MSI just unveiled a trio of new high-powered laptops, lead by the MSI Creator 17 and its miniLED display. The GE66 Raider and GS66 Stealth are no slouches either with all three offering new Intel 10th gen Comet Lake CPUs and GPU options from Nvidia all the way up to the RTX 2080 Super.
While there are a lot of similarities between the three, each is squarely targeted at a slightly different market and offers some unique features versus its counterparts so let's take a closer look at each one.
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MSI Creator 17
Easily the highlight feature for the MSI Creator 17 is that miniLED display panel, we got to take a look at an early model back at CES and it is indeed crazy bright while also offering impressively low black levels.
The rest of the specs on the 17.3-inch screen are equally impressive with that miniLED offering 4K (3840 x 2160) with up to 1180 nits of brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color wide color gamut and 240 zone local dimming. If you pass on the miniLED, you get a 144Hz full HD (1920 x 1080) display with 100% sRGB.
All models of the Creator 17 share the Intel 10th gen Core i7-10875H Comet Lake CPU. Nvidia GPU options start with the GeForce RTX 2060 and step up to the GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q. Configurations start with 16 or 32GB of DDR4 memory with a max of 64GB supported.
Storage on all models is an NVMe SSD, starting at 512GB and maxing out at 2TB.
As you would expect for a laptop aimed at creators, there are a healthy supply of ports with two USB-C ports (1 Thunderbolt 3), two USB Type-A ports, HDMI 2.0, separate headphone and mic inputs, and a microSD (UHS-III) slot.
The laptop features a subtle silver aluminum design with the MSI logo centered near the top of the lid. The backlit full keyboard includes a number pad with a collection of additional function keys aimed at creators. The TouchPad is wider than standard and also includes a fingerprint reader which you can opt to use instead of the IR camera for Windows Hello secure login.
The MSI Creator 17 comes in slightly below much of the competition on weight at 5.3 pounds (5.5 for the miniLED model) and 15.6 x 10.2 x 0.8-inches. It isn't going to give the LG Gram a run for its money, but it's below the 6-pound mark that many 17-inch laptops cross.
The MSI Creator 17 starts at $1,799 with the miniLED models jumping up to $2,999 and they will be available April 15.
MSI GS66 Stealth
As you would assume from the name, the MSI GS66 Stealth is the more subdued of the two gaming laptops that MSI announced today, with the all-black exterior only broken by the per-key RGB lighting on the inside.
Beneath that exterior is an equally powerful gaming laptop though with the Intel 10th gen Comet Lake CPUs with options all the way up to the Core i9-10980HK. Nvidia GPU options start with the GeForce RTX 2060 and again can jump all the way up to the GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q. Configurations start with 16 or 32GB of DDR4 RAM with a 64GB max.
While it may lack the miniLED of its creative counterpart, gamers will be happier with the 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) 300Hz display available in the MSI GS66 Stealth anyway. Gamers looking to save a little money can opt for a 144Hz or 240Hz option instead, but all share the same 3ms response time.
Storage options are simple with all models offering either a 512GB or 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD. Port options are plentiful however with one AC-in, two USB-C ports (1 Thunderbolt 3), two USB Type-A ports, RJ45 port, and a combo headphone/mic input.
We covered it already and as you can see in the photos, if you ignore the SteelSeries per-key RGB with Anti-Ghost keyboard, this laptop gives no indication that it is high-end gaming hardware. The MSI GS66 Stealth has that maximum allowable on an airplane 99.9Whr battery, with a claimed 9 hours of battery life.
It isn't a lightweight at 4.6 pounds, but considering everything built-in that's not bad and at 14.2 x 9.7 x 0.7-inches it definitely falls in the slim category.
On the wireless front gamers will be happy to see the Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 for future-proofed wireless speeds and Bluetooth 5.
The MSI GS66 Stealth starts at $1,499 and will be available on April 15.
MSI GE66 Raider
Take everything that you may have liked about the MSI GS66 Stealth, but turn up the gamer quotient on it and you have the MSI GE66 Raider. The Raider features a more aggressive hinge design along with an RGB panel across the entire front of the laptop that will not be missed.
Inside everything mostly mirrors what its sibling offers with Intel 10th gen Comet Lake CPUs with options all the way up to the Core i9-10980HK. Nvidia GPU options start with the GeForce RTX 2070 this time and can jump all the way up to the GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q. Configurations start with 16 or 32GB of DDR4 RAM with a 64GB max.
The MSI GE66 Raider drops the 144Hz option of the Stealth with the 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) display only available with either 240Hz or 300Hz and again a 3ms response time on both.
Storage options are again simple with all models offering either a 512GB or 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD. The MSI GE66 Raider picks up a few additional ports with a mini-display port and an SD card reader (XC/HC) in addition to the one AC-in, two USB-C ports (1 Thunderbolt 3), two USB Type-A ports, RJ45 port, and combo headphone/mic input.
The MSI GE66 Raider features the same 99.9Whr battery found in the Stealth, but they haven't given a stated battery life yet, just that this is twice the capacity of the previous model. We already covered the overall look, and inside this is again a SteelSeries per-key RGB with Anti-Ghost keyboard.
One other notable upgrade from the Stealth is the move to a full HD webcam for on the go streaming. Wireless options are identical with the Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 for future-proofed wireless speeds and Bluetooth 5.
Now as you would expect with the additional features the MSI GE66 Raider is slightly larger than the Stealth at 14.1 x 10.5 x 0.9-inches and 5.3 pounds.
The MSI GE66 Raider starts at $1,799 and will be available starting April 15.
