptop graphics card based on the Ampere GA106 chip with 3072 cores. Available in different versions with a TDP from 60 to 115 Watt.
These graphics cards are able to play the latest and most demanding games in high resolutions and full detail settings with enabled Anti-Aliasing.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU: High-End laptop graphics card based on the Ampere GA104 chip. Available in different versions with a TDP from 80 to 125 Watt.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Tiger Lake:
i7-11800H: Tiger Lake (H45 series) based high end octa-core SoC for gaming laptops and workstations. The eight CPU cores run at 2.3 GHz to 4.6 GHz. The integrated UHD Graphics GPU offers 32 EUs at up to 1.45 GHz. The chip is manufactured on the second-gen 10 nm Intel SuperFin process.
Intel Alder Lake-P:
i9-12900H: Alder Lake based mobile CPU with 6 performance cores and 8 efficient cores. The performance cores offer hyper threading, leading to 20 threads that can be processed. The CPU clocks from 1.8 to 5 GHz and supports vPro.
Intel Alder Lake-S:
i7-12700H: Alder Lake based mobile CPU with 6 performance cores and 8 efficient cores. The performance cores offer hyper threading, leading to 20 threads that can be processed. The CPU clocks from 1.7 to 4.7 GHz and supports vPro.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
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77.04%: This rating is not earth-shattering. This rating must actually be seen as average, since there are about as many devices with worse ratings as better ones. A purchase recommendation can only be seen with a lot of goodwill, unless it is about websites that generally rate strictly.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.