Verdict
The MSI Raider GE77 is faster than virtually any other laptop computer - fuse the right-down mogul with its great cover and keyboard and you ’ve got a gaming and content creation heavyweight . But its huge chassis , gamey price and garish fan mean it wo n’t be suitable for everyone
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
It ’s always interesting when big manufacturers go against the metric grain – and , in many elbow room , that ’s exactly what ’s happened with the MSI Raider GE77 .
When most laptop companies are on an endless pursuance to build slimmer , wakeful machine that still extend huge power , MSI has kick the bucket the other way and establish a notebook computer that ’s an unashamed brute , with devil proportion and the speeding to match .
That ’s no surprise when you consider that there ’s an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti inside alongside one of the world ’s in effect roving central processor . You ’ll have to branch out a hefty center to get your hand on the Raider , though : this equipage cost a mighty $ 3799 in the US , £ 3999 in the UK and € 4699 in Europe . If you want this particular theoretical account , hunt for GE77HX 12UHS-065UK .
That ’s mighty money , but MSI is n’t the only ship’s company pumping out high-priced gaming portables . TheAlienware x17 R2costs $ 3999/£3934/€4503 for an equivalent RTX 3080 Ti notebook , while theRazer Blade 17arrives at $ 3999/£4099/€4299 – although bear in judgement that neither machine quite reduplicate MSI ’s C.P.U. or screen specifications .
Design and Keyboard
There ’s no uncertainty that the MSI Raider GE77 is an old - school gambling laptop . At the front of the Al chassis is a bar of glowing RGB LEDs , and around the back you ’ll find huge air vents , a chunky flexible joint and a bright , chrome - effect MSI Dragon logo .
The GE77 ’s plan could prove divisive compare to challenger , though , which are visually more mature . The Alienware x17 R2 is made from opprobrious and white atomic number 12 alloy with a tintinnabulation of rear lighting – it ’s just as eye - catching as the MSI but looks more modern . At the other end of the scale , the Razer Blade 17 is an all - black trucking rig that ’s far more subtle .
Get beyond the GE77 ’s tawdry looks and you ’ll find plenty of practical feeling . Build quality is excellent , with hardly any give in any panel – you may cart this rig around without fear of breakages .
The larboard are well - distributed around the MSI ’s border . On the left - hand side are lonesome USB 3.2 Gen 2 case - A andType - Cports , and on the right - hand side there are two more full - sizing USB connectors and an SD lineup slot . Along the back edge there ’s aThunderbolt 4connector that handles 40Gbps information transfers , DisplayPort signals and 5V/3A charging , which is also potential using the USB - C socket .
The rear - mountedHDMI 2.1output is handy for driving 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz games on international display , and there ’s a 2.5Gb Ethernet socket . Internally , connectivity come from dual - bandWi - Fi 6Eand Bluetooth 5.2 . The only notable omission is biometric login – the 1080p webcam does n’t supportWindows Helloand there ’s no fingerprint lecturer .
The SteelSeries keyboard is very respectable , too . The buttons are fast , well-fixed and solid , with a crisp typing action . It ’s more comforting than the Blade ’s keyboard and just as good as the Alienware ’s hardware . The only direction you ’ll get anything adept is by paying supererogatory for the x17 ’s CherryMX mechanically skillful upgrade .
The keyboard has a numeral lodgings , quick shortcut to spread out MSI and SteelSeries ’ customisation tools , and per - key RGB LED backlighting . The only downside is the comprehension of the world power clitoris on the keyboard – it ’s too easy to press by accident . The trackpad is poor , too – just use a mouse alternatively .
MSI ’s bighearted impuissance is the source of its potency in so many other section . At 3 kg and with a 26mm - stocky trunk it ’s much duncish than both rivals and weightier than the Razer , and that ’s before you add the 1.2 kg power brick .
Screen
The 17.3 - in presentation on the MSI Raider GE77 pairs a 2560 x 1440 resolution with a 240Hz refresh rate , which foreshadow well for most scenarios : the resolution is nippy enough to deliver sharp visuals in undivided - player games , and the speed enables suave playback in most eSports spot . Similarly , the 3ms response time is okay but wo n’t replete top - tier up eSports fans .
The direct contrast ratio of 1197:1 is decent , enable ripe profundity and vibrancy , and the screen ’s fantabulous Delta E of 1.32 way colour are accurate . MSI ’s display produced all the sRGB gamut , too , so it ’ll churn out every colour needed by mainstream titles . Games count splendid here .
The display has no important subject , although its summit brightness level of 359nitsisn’t in high spirits enough for many outdoor spot and is n’t in effect enough to enable HDR gameplay .
The MSI ’s cock-a-hoop filmdom test come from the sort available elsewhere , because the Alienware is useable with onus of different substitute instrument panel options .
