MSI GE66 Raider Review

MSI shoots for 2020 gaming glory with the latest from Intel and an high refresh rate display

First Impressions

The MSI GE66 Raider has a mixed reception. Although it offers a beautifully detailed show and solid performance, the oppressive fan noise masks all of this. Pricing is competitive with rival devices on the market, meaning that you can create key distinctions including special lighting and a mid-size keyboard.

Key Specifications

MSI has been a reliable competitor in the gaming laptop space for some time now and it’s looking to pick up its game with the MSI GE66 Raider. 

By shaking its counterpart, the GE65, the MSI GE66 Raider switches beyond a tweak or two; it almost looks like this laptop is from a different country.

Many of the more noticeable improvements are made by way of structural changes. However, while significant, the interior and its output will decide whether or not the MSI Raider GE66 is rendered or detached.

Please remember that this is a hands-on with the MSI Raider GE66 pre-production platform where we give our initial experiences. This exact pattern is not possible in the United Kingdom, but we can definitely find out variations along the way.

MSI GE66 Raider release date – When will it come out?

We do not yet have full UK release date confirmation for the MSI GE66 Raider. MSI has proposed a release date from mid to late June, but the current global supply chain challenges could impact this.

MSI GE66 Raider design – Missed opportunity

It is very striking how distinct the GE66 style is from the GE65. The keyboard doesn’t exceed the entire diameter anymore and the back and sides are much cleaner. The flat and garish accents of their absence are extraordinary.

In terms of weight and thickness, the MSI GE66 Raider is just below the behemoths of top-end gaming laptops at 2,38 kg and 23,4 mm respectively, but is no improvement on ultra slim versions like the Razer Blade 15 2020.

MSI GE66 Raider This is a laptop you can comfortably carry or even hand over in the house of a relative – but don’t plan to carry it in a backpack on a regular basis.

Overall, I would suggest that the style is mostly restrained – with a single color all over the body and a streamlined and luxurious look. The latter is, however, somewhat obstructed in two places.

The base of the laptop has a lot of airflow, but the effect is that this section of the system is much more rigid than the others. The second is the addition of the latest “mystic light” on the app board, which I find to be a little bit powerful.

MSI GE66 Raider The light bar loops colors for a default rainbow effect, but can dig into the settings and render a static color or even totally toggle it off. I’m not sure, though, if it’s worth having. However, RGB fans will disagree, and it is bright and works as expected.

The MSI GE66 Raider comes with about everything you may like for ports: three USB-A, two USB-C, HDMI 2.0, mini-DisplayPort, a headset jack, Ethernet ports and an SD card reader.

MSI GE66 Raider keyboard and trackpad – B+ player

A good competitor is the MSI GE66 Raider. It is easy to usually use and offers perfectly fine gaming results. Sadly, “perfectly good” could not be appropriate for others.

Clickiness is just middling and reviews, but far from bad – gamers who like a clunkier mechanical look will hardly be pleased with it. Keyboard fanatics may want to look elsewhere, but the GE66 Raider keyboard is a good option, if you’re satisfied with the middle of the lane.

The backlights for the keys are also fun. There are several effects so it’s fun to work with the large light around the front of the unit.

While the trackpad is well designed for daily use, you will want an external controller for any intense game sessions.

MSI GE66 Raider display – High hertz hype

The crown joy of the MSI Raider GE66 is its display; it is an utterly spectacular 300Hz, 1080p screen. The 1080p screen we reviewed looks decent enough from gaming (its key reason) to viewing videos as you undoubtedly expected it.

Note that all UK versions must have a 240Hz output, not our factory model’s 300Hz variant, so expect some variations in performance from our results.

MSI GE66 Raider Our show research received some fascinating details along with the amazing specs and initial impressions. In terms of visibility, contrast and color fidelity, the Raider GE66 is one of the best game-tested laptops, making it not only good for playing football, but also ideal for artistic work.

MSI GE66 Raider performance-Think loud

We can not provide our full opinions on the performance of the GE66 Raider or release test results yet, because our realistic model is only a pre-production unit. Our computer particularly comes with Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 – a model not available in the UK. UK versions begin with RTX 2070. UK versions.

However, we should report on how, given the specifications of this platform, the GE66 Raider behaved according to standards and experience. And what we can assure you is that the MSI GE66 Raider seems to be able to meet the standards.

The efficiency of this model is super-competitive as compared to other RTX 2070 laptops that we’ve reviewed in the past – keep in mind the MSI is fitted with the latest Intel 10th Gen H-Series processor to help it get on track. If this pattern is observed in the higher-speed GPU models of the machine, it can surely be seen.

With respect to the latest H-series Processor, our first Intel results were just as good. The i7-10750H of the Raider GE66 clashed with some of the best laptop CPUs on the market and managed to hit an AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS close balloon – even though they were eventually very short for multi-core performance.

MSI GE66 Raider There were unfortunately many grounds for concern about the results of the MSI GE66 Raider, with fans being the main concern.

The fans get super-loud, which is a cause for alarm, as the machine has a smaller GPU than the UK model. But if the fans play less violent games in small conditions, they will hurl.

The keyboard also has a feature key to change fans – but only increased fan speed by clicking it. Really, it was so distracting that I should call it a deal breaker; headphones or not, that would definitely annoy you.

While not a deal breaker, the GE66 Raider speakers are very bad. You won’t want to use this to play music; just seeing videos was not a pleasant experience, so you can’t play. Of example, headphones or portable speakers are an quick repair, but it should be recalled.

MSI GE66 Raider battery life – Good, but not great

whether it’s 4 K projected for ultrabooks or high-performance gaming laptops, battery life remains sacred. However, MSI does not seem to have done much with the MSI GE66 Raider.

The GE66 Raider has a 99.9Wh package with much pride, but this has not contributed to a battery life this goes beyond the rest of gaming machinery. When we have battery life benchmarking on the final edition, we shall be sure to include more precise figures.

However, the GE66 Raider is not named for a substantially low battery life, since it suits other popular laptops for gaming. There’s always a possibility that the final systems will have stronger performance, so we crossed our fingers.

MSI GE66 Raider – First impressions

Because we have only checked an MSI GE66 Raider’s preproduction sample, we can not pass a final verdict. The efficiency and battery tastes for the retail models may be changed so we take it with a pinch of salt.

However the MSI GE66 Raider looks likely to receive a mixed reaction from initial observations. Although it offers a beautifully detailed show and solid performance, the oppressive fan noise masks all of this. Pricing is competitive with rival devices on the market, meaning that you can create key distinctions including special lighting and a mid-size keyboard.

Keep an eye on positive feedback for our final review and decision of the MSI GE66 Raider in the coming weeks.