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MSI WS63VR (i7-7700HQ, 4K, Quadro P4000 Max-Q) Laptop Review

Max-Q goes to work. MSI's updated WS63VR 7RL brings Nvidia's new Max-Q design to the GPU giant's Quadro line. How well does the Max-Q philosophy benefit a powerful professional-grade graphics card, especially with regards to heat and power management?

With their new Max-Q design philosophy, Nvidia hopes to bring improved voltage and thermal management through a fundamental redesign, and today we have one of the first iterations of an Nvidia Quadro GPU bearing the Max-Q moniker. The MSI WS63VR is a thin-and-light mobile workstation equipped with the Quadro P4000 Max-Q, a redesign of the Quadro P4000 that sits near the top of Nvidia's workstation-class GPU line. We'll see what gains the GPU makes in terms of heat management and power draw and, conversely, what performance must be sacrificed to achieve these improvements.

The WS63VR is very similar to many other MSI devices, particularly the WS63 and GS63VR. In fact, the chassis is identical to these machines, save for some coloration and branding. Our device also sports a Thunderbolt 3-capable USB Type-C port; the other machines have a USB Type-C port as well, but it only supports USB 3.1 (Gen 2) bandwidth. Other than this difference, everything is the same; the SteelSeries keyboard, trackpad, port layout, and maintenance options haven't changed. As such, we will skip these sections in favor of focusing on performance differences. For further information on the physical aspects of the WS63VR, please refer to either our WS63 or GS63VR reviews.

The WS63VR under review sits in a highly competitive market. Most mobile workstations require a significant investment ranging from USD$3000 to $5000. Our WS63VR as configured has an MSRP of $3400, which is relatively affordable given the components inside. While our machine has some niceties like a 4K screen, a generous 512 GB PCIe SSD, and a powerful Quadro P4000 Max-Q, MSI offers several variants, such as the aforementioned WS63. Users that need a larger display might opt for the MSI WT72 or Lenovo ThinkPad P71, both 17-inch powerhouses that are available in multiple configurations. We will also compare the WS63VR to other portable workstations; of note, we'll look at the Dell Precision 5520, the Lenovo ThinkPad P51, and the HP ZBook 15 G4.

Gamers looking for a powerful but portable machine should probably avoid workstations. The added security benefits and component stability likely won't be of any consequence, and the price of admission is commonly double or triple that of a gaming notebook in the same performance tier. For interested gamers, we will also compare the MSI GS63VR, which can be seen as the consumer counterpart to the WS63VR.

Let's take a look to determine whether or not Max-Q is qualified to join the workforce.

MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Processor
Intel Core i7-7700HQ 4 x 2.8 - 3.8 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1114 MHz, Memory: 1502 MHz, Nvidia ODE R384 U3 (385.41), Nvidia Optimus
Memory
32 GB 
, Dual-channel, DDR4-2400 / PC4-19200
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel 282 PPI, No, SAMSUNG LƒFL156FL02-101 , IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM175 (Skylake PCH-H)
Storage
Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7, 512 GB 
, 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD + 2 TB 5400 RPM HDD (Seagate ST2000LM015-2E8174), 475 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC899 @ Intel Skylake PCH-H - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: HiFi Audio out + Microphone in, Card Reader: 4-in-1 SD / SDHC / SDXC Card Reader, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor
Networking
Qualcomm Atheros AR8171/8175 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/)
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 18 x 380 x 249 ( = 0.71 x 14.96 x 9.8 in)
Battery
48 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Additional features
Speakers: 2 x 2 Watt, Keyboard: Steelseries-branded chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 36 Months Warranty
Weight
1.92 kg ( = 67.73 oz / 4.23 pounds), Power Supply: 585 g ( = 20.64 oz / 1.29 pounds)
Price
3400 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

SD Card Reader

MSI's notebooks have long been plagued by middling SD Card Reader performance. Oftentimes, transfer rates sit between a paltry 25 and 30 MB/s, which is disheartening considering the expected performance in their price brackets. This iteration of the WS63VR might be MSI's saving grace. Using our Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II Reference-Card, the card reader hit 151.3 MB/s when transferring a large amount of photos, and AS SSD pegs speeds at 211.7 MB/s. This is a tenfold improvement over other MSI notebooks and falls in with expectations set by competing workstations.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
 
186 MB/s +23%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
 
157.5 MB/s +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
 
155 MB/s +2%
MSI WT72-6QM
 
154 MB/s +2%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
 
151.3 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
 
76.8 MB/s -49%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
 
25.35 MB/s -83%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
 
23.59 MB/s -84%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
 
254.5 MB/s +20%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
 
215 MB/s +2%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
 
211.7 MB/s
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
 
209.8 MB/s -1%
MSI WT72-6QM
 
172 MB/s -19%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
 
89 MB/s -58%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
 
25.38 MB/s -88%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
 
20.96 MB/s -90%

Communication

Wireless communications are strong, fast, and reliable. Transmit speeds of about 475 MBit/s and receive speeds hovering around 650 MBit/s are average for portable workstations. We find no cause for complaint in network reliability; we have yet to experience a dropped signal or network interruption in day-to-day web browsing and file transfer tests.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
594 MBit/s +26%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
531 MBit/s +13%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
508 MBit/s +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
508 MBit/s +8%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
506 (622min) MBit/s +7%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
475 MBit/s +1%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
472 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
672 MBit/s +3%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
662 MBit/s +1%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
655 MBit/s
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
643 MBit/s -2%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
638 MBit/s -3%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
622 MBit/s -5%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
559 MBit/s -15%

Display

The 4K IPS display may appeal to photo editors and CAD-based professionals thanks to generous amounts of real estate. However, at 15.6-inches, the pixel density of a Full HD screen is typically adequate; while a 3820 x 2160 resolution sounds great on paper, most users will have to scale the display via software in order to actually use the computer without straining their eyes. Don't get us wrong - 4K displays are extremely crisp and sharp, and they make for good bragging rights. However, their usefulness is limited at screen sizes under 17 inches. That said, photographers, videographers, and other professionals that rely on a sharp display for their work may appreciate the 8.25 million pixels in this panel. If 4K seems overkill, MSI offers variants of the WS63VR with a Full HD resolution. This option trades razor-sharp pixels for improved battery life and performance. It's a choice users will have to contemplate, which is a nice problem to have.

Disregarding our trepidation concerning the Ultra High-Definition screen, the display is quite pleasant. There is some unfortunate backlight bleed along the bottom bezel (particularly in the bottom-right corner), but it's not distracting outside of pitch-black environments. Our biggest complaint is that the display is relatively dim. The matte display helps quite a bit here; indoors, users should have no trouble seeing detail. However, using the device next to an open window or outdoors quickly introduces issues with legibility.

