MSI GS73VR Stealth Pro review – 17-incher with GTX 1060 graphics & 120 Hz screen

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Specs Sheet
Design and exterior
Keyboard and trackpad
Screen
Hardware and performance
Noise, heat and speakers
Battery life
Price and availability
Final thoughts
Comments

By Derek SullivanMSI GS73VR Stealth Pro, last updated on October 31, 2023

MSI GS73VR Stealth Pro

Summary: As a whole, I’m pretty impressed with the GS73VR. As far as 17-inch laptops go, there aren’t many options that are portable at that screen size. The main highlights are the keyboard, GPU and the screen. Another thing I’m pretty happy with is the cooling system. On the other hand, my initial unit had some gaps and sharp edges which I personally find unacceptable, but it looks like that was a bad lot and not all the units get them, that's why I'm bumping the score to 4.25, but you should definitely look into this more. Read on for the whole story.

Our score: 4.25 / 5
Price when reviewed: $1799 - $2199

THE GOOD

Excellent keyboard; 120Hz screen; Good color gamut; External GPU compatibility; Portable, with a powerful GPU; Fast performance and good thermals

THE BAD

bottom casing may have sharp edges; slow SD card reader speeds; difficult to upgrade SSD and ram

Table of Contents

The specs sheet
Design and first look
Keyboard and trackpad
Screen
Hardware, performance and upgrade options
Emissions (noise, heat), Connectivity and speakers
Battery life and other notable things
Price and availability
Final thoughts

Now that Pascal GPUs have finally hit the market and Nvidia has announced that the mobile-specific models are no more, we’re finally starting to see some Pascal laptops hit the market. As usual, MSI, Asus and Gigabyte are quick to the punch. There are a number of options available with the GTX 1070 and 1080 chips, but all of them are very thick and heavy laptops. I set my sights on the models containing the 1060, in hopes there will be a thin and light laptop to suit my wants and needs.

I’ll admit, I am a little disappointed in what Asus and Gigabyte have to offer so far. It’s pretty much more of the same as last year, only with a better GPU. But MSI appears to have redesigned their models a little, which perked my interest. Specifically, the GS73VR and GS63VR are more compact models of the GS70 and GS60.

I decided to give the Stealth Pro GS73VR a shot first, since I’m really interested in having a 17” laptop that can fit in my bag and won’t weigh a ton. The model I received has a FHD 120Hz screen, which is a pretty cool feature to have on a laptop since it’s not widely available in most other options. Given my past use of the GS60, I have some expectations in this new model.

Keep reading, to see how I feel about it after a week’s usage.

The specs sheet

	MSI Stealth Pro GS73VR
Screen	17.3 inch, 1920 x 1080 px resolution, TN, 120 Hz, Wide angle and gamut
Processor	Intel Skylake Core i7-6700HQ CPU, quad-core 2.6 GHz (3.5Ghz boost)
Video	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5 VRAM and Intel HD 530 (with Optimus)
Memory	16 GB DDR4 2400Mhz
Storage	256GB M.2 SATA + 1 TB 5200rpm HDD
Connectivity	Killer Wireless-AC 1535, Qualcomm Atheros Bluetooth 4.1
Ports	3x USB 3.0, Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 1.4b, mini-DP, USB 2.0, mic, earphone, ethernet
Battery	65 Wh
Operating system	Windows 10
Size	412 mm or 16.21” (w) x 285 mm or 11.21” (d) x 19.5 mm or .77” (h)
Weight	2.43 kg or 5.35 lb
Extras	Multi-colored backlit keyboard, trackpad, FHD webcam

Design and first look

If you ever handled an MSI GS60 or GS70, the GS73VR will seem very familiar. The construction on the outside is very similar and the materials used are pretty much the same. The laptop is solid black and the metal is made of a magnesium/aluminum alloy, same as the previous years. Being only .77” thick and under 5 and a half pounds, the weight and overall balance is pretty good. The build quality also feels well-constructed, with the exception of one major detail which I’ll get to in a moment. For the most part though, the level of quality is pretty good.

The lid has a smooth brushed look. There are two small ridges on the sides, which don’t stand out a whole lot and look pretty nice. The typical MSI logo adorns the lid with the text “Gaming G Series”. Like I’ve said in previous reviews, I don’t like this emblem at all, especially since it glows with the backlight and can’t be turned off. If you’re looking for a thin and powerful laptop that can pass as looking professional, this logo pretty much ruins it.

I was kind of surprised the lid didn’t open with one hand like in the past. MSI really beefed up the hinge strength on this model. It’s unfortunate, but at the same time the laptop feels more securely shut when the lid is closed.

Under the lid is a 17.3” matte panel, which I’ll cover in more detail shortly. The panel is surrounded by a plastic bezel with the MSI logo adorning the bottom part. The bezel isn’t overly thick, except for the bottom. The design is an improvement over the previous model since the bezel now snaps inside the metal lid, instead of fusing them together and having a gap on the edge.

The keyboard and palm rest area is pretty much all metal. All the top edges are well rounded and won’t cut into your wrists when typing. The Steelseries keyboard is recessed slightly below the palm rest to make room for the screen when the lid closes. Above the keyboard are some intake vents for the CPU and GPU. To the right of the vents is a power button, which is actually just a piece of metal that bends to actuate a switch when pressed. It’s a pretty clever idea, however, numerous times I have pressed it and failed to turn on the laptop on the first try. I’d prefer an actual button, in hindsight.

Above the vents are those strong hinges. The casing for the hinges is plastic, but it feels very sturdy and will likely never get touched. It matches the metal pretty well, so it’s tough to notice it’s even plastic. The gap between the lid and the hinge is pretty large, and in my opinion, kind of ugly. I find myself noticing it a lot, especially since I usually have a light on in the distance in front of me.

Below the keyboard, centered below the space bar is the trackpad, which I’ll cover in more detail along with the keyboard in the next section. The edges of the trackpad are chamfered and have a red color. I prefer the neutral silver color of the previous models but it still looks very nice. It’s also a decent distance from the lip of the laptop, which is a small gripe I had with the GS60.

The underside is where the compliments end though. I’ll get straight to the point and say that the bottom cover was just poorly designed. Let me explain why. What’s happening is the bottom cover actually rests inside the palm rest/keyboard piece. To keep the laptop thin, the bottom piece has very little concavity to it. On top of that, the fit isn’t perfect as it interfaces with the palm rest. It’s about a millimeter too short on both sides. On some edges, I measured a gap as large as .8mm between the two pieces.

Compound the flat/thin bottom cover and the poor fit with the ultra-thin aluminum used for the palm rest, and you result in some very sharp edges. It’s not something that’s going to cut your finger or anything, but it could easily dig into a wire or scratch your phone, if you accidentally lay your laptop on either of them.

After a week, this is something I notice every single time I pick it up, and it’s almost a deal-breaker in my honest opinion. Picking it up, putting it down and carrying it around the house – I notice the sharp edges every time. Being an engineer myself, maybe I’m a little too critical of these kinds of mistakes, but this is something I would not expect to have as an issue on a laptop costing nearly $2000. Breaking sharp edges is normally a high priority for a consumer product that is handled on a daily basis.

When I originally reviewed the FHD version, I had some sharp edges on the bottom cover, as you can see from the lineouts above. I assumed it was a factory defect but there were many complaints about it in the forums, so the defect was a little more widespread than I had hoped. I got a tip that the 4k version didn’t have the issue though and it turns out they were correct.

It’s probably just a bad lot and hopefully it’s limited to just a few units. Nonetheless, this is something you should be wary of when receiving your unit. Check it carefully and be prepared to exchange it if you aren’t happy. The good thing is MSI is capable of fixing it because the 4k unit I received is completely tolerable. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than the previous version.

Another small issue I have with the bottom cover is the mounts. There are 9 of them, which is good considering the size of the laptop, but I think one of the mounts is a little off. My front left corner slightly depresses when I rest my palms down to type on a tabletop. It’s only a minor annoyance and it can probably be corrected by messing with the mount, but I wanted to mention it.

Still on the topic of the bottom cover, it’s littered with stickers. You have to see the pictures to understand what I mean, but MSI really continues to put an excessive amount of information on bottom cover, with no way to hide it. You can peel most of these off but I have no idea how that would affect your warranty, especially since one of the stickers is actually a warranty sticker.

I think I’ve beaten the bottom cover to death, so let’s move on to the options on the sides and front. The front is simple – there are no connectivity options but there are a number of indicator lights on the right hand side. The symbols make them self-explanatory and the color coming from them is red. The holes are so tiny, but don’t be fooled – that light shining through is super bright! It’s a small step down in intensity from them using lasers. At night, I can see a red glow on my shirt, from the light emitted. It’s fine really, but I do find the rapid blinking sleep indicator a little distracting to see blinking when all the lights are out. A touch of Sharpie would fix the problem.

MSI went all out with the connectivity options on the sides. Starting on the left hand side is a Kensington lock, Ethernet port, SD card reader, 3x USB 3.0 ports, a HiFi headphone jack and a dedicated microphone jack. The GPU exhaust vent is also located on the left hand side(which is two fans btw).

The right hand side also has an exhaust vent for the CPU fan(one fan). Additionally, there is the power adapter, a mini-DisplayPort, HDMI, Thunderbolt 3 and a USB 2.0 port. I don’t really understand the USB 2.0 port but it should be fine for those that use a wireless USB mouse. I do have an issue with the power adapter positioning though because the wire tends to get in the way of my mouse since I’m right handed.

Most of the ports work well but I did struggle a little bit with connecting some devices to the USB 3.0 ports on the left hand side. The right hand USB port was fine though. Upon a closer inspection, it looks like the alignment of the ports is ever so slightly off on my unit. They all still work, it just takes a little more effort than I’m used to.

This misalignment might also be the cause of the abnormal fit of the bottom cover. It could be that the cutouts on the casing don’t match the motherboard correctly and the outer edges are being pushed outward away from the cover. That could also be why the edges of the ports also feel a tad sharp, because normally the USB ports would be flush with them. Regardless, this is something I would expect to not be an issue on such an expensive machine.

Keyboard and trackpad

The Steelseries keyboard on the GS73VR is identical to previous designs and is arguably the best keyboard I’ve ever typed on, for such a thin notebook. Typing on it felt very natural and the keys are all properly spaced apart. I took a typing test and scored about 4 wpm higher than my average and made no mistakes.

I did some thorough checking and there was hardly any keyboard flex at all. The key travel is actually really impressive, measuring an average of 2.2mm of travel per key. The feedback is also stellar, at about 65 grams of force needed to apply a keypress. There are very few thin laptops out there that don’t skimp on at least one of these spots, due to space constraints.

