When it comes to MSI gaming laptops, most gamers would be familiar with either the Stealth or Raider series, but what about the Pulse series? We recently received the MSI Pulse GL66 and from its appearance alone, it looks different from other popular MSI series. So what's so special about this gaming laptop? Here's our experience with it.
Compared to the other MSI models, the MSI Pulse GL66 gives a new feeling at least in terms of appearance. It's more straightforward and uses a sci-fi grey metal shell, which is more refined so it won't get fingerprint smudges easily. According to MSI, the Pulse series was designed by Belgian 3D artist - Maarten Vehoeve, who based it on what he imagined of futuristic fighters.
The back cover view
The front view
Lots of vents at the bottom
The IPS display measures 15.6-inches and the bezels on the sides are really narrow. As always, you can find the Numpad keys on the keyboard. The Mystic Light backlight on the keyboard can also be customized (also as expected), and you can also make use of the MSI Centre to monitor the laptop's hardware performance. In addition, the laptop weighs 2.25kg and has a thickness of 23.9mm.
In terms of I/O ports, the MSI Pulse GL66 is equipped with 1x Type-C USB3.2 Gen 1, 2x Type-A USB3.2 Gen 1, 1x Type-A USB2.0, 1 RJ45, 1 HDMI (supporting 4K @ 60Hz) and 1 audio jack port. This is pretty standard for gaming laptops and speaking of that, it also supports FHD resolution, 100% DCI-P3 wide colour gamut and a high 240Hz refresh rate.
The laptop can lay flat on a surface
The I/O ports that you would get
If you look closely, the Numpad keys are smaller than the other keycap letters and numbers
Although it has a Numpad or Numeric Keypad, the keycaps for the Numpad are smaller than the other letters on the QWERTY keyboard. It could take some time to get used to it because this is pretty uncommon. Typing on the keyboard is quite comfortable too and silent, so there's no noisy typing speed to annoy your friends and family around.
Moving on to the tech specs, the MSI Pulse GL66 is powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9 processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 laptop GPU, 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD of storage. In its benchmark test for PCMark 10 and 3DMark, it scored a respectable 6937 and 8175 respectively. With this, it's quite obvious that you can play a wide variety of high-quality video games as well as do some content creation.
PCMark 10 score
3DMark score
Elden Ring in maximum settings is still smooth on this laptop
Gameplay demo on the MSI Pulse GL66
One of our writers used Elden Ring as a test for the MSI Pulse GL66. Granted, the 240Hz refresh rate is not of much use but the graphics performance is smooth without any frame drops. However, we find that the i9 processor is holding back the RTX 3060 GPU somewhat. If you're a hardcore eSports gamer, you may find the performance not up to your expectations.
Thankfully, the MSI Pulse GL66 is equipped with the latest COOLER BOOST 5 dual-heat dissipation system. It combines a pair of fans and 6 sets of cooling pipes to instantly eliminate any heat. This also allows the i9 processor and GPU to perform optimally and release the heat at the back of the laptop's vents. It's also nice to know that the keyboard and touchpad area are not affected by the heat.
Other features - the MSI Centre
You can change the Mystic Light settings but only to a single colour
Battery life performance
The Xbox PC Game Pass is pre-installed
All in all, we think the MSI Pulse GL66 is quite suitable for gamers who like to play single-player campaign video games. Compared with other RTX 30 series laptops, it's a cost-effective gaming laptop as long as you're not pursuing the most extreme gaming experience. We believe it can satisfy the needs of any gamer but the price tag is another story.
For your information, the price is RM7599 which might be a bit expensive for some Malaysian gamers. But for what is worth, the cool black "mech" design, an effective cooling system and smooth gameplay for most games does make up for it. It's just too bad that recent inflation has caused this price spike for nearly every gaming laptop in the market.
Can you feel the pulse?
MSI Pulse GL66 specifications and features
- Intel Core i9-12900H processor
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6
- 16GB DDR4 3200Mhz RAM，1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- 15.6″ FHD (1920×1080) 240Hz IPS Level 100% sRGB Display
- Windows 11 Home
- HD type (30fps@720p) Webcam | 2x 2W Speaker
- Wi-Fi 6 802.11 AX Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5.2
- 1x Type-C USB 3.2 Gen1，2x Type-A USB 3.2 Gen11x Type-A USB2.0，1x RJ45 LAN Ethernet port，1x (4K @ 60Hz) HDMI , 1x Mic-in/Headphone-out Combo Jack
- 3-Cell 53.5 Battery (Whr)
- 359 x 259 x 23.9 mm, 2.25kg
Pros and Cons
Pros - A good cooling system, gaming performance and a nice design touch
Cons - Gaming performance is a bit limited for extreme eSport gaming titles, and the RM7599 price tag
Conclusion - One of the most cost-effective gaming laptops for gamers who aren't looking for a high-end gaming experience
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