It should be noted that the display panel uses an RGBW sub-pixel arrangement, which deviates from the more common RGB array. An RGBW matrix typically reduces manufacturing expense at the cost of a slight loss in sharpness. Fine text and very small details may look a bit smudged compared to a standard RGB display, but these issues are difficult to notice and require a very close look to see. Backlight uniformity is another minor concern. The bottom right corner (oddly enough where backlight bleed is the most prevalent) is significantly dimmer than other parts of the screen. The problem is especially noticeable at lower brightness settings and may be distracting to some.

A quick note: MSI doesn't currently offer a touchscreen option for the WS63VR. Users that prefer touch input should look at other options, such as the Dell Precision 5520

Backlight bleed along bottom edge and bottom-right corner.
Backlight bleed along bottom edge and bottom-right corner.
250
cd/m²
249.2
cd/m²
247.5
cd/m²
256.5
cd/m²
259.4
cd/m²
248.7
cd/m²
243.6
cd/m²
251.9
cd/m²
220.6
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
SAMSUNG LƒFL156FL02-101 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 259.4 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 247.5 cd/m² Minimum: 14.45 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 259.4 cd/m²
Contrast: 603:1 (Black: 0.43 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.6 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
71% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
45% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
49% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
71.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
47.43% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.24
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
SAMSUNG LƒFL156FL02-101 , IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
LG Philips LGD057E, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
ID: LGD046F, Name: LG Philips LP156W6, Dell P/N: 3874Y, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
LEN40BD, B156ZAN02.1, IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
BOE NV156QUM-N44, IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
SHP1476, IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
MSI WT72-6QM
LG Philips LP173WF4-SPF1, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Display
25%
26%
75%
37%
40%
2%
30%
Display P3 Coverage
47.43
64
35%
63.6
34%
86.3
82%
69.7
47%
67.4
42%
48.21
2%
67.3
42%
sRGB Coverage
71.4
82.7
16%
84.2
18%
99.5
39%
91.2
28%
98.5
38%
72.6
2%
85.4
20%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
49
60.4
23%
61.5
26%
99.3
103%
66.8
36%
68.9
41%
49.81
2%
62.5
28%
Response Times
482%
497%
0%
-6%
-54%
14%
-33%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
36.8 ?(21.2, 15.6)
39.2 ?(20.4, 18.8)
-7%
38 ?(20, 18)
-3%
40.8 ?(20.8, 20)
-11%
38.4 ?(20.4, 18)
-4%
59.2 ?(27.6, 31.6)
-61%
28 ?(15.6, 12.4)
24%
42 ?(13, 29)
-14%
Response Time Black / White *
28.4 ?(19.6, 8.8)
25.6 ?(14.8, 10.8)
10%
33 ?(20, 13)
-16%
25.2 ?(14, 11.2)
11%
24.8 ?(13.6, 11.2)
13%
41.6 ?(26.8, 14.8)
-46%
23.6 ?(15.2, 8.4)
17%
26 ?(7, 19)
8%
PWM Frequency
1351 ?(30)
20830 ?(80)
1442%
21740 ?(100)
1509%
980 ?(90)
-27%
1351 ?(39)
0%
86 ?(10, 15)
-94%
Screen
27%
24%
39%
26%
30%
-19%
6%
Brightness middle
259.4
321
24%
302.5
17%
317
22%
317
22%
372.4
44%
274.2
6%
303
17%
Brightness
247
320
30%
295
19%
309
25%
290
17%
368
49%
263
6%
298
21%
Brightness Distribution
85
89
5%
92
8%
89
5%
85
0%
90
6%
92
8%
94
11%
Black Level *
0.43
0.29
33%
0.31
28%
0.36
16%
0.32
26%
0.48
-12%
0.44
-2%
0.46
-7%
Contrast
603
1107
84%
976
62%
881
46%
991
64%
776
29%
623
3%
659
9%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.5
4.5
18%
4.3
22%
2.7
51%
3.6
35%
2.6
53%
8
-45%
5.77
-5%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
12.7
9.5
25%
9.4
26%
4.1
68%
6.6
48%
5.6
56%
14.6
-15%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.6
2.9
19%
3.1
14%
3
17%
4.2
-17%
3.7
-3%
9.1
-153%
4.87
-35%
Gamma
2.24 98%
2.27 97%
2.16 102%
2.27 97%
2.24 98%
2.14 103%
2.24 98%
1.99 111%
CCT
7163 91%
6519 100%
7071 92%
6077 107%
6740 96%
7096 92%
5020 129%
7363 88%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
45
54.2
20%
55
22%
87.6
95%
59.5
32%
63
40%
45.7
2%
56.04
25%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
71
82.6
16%
84.3
19%
99.5
40%
91.1
28%
99
39%
72.1
2%
85.27
20%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
178% / 112%
182% / 113%
38% / 41%
19% / 22%
5% / 21%
-1% / -9%
1% / 3%

* ... smaller is better

Barring the 4K resolution, the display is fairly average. Colors are fairly accurate at 5.9, although professionals will want to calibrate the screen. This should be more than accurate for engineers and modelers, but post-calibration, color accuracy still falls short of what is generally considered acceptable for professional use (DeltaE of 3 or less). Black levels are also disappointing; combined with the low overall brightness, contrast leaves a lot to be desired. Color space coverage is another weak point; the WS63VR's display only covers 71% of the sRGB color space and 45% of the AdobeRGB space. Users needing a broad range of colors with which to work should look at the Lenovo ThinkPad P51; the MSI WS63VR covers only about 47% of the P51's color space.

All said, the screen will be adequate for most users, particularly scientists, engineers, and other professionals that don't rely on color. Photographers and videographers will want to look at other options, particularly the Lenovo P51, for their improved colors.

ColorChecker
ColorChecker
ColorChecker (calibrated)
ColorChecker (calibrated)
Grayscale
Grayscale
Grayscale (calibrated)
Grayscale (calibrated)
Saturation Sweeps
Saturation Sweeps
Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
vs. sRGB: 71%
vs. sRGB: 71%
vs. AdobeRGB: 45%
vs. AdobeRGB: 45%

Viewing angles are excellent, as is expected of an IPS panel. The matte finish also lends to an enjoyable viewing experience. Media and text remain vibrant and crisp when viewed from an angle, although colors will begin to wash out past 45º. As mentioned, the screen is not usable in direct sunlight. Shade is a requirement when working outdoors, but the notebook is usable in such conditions.

A last note: screen response times are average, soliciting no complaints. PWM is present at brightness levels under 30%, but at 1351 Hz, only the most sensitive users will notice it.

Viewing angles
Viewing angles
The notebook screen is legible in the shade...
The notebook screen is legible in the shade...
...but is rendered useless in direct sunlight.
...but is rendered useless in direct sunlight.

