If you are looking to get a gaming laptop that does not hold back despite the budget, then you should check out the MSI GE66 Raider. The features are great with MSI not compromising on nothing. The MSI GE66 Raider is budget-friendly when compared to other gaming laptops in its category. It is a safe bet for gamers that want to go further than entry-level laptops without incurring too much cost.
Laptop is packed with power, delivering a great performance. It is the right balance of price and performance. The display is great and it can handle the best games in the world. The design is nice and it is well lit. From the keyboard to the chassis, there is good lighting that you can configure to your satisfaction. This is done through software that allows you to configure the lighting to your satisfaction.
Let’s get into the specifics on why the MSI Raider is a must-have for budget gamers.
Design and build
Doesn’t do much on the aesthetics side. The design shows a performance overlooks through the process. The size is about right for a gaming laptop, with 0.92 inches thickness and 5.25 pounds of weight. It has a rigid aluminum build. It has RGB, but it is easy to disable if you don’t want it. The light bar at the front of the laptop is customizable and can split. When unlit, the light bar resembles a glass panel but it seamlessly matches the RGB keyboard.
If aesthetics is your thing, the MSI GE66 Raider is not the best for you. It isn’t about that.
Display
The MSI GE66 Raider comes in different display options for its 15.6-inch size. It ranges from UHD to FHD. The common feature of all the display options is the thick bezels at the bottom and top. It is not too much but it could be trimmed. We reviewed the FHD panel and it has a 300Hz refresh rate with a response time of 3ms. Both specs are premium and they make the gaming experience smooth. The display is IPS-style and it has good color balance and viewing angles.
Keyboard and trackpad
The MSI GE66 Raider has an anti-ghosting keyboard, a feature that was tapped from SteelSeries. The travel is good, and the keys are wide and hard which makes it easy to hit. The touch is soft, but you could feel the need for more space as the keys are slightly jammed despite the spaces available on both sides. It also has a styled font which could be a hit or miss depending on your preference.
The trackpad is precision enabled and the travel is accurate and smooth. Although, the trackpad could have been larger, it rarely matters as most gamers will likely use an external gaming mouse.
Performance
MSI packed enough power into the MSI GE66 Raider. It delivers power on both the multitasking and gaming front. With an Intel Core i9 processor, 2.4GHz refresh rate, and 32GB RAM, the MSI GE66 Raider exudes a lot of power.
The MSI GE66 Raider is amazingly fast in executing its task. You could stream a video while opening over 3o tabs on chrome. The speed of file transfer is also incredibly high.
Connectivity
MSI bombarded the MSI GE66 Raider with ports. Connectivity is great on this gaming laptop. On the right side, it has two Gen 1 USB Type-A 3.2 ports and a 3-in-1 SD card reader. On the left, there is a headset jack, a Thunderbolt 3 port, and a Gen 2 USB Type-A 3.2 port. At the back, there is a charging port, HDMI 2.0, a USB Type-C port, an Ethernet input, and the Mini DisplayPort.
Battery life
Gaming laptops consume more battery than ultra-books. But some gaming laptops do well than others regardless of this. The MSI GE66 Raider has the RTX 2080 GPU and the Core i9 chip which are quite powerful. Despite this, it still manages to chunk out about 2 hours of battery life at average usage.
This time could vary depending on the type of game you play. Asides from gaming, the MSI GE66 Raider could last more than two hours for regular usage.
Conclusion
The MSI GE66 Raider offers desktop-level power in a smaller 15-inch chassis. With a Core i9 processor and the Nvidia 2080 GPU, you get a beastly performance from a gaming powerhouse. Also, for a gaming laptop, the battery life is good. The display could be better but it is good enough and the power makes up for this. You can trade your laptop of any kind and brand with us online. You can then use the cash to buy your dream machine.