When the Alienware was built with an equivalent stipulation to the MSI but with a 1080p/360Hz screen , the price arrive at $ 3499/£3749/€3999 . With the 480Hz projection screen it sits at $ 3999/£4099/€3999 . So , most of the clock time , you ’ll get a better eSports panel at no extra cost . If you desire crisper unmarried - player play , the Alienware ’s 4 grand variant costs $ 3999/£4299/€4753 . The only downside is that the Alienware ’s 2560 x 1440 screen runs at 165Hz rather than 240Hz of the MSI .
The MSI has a top screen for single - player gaming and mainstream eSports situations , but the Alienware could be a better alternative if you want a specialist panel for 4 KB gaming or high - end competition .
Good audio kit bolsters the display . The GE77 let in two 1W talker and two 2W woofers , and they produce bold , elaborate and punchy sound with loads of sea bass and volume . A secure headset will be well , but this gear makes games sound splendid .
Performance
Nvidia ’s GeForce RTX 3080 Ti runs at its peak power limit of 175W , and elsewhere the GE77 packs 16 GB of telecasting memory and 7424 CUDA core . The Core i9 - 12900HX is one of Intel ’s burly laptop chip thanks to the inclusion of eight Hyper - Threaded P - Cores , support for 24 duds and a top Turbo speed of 5GHz .
This MSI Raider GE77 has 32 GB of double - channelDDR5and a 1 TB SamsungSSDwith bully read and write speeds of 7,085MB / s and 5,141MB / s – I just bid it was large . Thankfully , beneath the base of operations board it ’s promiscuous to access pairs of SSD and memory expansion slot .
There ’s no doubt the top executive available . InHorizon Zero Dawnat 1080p and maximal options the MSI averaged 125fps – five frames beyond the Alienware and six more than the Blade . Its 117fps issue inBorderlands 3maintains a lead , and it zipped through Rainbow Six Siege at 242fps .
There ’s little this laptop ca n’t do . Its 103fps norm in Horizon at its 2560 x 1440 aboriginal resolution guarantee game are playable with the increase pixel count , and it wo n’t shin with eSports title of respect , shaft of light tracingorDLSS . output to larger screens and VR headsets will be hunky-dory .
The processor is no slouch , either . The Core i9 chip murder 1833 and 15,872 in Geekbench ’s single- and multi - core tests . The former result is great , and the latter is mile beyond the more schematic potato chip inside the Alienware and Razer machine . And while the MSI did n’t pit the competition in PC Mark 10 , that ’s no surprise deal that test ’s low-pitched - conclusion workloads .
This C.P.U. will take on any capacity institution undertaking , from plenty - process pic to rendering 4 atomic number 19 telecasting . It ’ll teem , multi - task and go tough work software without breaking a sweat . It ’s faster than the chips on offer in competitor , although it ’s overkill for many people – you only need this chip if you ask huge productivity mightiness .
Unsurprisingly , the GE77 bring forth plenty of fan disturbance . It ’s louder than both rival if the internals are really push , and you ’ll need the loudspeaker ferment up high or a dear headset if you want to play the most intriguing titles . gratefully , international temperature are never bad .
Battery
One of the most surprising affair about the MSI Raider GE77 is its battery life – because it ’s not terrible . In a gaming psychometric test the MSI hold out for 1hr 44mins , which is closely an hr in the lead of the competition .
In a work benchmark the Raider do by 4hrs 35mins of daily custom , it delivered 3 hour of contented creation utilization , and it ran video with reduced display brightness for intimately 8 hours .
Those are excellent results for a gaming notebook computer . While I still do n’t recommend gambling on the battery – not least because GPU performance is drastically reduced – those work and metier result do mean that you ’ve get options when it descend to using the GE77 in everyday situations .
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Should you buy it?
The MSI ’s components offer unmatchable top executive in play and work situation , and this rig also has a slap-up screen , keyboard and selection of ports . It ’s versatile and herculean .
Do n’t pass so much if you wo n’t make the most out of that CPU . And the MSI is sound and loud . you’re able to get sleeker and more insidious pattern elsewhere .
Final Thoughts
There ’s no doubting the bluff ability of the MSI Raider GE77 : the Nvidia GPU and Intel Core i9 processor will handle any gaming or working post . The screen , connectivity and keyboard impress , too . Negatively , though , other laptop are slimmer , lighter and quieter – and the MSI is exceedingly expensive .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every gaming laptop we critique goes through a series of unvarying checks designed to guess primal things including build quality , performance , concealment lineament and shelling life .
These include formal synthetical benchmarks and scripted trial , plus a series of real world check , such as how well it runs when running a AAA secret plan .
FAQs
Yes , this is an splendid laptop for gaming , especially since it packs so much top executive in both its C.P.U. and GPU .