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
28.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 19.6 ms rise
↘ 8.8 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 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 71 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
36.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 21.2 ms rise
↘ 15.6 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 46 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to 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 detected 1351 Hz ≤ 30 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 1351 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 30 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 1351 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

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.

Performance

Workstation notebooks generally reside in the top echelon for performance, owing mainly to the demands placed on them by the target market. Workstations are designed for high-end tasks such as video editing and CAD work, usually in a professional setting. As such, consistent and powerful performance is paramount, and the WS63VR is up to the task. The combination of a top-tier processor and an incredibly powerful and efficient GPU make for a beat of a machine wrapped in a thin, light, and highly portable package.

Our review model today bears some slight upgrades compared to its predecessors, mainly with the graphics card. Nvidia's new Max-Q design philosophy emphasizes thermal and energy efficiency without sacrificing much in the way of power. As such, we should expect to see stellar performance from the Quadro P4000 with Max-Q without the major heat and noise drawbacks commonly associated with high-end GPUs. Let's take a look.

CPU-Z: CPU
CPU-Z: CPU
CPU-Z: Caches
CPU-Z: Caches
CPU-Z: Mainboard
CPU-Z: Mainboard
CPU-Z: Memory
CPU-Z: Memory
CPU-Z: SPD
CPU-Z: SPD
HWiNFO64
HWiNFO64

Processor

We are quite familiar with the Intel Core i7-7700HQ at this point. The Kaby Lake CPU has made its way into countless gaming and workstation notebooks since its introduction earlier this year, and with good reason. Outside of Intel's own Xeon line and processors designed for desktops, the Core i7-7700HQ is one of the most powerful pieces of silicon on the market today. Boasting four hyperthreaded cores that run from 2.8 to 3.8 GHz, the 7700HQ has proved time and time again to be a capable CPU for the most demanding workloads, particularly in gaming and 3D rendering.

That trend continues here; The 7700HQ scores well in our Cinebench R15 tests, keeping up with other i7-equipped devices and performing nearly as well as Xeon-based machines. In multicore testing, our WS63VR even beats the MSI WT72 and Dell Precision 5520, both of which are powered by the Xeon E3-1505. While the 7700HQ may not crunch numbers as quickly as its Xeon brother (see our SuperPi and wPrime tests), users should find the performance more than enough for any task.

Long-term testing shows how consistent the i7-7700HQ is, even in a thinner chassis. Running a loop of Cinebench R15 sees scores flit around 720 CB, save for a drop about halfway through the lengthy test. This dip is likely an anomaly, especially since scores rocket back up to their average on the next pass. This consistency fits the profile for the 7700HQ we've seen over the past year. Demanding users can expect steady, dependable processor performance, even over long periods of time.

For more information on the Intel i7-7700HQ, please see our dedicated CPU page here.

Cinebench R10
Cinebench R10
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15
0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180190200210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380390400410420430440450460470480490500510520530540550560570580590600610620630640650660670680690700710720730Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
176 Points +13%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
171 Points +10%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
170 Points +9%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
162 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
162 Points +4%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
162 Points +4%
MSI WT72-6QM
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
157 Points +1%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
156 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
806 Points +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
792 Points +7%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
743 Points 0%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
742 Points 0%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
740 Points
MSI WT72-6QM
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
724 Points -2%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
654 Points -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
379 Points -49%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
1.92 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
1.92 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
1.85 Points +6%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.82 Points +5%
MSI WT72-6QM
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
1.77 Points +2%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.77 Points +2%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.74 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
8.61 Points +6%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.18 Points 0%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.17 Points 0%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.14 Points
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
7.89 Points -3%
MSI WT72-6QM
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
7.85 Points -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
4.03 Points -50%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
28975 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
23780 Points -18%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
22444 Points -23%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
22217 Points -23%
MSI WT72-6QM
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
21475 Points -26%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
13170 Points -55%
Rendering Single 32Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
6332 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
6263 Points
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5929 Points
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5747 Points
MSI WT72-6QM
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
5627 Points
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
335.3 s * -55%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
319 s * -47%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
236 s * -9%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
216.8 s * -0%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
216.4 s *

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
28975
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
12498
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.74 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
8.14 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
90 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
156 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
740 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
105 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help

System Performance

Overall system performance is snappy and responsive. The high-end CPU and GPU, coupled with a zippy NVMe SSD, make for an excellent user experience. Keep in mind that the SSD in our configuration is limited to 512 GB, which may be too small for some users. The main drive is backed up by a much slower 2 TB mechanical HDD, which may slow down some application loading. We will explore this below.

Interestingly, our WS63VR falls significantly behind other similar notebooks in various PCMark 8 tests, but there's not enough consistency in the disparities to draw a meaningful conclusion. Regardless, we find little about which to complain in day-to-day use. Even demanding workloads (e.g., browsing Chrome with 30+ tabs open, playing 4K media, transferring files, and running Cinebench R15) stands no chance at slowing the device down.

PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Creative
PCMark 8 Creative
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 10
PCMark 10
PCMark 10 Express
PCMark 10 Express
PCMark 10 Extended
PCMark 10 Extended
 
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
MSI WT72-6QM
Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7
4731 Points +27%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
4375 Points +17%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
4284 Points +15%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
4141 Points +11%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
3739 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
3641 Points -3%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
3504 Points -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
3232 Points -14%
Work Score Accelerated v2
MSI WT72-6QM
Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7
5655 Points +29%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
5423 Points +24%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
5331 Points +21%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
5268 Points +20%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
4390 Points
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
4291 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
4256 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
4193 Points -4%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
6301 Points +18%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
5663 Points +6%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
5348 Points 0%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
5328 Points
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
5318 Points 0%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
5086 Points -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
4640 Points -13%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3739 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
5328 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4390 points
PCMark 10 Score
4751 points
Help

Storage Devices

As mentioned above, the WS63VR is equipped with two drives in an effort to bring the best of both worlds to users. The main drive (a 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD from Toshiba) is extremely fast and will not leave users waiting. It does fall behind the SSDs found in other devices, particularly those from Samsung. The Samsung SM961 found in the Dell Precision 5520, for example, is about 30% faster in AS SSD's sequential read and write tests and scored significantly better than the WS63VR's Toshiba drive in overall read and write performance. That said, the WS63VR holds its own and is still blazing fast.

The secondary HDD, on the other hand, is much slower. The 2 TB of storage space (1.8 TB free) is extremely generous, bust drive speeds are not. Read and writes hovers around 130 MB/s, which is abysmally slow compared to the SSD. This performance is to be expected from a mechanical drive and shouldn't be surprising. The HDD is designed for mass storage of media and programs that don't require immediate access, such as photos, videos, and music. Overall, we're pleased with the combination, but some users may want to consider upgrading the NVMe drive to one with a larger capacity.

