Revving it up with the MSI GE66 Raider

Find luxury and power in one package in the MSI GE66 Raider. To stand out from a dizzying array of choices for gaming laptops, the GE 66 has an Aurora Edition, with reimagined lighting without compromising on the performance hardcore gamers have come to expect with the name. In brief, the full Max-P GPU outperforms its Max-Q counterpart by about 10% on average, the 99.9Whr battery is almost twice the size of its predecessor and 16.7 million colours in the aurora, the new GE Raider combines aesthetics and high performance in one machine.

INTRODUCTION

The connection options include:

• Type-C USB3.2 Gen 2×2 x1 (20Gbps)
• Type-A USB3.2 Gen 2 x1 (10Gbps)
• Audio combo jack x1
• Type-C USB3.2 Gen 2 w/DP1.4 x1 (10Gbps w/8K@60Hz)
• HDMI 2.0 x1 (4K@60Hz)
• Mini Display 1.4 x 1 (8K@60Hz) RJ45 x 1 / AC-in x1
• Type-A USB3.2 Gen 1 x2 (5Gbps)
• Full size SD card reader (UHS-III) x1

In terms of performance, the GE66 Raider is capable of 10% for i9, up to 20% for i7, also gaming experience of up to 10%. All this power could come to naught, if it weren’t for the Cooler Boost 5 technology installed in the machine: dual upgraded fans with 53 blades with a thickness of only 0.25mm to drive the higher airflow:

• 2/6 larger fans/wider pipes
• 43% more blades
• 38% thinner blade thickness
• 5 degrees Celsius lower temperature when compared to its nearest competitor

All this and the GE66 Raider doesn’t have to be so bulky either, being 13% thinner than the previous GE and 15% more powerful than its nearest competitor while keeping all the hardware that make the laptop top of its class.

We would be remiss to not mention its display: 15.6-inches of 300Hz IPS-level display with a 5mm thin bezel that gives it a 82% screen-to-body ratio. Gamers who are also content creators can enjoy close to 100% sRGB coverage at 100% factory calibration, in 6 colour modes. With the earlier mentioned I/O ports, the more hardcore can even attach multiple displays through HDMI, Type-C and mini DisplayPort for up to 1+3 * 4K resolution output for a truly immersive viewing experience.

Keep the lights on for the GE66 with the largest 99.9Whr battery seen in a laptop yet, with nearly twice the battery capacity than previous generations for a longer lasting playtime. Gamers can also enjoy the dynamic per-key RGB illumination which is customizable through Game Mode for interactive lighting for various gameplay scenarios, Mystic Light customization tool with friendly hotkey and one-key switch backlight profile and the steelseries Engine 3 Engine Apps for a collection of of purpose-built applications.

GAMEPLAY EXPERIENCE

Break down of the specs aside, how does it feel when in action? We take it for a spin on a variety of games!

First up is Ubisoft’s newest, free-to-play, FPS battle royale, Hyper Scape. At present, it only has an Open Beta that people can try out on PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4. As you might imagine, there’s barely any lag when playing, with buttery smooth action running between 100 to 120 FPS on high graphic settings.

Shifting gears to something more cinematic, we have Death Stranding that’s finally arrived on PC after a bit of a delay. This barren yet beautiful world boasts plenty of PC features with 4K support and high frame rate, and the MSI GE66 Raider lifts the game like Sam does his cargo with significantly less problems than Sam himself. With everything cranked up, even at worst it hits the cool 60 FPS, and can go up to 110 FPS!

Next up, we burn rubber on the tracks of Project CARS 3, the next in the franchise developed by Slightly Mad Studios set for launch on 28 August 2020 for Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4 and Xbox One. We tried out a press demo build which we can safely assume isn’t fully optimized. You can check out our so-called review of the build we got here. It runs quite nicely between 60 to 100 FPS, but without connecting the charger, the FPS does suffer a tad, not something you want in any game, much less a racing game. Still, it did its best off the charger, and when you do plug it in, the sheen of your vehicles will pop to say the least.

While we’re singing the praises of the MSI GE66 Raider, it does have a little issue of heating, which can be easily countered by the cooling system. The fans will work their magic, and are not exceptionally loud which is pretty typical for most models of gaming laptop. Even if the laptop should feel hotter than it should, the games show no sign of flagging, which makes the laptop an excellent performer even should it come up against less than ideal situations.

GE66 Raider 10SGS-449MY SPECIFICATIONS

GE66 Raider 10SFS-450MY SPECIFICATIONS

Available Now

On Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, PS4 & Steam

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