Another nice feature about the keyboard is it’s RGB backlighting and brightness settings. There are three brightness levels and hundreds of different color options to choose from. There are also three different color zones, so you can create different color patterns and effects. You can’t change the color per key like you can with Gigabyte and Razer’s new laptops, but most probably I wouldn’t use that feature even if they had it though.

The key layout is a little strange and takes some time to get used to. The Windows key is on the right hand side instead of the traditional left. If that bothers you, you can switch the FN and Windows keys in the bios. Another odd keyboard placement is the delete key, which is hidden away above the Num Pad.

Another oddity of the keyboard is the font. It’s not terrible but it’s definitely not professional looking. Most of the letters lack proper curves, for example with the W and U keys. It’s another thing you get used to, but if you’re looking for a professional-looking machine, this is a score against that.

If you’re familiar with the trackpad on the GS60 and GS70, this one is pretty much the same thing. It’s has a plastic feel to it and the texture isn’t the greatest, but is not bad either. The key is having dry hands, because even the slightest moisture will make the trackpad feel tacky. I quickly adopted to it because I had a GS60 for so many months, but others might find it takes a little time to get used to.

The good thing is it works very well, once you’re used to it. It tracks accurately and also allows for a number of multi-touch gestures that work pretty well. It’s an Elan brand trackpad, so you can pretty much use Elan drivers to get the multi-touch gestures you want. In fact, I highly recommend changing the drivers if you decide to go with this model and here’s why.

I have been experiencing a minor issue and I think it’s caused by the drivers that came with the unit. Occasionally, my trackpad will stop responding when there are a lot of system tasks going on. Specifically, if I try to open up a big program and glide the mouse pointer across the screen, it will randomly stop or stutter. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s enough that it caught my attention. I uninstalled the drivers and let Windows pick the default ones for Elan. So far my problems have disappeared. If that changes, I’ll be sure to update this post.

In the end, the keyboard and trackpad are both strengths to the machine. So many other laptops lack in these areas and it’s painful to deal with, especially when spending this kind of money. If I had to rank keyboards amongst the gaming laptops I’ve dealt with, this one would easily be at the top of my list, even above Alienware and the Razer Blade. The trackpad doesn’t rank quite as high, but I’ll put it on my top 5. The Razer Blade still has the best gaming laptop trackpad, in my opinion.

Screen

The screen on the GS73VR is another highlight of the machine, even though one of its key features is something many will not like. First of all, it’s a TN display. But before you stop reading and decide to look elsewhere, I should point out that it’s a REALLY nice TN display – probably the nicest one I’ve ever seen. It’s a 17.3” matte panel with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080. Let’s not forget that it also has a 120 Hz refresh rate.

I tried looking up the technical specs on the panel but, unfortunately at the time of writing this article, there were zero details online. The model is Chi Mei CMN1747 and the part number is N173HHE-G32. The reason I was looking it up was because I was questioning whether or not the panel was IPS or TN. I was able to confirm it was TN though by looking at the bottom viewing angle.

So many already know this, but one of the biggest weaknesses of TN panels is the horrible viewing angles. This is not the case with this panel though. The side to side angles are actually pretty good. You lose a little brightness, but the colors stay pretty consistent and text is very legible up to about 70ish degrees. Looking from the top is a similar experience, but unfortunately looking from underneath, the TN starts to show its true colors (get it?). This is ok though, because I cannot think of any time I actually look at my laptop screen from that angle.

The color space is pretty good for this one as well. Using a Spyder4Pro, I measured sRGB to be 100%, NTSC 85% and AdobeRGB 88%. This is excellent for photo work that requires a wide gamut screen. Sure it’s not as good as the 100% aRGB panels out there, but it’s still better than other TN panels and even your typical IPS panel.

The contrast ratio was also pretty decent, with levels greater than 700:1 in all brightness levels. Blacks at full brightness measured .32 nits. It’s unfortunate though that the screen brightness couldn’t get higher than 280 nits. That’s pretty decent, sure, but the surrounding edges were typically around 250 nits and it’s not enough to fight the sunlight outdoors – even with the matte finish. In all indoor lighting conditions, I was able to use it just fine.

Panel HardwareID: Chi Mei CMN1747 (N1733HHE-G32);
Coverage: 100% sRGB, 85% NTSC, 88% AdobeRGB;
Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 282 cd/m2 on power;
Contrast at max brightness: 880:1;
White point: 6600 K;
Black on max brightness: 0.32 cd/m2;

Below is a chart showing the brightness distribution of the screen and over here you can find the calibrated ICC screen profile.

The alternative to this 1080p panel is a 4k screen, which is advertised to have 100% AdobeRGB coverage. I think many are going to be torn on this decision for a lot of reasons. First off, it’s the same panel as reviewed in the Alienware 17, which is probably the nicest display I’ve ever seen. The panel is made by AU Optronics and has model number AUO109B or part number B173ZAN01.0.

The 4k screen has a pretty good contrast ratio of about 600:1. Minimum brightness is about 6 nits and the peak brightness was also 310 nits, which is great in order to fight that sun glare. Blacks at full brightness were .49 nits. The best part is, I see almost no backlight bleed – something I was very nervous of considering the thin screen construction.

Panel HardwareID: AU Optronics AUO109B (B173ZAN01.0);
Coverage: 100% sRGB, 98% NTSC, 100% AdobeRGB;
Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 310 cd/m2 on power;
Contrast at max brightness: 600:1;
White point: 6600 K;
Black on max brightness: 0.49 cd/m2;

The advantages to the 4k screen are it being IPS, so the viewing angles are pretty much perfect. The color space is also a lot higher. I measured 100+% sRGB, 98% NTSC and 100% aRGB. The crispness of the picture quality is much better than the FHD panel and I found that multitasking is a little easier when reading the smaller text on split screen views.

Below is a chart showing the brightness distribution of the 4k screen.

The TN panel has its own advantages though. 120Hz is a huge bonus for FPS gamers. It’s also a really nice thing for other games, because they look that much smoother (assuming you have the graphics settings set up right). It also has a 5ms response time, which is excellent for FPS gamers as well. The IPS screen probably has a typical 20-25ms response time. Finally, the battery life is probably better but keep in mind it’s just a hunch, not fact. In general, FPS players are going to want this 1080p panel, hands down.

One last thing I’d like to mention about the display is the lack of G-sync support. I’ve been seeing a lot of feedback in the forums about how terrible it is that some models don’t have G-sync, including this one. I’m not positive on this, but I assume that MSI and others have ignored G-sync on the thin and light models mainly because of battery life. My theory is that since Optimus would be disabled (is not compatible with G-sync), the battery life would be abysmal instead of the already so-so status it’s in now. Those that buy thin gaming laptops are probably interested in using it on the road, so the longer the battery life, the better.

Let me tell you though, if you haven’t actually witnessed G-sync, you probably don’t know what you’re missing. I only recently saw it for the first time 2 days ago. Yes, it’s a really nice feature and I can see some slight improvements for sure, but I don’t think I would trade battery life for it. So I won’t exactly discredit MSI for omitting it in this model, but I would like for them to consider having an option for it in the future so the buyer can decide. Maybe with something in the bios that can be changed.

Hardware, performance and upgrade options

So enough about the screen – let’s talk about the rest of the hardware. This laptop comes with the Skylake i7-6700HQ quad-core processor. We’ve seen this same processor in almost every gaming laptop that has come out from late 2015 to the present. It’s an excellent CPU to put in a thin laptop, balancing power with heat production. MSI is able to independently cool the CPU with a single CPU fan.

Coupled with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, this laptop is very snappy when it comes to day to day tasks. Minus that trackpad stuttering issue I mentioned earlier, all programs and games have opened and operated very quickly. I did a lot of multitasking, including watching movies, surfing the web, a little CAD work and writing this article – all went smoothly.

The GS73VR is equipped with something special in the graphics dept. – a full Nvidia GTX 1060 chip. I’ve noticed that some on the forums were expecting a GTX 1070, but it should be noted that Nvidia has dropped the “m” off the GPU model and is mimicking the desktop variant for laptops. This GTX 1060 is recognized to be on par with the desktop GTX 980, so you can imagine how much heat it puts off. The GTX 1070 and 1080 would require a much bigger fan and heatsink. MSI made the right choice with the 1060.

The GPU comes with 6GB of VRAM and is an absolute beast when it comes to handling games. It gets kind of hot under load, which I discuss in more detail below, but it’s within the “normal” range of thin and light gaming laptops of the past couple years.

Of course, without G-Sync, the GPU runs with switchable graphics using Optimus. The nice thing about the GS73VR is the power light doubles as an indicator as to what GPU you are using. Red indicates the iGPU and orange indicates the dGPU. This is a welcome departure from the giant circle that went from blue to orange in the previous models, but it’s unfortunate you can’t change the colors to anything you desire. The red really clashes with the keyboard backlighting if you choose any color but red.

As far as upgrades go, you’ll have to break the warranty sticker to get inside. Once in there though, it’s a pretty easy task to update the 1TB HDD, if desired. But getting to the SSD and RAM is another story. It’s a delicate operation and it will require unscrewing the motherboard and getting to the other side. I’ve done this before with the GS60 and while it’s a time consuming task, it’s not that difficult provided you are organized and patient (and you know what you’re doing). If you’re uncomfortable with this, just make sure you buy a configuration with the right RAM and SSD from the beginning.

I’ve put up together a step by step guide on how to access the internals on the MSI GS73 and you should check it out here if interested in upgrading any of the components.

Speaking of the SSD, MSI kind of cheaped out and went with a SATA M.2 instead of a NVMe. I say “kind of” because although it’s SATA, it’s still a pretty decent one. If you compare it to the crappy PM951 NVMe drives the other guys are putting in their machines, the speeds aren’t all that different. If it keeps MSI’s prices down, I’m OK with it. Besides, I really doubt most users could tell any real life difference.

I ran some benchmarks, which you can see below. I also ran Time Spy for the first time. I haven’t done any research on this one, but hopefully it’s a better balance of the CPU and GPU that relates to how games actually play. I also benchmarked a number of games to give you an idea of how the 1060 performs.

Here’s what I got:

3Dmark 13: Time Spy – 3579 , Fire Strike – 9497 , Sky Diver – 23551; Max CPU temp 84C, Max GPU temp 76C
PCMark 08: Home Conventional – 3252, Accelerated – 3751 with 73 C max temp
CineBench R15: OpenGL 100.13 fps, CPU 678 pts, CPU Single Core 119 pts.