AS SSD
AS SSD
HDTune (HDD)
HDTune (HDD)
CrystalDiskMark 5 (SSD)
CrystalDiskMark 5 (SSD)
CrystalDiskMark 5 (HDD)
CrystalDiskMark 5 (HDD)
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
MSI WT72-6QM
Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7
AS SSD
75%
55%
43%
76%
75%
11%
Copy Game MB/s
1121
1140
721
921
1082
1025
Copy Program MB/s
447.3
425.6
411.5
372.8
401.9
554
Copy ISO MB/s
1760
1607
1200
1659
1666
1777
Score Total
1979
3759
90%
3424
73%
2771
40%
3681
86%
3756
90%
2433
23%
Score Write
557
1440
159%
917
65%
1271
128%
1379
148%
1468
164%
651
17%
Score Read
962
1568
63%
1690
76%
990
3%
1554
62%
1549
61%
1237
29%
Access Time Write *
0.033
0.028
15%
0.025
24%
0.027
18%
0.023
30%
0.029
12%
0.04
-21%
Access Time Read *
0.128
0.036
72%
0.032
75%
0.082
36%
0.038
70%
0.041
68%
0.092
28%
4K-64 Write
314
1151
267%
623
98%
1018
224%
1055
236%
1185
277%
473.5
51%
4K-64 Read
710
1244
75%
1372
93%
792
12%
1223
72%
1229
73%
935
32%
4K Write
114.6
128.5
12%
143.1
25%
130.8
14%
155.3
36%
127.6
11%
96.4
-16%
4K Read
40.2
49.02
22%
55.6
38%
52.8
31%
51.5
28%
48.01
19%
37.5
-7%
Seq Write
1287
1603
25%
1506
17%
1217
-5%
1694
32%
1550
20%
810
-37%
Seq Read
2133
2750
29%
2624
23%
1450
-32%
2799
31%
2719
27%
2638
24%

* ... smaller is better

Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 2635 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1558 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 563 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 361.3 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1162 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 1110 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 43.82 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 157.1 MB/s

GPU Performance

GPU-Z: Quadro P4000 with Max-Q Design
GPU-Z: Quadro P4000 with Max-Q Design

Nvidia's Quadro line is their professional-grade GPU brand, intended for workstations and users that demand consistent high-power, no matter the cost. As of today, the P4000 is Nvidia's second most powerful mobile Quadro card, sitting just below the P5000 and above the P3000. Based on Nvidia's Pascal architecture, the P4000 is a capable GPU designed for professional work, such as CAD, architecture, medical, and visual projects.

Our review unit is one of the first iterations of Nvidia's new Max-Q design philosophy. Max-Q is aimed at the burgeoning thin-and-light gaming and workstation market and offers noticeably reduced power requirements at the cost of slightly reduced clock speeds. The P4000 Max-Q is equipped with 1792 shaders, 8 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, and is typically clocked between 1113 and 1240 MHz, resulting in a 20% drop in wattage requirements compared to the P4000. (80 W vs. 100 W).

The closest consumer counterpart to the P4000 with Max-Q is likely the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060. However, it is difficult to draw a comparison between the two; while both cards are based on Nvidia's Pascal architecture, driver support and silicon binning processes are very different. The drivers for Quadro cards have a much more stringent development cycle and typically have much higher support behind them, owed mainly to their target market of graphics and engineering professionals. The same pertains to quality control; the components used to manufacture a Quadro card are under more meticulous scrutiny than those of their GeForce counterparts. The end result is a more stable card that offers better overall support, albeit at a higher cost.

Using 3DMark to test the capabilities of the P4000 Max-Q, we see some impressive results. Even with the Max-Q design, which is aimed to essentially undervolt the GPU in the name of improved thermal and power management, the P4000 in our test unit bests the standard P4000 in the Fujitsu Celsius H970 and the GTX 1060 in the Acer Aspire 7. Not surprisingly, the P4000 Max-Q falls short of its GeForce GTX 1070-based cousins, the Asus Zephyrus GX501VS and Aorus X7 v7, by about 24% and 29%, respectively. What is surprising is the wide margin between our P4000 Max-Q and the Quadro M5000M, which was the top mobile workstation GPU of the last generation. Despite bearing a 20% lower power draw rating, the P4000 Max-Q bests the M5000M by 36% in Fire Strike.

Using SPECviewperf 12 and LuxMark 2.0 to test its professional applications, we are again blown away by the stellar performance of the P4000 Max-Q. Out of the devices we chose for comparison, the P4000 Max-Q sits at the top with a healthy 20% lead in LuxMark. Interestingly, this puts the P4000 Max-Q above the standard P4000 found in the Fujitsu Celsius H970. Keep in mind that we did note problems with cooling and consistent system performance in our review of the Celsius H970; these factors may be to blame. However, what should be taken away is the 25-30% improvement the P4000 Max-Q holds over the P3000 seen in the Lenovo ThinkPad P71

SPECviewperf offers an interesting look into the benefits of the Max-Q design. Our MSI WS63VR with a P4000 Max-Q sits right next to our P4000 test bench. The difference here is close to the margin of error and offers evidence to Nvidia's marketing; it looks as though Max-Q offers reduced power consumption and heat output with only a slight (if any) sacrifice in performance. Either way, the P4000 Max-Q is an impressive professional grade graphics card and should be adequate for all but the most demanding users. For those that need more out of their GPU, it may be worth upgrading all the way to the P5000 as the standard P4000 will likely offer similar performance with the drawbacks of increased heat output and higher voltage requirements.

We ran The Witcher 3 for an hour to test the long-term consistency of the P4000 Max-Q. Frame rates bounce between 40 and 44 fps over the entire gameplay session, which uses a part of the game world with heavy vegetation and a shifting day/night cycle. As such, we can rule that the GPU should offer steady performance over lengthy and demanding tasks without any major hiccups. To see how temperatures fared during a similar long-term test, please see the Stress Test section below.

For more information on the Nvidia Quadro P4000 Max-Q, please see our dedicated GPU page here.

