This is MSI’s best mid-range gaming laptop, the Vector GP66, and it’s been updated to
include a 1440p 240Hz OLED screen.
MSI have sponsored this video for me to show you what this means for gaming!
The main thing that makes OLED amazing for gaming is the super fast response time.
Put simply, this is how long it takes for the image on the screen to change, so the
faster the better for competitive gaming.
The regular 1440p 165Hz IPS-Level screen that I originally reviewed the GP66 with is already
pretty decent compared to most other gaming laptops, but we can see this new OLED update
takes the GP66 to the next level.
The fast screen also helps reduce the total system latency, which is how long it takes
between clicking the mouse and when a gun-shot fire appears on the screen in CS:GO.
The only other laptops that were faster here have more expensive CPUs and GPUs with 360Hz
screens.
I actually awarded this screen the best gaming laptop screen of 2022 in my recent gaming
laptop awards video, so it’s great to see the GP66 getting this as an option.
In addition to offering the fastest response time, amazing contrast with perfect blacks
as individual pixels get switched off to show black, which also means no backlight bleed,
and brightness is above average compared to many other common screen types.
Basically the screen just looks great, images are crisp and vivid, which I think is kind
of important considering the screen is what you’re going to be looking at when sitting
there playing games.
Even if you’re not gaming, a screen like this is perfect for content creation too.
What I think makes the GP66 special in addition to that OLED screen is the fact that it’s
got a MUX switch, so we can disable optimus to get an FPS boost in games.
Additionally, GPU power limits are also maxed out for best gaming performance.
So regardless of whether you get the GP66 with Nvidia’s RTX 3060 or RTX 3070 Ti, the
performance in games is going to be at the upper limit compared to other gaming laptops
with those same graphics options.
This results in the GP66 being the best ever performer in terms of average FPS when compared
against other gaming laptops that I’ve tested over the last couple of years with the same
RTX 3060 graphics from Nvidia.
Even if we instead compare the RTX 3070 Ti configuration that I tested earlier this year
against all other laptops I’ve tested with the same graphics, it’s basically tied in
first place with MSI’s higher tier GE67, so once more the GP66 is simply offering more
FPS compared to most other laptops.
With the RTX 3060 you’d want to make use of features like DLSS or FSR at the higher
1440p resolution.
MSI’s have this pyramid diagram that shows us that the GP series sits in the middle of
the performance models, just below the more expensive GE series, but above the cheaper
GL series, so GP represents their mid-range gaming laptops.
If you’re after more features like a bigger battery, faster ports, SD card slot, higher
quality camera and of course that RGB light bar on the front, then MSI’s higher tier
GE67 from the tier above might be worth looking into.
The thing is though, if you don’t need those extra bells and whistles then you can definitely
save money with the GP series, as it still offers those three main core features for
a good gaming experience.
Which are good screen, high GPU power limit, and MUX switch.
I actually found the GP66 with the OLED screen to last 8% longer when running on battery
power.
Both laptops have the same integrated graphics as part of Intel’s Core i7-12700H, same
65Wh battery and the screens were run with the same 200 nit brightness, so a fair comparison.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to compare gaming on battery due to the different Nvidia GPUs,
which should have been idle during the video playback test.
Now as great as OLED screens are, they’re not better in absolutely every way.
Nothing in life is perfect!
It’s possible for OLED screens to develop burn in over time.
With modern panels you really need to keep the same static image on screen for a long
time to cause this to happen.
It’s just a known downside due to how the technology works, but MSI’s built in software
has some nice features to help avoid this and extend the lifespan of the screen, keeping
it looking great.
You can choose to lower the screen brightness or turn it off after a defined amount of idle
time.
You can enable dark mode, enable pixel shift which moves display pixels slightly, there
are shortcuts to hide the taskbar and get those most common static parts of Windows
off the screen.
The OLED screen has a glossy finish compared to the matte finish with the IPS-Level version,
which helps it look nicer and more vibrant, but depending on your lighting situation this
might make distracting reflections easier to see.
All things considered, I think the upsides far outweigh the downsides.
MSI are also sweetening the deal by bundling this backpack with the GP66 OLED if you’re
in Australia or New Zealand.
These prices are in Australian dollars, and as someone who has bought multiple RTX 3060
gaming laptops this year, $2000 AUD for a good RTX 3060 gaming laptop isn’t bad at
all, especially when you consider you’re getting an OLED screen here.
For my international viewers, without our taxes this is closer to $1200 USD, which again
seems quite reasonable given the specs and fast OLED screen.
You can check out MSI’s current holiday sales and more with the links below the video.
If you need more details on the GP66 then check out my full review video over here next.
Obviously I didn’t have this newer OLED version as that wasn’t out yet, but pretty
much everything else like build quality and design and game FPS is still the same, so
I’ll see you in that one next!