Fallout 4– Around Lexington and Corvega Plant during a thunderstorm. Lots of fighting.
- Ultra settings, Max AA and AP 1080p – 48-60fps
- Default high settings at 1080p – 60 fps
Witcher 3– Played through the opening scene and the battle tutorial
- Ultra, 1080p – 45-50fps
- High, 1080p – 65-70fps
Dragon Age: Inquisition– Walked around one of the first camps and got into a battle. Played for about 10 minutes for each session.
- Default ultra settings, MSAA x2 at 1080p – 49-54fps
- Default high settings, no MSAA at 1080p – 81-88fps
- Peak CPU temp 79°C, peak GPU temp 76°C
Crysis 3– Played through the opening scene
- Very High, AA x1, 1080p – 45-65fps
- High, AA off, 1080p – 62-100fps
- Peak CPU temp 76°C, peak GPU temp 79°C
No Man’s Sky– Running around on planet, getting on ship and rushing to another spot, forcing regeneration rapidly. This was after 1 hour session.
- High, FXAA, no Vsync, 1080p – 55-85fps
- On battery, High, FXAA, no Vsync, 1080p – 30fps
- Peak CPU temp 89°C, peak GPU temp 85°C

As you can see, the GTX 1060 makes a tremendous difference over the 970m version of the GS70 last year. It took a long time to get a refresh from Nvidia, but it was certainly worth the wait. Getting 60+ fps on The Witcher 3 on such a thin laptop is truly an amazing feat.

I’m pretty pleased with the internal temperatures staying in the high 70s, for the most part. Of course those sessions weren’t all that long and pushing the card with my No Man’s Sky session eventually led to higher peak temperatures. But the average temperatures in game are much lower than anything I measured with the 970m and 980m thin notebooks of last year.

Could this mean there is room for the 1070? Perhaps. But I wouldn’t want to be hitting 90+C on a regular basis. I’d also like to have some overhead room to overclock the GPU, if I desired. ~~BTW, I haven’t gotten to that yet and I might run out of time – but you can overclock these GPUs to some extent.~~ I took some time to overclock and was able to achieve a 100Mhz overclock on the GPU and 200Mhz on the memory speeds. You can bump it a little more, but the temps start getting into the 90s, which I’m not comfortable with. Dragon Center applies this overclock automatically with Sport mode, but if you choose to leave Dragon Center uninstalled like me, you can manually apply it with MSI afterburner or any compatible software.

I also tested the laptops limits by running a stress test with Prime95 and Furmark. I initially set Furmark to 720p and ran the test for 10 minutes. The CPU quickly stabilized out at 2.8Ghz with a temp of 92C. The GPU held steady at 1.24Ghz with a temp of 80C. Turning Furmark to 1080p really tested the limits. The CPU ended up hitting the thermal limits at some points and stabilized out at 2.7Ghz with a temp of 95C. The GPU topped out at 88C and ended up with a 1.19Ghz clock speed.

The only other thing I want to touch on is the amount of bloatware. MSI went a little too far with this one in that department. In fact, there was so much that I only lasted 30 minutes before I decided to do a fresh install of Windows. If you also choose that route, MSI has all the drivers you need on their site. All it takes is to download Windows 10 from Microsoft and load it on a bootable USB drive. The entire process took about 30 minutes and it was a night and day difference.

If you stick with what MSI gives you, you’re going to have a lot of annoying pop-ups for backups, registering your laptop and anti-virus software. Uninstalling it all will probably take you longer than doing a fresh install.

Some of the MSI software is decent, but the vast majority of it is merely a skin of some Windows settings. Dragon Gaming center is basically quick settings for a couple power plans and shows you some crude fan speeds and temps. There’s even an app to change the scaling, which is the exact same setting found in display settings. The only MSI software I installed on my fresh install was the Steelseries engine and I’m not looking back.

Emissions (noise, heat), Connectivity and speakers

I’m much more impressed with fan technology than I ever have been before. The fans on the GS73VR are a big improvement over previous versions. First of all, the fans are not in series. Like before, a single fan independently cools the CPU. Unfortunately, it’s always on, but it’s very quiet at the lowest speeds. The intake is actually through a grate on top of the keyboard and the exhaust is shared out the side and the back. It’s a very short distance from the CPU, making it pretty efficient and able to cool at low RPM.

But instead of a single fan cooling the GPU as well, MSI opted to double the coverage and have two fans dedicated to the task. The intake is the same, from the vent above the WASD keys. The exhaust is also the same, being out the left side and back. I didn’t open this one up, but I did count at least 3 heat pipes dedicated to cool the GPU. These fans are off while the GPU is inactive, by the way.

The good thing about having two fans for the GPU is the cooling coverage is almost too good. Not only are the GPU temps in gaming fairly decent, the airflow in that area is significantly higher, resulting in lower surface temps in the WASD key area. As you can see in my temperature readings below, the left side of the laptop is significantly cooler than the right, under gaming load. It’s also not a whole lot different than when under normal load.

Don’t get me wrong though – this laptop gets pretty hot. Playing on your lap is certainly possible but your legs will definitely warm up. I’ve felt worse though, particularly with the Gigabyte P35X. It’s about equivalent to how the Razer Blade feels while playing on the lap. There is an advantage to the cooling system though. Since the intake vents are on top, you really aren’t hindering cooling performance by playing on your lap.

UPDATE: If you are interested in lowering the temperatures a few degrees, I was able to apply a CPU undervolt of about 160mV without hindering any performance. I was able to lower my CPU temps by up to 10-15°C in most benchmark tests. Some games improved by a little more even. To top it off, the GPU temps improved slightly, since one of those heat pipes is shared. Specifically, with Time Spy, my CPU temperatures went from 85°C to 71°C and my GPU temps went from 82°C to 79°C. The catch is you have to uninstall Dragon Center to reliably do it, which means you lost your +100Mhz overclock on the GPU. This can be manually restored with MSI afterburner though so it’s no big deal.

I took some noise readings from my S7 edge using Android sensor box. The ambient reading was 23dB. With the fan on during normal usage, I measured 25db at the ear level and 30dB at the exhaust. Under full gaming load, the fans ramped up reaching levels of 35dB at ear level and 45 dB at the exhaust. The pitch was pretty low and almost pleasant actually. It certainly blended in when my air conditioner was on and it seems like a much better improvement over my old GS60.

I took some temperature readings on the keyboard and underneath during some conditions. Here were my results:

*Daily Use – 1080p Youtube clip in EDGE for 30 minutes
*Load – playing No Man’s Sky for approximately 60 minutes on high FHD settings

The speakers are downward facing and are located on the bottom front edge unfortunately. At least there are four of them though. They get plenty loud but you have to do some work for it by messing with the settings in the included Nahimic software. There’s also a subwoofer, but I’m not entirely convinced it is doing what I want it to do.

I measured a peak level of 80db at ear level while playing a song on YouTube. For reference, the ambient noise levels in the room were 24 dB. The treble pretty much takes over, as I could reliably not detect bass levels below 70Hz. That ties into the issues with the subwoofer, because I swear it is only outputting higher frequencies and is merely a 5^th speaker. I actually had to adjust the balance so that the volume levels sounded even.

UPDATE 9/25/16 – so after a few weeks usage, I’ve significantly improved the sound on the GS73VR. By disabling the Nahimic software and installing some older Realtek drivers, I’m able to fully utilize the Realtek Audio software with all the original settings that are removed by Nahimic for some reason. I’m now able to hear bass levels as low as 35 Hz now and the quality of sound is excellent. You can find those drivers here. I turned on surround virtualization and set the loudness eq to on. The EQ was set to Live as well. There is a catch though: you have to manually change the sound to headphones for some reason and I can’t currently find a way around it. It’s worth it to me but your opinion may differ.

While we’re talking about sound, the Hi-Fi headphone jack is probably one of the best I’ve ever had. The sound coming from this thing is so much clearer, even with the cheaper pairs of headphones I own. This is a huge plus for me since I use headphones so often.

The speakers are placed on the bottom, but the audio jack delivers stunning sound quality

There are a number of connectivity options on the laptop, which I really appreciate. It would have been nice to have a USB 3.0 on the right instead of a 2.0, but if you’re like me, it’s going to be permanently be occupied by a USB mouse dongle.

The Thunderbolt 3 port is also a nice addition to the laptop. I was able to connect the laptop to the Razer Core and it worked flawlessly the first time, as if it were the Razer Blade itself. The performance gain was very significant since I have a GTX 1080 in the Razer Core.

The GS73VR is perfectly compatible with the Razer Core through the Thunderbolt 3 port

The Killer Wifi card is also a nice feature. Some laptops have issues with this model (mostly due to drivers), but this one is pretty stable. I was able to max out my broadband connection from 100 feet away from my router. The Gigabit Ethernet also works fine but I don’t have Gigabit broadband so I didn’t get to fully test it.

I normally don’t have anything to say about the card-reader other than its existence. This one, however, has some issues. The speeds are pretty pathetic actually. At first I thought it was drivers, but after a benchmark test it’s pretty obvious the SD card reader is tied to the motherboard via a USB 2.0 controller. So instead of the 80MB/s speeds I was expecting from my Sandisk extreme pro card, I’m getting 26MB/s.

The last thing to bring up is the webcam. It works good enough but the image is kind of grainy, even in excellent lighting conditions. I’ve certainly seen better options out there. Their advertising says it’s a FHD camera, but unless I’m really missing something in the settings options, that’s not true. Both Windows camera and Yawcam show it as a 720p webcam.

Battery life and other notable things

For the FHD panel, my battery test consists of using the stock “Power Saver” power profile, 40% brightness (100 nits), wifi off, Bluetooth off, and running a 720p movie in a continuous loop at full screen with the volume muted. I start the clock when it’s unplugged and stop it when the unit performs a self- shutdown. The MSI GS73VR lasted a decent 5 hours and 37 minutes before shutting down.

In the following test, we’ve set the screen’s brightness at 40%, which is about 100 nits. Also the keyboard backlighting was set to minimal

9.1 W (~ 7 h 8 min of use) – idle, Power Saving Mode, screen at 0%, Wi-Fi OFF;
14.4 W (~ 4 h 30 min of use) – light browsing and text editing in Microsoft Word, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
13.8 W (~ 4 h 43 min of use) – 1080p full screen video on YouTube in EDGE, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
12.5 W (~ 5 h 12 min of use) – 1080p full screen .mkv video in Movie App, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
29.3 W (~2 h 13 min of use) – heavy browsing in EDGE, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
50 W (~ 1 h 18 min of use)– heavy gaming in 1080p, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;

These are not the greatest results, but it’s pretty darn good if you considering it’s a quad-core CPU in such a thin laptop. It helps that the laptop is 17” and can fit a reasonably large battery inside.

For the 4k panel, my battery test consists of using the stock “Power Saver” power profile, 40% brightness (85 nits), wifi off, Bluetooth off, and running a 720p movie in a continuous loop at full screen with the volume muted. I start the clock when it’s unplugged and stop it when the unit performs a self- shutdown. The MSI GS73VR lasted a decent 5 hours and 37 minutes before shutting down.