012345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546Tooltip
The Witcher 3 ultra


3DMark 06
3DMark 06
3DMark 11
3DMark 11
3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme
3DMark Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark Fire Strike Ultra
LuxMark: Room
LuxMark: Room
LuxMark: Sala
LuxMark: Sala
SPECviewperf 12
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03)
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, i5-7440HQ
153 fps +28%
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q,
121 fps +1%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
119.9 fps
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
117.1 fps -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
107.3 fps -11%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
102.9 fps -14%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
101 fps -16%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
99.5 fps -17%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
97.1 fps -19%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
86.2 fps -28%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
69 fps -42%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
45.9 fps -62%
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02)
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, i5-7440HQ
155 fps +39%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
127.8 fps +14%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
111.7 fps
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q,
106 fps -5%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
86.9 fps -22%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
83.1 fps -26%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
73.3 fps -34%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
71.8 fps -36%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
59 fps -47%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
57.7 fps -48%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
34.18 fps -69%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
24.13 fps -78%
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01)
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, i5-7440HQ
73 fps +17%
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q,
67.4 fps +8%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
67.2 fps +7%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
62.6 fps
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
54.8 fps -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
54 fps -14%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
44.14 fps -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
40.33 fps -36%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
32.8 fps -48%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
31.14 fps -50%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
26.2 fps -58%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
11.8 fps -81%
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01)
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, i5-7440HQ
55.6 fps +33%
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q,
48.5 fps +16%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
41.8 fps
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
39.4 fps -6%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
31.35 fps -25%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
29.82 fps -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
29.32 fps -30%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
26.06 fps -38%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
25.66 fps -39%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
24.64 fps -41%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
17.49 fps -58%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
8.29 fps -80%
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04)
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, i5-7440HQ
95 fps +30%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
77.9 fps +7%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
73 fps
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
69.6 fps -5%
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q,
68 fps -7%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
67.7 fps -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
64.6 fps -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
64 fps -12%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
48.34 fps -34%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
46.93 fps -36%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
32.07 fps -56%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
19.51 fps -73%
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01)
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q,
12.2 fps +15%
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, i5-7440HQ
12 fps +13%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
10.6 fps
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
10.29 fps -3%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
7.7 fps -27%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
7.6 fps -28%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
6.86 fps -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
6.04 fps -43%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
5.26 fps -50%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
5.15 fps -51%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
3.78 fps -64%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
0.53 fps -95%
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01)
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, i5-7440HQ
126 fps +37%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
97.1 fps +6%
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q,
93 fps +1%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
91.9 fps
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
87 fps -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
85.6 fps -7%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
81.3 fps -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
78.4 fps -15%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
71.2 fps -23%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
68.2 fps -26%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
46.12 fps -50%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
27.98 fps -70%
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04)
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, i5-7440HQ
145 fps +32%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
115.2 fps +5%
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q,
111 fps +1%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
110 fps
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
96.5 fps -12%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
94.4 fps -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
92.3 fps -16%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
88.1 fps -20%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
72 fps -35%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
71.4 fps -35%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
45.75 fps -58%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
26.22 fps -76%
1900x1060 3ds Max (3dsmax-05)
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, i5-7440HQ
125 fps
no name
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q,
105 fps
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
93.6 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
19.73 fps
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit
Room GPUs-only
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
2319 Samples/s
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
1847 Samples/s -20%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
1824 Samples/s -21%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
1805 Samples/s -22%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
1331 Samples/s -43%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
1318 Samples/s -43%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
1306 Samples/s -44%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
979 Samples/s -58%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
405 Samples/s -83%
Sala GPUs-only
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
4369 Samples/s
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
3564 Samples/s -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
3386 Samples/s -22%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
3317 Samples/s -24%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
2179 Samples/s -50%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
2107 Samples/s -52%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
2099 Samples/s -52%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
1562 Samples/s -64%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
708 Samples/s -84%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Aorus X7 v7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK
22190 Points +40%
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
20240 Points +28%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
15837 Points
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
15433 Points -3%
Acer Aspire 7 A717-71G-72VY
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
14846 Points -6%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
14450 Points -9%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBM 80YY001APB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ
13388 Points -15%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
12105 Points -24%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
11820 Points -25%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
11162 Points -30%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
10259 Points -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
7425 Points -53%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
5105 Points -68%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
2658 Points -83%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Aorus X7 v7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK
10303 Points +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
9490 Points +2%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
9356 Points +1%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
9296 Points
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
9065 Points -2%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
9063 Points -3%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
8873 Points -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
7892 Points -15%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
7662 Points -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
7118 Points -23%
Acer Aspire 7 A717-71G-72VY
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
6389 Points -31%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBM 80YY001APB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ
6212 Points -33%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
5312 Points -43%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
2912 Points -69%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Aorus X7 v7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK
116901 Points +56%
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
107807 Points +44%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
74933 Points
Acer Aspire 7 A717-71G-72VY
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
68143 Points -9%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
65089 Points -13%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
61789 Points -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
61574 Points -18%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBM 80YY001APB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ
57208 Points -24%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
53834 Points -28%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
49204 Points -34%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
37796 Points -50%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
36877 Points -51%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
32344 Points -57%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
28254 Points -62%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
13394 Points -82%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Aorus X7 v7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK
17433 Points +42%
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
16165 Points +31%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
12312 Points
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6
12259 Points 0%
Acer Aspire 7 A717-71G-72VY
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
11502 Points -7%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
11261 Points -9%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBM 80YY001APB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ
10338 Points -16%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
9489 Points -23%
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
9087 Points -26%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ
9022 Points -27%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
7723 Points -37%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6
5850 Points -52%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6
5786 Points -53%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
4165 Points -66%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
2342 Points -81%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Aorus X7 v7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK
309248 Points
MSI WT72-6QM
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5
251633 Points
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
244900 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5
176003 Points
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ
121766 Points
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBM 80YY001APB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ
71289 Points
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6
42129 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, i7-7600U
20741 Points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
28211 points
3DMark 11 Performance
13482 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
25528 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
10473 points
Help

Gaming Performance

While a mobile workstation's primary function isn't gaming, they are usually competent gaming machines. The MSI WS63VR is no exception. As the Quadro P4000 Max-Q GPU is similar in performance to the GeForce GTX 1060, users should expect to play the latest AAA titles at maximum details at Full HD and hit frame rates of 60 fps or above. More demanding titles like The Witcher 3 may need to have details turned down a notch, but gameplay should be enjoyable nonetheless. Our machine edges out the GTX 1060-equipped MSI GS63VR by about 10% in most games.

As our WS63VR is configured with a 4K screen, it would be amiss to not test gaming at a resolution of 3840 x 2160. The P4000 Max-Q sits right on the cusp of 4K gaming, hitting an average of about 30 fps in most games, but it must be noted that frame stutters are a major issue and can quickly become a game-breaking annoyance. Settings will need to trimmed back to medium or low, which may not be a worthy payoff considering the smaller screen size; the visual benefit of a 4K resolution isn't apparent on the 15.6-inch display. Full HD is the sweet spot here.

