It seems that we are dealing with a trend: gaming laptops are no longer looking … screaming and defiant. Now a powerful laptop is a strict-looking mobile computer that is not ashamed to put on the table in front of colleagues discussing important issues at a business meeting. This is later, in the evening after work, the tables in Excel will be closed, and Battlefield will appear on the screen. AND MSI GS66 Stealth easily cope with both tasks.
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⇡ # Technical specifications, equipment and software
At the MSI Global Site presented a lot of modifications GS66 Stealth. In all cases, we are talking about mobile PCs equipped with a 15.6-inch matrix with Full HD resolution. All the main characteristics of this series of laptops are shown in the table below.
| MSI GS66 Stealth | |
| Main display | 15.6 “, 1920 × 1080, IPS, 240/300 Hz |
| CPU | Intel Core i9-10980HK Intel Core i7-10750H |
| Video card | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 |
| RAM | Up to 32 GB, DDR4-3200 (installed DDR4-2666) |
| Drive Installation | 1 × M.2 in SATA3 / PCI Express x4 3.0 mode 1 × M.2 in PCI Express x4 3.0 mode |
| Optical drive | Not |
| Interfaces | 1 × Thunderbolt 3 (совмесщен с USB Type-C, DisplayPort, Power Delivery) 1 × USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C 3 × USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A 1 × 3.5 mm mini jack 1 × RJ-45 1 × HDMI |
| Built-in battery | 99,9 Вт⋅ч |
| External power supply | 180/230 W |
| Dimensions | 360 × 229 × 18 mm |
| Laptop weight | 2.1 kg |
| operating system | Windows 10 Home/Pro |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
| Price in Russia (according to Yandex.Market) | No data |
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One of the youngest and most inexpensive came to our test, if these words are generally applicable to such a laptop, of the Stealth modifications, under the number 10SE-266RU – this fact is definitely pleasing, since you are probably getting acquainted with the most running model in the series. The laptop has a 6-core Core i7-10750H and a 6-gigabyte mobile version of the GeForce RTX 2060, as well as 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB drive. All MSI GS66 Stealth come with a pre-installed version of Windows 10 – home or professional, to choose from. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, there was no test modification on sale, so I can not voice the real value of this laptop. It is known that the 10SFS-249RU model with a Core i9-10980HK, 32 GB DDR4-2666, a terabyte drive, a 300-Hz IPS-matrix and GeForce RTX 2070 in Max-Q design cost an average of 250,000 rubles in May.
All GS66 Stealth are equipped with a Killer E3100 network controller with a maximum data transfer rate of 2.5 Gb / s. For wireless connection, the Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 processor is responsible, which supports IEEE 802.11b / g / n / ac / ax standards with a frequency of 2.4 and 5 GHz and a maximum bandwidth of up to 2.4 Gb / s. And this controller supports the standard Bluetooth 5.1.
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Included with the test laptop was a fairly compact external power supply manufactured by Chicony with 180 watts. Kitchen scales showed that its weight is 502 grams.
⇡ # Appearance and input devices
The manufacturer himself calls the color of the GS66 Stealth case “true black”, and the design – “restrained”. And here, you know, you can’t argue with MSI. Perhaps the youth in the GS66 Stealth will not have enough pretentiousness, catchiness and riot of colors, but the older generation will definitely appreciate the appearance of the laptop. The logo on the cover does not light, there is no illumination at the edges of the case – modesty itself is before you, not otherwise.
The GS66 Stealth case is entirely made of metal and painted with matte black paint. Dust on the surface of the laptop is clearly visible, but fingerprints remain almost invisible.
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The laptop is compact by the standards of 15-inch gaming models. Firstly, its thickness does not exceed 18 mm, and the mass is 2.1 kg – you can always take a computer with you if you wish. Secondly, the matrix has small frames on the sides, their thickness is 5 mm, due to which it was possible to reduce the depth and width of the body.
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The lid of the laptop easily opens with one hand, the maximum opening angle is 180 degrees. Hinges are reliable and rigid. When pressed, the lid bends, but not much.