In the following test, we’ve set the screen’s brightness at 40%, which is about 100 nits. Also the keyboard backlighting was set to minimal

10.9 W (~ 5 h 58 min of use) – idle, Power Saving Mode, screen at 0%, Wi-Fi OFF;
22.7 W (~ 2 h 52 min of use) – light browsing and text editing in Microsoft Word, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
24.5 W (~ 2 h 39 min of use) – 4k full screen video on YouTube in EDGE, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
23.5 W (~ 2 h 46 min of use) – 1080p full screen .mkv video in Movie App, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
26.3 W (~2 h 28 min of use) – heavy browsing in EDGE, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON; eco mode on
37.5 W (~1 h 44 min of use)– heavy browsing in EDGE, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON; eco mode off
59 W (~ 1 h 6 min of use)– heavy gaming in 1080p, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;

These results will probably be a deal breaker for some people. It’s really going to be a trade off for having such a nice screen. I personally am opting for the 4k model, however I think I might regret it down the road for battery reasons.

I was able to improve the battery results somewhat by undervolting the CPU. Doug actually wrote a pretty good article about it in case you’re interested in trying it yourself. I do mine a little differently though and I do a very aggressive undevolt for power saving while on battery and a modest one for heat management while plugged in. By applying a 180mV undervolt to the CPU and CPU cache, and utilizing Power Saver and a 14x multiplier limit, I was able to achieve a 23-40% improvement over the 4k model’s battery results above. Pretty impressive, but the catch is you can’t have Dragon Center installed because it interferes with the Power Plans too much and causes issues with Throttlestop. My results are better than MSI’s Eco mode though, so I’m not too upset about having to delete Dragon Center. The only other thing you lose with deleting Dragon Center is MSI’s 100Mhz overclock to the GPU but that can easily be reapplied with MSI afterburner.

Also included is a 180 watt charger brick, which initially scared me because I was expecting something massive. To my surprise, it only measures 6.1” x 3.0” x 1.2” and weighs about 1.5 pounds. Not too bad really. It’s actually smaller than my 150 watt PSU on my old GS60.

I briefly touched on this before, but there are an awful lot of stickers on this machine. The good thing is all of them can come off if you wanted them to. The warranty and serial number stickers might be something you’d want to consult with MSI on to see if it truly does break the warranty. I recently spoke with them about this and they said that the warranty sticker does not apply to US and Canada buyers. In fact, those countries are allowed to perform upgrades as they please, but the warranty will not extend to the new components. They also mentioned that the serial number sticker can be removed as long as it’s replaced for RMA requests.

The only text that is pretty much permanent is the Steelseries logo below the keyboard, however some on the forums have removed it with some nail polish remover. Do so at your own risk though.

Price and availability

The MSI Stealth Pro GS73VR is available in many different retailers.

Amazon and Newegg both have units in stock ranging in prices from $1799 to $2199 depending on the configuration. These prices may seem steep, but if you consider the hardware you’re getting, it’s a pretty fair deal.

Follow this link for the prices and configurations available on Amazon, and this one for Newegg.

The MSI Stealth PRo starts at $1800, which is a fair price for what you’re getting

Final thoughts

I’d have to say, as a whole, I’m pretty impressed with the GS73VR. As far as 17” laptops go, there aren’t many options that are portable at that screen size. The fact it fits in my backpack is a huge plus in my book.

The main highlights to the machine are the keyboard, GPU and the screen. Sure the screen is TN, but is an excellent one with good viewing angles, a wide gamut and a heck of a refresh rate. It’s nice to also have a GPU that can take advantage of that refresh rate. Another thing I’m pretty happy with is the cooling system. MSI has done some improvements with their fans to where the always on CPU fan isn’t quite as annoying.

The 4k screen option is also a nice feature. It improves on the weaknesses of the TN panel, although it’s only 60Hz. It’s a battery killer though so decide carefully before buying.

But my main issue lies with those gaps and sharp edges. In my opinion, those are unacceptable and it’s the main reason I’m not giving this a 4.5 out of 5 score. I still notice it every time I pick it up and that bothers me a little bit. Over time, I hope I’ll notice it less and less.

It’s too bad too because this is one of those things that ruins an otherwise great laptop. Still though, even with the sharp edges, the GS73VR is really the best in it’s class. I really hope MSI listens to feedback on this and fixes the problem with future production runs.

I originally had a unit with very large gaps on the bottom, which resulted in sharp edges. In fact, it was the worst part of the laptop in my opinion. But now that I have a unit with a better fitting bottom, I love this laptop that much more. The edges still aren’t perfect, but they are definitely tolerable and I have quickly gotten used to them.

There’s no other 17-inch notebook like the MSI GS73VR right now

A lot of you might be able to overlook it. If you can, I don’t think you’ll be sorry with the laptop otherwise. It really is a nice device and to be quite honest, there really aren’t that many competitors at this screen size with such a powerful GPU and thin form factor. If the Razer Blade Pro ever gets updated, that would be the only other one I’d be interested in. Other than that, the other “thin” options really aren’t all that thin and light.

So that about wraps up what I have to say about the MSI GS73VR. If you have any feedback or questions, I’d be happy to hear from you in the comments section below. I should have this one for about another week. Next up is the GS63VR, so also look out for that one.

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Review by: Derek Sullivan
Derek Sullivan - Review Editor. In addition to being a tech enthusiast, I have a career as a Biomedical Engineer. I enjoy taking things apart, figuring out how they work, and finding ways to make them better. My other hobbies include spending time with my family, "Do it yourself" projects such as home automation, and running.

147 Comments

Danwat1234

September 6, 2016 at 12:00 pm

Would like to have seen temps at Prime95 +Furmark 100% utilization of both. Any throttling, and if there is a coolerboost function for the fans like the big boy models.

Interesting the air intake is on top, yet there is a huge amount of vents on the bottom of the laptop..

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 6, 2016 at 12:08 pm
  
  Also, the vents on the bottom help with airflow when you use the laptop with the lid closed. I’m glad they are there. I played a couple games attached with the Razer core with the lid closed and the CPU was able to keep itself cool the whole time. I think the temps were about 2-5C warmer on average, which I can live with.
  
  Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 7, 2016 at 1:25 pm
  
  The post is now updated with Prime95 and Furmark testing.
  
  Reply
Danwat1234

September 6, 2016 at 12:01 pm

Great to here it can use external desktop graphics! No need for a GT73VR monster, except for the 68020HK overclockable CPU possibly. Maybe wait for Kaby Lake for a clockspeed boost across the board and get that Stealth Pro.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 6, 2016 at 12:06 pm
  
  I’ll try and get that done in the next couple days and will add it to the post.
  
  There is some fan control in the Dragon gaming center which I didn’t go into. It allows you to boost the fan to maximum. I’ll do the Furmark testing with fans at max and see what throttling there is.
  
  Reply
  - danwat1234
    
    September 6, 2016 at 12:19 pm
    
    Oh wow thank you. Hmm with the lid closed it can still draw in enough air, good. But still the bottom, the fans do not draw air from there at all AFAIK so just has a passive purpose. Yes Furmark +prime95 simultaneous too wit hwinfo to see throttling with the AC adapter plugged into a kill-a-watt meter.;). If you want to take the time thanks.
    
    I suppose that Razer Core works on all laptops with Thunderbolt 3.
  - danwat1234
    
    September 6, 2016 at 12:21 pm
    
    Oh and why not try that with the lid closed on a bed too for the ultimate test ha. Looks promising.
    
    Not sure if you could overclock the GPU reliably much above the regular turbo speeds?
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    September 6, 2016 at 12:28 pm
    
    It’s actually kind of nice having it draw from the top. This was the same with the GS60 and GS70 as well. I like to play on my lap, so it’s good to know that my legs won’t ever block the intakes. It also forces the keyboard down, which to me is a really good thing. It takes getting used to but once you do you learn to appreciate it. After I got rid of my GS60, it’s something I always missed when using the AW 17 and P35X. The only drawback is everything inside is flipped, so upgrading the RAM and M.2 requires a full motherboard disassembly.
    
    To answer you’re other question, no the Core does not work with all TB3 laptops. I wrote an article about it here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/10761-razer-core-review/
    
    In general, MSI laptops work fine. Dell is sort of buggy and Alienware is a big no. HP from what I understand is a no as well but I haven’t physically tried it.
  - danwat1234
    
    September 6, 2016 at 12:33 pm
    
    I am typing on my trusty old Asus G50VT laptop, X9100 overclocked to 3.45GHZ all the time. 1 fan, sucks air in from the bottom. vents in multiple places on the bottom, can still suck in enough air from the bottom when on a bed. All the air flow thru the bottom lets the bottom stay cooler than otherwise. Some have modded the bottom to make a hole thru the fake subwoofer so the fan directly gets cooler air, but then the bottom is warmer.
    Keyboard is nice on this old laptop, I see the MSI probably has the best keyboards.
    I sometimes use my mother’s Toshiba thin laptop (about 4.5 pounds), the keyboard travel on that is pathetic with no effort/tactile feedback.
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    September 6, 2016 at 12:38 pm
    
    Yeah, there’s a lot more forgiveness on the big laptops in terms of cooling because there are typically large vents and bottom lids that are designed well. Unfortunately with thin and light laptops, the bottom lid is extremely thin, so the more vents they have, the more likely the metal will buckle from just picking it up. So to fix it, they make the vents smaller, but then you run into issues where they overheat and shut off from using them on something like a bed. Luckily, by design, this one doesn’t have that issue.
danwat1234

September 6, 2016 at 12:25 pm

Can drive 3 external displays with HDMI, mini, thunderbolt like the big boy GT73?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 6, 2016 at 12:29 pm
  
  I don’t have all the adapters to test that but it should be possible. The GPU is designed to do so.
  
  Reply
  - Fedor
    
    September 21, 2016 at 5:22 am
    
    Kinda late reply, but it can drive up to 5 external displays, 4 of which can be 4k (2 via thunderbolt, 2 via mdp daisy chain, one of which will be 4k@60hz, other-full HD). HDMI and mdp are connected directly to 1060, internal display and TB3-to intel hd. Personally, I was able to connect 4 displays that way (didn’t have tb to 2x mdp, so couldn’t give 5 displays a try).
  - danwat1234
    
    November 26, 2016 at 10:28 pm
    
    @Fedor, that is interesting. But the GS73VR main page on the MSI site says, only up to 3 monitors with the laptop screen being 1 of the 3. Or, 3 external with the laptop screen off.
    For the GT73VR, their sites says it offers 1 more. Up to 3 external all the time whether the laptop screen is enabled or not.
    
    So you can do 2 via Thunderbolt, 2 via mini-DP and 1 via HDMI? And all can be 4K except for 1 of the mini-DP ones at regular full HD?
    And this is with the laptop screen enabled?
    Wow. I'd like this verified..
danwat1234

September 6, 2016 at 12:37 pm

I would really like to see MSI put the 6820HK/6820HQ/6920HQ in this Stealth Pro but that won’t happen. CPU performances increase are slow now. I figure a 6820HK overclocked to 4GHZ is about twice the performance in general x86 than my 8 year old X9100 at 3.45GHZ (single core wise).