The Witcher 3
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Aorus X7 v7
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
61.3 fps +46%
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
51 fps +21%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
42 fps
Fujitsu Celsius H970
Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
41.09 fps -2%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
39.4 fps -6%
Acer Aspire 7 A717-71G-72VY
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
38.5 fps -8%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBM 80YY001APB
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ, ADATA SX7000NP 256 GB
35.1 fps -16%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
33 fps -21%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
31.2 fps -26%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
20 fps -52%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
18 fps -57%
3840x2160 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
29 fps
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
26.3 fps -9%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
21.8 fps -25%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
12.7 fps -56%
Batman: Arkham Knight
3840x2160 High / On (Interactive Smoke & Paper Debris Off) AA:SM AF:8x
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
32 fps
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
29 fps -9%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
11 fps -66%
1920x1080 High / On AA:SM AF:16x
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
94 fps
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
79 fps -16%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
58 fps -38%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
49 fps -48%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBM 80YY001APB
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ, ADATA SX7000NP 256 GB
48 fps -49%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
29 fps -69%
BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
Aorus X7 v7
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7820HK, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
145.8 fps +29%
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
131.6 fps +16%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
113 fps
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
100.6 fps -11%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
96 fps -15%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
92.1 fps -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
89.8 fps -21%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBM 80YY001APB
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ, ADATA SX7000NP 256 GB
87.2 fps -23%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SSD SM951a 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVKV512)
85 fps -25%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
56.8 fps -50%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
47 fps -58%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
24.2 fps -79%
Metro: Last Light - 1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
108.4 fps +29%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
84 fps
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
78.1 fps -7%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
67.5 fps -20%
MSI WT72-6QM
Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7
60.8 fps -28%
Rise of the Tomb Raider
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
28 fps
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
25.5 fps -9%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
21 fps -25%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SSD SM951a 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVKV512)
20 fps -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
13.7 fps -51%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
85.9 fps +32%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
65.5 fps +1%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
65 fps
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
64.1 fps -1%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
53.6 fps -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
50.3 fps -23%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70-20ER000XUS
Quadro M4000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SSD SM951a 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVKV512)
48 fps -26%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
35.2 fps -46%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
33 fps -49%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
11.7 fps -82%
Ashes of the Singularity
1920x1080 high
Asus Zephyrus GX501VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
72.8 fps +17%
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
62 fps
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
47.8 fps -23%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
12 fps -81%
3840x2160 extreme
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
32 fps
3840x2160 crazy
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
26 fps
Civilization VI
3840x2160 High Preset
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
44 fps
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4xMS
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
60 fps
Fujitsu Celsius H970
Quadro P4000, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
43.7 fps -27%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
11.7 fps -80%
low med. high ultra4K
Batman: Arkham City (2011) 195 170 144 106
BioShock Infinite (2013) 256 218 202 113
Metro: Last Light (2013) 129 79 78 84
Company of Heroes 2 (2013) 69 63 62 50
Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) 330 270 177 82
Thief (2014) 96 94 93 79
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 123 112 107 90
Alien: Isolation (2014) 250 212 192 148
Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) 121 111 88 82
The Witcher 3 (2015) 162 119 79 42 29
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 171 152 96 94 32
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 60 60 60 60 50
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015) 145 133 85 82 32
Fallout 4 (2015) 156 151 93 76 30
Just Cause 3 (2015) 140 133 89 77 35
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 176 144 77 65 28
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) 76 67 62 26
Doom (2016) 130 121 97 92 35
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 129 106 60 32 21
Mafia 3 (2016) 84 104 43 17
Civilization VI (2016) 80 76 63 60 44
Resident Evil 7 (2017) 354 195 161 135 60
Prey (2017) 142 129 125 109 38
Rocket League (2017) 244 223 163
Dirt 4 (2017) 220 164 93 55 34
F1 2017 (2017) 193 140 105 72 34
Ark Survival Evolved (2017) 92 52 51 27 27

Stress Test

The main purpose of Nvidia's Max-Q design philosophy is to decrease both the heat output and power requirements of GPUs based on their already efficient Pascal platform. To that end, stress testing is a particular focus for this variant of the WS63VR. In previous sections, we discovered that the P4000 Max-Q offers performance very close to that of the standard P4000; how are temperatures and clock speeds affected?

Using Prime95 to fully tax the CPU, the WS63VR does an admiral job in cooling the i7-7700HQ. Clock speeds across the CPU average about 3.2 GHz over the hour-long torture test; while the system cannot maintain its rated boost clock of 3.8 GHz, it still puts up quite a show. Temperatures remain more than acceptable at 79º C, which is well below the 100º C threshold given by Intel. Running the FurMark stress test, the system again offers stellar results. The CPU's average clock speed hits 3.5 GHz, while the GPU core clock settles in at about 975 MHz. Temperatures are again well managed at 85º C for the CPU and 77º C for the GPU.

Running Prime95 and FurMark concurrently still cannot cripple system performance. The CPU remains strong; individual cores sporadically boost up to 3.8 GHz with the clocks averaging 3.3 GHz. The GPU is able to maintain a core clock of 1100 MHz, which is impressive considering that temperatures hold at 66º C. CPU heat its a bit worrying; temperatures reach 95º C but are still within limits. However, users should keep an eye on CPU temperatures when running CPU-intensive tasks.

3D rendering and gaming present no problem for the machine. While the CPU pulls itself back to 2.0 GHz during an hour-long play session of The Witcher 3, this is likely to shift more power to the P4000 Max-Q. We see the GPU boost to 1250 MHz and hold steady for most of the play session. Here lies the pièce de résistance of the Max-Q design; even though the graphics core is fully loaded (about 98% utilization) and runs full tilt, temperatures stay impressively low at 67º C. Users can expect full performance from the GPU without worrying about thermals. Part of this is due to the dual-fan assembly dedicated to cooling the GPU, but even more is due to the excellent engineering behind Max-Q.

Prime95
Prime95
FurMark
FurMark
Prime95 + FurMark
Prime95 + FurMark
The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.2 - 79 -
FurMark Stress 3.5 975 84 77
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 3.3 1100 95 66
Witcher 3 Stress 2.0 1250 63 67

Emissions

System Noise

Fan noise profile
Fan noise profile

Fan noise has always been a thorn in the side of gaming and workstation notebooks. The power-hungry GPUs and CPUs of old demand an exorbitant amount of cooling, which is usually provided via high fan speeds. This results in noise levels akin to a jet fighter prepping for takeoff. Thanks to the improved Max-Q design of the P4000, system noise is not much of a concern with the WS63VR. At idle, the fans spin very slowly (if at all) and are virtually silent. Under a full load, the fans ramp up quickly and aggressively but do not get terribly loud. Peaking at about 43 dB(A), the fans will be heard over normal room noise and are a bit louder than other mobile workstations. The fans have an unfortunate high pitch, but fan noise shouldn't grate on users' ears, even at load.

The HDD can also be heard in a quiet room if the fans aren't running. The subtle spin of the HDD platters can be heard in a silent workspace. Coil whine is also present but can only be heard when an ear is held next to the bottom panel; it should not present an audible annoyance in any setting.

