The MSI GP66 Leopard is one of MSI’s flagship gaming laptop series that puts forward fast performance with an advanced cooling system. Not only ideal for playing AAA games, MSI claims this laptop is suitable for professionals who work in the realm of engineering designers.
The latest version of the MSI GP66 Leopard available in Indonesia is equipped with an 11th generation Intel Core processor. But in this review, we get a unit that still uses the 10th generation processor. It doesn’t matter, of course, because if you are interested in asking for the latest version later, you can expect even higher capabilities than what is presented through our tests. Come on, just take a look!
Dominant black color
Because it is promised to provide optimal performance from the hardware embedded in it, it is not surprising that the GP66 Leopard comes in a large and quite heavy body. The dimensions are 35.8 x 26.7 x 2.34 cm, and the weight is 2.3 kg (650 gram charger). With larger dimensions, you can expect this laptop to have good temperature management.
In terms of design, the GP66 Leopard has firm corners with premium construction and a metal chassis. Even though this is a gaming laptop, the feel it offers is rather minimalist because it is more dominant with black all over the body, including the MSI logo on the back of the screen. Perfect for those of you who don’t want to stand out too much.
MSI immerses Cooler Booster 5 technology with 6 heat pipes which is claimed to minimize heat. You will find several ventilation holes for air to enter and leave on the left, right, and rear.
Regarding port availability, on the left there is a USB 3.2 Gen 1, 3.5mm Audio Jack Combot, and Kensington Lock. While on the right there are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. Interestingly, several important ports are located on the back so that the cables do not interfere with playing and working activities, namely USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI, DC-IN, and Ethernet. .
One thing we also like about this laptop is the keyboard. The MSI GP66 Leopard adopts a gaming keyboard made by Steelseries which is not only very comfortable for playing games and typing, it is also equipped with RGB backlit on each key and you can customize the effect through the Steelseries Engine software.
Screen, audio and wireless connectivity
The GP66 Leopard is a laptop with a 15.6-inch IPS-Level Full HD (1920×1080 pixels) screen that is supported by a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz and a brightness level of up to 300 nits. The color gamut is 72 percent NTSC/close to 100 percent sRGB. Still quite okay for the needs of work such as photo and video editing standards.
While the audio is armed with two stereo speakers whose respective positions are on the left and right sides. The sound quality is quite clear, and the settings can be adjusted through the Nahimic Audio software.
Turning to the business of wireless connectivity, the MSI GP66 Leopard offers WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.
Great gaming performance
As we mentioned earlier, the version of the MSI GP66 Leopard that we tested in this article is still an older version with an Intel Core i7-10870H processor. Now there are those who use Gen-11 processors, but with the same GPU, namely the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 6GB GDDR6.
For the record, this RTX 3060 Laptop GPU offers 130W Maximum Graphics Power with Dynamic Boost. Yes, it means maximum performance, not a GPU that is designed to save power. While the memory is 16 GB DDR4-3200 (2x8GB dual-channel) with 2 SO-DIMM slots (can be upgraded). Built-in storage 512 GB SSD NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4. If you want to add storage, MSI still provides one other M.2 slot.
The following are the test results using several benchmark software:
Next are the test results by running a series of popular AAA games and esports:
1. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
We tried to run the Shadow of the Tomb Raider default benchmark system with Highest graphics settings and Ray Tracing High at 1080p resolution. As a result, this game can be played with an average of 87 fps. Very satisfy.
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
The second game we tried was RDR 2 at 1080p resolution. Setting the graphics with Quality Preset Level Balanced, Ultra textures and most other settings also at Ultra or High, this game got an average of 45 fps. Of course you can get even higher frame rates by lowering the graphics settings.
3. Gears 5
Gears 5 is quite comfortable to run with the graphics settings stuck right aka Ultra, at 1080p resolution. The frame rate obtained is around 95 fps. Smooth and no problems at all.
4. Control
With Quality Preset at High (1080p) and Ray Tracing Preset also High, Control was able to run quite smoothly and got around 60 fps. Every now and then there is a frame drop, but it doesn’t really interfere with playing comfort.
5. Valuing
There is no problem for the MSI GP66 Leopard to run Valorant with the graphics settings stuck right at 1080p. We got an average of 180 to 200 fps.
6. Rainbow Six Siege
Lastly, Rainbow Six Siege, averaged at 226 fps with graphics settings as below. Very smooth and fun to play at competitive level.
Such are the results of our gaming tests against the MSI GP66 Leopard. During heavy games, it is proven that the Cooler Boost 5 cooling system is able to work well in maintaining the ideal temperature (especially in the keyboard area).
Please note that you can adjust performance based on several default profiles via the MSI Dragon Center software. If you want the maximum heat dissipation system, you can activate the Extreme Performance scenario. But as a consequence, the fan noise will be much louder.
Conclusion
The MSI GP66 Leopard is an attractive option for those of you who are looking for a mid-end gaming laptop with a simple design that doesn’t attract too much attention. Its performance deserves thumbs up and can be relied on for gaming and content creation.
We remind you again that the MSI GP66 Leopard circulating in Indonesia currently carries an 11th Gen Intel Core processor. Therefore, you can expect the performance to be more stable than what we present here. For those who are interested, the MSI GP66 Leopard is sold at prices starting from Rp. 24,999,000.
MSI GP66 Leopard is suitable for:
- Casual gamers: Playing AAA games will be fun because this laptop is able to produce a stable high frame average.
- Competitive gamers: If you often play at competitive levels, the MSI GP66 Leopard can also provide fast performance in popular games such as DOTA 2, Valorant, CS:GO, and so on.
- Content creators: Besides having reliable performance, the MSI GP66 Leopard is equipped with a screen with good color display making it ideal for content creation needs, both photos and videos.
Pros of MSI GP66 Leopard:
- A simple design that doesn’t really accentuate the gaming feel
- Great gaming performance, including for AAA games with Ray Tracing
- Cooler Boost 5 is able to maintain the temperature well
- Comfortable Steelseries keyboard
- The screen is still okay
- Can upgrade memory and storage
- MSI Dragon Center: easy to adjust performance to fan speed
- The port position on the back makes it easy to lay cables
Disadvantages of MSI GP66 Leopard:
- No card reader
- Audio quality is not as good as its competitors
- Noisy fan when working hard
