The MSI GE72 gaming laptop is a powerful laptop with top of the line specs in a slim package. Here’s the full review of MSI GE72 gaming for the masses.
Already worth a fortune, the video gaming industry will soon reach the stature of being worth more than $100 Billion. A large fraction of this revenue is generated by the numerous gaming laptops that are introduced each year by some of the most renowned names in the business. MSI is one such brand, which is always closely associated with the gaming genre among laptops, and the MSI GE72 is a great addition to its name.
The MSI GE72 is just one of the many incredible and high-powered gaming machines that have been created by the Taiwanese tech giant. The 17-inch portable gaming laptop has been infused with the power of a 5th Generation Intel quad-core processor to generate high-octane performance, along with the NVIDIA GeForce GPU to test the limits of graphical power.
MSI GE72: Design and Build
The MSI GE72 is based entirely on a black colour scheme, with a few devilish red design elements to give it a true MSI look. The upper casing of the laptop is forged out of aluminium alloy, which imparts a fair amount of rigidity and stability to the machine. Despite the sturdy metal chassis, the laptop is fairly lightweight at 2.7Kg.
The brushed metal finish on the lid and on the keyboard deck feel rich, while the slight design variations and the illuminated MSI logo on the lid give it a premium look. The bottom chassis of the MSI GE72 is constructed out of polymer plastic and does not come with a maintenance hatch to access the components easily.
The hinges and the front side of the laptop are where the red coloured design elements have been incorporated, and the stable hinges enable the user to lift the lid with just one hand. In terms of Input/Output connectivity, the MSI GE72 comes equipped with 3 x USB 3.0 ports, a USB 2.0 port, SD card reader, Mini DisplayPort, 2 x audio jacks, HDMI port, and an Ethernet port as well.
MSI GE72: The Display
Equipped with a 17-3-inch anti-glare display, the native resolution of the screen is 1920 x 1080 pixels. The Full-HD display screen of the MSI GE72 has been developed by Chi Mei and is based on TN display technology. The maximum brightness of the screen was measured to be 250 nits, which is below the average in the gaming laptop category (300 nits).
Despite the anti-glare finish, the low brightness of the screen restricts the visibility of the screen outdoors. While lower brightness is a drawback, the high contrast ratio of 1275:1 and black value of 0.2 cd/m2 beat even some of the best IPS panels in the market. With some calibration of the screen, the DeltaE score changed from 10 to 1.5 (closer to zero is better), and while the viewing angles aren’t as great as the IPS display, colour distortion is minimal.
MSI GE72: Keyboard and Touchpad
MSI is popular for using the SteelSeries keyboards in all of their premium range gaming laptops, and the MSI GE72 gets one as well. The Chiclet style keyboard comes with multi-zone coloured illumination, which is a signature style of MSI; the keys are flat and offer medium stroke distance. Although the layout takes a little while to get used to, the smooth strokes and full-sized layout is just perfect for gaming and for typing as well.
Measuring 10.9 cm x 6.1 cm, the touchpad incorporated into the MSI GE72 offers the same brushed aluminium feel that the surrounding surface of the keyboard deck does. The texture not only adds the right hint of style but also ensures that the user’s finger does not glide off to the sides while using it. The touchpad is highly responsive and responds to multi-touch gestures, while the mouse keys are placed separately right under the touchpad.
MSI GE72: Under the Hood
The MSI GE72 is powered with the 5th generation Intel Core i7-500HQ quad-core processor, which is based on Broadwell micro-architecture. The processor comes in with a base clock speed of 2.7 GHz, which can be overclocked to 3.5GHz with the Intel Turbo Boost Technology. The Broadwell processors are known to be 15%-20% faster and more battery-efficient than Haswell.
The laptop comes with two RAM slots, which are filled by 16GB DDR3L SDRAM, which should keep the system powerful and efficient all the time. Paying heed to the need for faster transfer speed and quick boot times, the MSI GE72 is equipped with 128GB of SSD storage, along with another 1TB HDD so that you are never short on speed or space.
The MSI GE72 is powered by NIVIDA GeForce GTX 950M GPU, which comes with 2GB DDR5 dedicated memory. Although there are newer and powerful graphics processors available, the GTX 950M provides the best value for money and is more than enough for online gaming. The combined partnership of the GPU and CPU of the MSI GE72 can take on any of the latest gaming titles on high to medium settings without so much as a hiccup.
Pros:
- Good form factor and excellent build quality.
- Multiple storage devices for blazing speed and ample of space.
- Powerful CPU and capable GPU for gaming.
- The screen offers high contrast and decent viewing angles.
Cons:
- The screen offers less than average brightness.
- No maintenance hatch on the bottom chassis.
The Final Verdict
MSI has consistently been one of the most dependable names in the gaming laptop industry, and the MSI GE72 is a sign of their commitment to continuing to do so. The iconic design and the quality build is just the start, while the SteelSeries keyboard and the fantastic sound quality are just the added pleasures of owning an MSI GE72.
Although the processor is 5th generation and most of the competitors already boast the latest Skylake processors, the MSI GE72 does not bend its knee in terms of performance, but the 950M does restrict the graphical capabilities slightly. However, the most expensive GPU is reserved for those who wish to play everything on ultra settings, and the MSI GE72 is meant for more than just that.
