MSI GS66: All black razor with Core i9 and RTX 2080 Super

Specs and details

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GS series includes a stylish and compact family of high-performance MSI laptops and the GS66 Stealth is its latest addition. I’ve always had a weakness for thin but powerful devices and that’s exactly what GS meets. However, with the high performance of Core i9 and RTX 2080 Super, the question arises as to how thermal management is handled. In less than 2 cm thin and about 2.1 kg body, it is really a challenge to deal with such powerful components.

Rating

MSI GS66 Stealth 10SGS-256CZ is a compact but powerful notebook that hides more than it may seem given the ordinary exterior. However, the inconspicuous design somehow belongs to the Stealth name, although previous models from this series did not indicate it much. GS66 with a “black on black” color theme will be a good partner for work and not only for LAN parties. I was very pleased with the IR camera, as biometric security is the exception rather than the rule on gaming laptops. Connectivity is also great and I can also praise the 300 Hz display. I also have good impressions from the touchpad and although I didn’t quite like the keyboard layout, I have nothing else to blame it for.

The main question, however, is whether MSI managed to tame the most powerful components in such a thin body. The answer is not entirely clear, as the competition offers the same configuration, but the at least the graphics in the GS66 is a lower 80 W version with lower clock speed, which was automatically reflected in poorer results in gaming tests. The processor was even a bit faster than the competition in short tests, but in longer tests it was also limited by cooling and the scores were lower. We have seen in the flow charts that although the CPU can rise to values ​​around 100 degrees Celsius, especially in the Extreme Performance mode, the performance is stable and does not decrease. The GPU had surprisingly good temperatures in Firestrike, better than we saw with the opponents. Still, I think the GS66 will be more sensible in a different configuration, as the i9 and 2080S do not have enough space in this thin body to show their full performance. I would therefore recommend reaching for the i7 and 2070(S) versions, which will not be so limited. However, if you really want the best, the GS66 surprisingly also offers a relatively bearable price tag of around 3,600 euros, which is about 1,000 euros less than the Zephyrus Duo 15, which is, however, unique with two displays. The 1000 euro difference is really enough and for a few percent of the performance and the second display may not make sense at all. Of course, it depends on the preferences of each of you.

You can buy this laptop at our partner’s website czc.cz for 97,990 Czk/3,600 Eur

• Contents
• Specs and details
• Testing methodology
• Display tests
• Rendering and Geekbench
• 3D/PCMark and Unigine Heaven/Superposition
• Gaming tests – dedicated graphics
• Encryption, encoding
• Memory and storage tests
• Heating and battery life
• Blender – test of CPU, CUDA and Optix
• Performance modes
• Utility app
• Rating