Reply
Paul B.

September 7, 2016 at 12:19 am

Can you post your ICC profile for this display?

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  September 7, 2016 at 12:28 pm
  
  We’ve added it to the Screen section.
  
  Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 7, 2016 at 1:24 pm
  
  It’s posted in the display section now.
  
  Reply
Chase

September 8, 2016 at 12:31 am

Thanks for the review. I have been trying to pic between this and the Asus Strix GL702 1060 model. If you know of any good comparisons, reviews or your own thoughts, it’d be much appreciated. Thanks again.

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  September 9, 2016 at 2:18 pm
  
  We have a post on a GL702 version here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/11360-asus-rog-strix-gl702-review/ . It’s not the same hardware wise, but the other aspects are the same for the 702VM model.
  
  It’s a bit hard to compare the two, since I tested the GL702 and Derek tested the GS73, so neither of us had contact with both of them. I would probably lean towards the MSI for the better keyboard, TB3 port and what looks like a superior cooling solution.
  
  Reply
  - Brett Wolmarans
    
    September 20, 2016 at 12:24 pm
    
    I would like to see you guys do a swap, have Derek review the GL702 (1070 version please) and actually, come to think of it, the GL502 1070 version, and have Andrei review the GS73!! I will be refreshing this page constantly every few minutes with iMacro until I see it. But I’m still going to wait until the end of the month to see the first reviews on the AW17 with the pascal
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    September 20, 2016 at 12:54 pm
    
    Heh, I’d like to but I doubt I’ll be getting the GL702 anytime soon. Andrei does all the Asus units since he has better access to them than I do. I usually only pick up the units I’m interested in owning for a short time anyways. Honestly, Asus has not appealed to me with their gaming options simply because they are too thick and they insist on neon orange.
    
    I might try out the AW 17 but it probably won’t be right away. We currently don’t get review units from Dell so I’d have to buy it in order to review it. I’m happy enough with the GS73VR that I don’t think I’ll want to look at anything else for a while. Especially now that I’ve seen the 4k version.
mike

September 11, 2016 at 11:59 pm

I got this laptop today and wow the heat is very very very bad, it constantly throttles so my games are always jerky, at first I thought it was the killer wifi card so I disabled it and hooked up the Ethernet cable but after running msi afterburner I can see the clocks constantly dropping 400mhz up and down to keep the temps in check when this happens my game, overwatch lets say will slow down then go back to normal, I also disabled the onboard gpu because I thought it might be switching back to the onboard gpu or something…. I would like to try changing out the cpu and gpu gell with ic diamond compound but msi has a tag on there that if removed to open the laptop voids the warranty… I’ll probably be returning this.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 12, 2016 at 8:36 am
  
  If it’s throttling playing Overwatch, something is very very wrong. I couldn’t even get mine to throttle that severely using Furmark. It shouldn’t throttle due to heat at all really… Either something is wrong with the contact with the GPU or one of the fans are bad. I wouldn’t chance repasting and voiding your warranty – you’re better off just exchanging it.
  
  Reply
Chris

September 18, 2016 at 8:01 am

Some one has disassebled the GS73VR http://www.laptopmain.com/msi-gs73vr-disassembly/

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 18, 2016 at 8:26 am
  
  Thanks for the link. I’ll be upgrading my M.2 ssd later this week. I plan to add a section explaining how.
  
  Reply
  - Fedor
    
    September 21, 2016 at 5:26 am
    
    I’ll be very grateful if you post the explanation :) I have gs63vr, which internally looks like almost exactly the same(the mainboard looks like 100% the same, it’s because of this there’s so much empty space in 17 inch version), and I can’t disconnect the battery w/o lifting the motherboard, and I can’t lift the MB even after removing all the screws. Looks like I’m missing something simple.
    Thanks!
  - Fedor
    
    September 21, 2016 at 8:07 am
    
    Have you been able to do this successfully? I have gs63vr which internally looks almost the same, and I had some difficulties with removing the motherboard – it was still attached to something at lower left corner. Didn’t you notice anything unusual there while disassembling your laptop? Thanks!
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    September 21, 2016 at 8:24 am
    
    I did it last night. I’ll try to have the post updated later today but it’ll probably be tomorrow. I can email you a pic of the screw locations sooner though, if you want. Is the email you used to register your comment a good one? Let me know.
  - Tim K
    
    September 21, 2016 at 12:59 pm
    
    If you could send along a pic my way, I’d appreciate it!
  - Fedor
    
    September 22, 2016 at 8:51 am
    
    That’s great to hear! Yes, the email I’ve used is valid, though I’m patient enough to wait till you update the post, so don’t bother with it.
    By the way, how did you unplug the battery connector? I’ve tried to do it with tweezers, though didn’t have luck with it and pulling it out via wires doesn’t seem to be a good idea to me.
    Thanks!
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    September 22, 2016 at 8:54 am
    
    I just pulled the wires. They are pretty durable. The connector is so stiff that it’s hard to pull it.
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    September 22, 2016 at 2:34 pm
    
    Here you go: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/12757-upgrade-ram-ssd-msi-gs73/
Noritaka Sakai

September 22, 2016 at 3:26 pm

m.2 sata so I guess I can’t put those m.2 pcie-x4 ones in there can I?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 22, 2016 at 3:27 pm
  
  Both are compatible. I just put a PCI-e drive in mine.
  
  Reply
  - Noritaka Sakai
    
    September 22, 2016 at 4:30 pm
    
    awesome! Just ordered a samsung 950 pro since the plextor 1tb was like $700….
    Thanks for the reply!
  - Noritaka Sakai
    
    September 23, 2016 at 1:38 am
    
    Also is there an improved speed putting a pcie drive in there?
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    September 23, 2016 at 8:22 am
    
    Technically yes but it’s debatable whether or not anyone can tell the real life difference. Maybe if you do a lot of batch processing.
Clifford Stinson

September 23, 2016 at 1:38 am

I’ve read a number of posts about removing bloatware. I’ve been reluctant to do this as I’m not sure what is essential and what is not. Are you able to publish a guide regarding what each piece of software does, which can be removed and what we can expect in lost functionality?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 23, 2016 at 8:29 am
  
  In general, look at their support page and see what they have for download. If it’s not there, it’s probably something you can get rid of (Norton for example). Other than that, you can also get rid of the software that MSI provides. If you find you’re missing it, just reinstall from their support page.
  
  This is why I always start with a clean install. To me it’s easier to install the basics(i.e. Get rid if all the flagged items in device manager) rather than deal with all the fluff the manufacturer is peddling. For this machine, I only installed the core drivers,the audio software and steelseries.
  
  Reply
  - QO
    
    November 29, 2016 at 10:09 pm
    
    Would the Intel drivers suffice? For example, on the MSI GS73VR support page, they list both Intel and Killer drivers for WLAN and BT.
    
    For a clean install, can I just install Intel and ignore the Killer drivers?
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    November 29, 2016 at 10:17 pm
    
    No, you have to install the drivers for the card you have. They sell a model with Intel, so that's why they have both. If you try to install the wrong drivers, it'll likely fail.
Exotiva

September 24, 2016 at 6:13 pm

So I’m looking into getting this laptop to allow me to play games and still be portable.

I’m not too well-versed in laptops at all. You mentioned that the intake fans are on the top of the keyboard. Does this mean that a cooling pad would not be effective with the laptop?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 24, 2016 at 6:31 pm
  
  Correct. They’re practically useless with this design. A tv dinner tray would actually serve the same purpose. I use an iskelter slate and it works pretty good. The laptop just barely overlaps the mouse pad.
  
  Reply
  - Exotiva
    
    September 24, 2016 at 6:37 pm
    
    Thank you for such a swift reply!
    
    So for gaming, would you consider the best management to be sufficient as it is?
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    September 24, 2016 at 6:45 pm
    
    Yeah, it’s fine as it is. I play directly on my lap a lot actually. I use the pad only to keep my legs from sweating. Repasting and undervolting are pretty much your only options to make things cooler than what you get.
  - Exotiva
    
    September 24, 2016 at 6:48 pm
    
    Thank you so much for your insight. I plan to purchase one later today!
Niels Woisin

September 30, 2016 at 5:07 am

17″ Ultraportable… that sounds weird ;-)

Just ordered an Aorus X5 V6 from NewEgg:

I guess I will soon find out if the GTX 1070 in it can run free or if the laptop turns out to be such an oven, that I have to sell it to the Eskimos, who will use it to cook and keep their ice-block houses warm…

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 30, 2016 at 7:12 am
  
  Yeah, considering it’s only .9″ thick I can imagine it gets kind of hot. It blows my mind how much they fit in that thing. 3x M.2 and a 2.5 slot along with 4 speakers and a 94Wh battery. Seems like it should weigh more than than 2.5kg. :)
  
  Did you get the FHD or 3k?
  
  Reply
  - Niels Woisin
    
    October 2, 2016 at 7:19 pm
    
    Got 3k, cause that was the only choice available – if they had the 120Hz FHD in stock, I would have taken that. but its ok, 60Hz at 3k will look pretty nice.
    
    And yes, it seems to unlikely to stuff all that into a fairly thin 15.6″ laptop. Even more astonishing was the GTX 980 they had in the camo version of this same laptop – I would expect that to catch fire like a Galaxy note 7 (where people got a special warning over the PA to take out the battery on every flight I got on! …And for god’s sake, please do not try to charge it aboard the plane!)
    
    Samsung’s gotten on the CIA’s watch list :p
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    October 2, 2016 at 7:27 pm
    
    Yeah, with that GPU it should game very well at 3k. I really liked the 3k panel in my old GS60 – you just couldn’t play many games with a 970m. I wonder if it’s the matte version of the same brand. If you don’t mind looking it up, I’d really appreciate it.
    
    Yeah, the 980 was a little extreme. Gigabyte does that a lot though. Sometimes they do it well but other times they go a little too far. :)
  - Niels Woisin
    
    October 2, 2016 at 9:19 pm
    
    No problem, I will look it up when I get it… and I’ll see how hot it gets after playing the Star Citizen alpha for an hour or so…
Devin

September 30, 2016 at 8:25 am

GS73VR 6RF-013CN has a LGD0469 panel (LP173WF4-SPF1?)

It seems MSI uses different panels on different sub-models.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 30, 2016 at 8:32 am
  
  Interesting – I’ve been looking for the regular FHD model since it was listed as an option on their product page. Up until now I didn’t think it was available to purchase. Where did you get that one?
  
