The MSI GE66 gaming laptop has a good combination of things that make a gaming laptop perform
great, so just how well does it run in games?
I’ve tested 21 different games at all settings and compared it against some other laptops
to find out, and I’ve also got a little give away, more on that later in the video.
I’ve got the highest end GE66 here, but it is available with different specs, you
can find examples and updated prices linked in the description.
The MSI Dragon Center software lets you select between different performance modes, I’ve
used the highest performance mode with coolerboost enabled which maxes the fan speed for best
results.
The software also lets you disable optimus which will give us a performance boost, however
there’s no G-Sync.
By default Max-Q Dynamic Boost is enabled, meaning the GPU can boost higher when the
CPU doesn’t need the power, I was seeing up to 105 watts.
We’ll only be covering gaming performance in this video, so if you’re new then get
subscribed for the upcoming thermal testing and full review videos.
Let's start out by going through all 21 games at all setting levels, then afterwards we’ll
see how other laptops compare.
I’ve tested the new Marvel Avengers game as it’s been getting a lot of attention
lately.
It’s still in BETA, so the performance will probably improve over what we’re seeing
here.
The performance would also vary a fair bit based on what character you’re playing as,
in my testing near the start of the game there are plenty of explosions and various effects
which may explain the 1% lows, either way though it was still definitely very playable,
which you’d expect with this level of hardware.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was tested using the game’s built in benchmark tool, and it’s
close to 60 FPS at ultra settings which is a very good result for a laptop, most mid
range options are in the 40 range for comparison.
Battlefield 5 was tested in campaign mode, and the performance at ultra settings is one
of the best I’ve ever seen from any gaming laptop, we’ll see how other laptops compare
in this game and others a bit later.
Control was tested with and without RTX enabled.
I’ve got the results with RTX off in purple, RTX on in the green bars which was much worse
but still fairly playable, then RTX on with DLSS enabled as shown by the red bars, which
was running much better while also looking good.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider was tested with the built in benchmark, and again some of
the best results I’ve ever seen out of any gaming laptop, but we’ll see how other laptops
compare in this title soon.
Apex Legends was tested with either all settings at maximum, or all settings on the lowest
possible values, as it doesn’t have predefined setting presets.
Minimum settings was getting use out of the 300Hz screen, and it was still running well
maxed out.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare was tested in campaign mode with either max or min settings
for the same reason, the difference isn’t as big between the levels here, but it’s
still running around 100 FPS with max settings.
Fortnite was tested with the replay feature, and medium settings were getting higher average
FPS than the screen’s refresh rate, while low settings would push even the 1% low near
this, and of course no issues playing at max settings.
CS:GO was tested with the ulletical FPS benchmark, and this game sees big improvements with optimus
disabled compared to other laptops that are stuck with it, 500 FPS at minimum settings
is an extremely good result for a laptop.
Dota 2 wasn’t much different compared to far lower specced laptops, so let’s keep
on moving.
Overwatch is another less demanding game and was tested in the practice range, no issues
hitting the 300 FPS frame cap between low and high settings.
Rainbow Six Siege was tested with the built in benchmark using Vulkan, there wasn’t
much difference in average FPS between high and ultra settings.
Meanwhile the averages at medium and below would better utilize the 300Hz display.
Metro Exodus was tested using the built in benchmark, most parts of the game perform
a fair bit better than this, so don’t take these results as a good indication of what
to expect throughout the entire game, it’s more of a worst case.
The Division 2 was also tested with the built in benchmark.
Near 100 FPS at ultra is a very good result for a laptop, though not too surprising given
the other results we’ve seen so far.
Monster Hunter World was tested running through the main town, and I had no issues with the
highest setting preset, it felt quite smooth and the 1% low wasn’t that far behind the
average which is always good to see.
Borderlands 3 was tested using the game’s built in benchmark, and once more great results
from a gaming laptop, generally I think making it to 60 FPS at max is a good result here,
but we’re passing that no problems with this one.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint was also tested with the benchmark tool, again excellent results
for this test, it’s another where 60 FPS at ultimate is considered quite good.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is another that was tested with the games benchmark, I’m
getting sick of saying it but great results again, easily surpassing 60 FPS maxed out.
The Witcher 3 was playing fine at ultra settings, and although we can improve frame rate a fair
bit by stepping down from ultra to high settings, over 100 FPS maxed out is a great result.
F1 2019 was tested with the benchmark tool and sees similar behaviour, while minimum
settings would push us closer to the screens refresh rate.
Far Cry New Dawn also tested with the games benchmark, good results again from our 21st
game, 100 FPS at max is hard to achieve for a laptop.
Now let’s take a look at how the GE66 with these specs compares against other laptops,
use these results as a rough guide only, as they were tested at different times with different
drivers.
In Battlefield 5 I’ve got the GE66 highlighted in red.
It’s giving a great result when compared to others, beating the thicker GE75 with higher
wattage non max-q graphics below it, which would be a result of the faster DDR4-3200
memory and option of disabling optimus.
We’re only seeing better results with even larger machines with desktop tier processors
inside.
These are the results from Far Cry 5 with ultra settings in the built in benchmark.
Again the GE66 is doing extremely well here, actually offering the best 1% lows out of
all laptops shown here, and again not far behind the much chunkier and more expensive
options.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider was also tested with the games benchmark tool, and again the
GE66 is in the same position in relation to the other machines tested, near the top and
only behind the thicker, more expensive options.
Again the fact that it’s ahead of the GE75 which is thicker and has a higher wattage
GPU really goes to show the benefits of being able to disable optimus.
Overall the gaming performance from MSI’s GE66 is excellent, though this is the highest
specced version of it, but even with lower specs I’d still expect it to stack up well
against others with similar hardware based on what we’re seeing here.
The combination of faster memory, option of disabling optimus, and Max-Q dynamic boost
allows this thing to run very well in games.
Here are the screen response time results for the 1080p 300Hz screen in my unit.
The average grey-to-grey response time was 7.4ms, so not too bad, but not ideal to get
the most out of a 300Hz panel.
When we look at how it compares against others, the ASUS Zephyrus Duo 15 uses the same panel
but has faster response time, and this is because that one lets you enable overdrive.
Other MSI laptops offer this, but the GE66 does not which is why it’s not also around
3ms.
Alright now for the give away!
MSI have sent over three loot boxes for me to give out.
As these need to be shipped to winners this competition will only be open to my Australian
viewers.
Details on entering can be found on my Twitter page in the pinned tweet, there’s a link
to it in the video description, so good luck if you enter!
Let me know what you thought of the gaming performance from the MSI GE66 gaming laptop
down in the comments, and if you’re new then get subscribed for the upcoming videos
where I’ll test out thermals in depth and of course the detailed full review where I’ll
show you everything this machine has to offer.