Noise Level

Idle
33.2 / 33.2 / 33.2 dB(A)
Load
41.4 / 43.5 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 dB(A)
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
Quadro P4000 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
MSI WT72-6QM
Quadro M5000M, E3-1505M v5, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7
Noise
7%
6%
11%
8%
-1%
-3%
2%
off / environment *
28
29.5
-5%
28.1
-0%
29.6
-6%
29.2
-4%
28.7
-3%
28.8
-3%
Idle Minimum *
33.2
29.5
11%
28.1
15%
29.6
11%
29.2
12%
28.7
14%
33.1
-0%
33.3
-0%
Idle Average *
33.2
29.5
11%
28.1
15%
29.6
11%
29.2
12%
32.1
3%
33.1
-0%
33.4
-1%
Idle Maximum *
33.2
30
10%
32
4%
29.6
11%
31.1
6%
32.1
3%
34
-2%
33.5
-1%
Load Average *
41.4
39.5
5%
38
8%
32.2
22%
36.7
11%
41.3
-0%
37.2
10%
38.8
6%
Witcher 3 ultra *
38.4
39.5
-3%
35.8
7%
45.5
-18%
46.1
-20%
Load Maximum *
43.5
36
17%
47.2
-9%
36.6
16%
39.4
9%
45.5
-5%
47.1
-8%
40.2
8%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

The well-managed temperatures seen in our stress testing translate to good temperatures across the chassis. For the most part, users won't notice heat output. There is a hot spot on the underside of the chassis at the middle of the back, which is right where the CPU and GPU sit. Because of this, users should avoid holding the notebook in their laps while doing heavy rendering or computational work. There is another small hot spot on the right side of the keyboard. Under load, the area around the Enter key will feel noticeably warm but is not painful to the touch. In day-to-day use, the machine remains cool to the touch.

Keyboard heat map (Load)
Keyboard heat map (Load)
Underside heat map (Load)
Underside heat map (Load)
Keyboard heat map (Witcher 3)
Keyboard heat map (Witcher 3)
Underside heat map (Witcher 3)
Underside heat map (Witcher 3)
Max. Load
 35.2 °C
95 F
41 °C
106 F
39.6 °C
103 F
 
 34 °C
93 F
37.4 °C
99 F
45 °C
113 F
 
 28.6 °C
83 F
29.6 °C
85 F
34.2 °C
94 F
 
Maximum: 45 °C = 113 F
Average: 36.1 °C = 97 F
42.4 °C
108 F
56.8 °C
134 F
37.4 °C
99 F
40.4 °C
105 F
47 °C
117 F
36.4 °C
98 F
35 °C
95 F
34.8 °C
95 F
31.8 °C
89 F
Maximum: 56.8 °C = 134 F
Average: 40.2 °C = 104 F
Power Supply (max.)  40.2 °C = 104 F | Room Temperature 22.4 °C = 72 F | Fluke 62 Mini
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 36.1 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 32 °C / 90 F for the devices in the class Workstation.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 45 °C / 113 F, compared to the average of 38.1 °C / 101 F, ranging from 22.2 to 69.8 °C for the class Workstation.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 56.8 °C / 134 F, compared to the average of 41.3 °C / 106 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.9 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 32 °C / 90 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 37.1 °C / 99 F, compared to the device average of 32 °C / 90 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (35.4 °C / 95.7 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.8 °C / 82 F (-7.6 °C / -13.7 F).

Speakers

Speaker sound profile
Speaker sound profile

The speakers are nothing special. They fare about as well as most notebook speakers; there is a noticeable lack of bass, and music sounds tinny and thin with an emphasis in highs and upper mids. Volume is about average, and the speakers remain clear up to their maximum volume. The system seems well tuned to vocal audio, such as podcasts and video conferencing, but gamers and music enthusiasts will want to invest in a quality pair of headphones in order to take advantage of the embedded Hi-Fi audio DAC, a nice addition that is quickly becoming with higher-end MSI notebooks.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2036.437.82537.736.73139.139.74037.839.75035.237.46334.438.18033.638.810032.93912531.738.916030.339.420029.642.425028.445.431528.148.740027.650.25002751.563027.454.480028.260.8100027.266.6125025.669.316002561.4200024.558.2250024.455.3315024.453.9400024.256.1500023.956.7630023.855.7800023.854.41000023.7531250023.753.11600023.848.9SPL37.573.2N328median 25.6median 53.9Delta2.24.326.928.126.531.926.427.724.326.821.824.92425.422.326.72126.221.132.118.434.719.64017.742.517.345.516.946.217.250.316.550.516.252.116.754.517.256.417.553.117.755.117.851.617.949.217.853.51847.717.352.817.251.716.644.516.139.315.632.729.564.51.218.6median 17.3median 49.20.86.745.64345.638.335.938.336.535.936.535.734.235.735.433.235.433.934.333.936.835.136.846.732.646.753.731.153.758.23058.254.229.154.249.627.649.65427.95457.527.157.556.826.856.866.625.766.668.325.268.366.725.166.765.524.765.56925.16958.824.558.862.524.262.569.223.969.27223.97266.423.866.463.323.763.37123.67166.823.666.869.523.769.566.323.766.379.636.879.646.82.946.8median 65.5median 25.1median 65.56.31.36.3hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMSI WS63VR 7RL-023USLenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GEDell Precision 5520 UHD
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (73.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.6% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (14% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (26% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 84% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 8% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 18%, worst was 35%
Compared to all devices tested
» 76% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 19% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (64.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 12.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.7% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (13.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 82% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 15% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 18%, worst was 35%
Compared to all devices tested
» 71% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 23% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Dell Precision 5520 UHD audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 12.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (12% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 37% of all tested devices in this class were better, 10% similar, 53% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 18%, worst was 35%
Compared to all devices tested
» 24% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 70% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency Comparison (Checkbox selectable!)
Graph 1: Pink Noise 100% Vol.; Graph 2: Audio off

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Another major focus of the Max-Q redesign is on power-draw. The P4000 Max-Q is rated at 80 Watts, a 20% drop compared to the 100 Watt P4000. Overall power draw is similar to that of the Fujitsu Celsius H970, which sports a Xeon E3-1535M and standard Quadro P4000. Under load, however, we see a 10-20% drop in wattage. Average load sits about 7% above the previous WS63, which is equipped with a Quadro P3000.

