MSI Raider GE77 HX 12UHS in review: 4K gaming notebook with top performance

The components of the Raider occupy a metal chassis with matte-black, smooth surfaces. There is a user-facing LED strip that can be switched off on the base unit, which allows for colorful light effects on the case that otherwise lacks colorful accents. Thus, nothing precludes users from using the device in professional settings. The MSI laptop's appearance is further enhanced by the fairly thin bezels. The internal battery (screwed-in, not glued) as well as the remainder of the hardware are all accessible after removing the bottom plate.

We did not notice any manufacturing flaws on the 17.3-inch device. The clearances are even and there are no excess material protrusions. The base unit is very resistant to twisting from the corners, while the lid can be twisted slightly. Both fall within the normal ranges. The hinges hold the lid firmly in place, but they allow for some teetering. The lid can be opened up to a maximum angle of around 140 degrees. It can also be opened with one hand.

Within our comparison, the MSI laptop and the Alienware x17 R2 are the heaviest devices. In terms of the dimensions, the GE77 falls into the average range - not as compact as the Blade and the X30, but significantly more compact than the x17.

The GE77 comes with three USB-A ports (1x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1) and two USB-C ports (1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2). The latter support DisplayPort via USB-C, but not Power Delivery. In total, the system has three video outputs (2x DP, 1x HDMI). Furthermore, there is a combined audio jack, a 2.5-Gb/s Ethernet port, and a cable lock port.

There are ports on three sides of the case. Two video outputs, the Ethernet port and the AC adapter port are on the back of the case. This simplifies cable management by making cables less likely to get in the way.

The SD card reader (reference card: AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) is average at best with transfer rates of 60 MB/s (transferring 250 jpg images, around 5 MB each). In this regard, its Alienware and Razer competitors fare much better.

We recorded excellent Wi-Fi transfer rates under optimal conditions (no other Wi-Fi devices in proximity, low distance between the laptop and server) and exhaust the capabilities of the Wi-Fi chips (Killer AX1675i = Intel AX211; 802.11 ax).

There is also an Ethernet chip (Killer E3100G, 2.5 Gb/s) for wired communications.

The webcam captures images at a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080. The color accuracy is lackluster. The colors deviate from their ideal values. There is no mechanical webcam cover.

The laptop comes with the usual documents (quick start guide, warranty information).

MSI offers a standard one-year limited warranty. Warranty extensions to two and three years cost 80 USD and 140 USD, respectively.

The flat, slightly roughened keys of the backlit chiclet keyboard offer moderate travel and a distinct actuation point. The keyboard feedback is decent. While typing, the keyboard barely yields. As per MSI's usual design, the "Fn" key is not located where one would expect it to be from other laptops. The keyboard backlight has three brightness settings, which can be controlled via two function keys. Overall, MSI delivers with a keyboard that is suitable for day-to-day use.

With the Raider GE77 HX 12UHS, MSI has a high-performance 17.3-inch laptop on offer that checks all the boxes for demanding scenarios.

Users can manually switch between four power profiles via the preinstalled MSI Center software. When enabling - like we did - the universal, AI based "Smart Auto" function, the MSI Center automatically chooses the profile based on the current scenario. This feature also allows users to create a list of applications, which enable the "Extreme performance" profile when launched.

The profile "Extreme profile" offers various tuning options. It is possible to overclock the GPU and the VRAM, for example. Additionally, users have access to the fan controls. Here, the options are "Auto", "Cooler Boost" (fans run at maximum speeds), and "Advanced" (adjustable fan curves).

Bug, benchmark optimization, or useful feature? Running through our benchmark suite produces somewhat curious results when using the "Silent mode": Launching certain benchmarks causes the MSI Center to automatically switch to the "Extreme performance" profile. This was the case for the Cinebench benchmarks and the AIDA64 benchmarks.

We determine whether the CPU turbo is permanently active while on mains by running the Cinebench R15 Multi benchmark in a loop. Here, we observe consistently high clock speeds. The profile "Extreme performance" results in a more even performance level.

The GE77 is currently one of the fastest laptops on the market. The combination of 24 logical CPU cores and an RTX 3080 Ti GPU with a maximum TGP makes the system fit for any demanding use case - be it video editing, gaming or rendering. The transfer rates of the DDR4-4800 memory are above average. This may stem from the CPU's cache, which is larger on this particular model compared to other Intel processors. Additionally, the system achieves good results in the PCMark benchmarks.