  Reply
  - Devin
    
    September 30, 2016 at 11:57 pm
    
    It is in stock in China and the price is 12999 CNY (~1950 USD, tax-included).
  - Niels Woisin
    
    October 2, 2016 at 7:21 pm
    
    Could you tell me where in China? What store? Thx :)
brett w

October 3, 2016 at 6:38 pm

Are you able to use g-sync when connected to razor core?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  October 3, 2016 at 6:41 pm
  
  I’m not sure. I don’t have a compatible monitor so there’s no way to test it.
  
  Reply
  - Brett wolmarans
    
    October 4, 2016 at 11:34 am
    
    Well, I suspect that you’ll find even when you plug in the core, you are not given the option for gsync in NVCP. But it would be nice to be wrong about that.
Thinh Le

October 7, 2016 at 2:46 pm

Im pretty impress with how you can get the temperature to drop 10-15 degree without damage the performance. Can you be more specific on how you undervolt the CPU ? Do you use any software or any tips you can show me ?
T4R

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  October 7, 2016 at 3:24 pm
  
  Doug has a pretty good explanation here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/10167-laptop-undervolting-overcloking/
  
  There are also other ways to do it such as Intel XTU. It's pretty simple to use and there are plenty of tutorials on the internet on how to use both it and Throttlestop. For beginners, Intel XTU is probably a little more user friendly, but if you want it to automatically load on boot, Throttlestop is better. For Throttlestop
  
  Reply
  - Thinh Le
    
    October 17, 2016 at 10:12 am
    
    Thanks for your instruction, after struggling to decide whether to get the GS73VR and the GT72VR, i finally decided to go with the GS73VR, my laptop will arrive in the weekend . Im definitely gonna try to benchmark it and try to undervoltage it for better battery. Also i want to know if undervoltage can eliminate the coil whine issue?
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    November 3, 2016 at 9:14 am
    
    You won't be able to eliminate the coil whine that way but there's a chance it'll help. From what I understand, disabling C states takes care of the coil whine but that of course affects your battery life.
Kapitoxa

October 26, 2016 at 8:23 am

Hi, can you pls explain why did you like 17" model more than 15". I need to choose between this 2, but I don't want 120hz TN panel and Full HD IPS for 17" is hard to find (so I have to go 4k for 17" and using windows with scales scary me =))

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  November 3, 2016 at 9:36 am
  
  I pretty much bought it because I wanted 17". I also stuck with the 4k because I wanted a full gamut screen. I've owned that screen before, so I knew what I was getting into. I think if the 15" model had a decent FHD screen, I might have thought differently, because that model is so ridiculously thin and portable.
  
  Reply
Mario Gajardo

November 11, 2016 at 10:26 pm

Hi Derek and thank you very much for all this valuable information about this gaming laptop. I just get this machine and will be soon upgrading the mechanical HD to a 1TB SSD, and 32GB of ram. Im intersted in undervolt this laptop, can you share your Throttlestop settings ? will be of great help , thanks you again

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  November 14, 2016 at 10:58 am
  
  I just do a modest -160mV undervolt on the CPU Core and cache. You might be able to go higher but it gets the job done.
  
  Reply
  - QO
    
    December 1, 2016 at 11:07 am
    
    The laptop switches to integrated graphics using Throttlestop. My settings were -125mV undervolt on CPU core and cache.
    
    Good temps, but results in 40fps cap in Dota 2.
    Once I restart without Throttlestop I can get around 140fps.
    
    Would there be any workaround? I appreciate the lower temps and longer battery life that TS gives me. Unfortunately it has to go if I cant utilize the GPU. (In the nVidia control panel, preferred graphics processor has been set to High Performance nVidia processor, and program settings have been setup to run accordingly, so I highly doubt its a nVidia control panel issue)
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    December 1, 2016 at 1:00 pm
    
    Are you sure your GPU isn't on? Is the power LED red or orange when you're in DOTA? My GPU works just fine with Throttlestop on. I wonder if perhaps you have a setting checked that is limiting the CPU and that is the reason for the fps cap? It's definitely not an Nvidia issue if you can fix the problem just by turning off TS. What boxes do you have checked in the initial settings window?
  - QO
    
    December 1, 2016 at 9:07 pm
    
    I pretty much followed the link in one of your earlier comments to set up TS: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/10167-laptop-undervolting-overcloking/
    
    The power LED is red when I'm in the game.
    
    If it doesn't bother you too much, I've uploaded some screens of my TS setup: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5khmwup5wyrf59x/AAAGJoyZRhLcdDl7tpKNThRoa?dl=0
    
    I've only fiddled with the settings in FIVR and Options. Perhaps I should turn the "Power Saver" off ?
    
    Oh and one thing I noticed – the moment I unplug my power adapter, the FPS counter drops and is capped at 30.
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    December 1, 2016 at 10:32 pm
    
    Unplugging power always caps your fps at 30. It's a setting by Nvidia. I think you can turn it off but the GPU is throttled anyways, so it really doesn't matter.
    
    As for your settings, you should have Power saver unchecked for sure. For my performance settigs, the only boxes I have checked are speedstep and C1E. For my power saver profile, I have power saver, disable turbo, BD PROCHOT, Speedstep, C1E and Set Multiplier 14.
    
    Also, I don't have Nvidia GPU checked in my options window. I'm not even sure what that box is for. Try unchecking that and see if it solves your issue.
  - QO
    
    December 1, 2016 at 11:59 pm
    
    Perfect!! Thanks Derek, using your settings solved my problem.
    Btw, my maximum undervolt is -150mV on battery before the thing crashes.
Hemi

November 23, 2016 at 6:03 am

would you recommend it for video editing on an Avid media composer ?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  November 23, 2016 at 10:00 am
  
  You might need more ram if you're doing 4k videos, but the rest of the specs of the laptop are more than enough for Avid.
  
  Reply
  - Hemi
    
    November 23, 2016 at 10:07 am
    
    TNX!
Matthew Chang

November 28, 2016 at 4:28 am

What is the ram configuration on this guy? For example, is it just one stick of ram that's 16 GB, or is it 2 sticks of 8 GB ram? And if it is one stick, are there any additional slots where ram can be installed? Thanks!

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  November 28, 2016 at 8:09 am
  
  There's only two slots and both are occupied.
  
  Reply
Isaac Howard

December 5, 2016 at 5:56 am

Hey Derek, awesome review as per usual! I'm about to buy one of these and was wondering if I should opt for the IC diamond paste option for the CPU and GPU in order to help with the high temps? Would this be a waste of time and/or risky in terms of the lifespan of the laptop? Perhaps I could just undervolt the CPU instead as you mentioned. Thanks for the help! Isaac.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  December 5, 2016 at 8:16 am
  
  There have been a few people reporting significantly better temps from repasting with IC diamond. I'd say it's worth it if that's important to you but I'm not convinced it'll affect the longevity of the device. It's pretty difficult to get inside too, so it's really a matter of if you feel like doing all the labor. The stock paste is pretty decent, so it might be more worthwhile to wait a while and see if it's an issue you really need to tackle.
  
  Reply
Hemi

December 8, 2016 at 7:14 am

Hi Derek
Thank you for your insights and deep review.
I've followed your link to the realtek drivers and I have a solution for the headphone auto recognition problem:
in device manager right click on the realtek device and choose update driver – it works like a charm – it recognizes everything.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  December 8, 2016 at 11:28 am
  
  I just tried it and it reinitiated the subwoofer audio controls and removed the headphone recognition all together. I couldn't even manually get the headphones to work. I ended up rolling back the driver. I'll try again later. When you plug in your headphones, is it switching automatically with no prompt? And you still have the ability to adjust audio settings in Realtek audio manager?
  
  Reply
Hemi

December 8, 2016 at 12:50 pm

Yes, I have a popup screen telling me to chose which type of audio device I plugged. Now, when I go to the properties of the speakers in the sound CPL it let me choose the levels of the sub and the speakers separately, so I've ended up lowering the speakers volume while keeping the sub's volume at the highest level, resulting in quite a good sound reproduction

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  December 8, 2016 at 1:02 pm
  
  Hmm, I still don't have that popup. Do you still have Nahimic installed maybe?
  
  Reply
  - Hemi
    
    December 8, 2016 at 1:05 pm
    
    No. I've Uninstalled it, I can send you a screen capture of the popup..
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    December 8, 2016 at 1:21 pm
    
    Weird. So I tried updating the driver again and now it works but instead of the popup you have, I get the Realtek default pop-up. It's pretty much the same only it's a small white window and gives you the ability to disable the popup and automatically change from now on. I wonder why ours are so different and why it took me three times to get it to work. Either way, it's a welcome improvement because I was starting to get tired of manually changing it. Thanks for the find! I'll update the post.
Kluiv

December 24, 2016 at 4:01 pm

Excellent review, by the far the best I've seen so far whilst browsing online. Thank you very much.

Reply
Clinton

January 6, 2017 at 12:40 pm

Will an external gsync monitor be compatible with this laptop? To confirm, its only the laptop screen that does not provide gsync correct?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  January 6, 2017 at 12:57 pm
  
  Correct. The laptop screen is plugged into the CPU channel and utilizes the GPU through Optimus, therefore gsync is impossible with the laptop screen. The TB3 and HDMI ports are routed to the GPU though and support gsync.
  
  Reply
Jon

January 7, 2017 at 12:54 am

Love this laptop! Definitely recommend it! Quick question though, are we sure the bottom vents don't suck any air in/blow air out? I'm trying to find a laptop cooler, and they all blow air up into the bottom of a laptop…so therefore are these types of coolers useless in this design? I can't find any laptop cooler pads that pull air away from the laptop base. Does anyone know of any?

Thanks!

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  January 7, 2017 at 9:04 am
  
  I doubt you'll find one. Afaik, MSI is the only one that inverts their motherboard. And since they are so uncommon, plus the fact coolers barely do anything to inverted motherboards, it'll be tough to find a cooler that supports it. You could try buying a cheap cooler and switching the power wires though. Maybe you'll get lucky and it's not polarity protected. I'm not convinced it'll do a whole lot though. Those vents on the bottom are passive and they face the other side of the motherboard. If I get bored this weekend, maybe I'll try turning mine upside down. :) I haven't used my cooler in years since I switched to the GS series – I just use a Slate lapdesk.
  
  Reply
  - Jon
    
    January 7, 2017 at 12:59 pm
    
    Derek thank you for your swift response! I was thinking of trying to find a cooling pad where I can take the fans out and turn them around, but looks almost impossible, might need to be a DIY project. The graphics card seems to always be between 30-50 or so degrees when doing normal powerpoint/word tasks/surfing (per the dragon center), but I put it on advanced settings or cooler boost before jumping on Steam.
    
    Thanks!
Adam Moore

January 8, 2017 at 10:55 pm

Derek, would you mind uploading a couple captures of your throttlestop config? If I follow your steps for the power save config it seems to not go any higher than 800mhz Also, having some issues with removing the audio drivers and attempting to use the stock ones. Wondering if you had a "guide" of sorts.