Perhaps the best example of how far this generation of GPUs has come lies in comparison to the MSI WT72. The Quadro M5000M, which sat on top of last generation's mobile workstation graphics cards, draws significantly more power while offering noticeably less performance. The total system power draw of our WS63VR sits about 25% lower than that of the MSI WT72 under average load, which is an impressive improvement in efficiency considering the WS63VR's major boost in performance. The included 180 Watt power adapter provides more than enough power for the system under any load.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.75 / 1.31 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 13.3 / 17.2 / 17.9 Watt
Load midlight 83.7 / 114.3 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 WS63VR 7RL-023US
i7-7700HQ, Quadro P4000 Max-Q, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Fujitsu Celsius H970
E3-1535M v6, Quadro P4000, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 17.30
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
i7-7700HQ, Quadro P3000, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
MSI WT72-6QM
E3-1505M v5, Quadro M5000M, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
E3-1535M v6, Quadro M2200, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M2200, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
i7-7600U, Quadro M520, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0), IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M1200, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Power Consumption
-0%
5%
-9%
-64%
16%
1%
36%
8%
Idle Minimum *
13.3
10.7
20%
11
17%
14.5
-9%
24.8
-86%
5.9
56%
8.6
35%
5.8
56%
8.9
33%
Idle Average *
17.2
15.8
8%
14.2
17%
17.3
-1%
29.7
-73%
8.9
48%
15.9
8%
10.4
40%
13.6
21%
Idle Maximum *
17.9
17.8
1%
14.6
18%
17.4
3%
30.1
-68%
12.7
29%
22.1
-23%
13.5
25%
14.1
21%
Load Average *
83.7
92
-10%
77.7
7%
93
-11%
105.2
-26%
95.2
-14%
84.4
-1%
62.4
25%
100.3
-20%
Witcher 3 ultra *
101.9
89.1
13%
128.8
-26%
87.7
14%
100.2
2%
Load Maximum *
114.3
137
-20%
161.7
-41%
192.2
-68%
154
-35%
130.6
-14%
73.1
36%
126.3
-10%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Battery life typically isn't a strong suit in powerful notebooks. Size constraints and the power requirements of high-end components typically limit time away from the wall, but modern workstations can usually survive 6 or more hours between charges. That is not the case with the WS63VR. Battery life is abysmal, offering a paltry 2 hours 45 minutes during our WiFi battery test (Balanced power profile, brightness set to 150 nits, loading a new web page every 30-40 seconds). Compared to rivals, run times are very disappointing. Even disabling the dedicated GPU (using the Nvidia Control Panel) results in a mere 10 minute increase. The power adapter will need to be kept on hand during the work day.

It must be mentioned that the 48 Wh battery powering the WS63VR is significantly smaller than the 65 Wh batteries in both the GS63VR and WS63. This is part of the reason behind the large disparity in runtimes between devices. 

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
3h 55min
WiFi Websurfing
2h 55min
Load (maximum brightness)
0h 54min
MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US
i7-7700HQ, Quadro P4000 Max-Q, 48 Wh
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
i7-7700HQ, Quadro P3000, 65 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M2200, 90 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
i7-7600U, Quadro M520, 104 Wh
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M1200, 97 Wh
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 65 Wh
MSI WT72-6QM
E3-1505M v5, Quadro M5000M,  Wh
Battery Runtime
58%
176%
459%
89%
45%
52%
Reader / Idle
235
427
82%
981
317%
1581
573%
724
208%
386
64%
413
76%
WiFi v1.3
175
284
62%
413
136%
712
307%
254
45%
232
33%
245
40%
Load
54
70
30%
95
76%
323
498%
61
13%
75
39%
76
41%

Pros

+ Max-Q design greatly improves thermal management with minimal loss to performance
+ SD Card Reader speeds are vastly improved over previous MSI machines
+ fan noise is reasonably low
+ thin, light, and attractive case design
+ standard 3-year warranty
+ excellent RGB backlit keyboard
+ no discernible GPU or CPU throttling
+ Hi-Fi audio DAC
+ generous port selection with Thunderbolt 3

Cons

- common workstation features are absent (Smart Card, ExpressCard, SIM)
- chassis can flex under pressure, especially the lid
- fans are high-pitched and ever-present
- slight coil whine
- end-user maintenance and servicing can void warranty
- disappointing battery life

Verdict

In review: MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US. Review unit courtesy of MSI.
In review: MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US. Review unit courtesy of MSI.

MSI's WS63VR is an excellent example of what Max-Q has to offer the professional segment. The Nvidia Quadro P4000 Max-Q offers incredible performance considering the low heat output and 80 Watt TDP; performance on par with the standard P4000 and miles ahead of last year's Quadro M5000M. Heat is also very well managed, which is quite the feat in such a thin and light chassis. Mix this performance with an excellent keyboard, almost every type of connection imaginable, and a beautifully designed and mobile body, and MSI has a clear winner here.

The major drawbacks continue from other MSI machines: the middling trackpad is aggravating and will make users reach for an external mouse, the screen is dim and lacks the color panache of other machines, and battery life is almost inexcusable. Professional photographers that rely on an accurate and wide color space and long battery life for field work will want to look past the WS63VR for other machines, particularly the Lenovo ThinkPad P51. The loss in performance may be a worthy tradeoff for improved battery life and an incredibly color accurate display.

However, office workers may want to give MSI a second thought. At this price point (~USD $3400), choosing a mobile workstation requires a heavy investment. Engineers, scientists, medical professionals, and other users in need of a reliable, well-support, and powerful GPU have never had a tougher decision before them. MSI has developed a tough competitor to the reigning champions from Lenovo, Dell, and HP and is sure to steal some market share. Potential buyers may want to consider saving some money and opting for a Full HD display; a lower resolution panel will likely improve battery life and take a further burden off the GPU. Gamers will also want to keep their eyes on the MSI GS63VR, which will probably be updated with Max-Q GPUs in the near future. The Asus Zephyrus GX501 is another tempting thin-and-light that also bears a Max-Q designed GPU.

The MSI WS63VR is an exemplar of the benefits brought by Nvidia's Max-Q design. For a small hit to performance, the GPUs are better able to manage temperatures and require noticeably less power. If you can compromise on a slightly dimmer screen, a slightly less accurate trackpad, and are near an outlet most of the day, the WS63VR is a workstation worth considering. It's an exciting time for thin-and-light machines, and Max-Q may be the first step toward making the form factor fully viable as a desktop replacement.

MSI WS63VR 7RL-023US - 09/18/2017 v6(old)
Sam Medley

Chassis
80 / 98 → 82%
Keyboard
81%
Pointing Device
79%
Connectivity
68 / 81 → 84%
Weight
64 / 10-66 → 96%
Battery
69%
Display
85%
Games Performance
93%
Application Performance
90%
Temperature
84 / 95 → 89%
Noise
80 / 90 → 89%
Audio
66%
Camera
55 / 85 → 65%
Average
78%
86%
Workstation - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > MSI WS63VR (i7-7700HQ, 4K, Quadro P4000 Max-Q) Laptop Review
Sam Medley, 2017-09-19 (Update: 2017-09-21)