Portable Yet Powerful

If I was going to purchase a gaming laptop, I'd be in the marketplace for something powerful notwithstanding portable. The MSI GS63VR 6RF Stealth Pro provides exactly this: the ability of the GTX 1060 for gaming, but a reasonably thin and lite chassis that can be transported daily.

Portability is the main selling point of the GS63VR. It doesn't quite achieve ultrabook territory, but this laptop is noticeably thinner and lighter than virtually other GTX 1060 notebooks on the market place. The size of this laptop makes information technology easier to use equally a daily portable workstation too every bit a powerful gaming machine.

The thin blueprint comes with surprisingly few merchandise-offs. The keyboard is a decent size and produces great tactile feel. There's even so a ton of ports on this device, including Ethernet, a full-sized HDMI two.0 port, and Thunderbolt 3, so you don't lose anything from an I/O perspective.

The expanse I thought would be about affected by such a thin design – the cooling solution – is still pretty good considering the constraints on size. The triple-fan solution isn't particularly loud (it'southward not placidity either), and component temperatures are reasonable for the most role. CPU temperatures only hit in a higher place 90°C when every aspect of the hardware is being maxed out, while the GPU got no hotter than 84°C in my testing.

My three recommendations to MSI design-wise: shift the power button from the forepart right border to somewhere more accessible; ditch the mediocre touchpad, and relocate the speakers from the bottom of the laptop to the meridian.

From a performance standpoint, the GS63VR fairs just as well equally other Cadre i7-6700HQ and GTX 1060 gaming laptops I've reviewed. The GTX 1060 is well-suited to gaming at 1080p, where yous'll be able to play modern games at ultra quality settings at around lx FPS. Only the about demanding titles, like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, actually punished the GS63VR, and fifty-fifty then you lot'll sit down above 30 FPS.

Every bit was to be expected, the GS63VR is non user upgrade-friendly. The two.v-inch drive bay is easy to access, but you'll void your warranty in the procedure, while the RAM and M.two SSD slot require a total motherboard removal. Luckily MSI offers 16 GB of RAM as standard and reasonably-priced models pack generous amounts of SSD storage.

I was disappointed to discover that no GS63VR models come with G-Sync or display refresh rates to a higher place lx Hz, which is a feature you'll detect in some competitors.

To become the performance of a GTX 1060 in a thin chassis, y'all'll have to pay a premium. The GS63VR Stealth Pro starts at $1,599, which is a skillful $300 more basic fifteen.6-inch laptops with similar hardware inside. I'd as well highly recommend spending the actress $l to grab a 512GB SSD pre-installed, rather than the combination of a 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD of the base model.

Shopping shortcuts:

  • MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro on Amazon
  • MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro on Newegg

The good news is the GS63VR isn't any more than expensive than competitors that offer the same characteristic set. Its closest match – the Razer Blade – features a smaller xiv-inch display and for an extra $200. I like the design of the Razer Blade more than than the GS63VR, but MSI's choice is still a fantastic buy in this production category.

Pros: Thin and lite chassis without compromised cooling. Very powerful for its size: the GTX 1060 is a fantastic 1080p gaming GPU. Great keyboard and groovy pick of I/O.

Cons: Premium priced. Difficult to upgrade RAM and SSD. Minor blueprint problems, including a rubbish trackpad.