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All connectors are located on the sides. On the left you will find the port for connecting an external power supply, Thunderbolt 3 (combined with USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C and mini-DisplayPort, as well as allowing you to charge your laptop), HDMI output and USB 3.2 Gen2 A-type. On the right there is a 3.5 mm mini-jack for connecting a headset, USB 3.2 Gen2 C-Type, RJ-45 and two more full-sized USB 3.2 Gen 2 A-type. As you can see, up to two monitors can be connected to a laptop at the same time (taking into account its own display – three, the manufacturer calls it Matrix Display 2 + 1), which turns the device into a powerful “campus” workstation.
Indeed, the GS66 Stealth is positioned not only as a gaming system, but also as a laptop for the so-called creative professionals. In this case, for complete happiness, the test model lacks a card reader. The rest of the functionality of the device is five plus.
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The GS66 Stealth keyboard and touchpad is very similar to the input devices used in MSI P65 Creator 9SF, – and this is another indication that the device is suitable for those who create content. The touchpad is large, sleek and incredibly comfortable, because its width is 14 cm.
The GS66 Stealth keyboard does not fully copy the one installed in the P65 Creator 9SF, but repeats it in many ways. There is also no digital unit, but MSI and SteelSeries engineers did not have to “flatten” some buttons. Perhaps, only the ё and Fn keys were pretty good – they turned out to be very small. Some are also confused by the location of the function button on the right, and not on the left. I’ll have to get used to it, there’s nothing wrong with that. Another of the unusual: binding to the Fn function of Print Screen. But the arrow buttons are large and comfortable, the left Ctrl is the dream of any gamer, and Home, PgUp, PgDn and End are not lost, as, for example, in ROG Zephyrus G14. In addition, there are no stupid permutations like a slash to the left of the Enter button, as some other manufacturers like to do – in general, using the GS66 Stealth keyboard is quite comfortable.
Buttons for MSI / SteelSeries keyboards are traditionally small, but tactfully understandable. Pressing is almost silent. Each button has a separate RGB LED. The backlight is configured in SteelSeries Engine 3. Various visual effects are supported, including recognizing a musical melody or displaying what is happening in a running game.
Even in expensive gaming laptops, in 2020, they still mainly install low-quality HD cameras. GS66 Stealth in this regard was no exception, and its “webcam” is not suitable for normal streaming. But, according to the manufacturer, the camera sees in the infrared range, which gives it advantages when using the Windows Hello system (unlocking by face). And she can handle video calls to her Skype colleagues.
⇡ # Internal design and upgrade options
The ability to change removable components yourself is a big plus for the vast majority of MSI gaming laptops. The GS66 Stealth is relatively easy to disassemble. Relatively – because after dismantling the nine screws you have to sweat to pick up and carefully remove the bottom.
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The cooling system Cooler Boost Trinity + in GS66 Stealth – conditionally separate. It consists of seven heat pipes and three fans. The cooler has a rather bizarre ornate design, I must admit. So, one heat pipe cooling the GP is also designed to remove heat from the CPU power converter. And one heat pipe cooling the central processor additionally cools the elements of the power supply circuit of the graphic chip and memory.
The manufacturer paid more attention to the GPU – as many as five heat pipes were allocated for cooling it and the VRM zone. The heat delivered with their help to a large radiator is dissipated by a pair of tangential type fans. The central processor (in our case, the Core i7-10750H) is cooled by four shorter heat pipes and a radiator with fewer fins – this is clearly visible in the photo. Well, only one Carlson removes heat from the CPU.
The manufacturer claims that the Cooler Boost Trinity + fans received the thinnest 0.1-mm blades, which, according to MSI, create a 15% greater airflow compared to the previous generation cooler. However, the performance of the GS66 Stealth cooling system will be studied in more detail below.
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In the meantime, I note that the test model is easy to upgrade in the future. Now the laptop has 16 GB of DDR4-2666 memory in the form of a pair of Samsung modules. Over time, you can double the amount of RAM. You can also install another SSD in pair with the Samsung MZVLB1T0HALR SSD – the second M.2 slot on the motherboard is empty.
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If you notice an error, select it with the mouse and press CTRL + ENTER.