Thanks,

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  January 9, 2017 at 12:03 am
  
  That's the whole point of the power save mode. It's supposed to be a low TDP state and the clock speeds need to be at a crawl for that to happen. If you don't want clock speeds that low, just adjust the multiplier. I hardly use that battery mode unless I know for sure I'll be needing to use my laptop for 4 hours straight. I'm not sure about the guide on the drivers. There's not a whole lot I did other than what I already mentioned. I basically just uninstalled the drivers and downloaded and installed the older drivers from the link I provided. Not much else to it. What problems are you running into?
  
  Reply
Jonas

January 19, 2017 at 10:13 am

Thank you so much for producing this comprehensive review. I purchased the computer based on your review!

Which bloatware to you think i should get rid of when starting it up? More than Norton?

I noticed it disconnects internet connection on wifi regularly. Was that something you experienced?

Other than that, pretty impressed with the first tests!

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  January 19, 2017 at 10:45 am
  
  Norton at a minimum, for sure. I also removed Dragon Center and any of the color filters. Also that one that makes it "easier" to do split screen. I forget it's name but it might be merged with the color filter one.
  
  The Wifi is Killer brand and I've had many random issues with previous versions of the card in other laptops. Most of my issues were resolved in driver settings but it was frustrating to travel with. I didn't have problems with this particular model but that doesn't mean others won't have problems as well. I only tested it for a couple weeks though, so maybe I got lucky. You might want to check the forums for any potential fixes or tips on the matter. I changed mine to Intel 8260 when I did my SSD/Ram upgrade and have had zero issues in the past few months I've had it. I know that's not feasible for everyone to upgrade, but its something I have been doing with my daily drivers since I didn't have too much luck with Killer in the past.
  
  Reply
  - Jonas Larsson
    
    January 24, 2017 at 8:02 am
    
    What is the name of the software that makes it easier to split the screen? I really don't like it and want it gone!
    I did some more testing and the Wifi problems seems to be only when the killer application is started. The problems dissapeared as soon as i quit it. So I just unistalled it and have no problems since.
    The best thing about this article though is the phrases about undervolting the cpu. I have the new version with 7th gen processor and on load (gaming on ultra settings for 30 mins with a 70fps cap) I had cpu temps between 85 and 95 with 50% usage. Undervolting 150mv made me able to run a full 120fps on ultra with the processor maxing at 85 degrees C. Most of the time below 80. So happy to have that worked out. Feels like I can actually start enjoying the computer now. :P
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    January 24, 2017 at 12:45 pm
    
    I can't remember the name of it – it's been so long since I had the stock OS loaded on my machine. I basically just reinstalled Windows and only installed the core drivers and SteelSeries. I don't use any of the other MSI stuff and I have zero issues with my machine.
    
    I'm glad to hear that Wifi got better for you though. That's good info to know. And yes, undervolting really does make the experience better. I think my GPU even dropped a couple degrees because of the shared heatpipes.
john369

February 15, 2017 at 9:35 am

could you post the benchmark of gs73vr+razer (gtx1080)?
could you make a review of gs63vr with razer core?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  February 15, 2017 at 9:45 am
  
  I didn't go through all the benchmarks again because the first few I did were identical to the Razer blade+ core. It's going to be consistent because they both have tb3 x4 and the same CPU. The GS63vr is also going to be the same. I'd run a couple more again for you but I no longer own a Core.
  
  Reply
  - john369
    
    February 15, 2017 at 10:13 am
    
    thanks for the answer! good news for me because i'm searching an alternative to xps 9560! some people tested gs63vr with razer core and gtx1080 on msi forum and it also works well.
    did you test other egpu with msi gs73vr? node o devilbox?
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    February 15, 2017 at 10:34 am
    
    I haven't tried any of those yet. I might try and get my hands on one soon and will post about it.
  - john369
    
    February 15, 2017 at 6:06 pm
    
    Yes I think that a review of node or devilbox is really usefull! These egpu are a great idea for me but there aren't so many infos and benchs.
Cliff

February 15, 2017 at 6:02 pm

I have been experiencing a touch-pad issue. About 20% of the time when i boot up I will find issues such as the buttons reversed or the pad not recognising a touch unless it starts in the left portion. (I can swipe from left to the right edge and have the entire movement recognised but touching or swiping from the right goes unrecognised.

A reboot clears the issue so I don't think it is hardware. My Elan input device is on driver version 15.3.5.2 which it reports as being the latest. Has anyone else experienced this? Can anyone advise what steps I could take to remedy it?

Thanks
Cliff

Reply
Wilfred

February 23, 2017 at 12:29 pm

Hi Derek,

I've decided to go after the GS73vr but I'm not sure which panel is best for me. As the 4k panel is much too expensive to my liking in the Netherlands I'll have to choose between the 6rf (IPS panel, i7-6700HQ processor) and the 7rf (120hz TN panel, i7-7700HQ processor). There's no store where I can compare both versions so could you advice me which one is best for me? It will be used for some gaming of course but I would like to know which panel is best for watching a movie and surfing (Youtube etc.).
Thanks for your help!
Wilfred

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  February 23, 2017 at 1:17 pm
  
  Unfortunately I can't comment on the FHD IPS panel – I've never seen it. Devin, in the comments above had one though. Really though, the TN panel is fine for games, movies and surfing.
  
  Reply
  - Wilfred
    
    February 23, 2017 at 7:44 pm
    
    Just found out that the store is probably wrong about the IPS panel as MSI Europe just refers to IPS Level. I'll take your advice and will buy the 120hz screen.
    Thanks!
    Wilfred
- Jonas
  
  February 23, 2017 at 8:36 pm
  
  If your going to play games on the screen the 120hz display is reeeallty nice! the 1060 easily gives you 120 fps too! I wouldn't buy the ips and 4k is battery draining and you really cant play games in 4k on a 1060-card so you have to downscale. However i got a solid 60fps on 1440 resolution when i tested on my workscreen (overwatch on ultra settings).
  
  Reply
  - Jonas
    
    February 24, 2017 at 3:01 am
    
    What you should do when you get it:
    Reinstall windows or remove tons of bloatware
    Undervolt the processor. Mine got dangerously warm before that.
    Try to find a case! Its really big and took me 3 tries to find a fitting case! But i really like the laptop! :)
  - Wilfred
    
    March 2, 2017 at 11:39 am
    
    Thanks Jonas,
    
    I got mine yesterday and the 120hz display is great indeed! As I'm a total noob I'm not going to try to reinstall Windows and have to remove the bloatware. I got rid of Norton though there's still popping up some reminder. Ah well, let's play first. Also saving some money for the HTC Vive seems worth it…
  - Elvio
    
    March 22, 2017 at 11:56 am
    
    Hi Jonas i have two questions.
    You have the GS73VR with the 1920×1080 resolution display am I right?
    You connected it to a monitor with a bigger resolution (1440). Does it "scaled the image" of the laptop or it "adapted" to that resolution?
    
    I have the GS73VR with the 1920×1080 display and I would like to connect it to an external display with a bigger resolution 2560 x 1080
  - Jonas
    
    March 25, 2017 at 5:12 pm
    
    Yes of course!
Elvio

March 22, 2017 at 11:28 am

If I connect a monitor with a bigger resolution (2560 x 1440) the laptop will "scale" the image or it´s going to "adapt" that resolution in the monitor?

Does anybody knows the maximum resolution of this laptop connected to an external monitor? I´m talking about the 1920×1080 edition.

Sorry for my bad english. I hope you could understand me.

Reply
- Hemi
  
  March 25, 2017 at 2:35 pm
  
  Hello Elvio.
  I have this laptop connected to 2 Dell monitors U2515H which has 2560×1440 resolution. I connect them through the mini DisplayPort in a daisy chain connection. It works perfectly – Don't worry…
  
  Reply
Alex

April 8, 2017 at 4:26 pm

Hi Derek,

A wonderful review which helped me purchase MSI gs73vr 4k. After i recieved the laptop in novemeber 2016. I went with a clean windows install but i started facing laptop freeze issue both while playing games and when i wanted to get the laptop screen back after being idle for a period of time. After clean windows 10 install i installed the drivers from MSI support page. Not sure if anyone else faced similar issue.

Appreciate your help.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  April 10, 2017 at 12:04 pm
  
  Freezing as in locking the whole system up without any chance to recover? Have you tried leaving it for a while to see if a BSOD occurs with an error code? You might want to check the event logs to see if there are any driver crashes at the time of the freezing.
  
  Reply
- Steve
  
  April 14, 2017 at 2:44 pm
  
  I don't have a 4k version, but I recently bought the TN panel gs73vr. I noticed it had trouble waking from sleep after the last Windows update with the latest Nvidia drivers installed. The keyboard would light up, and I'm pretty sure the computer was actually on, since I locked myself out of my PIN login for a while from pressing keys. Does this sound similar to what you have?
  
  Going back to an older Nvidia driver fixed the issue for me (768 or something?) I think either Microsoft or Nvidia screwed up optimus with the latest versions of gpu driver/windows update. It looked like it was rapidly swapping between intel gpu and nvidia gpu without ever deciding which to display.
  
  Reply
Dmitrii

May 4, 2017 at 5:05 am

Hi, what thunderbolt 3 connector is used in laptop? jhl6240 or 6340?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  May 4, 2017 at 8:38 am
  
  I'm not sure but I can check. How do I find that out?
  
  Reply
  - Dmitrii
    
    May 4, 2017 at 3:24 pm
    
    At first you should update Thunderbolt 3 drivers from MSI website. Then go to Device manager (Win+R: devmgmt.msc):
    1. In tab View select "Show hidden devices"
    2. Under System Devices ribbon select "PCI-to-PCI Bridge", some ppl have it named "Thunderbolt(TM) Controller"
    3. Right click on it and select Properties.
    Under Details ribbon select property: Device instance path.
    There would appear a value. For example I have on my ASUS gl702vm: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15c0, which is DSL6340 controller.
    
