Using the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS

Obviously, the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS laptop's hardware specs are more than enough for it to handle any productivity tasks without any kind of issues. I've used it for all my daily activities, ranging from browsing the internet with dozens of open tabs to writing this review and other articles in Microsoft Word, watching videos on YouTube, working with Excel, and running virtual machines. Not one moment did I see it run sluggishly.

Perspective of the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop

I had an outstanding experience in games also. The MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS amazed me with how much performance it's able to deliver. Among the games I played on it, I can count Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and the popular League of Legends, all of which ran super fast. Furthermore, as you will find out from the benchmarks section of this review, this laptop did extremely well in gaming tests also.

Side view of the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop

The SteelSeries keyboard on the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS is one of the best things about this laptop. It's a high-quality keyboard that's comfortable to type on, does not bend in any area, and it also looks stunning. The characters on the keys look great, and the light effects are completely customizable.

The touchpad is also very well built and easy to use, but, personally, I would have like it to be lit on its edges, to make it easier to find in the dark.

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop: SteelSeries keyboard

One other factor that's important, especially for gaming laptops, is how hot they get. Fortunately, the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS has an adequate cooling system and a well-though chassis that efficiently disippates heat. I didn't find any spots on the laptop that would get so hot as to make you uncomfortable while using it.

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop: Birds-eye view

The audio quality of the laptop is also good. The two stereo speakers deliver quite a high maximum volume level compared to other gaming laptops I've tested. So, yes, that's another pro for the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS from my part.

Using the MSI GE66 Raider 10 SGS is a very enjoyable experience, worthy of what you expect from a premium device.

Performance in benchmarks

To get a better and more accurate idea about how fast this gaming laptop is, we ran several benchmarks.

First, we used BootRacer to measure how much time the laptop needs to start. We found that MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS usually boots in about 31 seconds. It is a good time considering all the apps that MSI bundled on it.

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop: Boot time

As you know, the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS sample that we had in testing came with an NVMe solid-state drive made by Sandisk, with a capacity of 1 TB. To test its performance, we used CrystalDiskMark, and, as you can see below, both the reading and writing speeds are excellent.

CrystalDiskMark scores

Before testing this laptop in gaming benchmarks, we first wanted to know how good it is for everyday productivity tasks. For that, we ran the default benchmark offered by PCMark 10, which evaluated the laptop's performance when working with Office apps, videoconferencing, browsing the internet, and creating digital content. As expected, we obtained a very high score of 5845 points.

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop benchmark: PCMark 10

Then we began the gaming tests. After all, if you are reading this review, these are the ones that you probably wanted to see more than anything, right? ????

In 3DMark's Time Spy Extreme, we got a score of 4037 points. That means this laptop offers the same performance as a gaming PC as ranked by 3DMark for 2020. An impressive result!

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop benchmark: 3DMark Time Spy Extreme

In 3DMark's standard Time Spy benchmark, MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS laptop had a score of 8375 points. It's a better score than 68% of all the computers and laptops ranked by 3DMark in 2020.

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop benchmark: 3DMark Time Spy

The third test we ran was also one from 3DMark: Port Royal. This is a benchmark that evaluates the graphics performance for ray tracing effects. In this one, MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS had a score of 5246 points. That is better than 29% of all results (60% more than the average gaming laptop of 2020).

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop benchmark: 3DMark Port Royale

We also wanted to see whether the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS is capable of VR (Virtual Reality), so we ran the SuperPosition VR Maximum benchmark from Unigine. This gaming laptop managed a score of 9863 points, which is remarkably close to the 10000 maximum possible score. In short, the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS has no trouble managing high-quality VR experiences.

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop benchmark: Unigine Superposition

We also ran a few benchmarks in games: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, and World War Z. All the benchmarks were run in FHD (1920 x 1080) and at maximum graphics settings.

In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, using DirectX 12, we got some impressive results: a minimum frame rate of 96, an average of 122, and a maximum of 185.

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop benchmark: Shadow of the Tomb Raider

In Metro Exodus, we chose to use the RTX graphics preset. We got a minimum framerate of 30 frames per second, an average of 53, and a maximum of 86 FPS. These are excellent results!

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop benchmark: Metro Exodus

For World War Z, we used the Vulkan API, and we got a minimum FPS of 125, an average of 144, and a maximum of 198 frames per second. Obviously, this laptop has no issues running World War Z at the highest quality possible.

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop benchmark: World War Z

What about the cooling system? To evaluate it, we used FurMark's benchmark. The video card reached a maximum temperature of just 155 degrees Fahrenheit (68 degrees Celsius). It's a very low temperature for a laptop graphics card!

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop benchmark: FurMark

Finally, we also ran PCMark 8 to check the laptop's battery life. While running common home computing tasks such as web browsing, writing, photo editing, video chat, and casual gaming, the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS managed to keep on going for 2 hours and 30 minutes. It's a good result considering how powerful this gaming laptop is.

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop benchmark: PCMark 8 Home Accelerated

All the benchmarks show that the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS is a high-end gaming laptop. It has no trouble whatsoever running any game at maximum graphics quality, while staying cool at all times. Great job MSI!

Apps bundled with the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS

The MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS comes with Windows 10 Home. The sample that we tested also bundled some third-party apps. Some are useful and necessary, while others you might not want to keep. Here's what you get:

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop: MSI Dragon Center

• Dragon Center is for controlling and managing the laptop's hardware. It has tools for monitoring hardware components, such as the processor, graphics card, RAM, or storage drives, and can also help change power plans, calibrate its battery, etc.
• Killer Control Center shows you the status of network connections, data transfers, and the apps that do that. It also lets you manage and optimize wired and Wi-Fi connections to get the best possible internet speed in your favorite games or apps.
• MSI App Player is a freemium app that uses BlueStacks' Android emulator software to allow you to play games and run Android apps on your MSI laptop.
• AudioDirector 7 for MSI is an app from CyberLink that lets you create audio projects by editing and mixing audio tracks and applying effects.
• MSI True Color is an app that helps calibrate the colors on your laptop's screen using simple preset color mode settings.
• Nahimic is a tool that helps you configure and adjust how the audio and voice recording works.
• PhotoDirector 10 Essentials for MSI is a shareware app from CyberLink that gives you some editing tools for photo adjustment.
• PowerDirector 17 for MSI is an app from CyberLink that lets you create and edit videos.
• SteelSeries Engine 3 allows you to configure how your keyboard works, as well as adjust the lighting effects on your laptop's chassis and keyboard.

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS gaming laptop: MSI Per Key RGB Keyboard

The MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS laptop bundles some useful apps that you should keep and a few that you might not need or want. Fortunately, there are not as many as other vendors bundle on their devices.

What do you think about the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS?

As you know now, the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS is one powerful gaming laptop. Not only does it look great, but it also features some of the best hardware components you can find on the market these days. What is your opinion about it? Do you like it and would you buy it? Don't hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments section below.