    Here is the list:
    DSL6340 Thunderbolt 3 NHI [Alpine Ridge 2C 2015] 1575 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1575
    DSL6340 Thunderbolt 3 Bridge [Alpine Ridge 2C 2015] 1576 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1576
    
    DSL6540 Thunderbolt 3 NHI [Alpine Ridge 4C 2015] 1577 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1577
    DSL6540 Thunderbolt 3 Bridge [Alpine Ridge 4C 2015] 1578 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1578
    
    JHL6240 Thunderbolt 3 NHI (Low Power) [Alpine Ridge LP 2016] 15bf PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15bf
    JHL6240 Thunderbolt 3 Bridge (Low Power) [Alpine Ridge LP 2016] 15c0 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15c0
    
    JHL6540 Thunderbolt 3 NHI (C step) [Alpine Ridge 4C 2016] 15d2 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15d2
    JHL6540 Thunderbolt 3 Bridge (C step) [Alpine Ridge 4C 2016] 15d3 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15d3
    
    JHL6340 Thunderbolt 3 NHI (C step) [Alpine Ridge 2C 2016] 15d9 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15d9
    JHL6340 Thunderbolt 3 Bridge (C step) [Alpine Ridge 2C 2016] 15da PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15da
    
    6340 and 6540 can be used full load with eGPU at max 32 gb/s, while 6240 is crippled and has a half speed with eGPU = 16 gb/s. 6240 controller makes eGPU extension useless.
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    May 4, 2017 at 4:34 pm
    
    Ok, I'll check it out. I doubt it's the half speed one, because when I tried the Razer Core with it it ran just as good as with the Razer Blade.
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    May 4, 2017 at 10:59 pm
    
    I checked my device manager but there's nothing listed. It could be because I haven't hooked up a TB3 device since I did a fresh install. Unfortunately I don't have a thunderbolt 3 device to test at the moment. Is there another way to tell?
  - Dmitrii
    
    May 5, 2017 at 12:52 am
    
    Have you installed drivers?
    Did you check "show hidden devices" in View?
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    May 5, 2017 at 6:37 am
    
    Yes. The thunderbolt icon is in the taskbar too.
Bo

May 19, 2017 at 9:33 pm

Hi, I'm having trouble choosing between a 120 hz display or a 4K display. Because I heard the 120 hz is not bad for design and is cheaper but 4K display geared towards it more and more expensive.
I'll be doing mostly graphic design work and a few video editing. I only play mmos only at weekends or when I have free time. And, also should I go also with 32 ram or 16 ram for graphic design?
I'm not tech savvy so I want to make sure I chose the right choice before buying or overspending what I actually need.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  May 19, 2017 at 10:03 pm
  
  In your case, if go with the 4k be screen and probably 32gb of ram. If you're not tech savvy, replacing the ram is a near impossibility, so better safe than sorry. Graphic design work shouldn't be done on a tn screen. Granted, it's a nice one, but the 4k screen is a lot better in that department.
  
  Reply
Josh

May 22, 2017 at 3:33 pm

Just wondering how you still feel about this laptop? I'm seriously considering the 4k version, because I've been spoiled by my 4k Samsung KS8000, and plan on watching a lot of Netflix and youtube on my laptop. I also do some 3d modeling, and play games like Doom, and Mass Effect. I know the 120hz screen is better for gaming, but I mostly play single player games, and some older games. My eyes tend to prefer the high resolutions,even at 30fps. I've also seen the 120hz QHD TN screen on an Alienware 17 and honestly I hated the contrast ratio, blacks seemed washed out. Do you think the GS73vr 4k would be a good fit for me?

Thanks,
Josh

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  May 22, 2017 at 4:00 pm
  
  If you didn't like the AW 17 TN panel, you won't like the Tn panel on this model. It's practically the same in every way except the resolution, which is worse on this model. I personally have the 4k model still and I think it's great. After reviewing and using a Tn panel for a couple weeks on the AW 17, I am happy as can be going back to my GS73VR. The picture is so much nicer. The only think I have to deal with is the occasional scaling issue with legacy apps, but that's not that big of a deal for most people. You might have that issue though if you plan on doing 3d modeling. If you're using SW 2016 or earlier, you might have trouble with the scaling of the buttons.
  
  Reply
Flair

July 7, 2017 at 6:24 am

I just purchased the GS73 7RE, which from what I can tell is basically a 6RF but with an updated CPU and a 1050TI. My main question is about connecting to an external display. The HDMI port in your review says HDMI 1.4b. However, I thought all Nvidia GPUs in this series were HDMI 2.0b. Or is this a difference between the mobile and desktop variants? I'm interested in hooking up my laptop to a HDR capable monitor/TV, but I believe that HDR can only happen via HDMI 2.0b.

Many thanks.

Reply
Lukas Zieba

October 9, 2017 at 10:33 am

This laptop is a good fast gaming machine but it's a flimsy piece of shit in terms of construction, the hinges are weak because the bracket relies in about 3cm if plastic with some absolutely microscopic weak little metal to plastic bolting mine slid off a bed from a height of 30 cm and the screen hinges on the right side broke, and not to mention the fact that the touchpad somehow managed to stick itself under the thin metal casing with click permanently stuck on. It feel about the height the width of a cereal box and now it's completely fucked. Not to mention the fact that the casing around the USB ports deforms and breaks just due to heating and cooling expansion and contraction in the metal. So case wise, it's a piece of crap, they could easily have fixed this problem with a tiny bit more effort, and they'd have an absolutely brilliant product, but they decided to cheap out to save a few grams, and if I want mine fixed I need to ship it to Poland. Don't get me wrong its a fucking good laptop, but they cut some corners where it matters and now i've got a busted device. I want to say a bunch of good stuff about it because of its performance but the build quality just isn't up to scratch, not by a long shot.

If you're going to be even slightly careless with it it's going to end up on a scrap heap. Apple devices don't have issues like this, and these other manufacturers need to start stepping their game up, because there's no reason for me to ever bother buying something like this again if it's just going to end up buggered. I'm absolutely furious right now, there's no excuse for this kind of cheap design when I paid over $1600 for something.

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Guillaume

August 14, 2018 at 3:29 pm

I bought this laptop one year ago after reading your review, and I barely never got disappointed about it, so thank you for your work. I'm not a big player and I don't get interested as much as others concerning technical characteristics, but this computer is entirely satisfying for what I want to play. Moreover, it is lightweight (comparatively to other gamer laptops) so I can easily carry it everywhere to work.

Some notes about defaults or problems I had:
– as you mention it, the song quality is quite bad.
– the cover is lightly bent at some places after a unintentionnal pressure was applied, so it is important to protect well the laptop when carrying it.

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Leon

July 22, 2019 at 4:12 pm

Great review! I am trying to find a gaming laptop that works with my Razer Core X, and this PC seems to meet all my requirements. However, I am not able to find GS73VR available in my country, only GS73 8RE

I have tried to contact MSI support to find out if GS73 8RE differs from GS73VR with regards to being compatible with external GPUs, but all I get from them is ambiguity. Do you have any idea if all GS73 models are equally compatible with the Razer Core or Core X, or any idea if GS73 8RE specifically support external graphics (eGFX)?

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- Derek Sullivan
  
  July 22, 2019 at 5:33 pm
  
  As long as it has a genuine thunderbolt 3 port, it should work. MSI laptops have been known to work well with the Razer core, from what I've seen and tested.
  
  Reply
  - Leon
    
    July 22, 2019 at 10:49 pm
    
    But what about compatibility with the Core X? According to Razer, any laptop with a thunderbolt 3 port that supports eGFX, is compatible with the Core X. I could not find the corresponding requirements for a laptop to be compatible with the Razer Core (not X). I fear that some laptops might be incompatible with the Core X, even though they are compatible with the Razer Core.
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    July 22, 2019 at 10:55 pm
    
    I'm not sure how it would be compatible with the core and not the core x. There's virtually no difference when it comes to the tb3 interface with the laptop. The main difference is the lack of USB ports on the core x which would mean you would have to plug them into your laptop instead.
  - Leon
    
    July 23, 2019 at 6:32 pm
    
    Thanks for the help, I just ordered the laptop. After some more digging, I found that many different variants of GS73 have been reported to support eGFX, GS73 8RF in particular, which is identical to GS73 8RE except for the graphics card.
    
    Indeed, MSI support claimed that the hardware design for all the GS73 variants I have mentioned is "not different". Still, they refuse to guarantee that GS73 8RE is compatible with the Core X, as they haven't officially validated it. I guess they are just careful what they claim, so they cannot get sued xD
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    July 23, 2019 at 6:33 pm
    
    They're competitors so they're never gonna endorse each other's products. Good luck with the new laptop though. Let us know how things work out.
Leon

July 26, 2019 at 3:50 am

@Derek Sullivan (I would have liked to reply directly to your last comment, but there is no "Reply" button for it.)

Thanks, it looks like I am going to need some good luck, because this new laptop currently responds even weaker to my Core X than my non-Thunderbolt laptop which I first tried it with.

When I tried to connect the Core X to the non-Thunderbolt laptop, I would sometimes get a notification on screen which says that SOMETHING has been inserted into the USB-C slot, and that it might be incompatible with the PC's version of USB-C.

However, when I try to connect the Core X to the new (and Thunderbolt ready) MSI GS73 laptop, I get no notification what so ever, and I am unable to find any sign in the software of my computer that the Core X is connected. I do however, find signs in the hardware that a connection has been made, for both laptops, as the fans start to work in the Core X when it gets connected to either laptop.

I have no idea what to do, as I have followed the instructions in the booklet for the Core X exactly, and I have updated windows as is recommended by Razer in the supplementary instructions on "Setting up you Razer Core" (https://support.razer.com/gaming-laptops/razer-core-x/)

I would like to know how you proceeded when you connected your Razer Core to the MSI GS73VR for the first time. Aren't you supposed to get notifications on-screen?

And by the way, you say that Razer and MSI are competitors, but they are not competitors in the eGPU busyness. If MSI had their own eGPU enclosure on the market, I would definitely have bought that instead.

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- Derek Sullivan
  
  July 26, 2019 at 4:03 am
  
  I just plugged it in and it worked. You might need the thunderbolt drivers to be installed. Might also want to check the bios to see if it's disabled maybe?
  
  Reply
  - Leon
    
    July 27, 2019 at 2:22 am
    
    By thunderbolt drivers, do you mean this: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28735/Thunderbolt-3-DCH-Driver-for-Windows-10-for-Intel-NUC
    
    Also, I have never checked the BIOS for anything, as I barely know what it is. Is the process simple and safe? Because I don't want to accidently break something important in the BIOS.
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    July 27, 2019 at 2:26 am
    
    The thunderbolt drivers are on MSIs website. Here for example, although your model may differ
  - Leon
    
    July 27, 2019 at 4:36 am
    
    Thanks, I managed to fix the setting in BIOS (which was a pain in the ass to do), but something is definitely wrong with the zip file and/or the instructions for how to download and install the driver for GS73 Stealth 8RE on MSI. The file is only 0.62 MB, and it is missing a folder that is mentioned in the instructions, and that zip files for other laptops have.
    
    I am so disappointed with MSI's website and customer service. The number of errors is unacceptable. If they don't step up, I am going to file a formal complaint.
Erik Ltz

January 6, 2020 at 1:18 pm

After *three years* my GS73VR wouldn't boot – stuck at the MSI logo. Appears there's a safety function that stops the boot process if the CPU fan doesn't spin up – then it just shows MSI and no more. Managed a few more boots by removing backplate and carefully vacuum clean fans (*careful*).

Then ordered new fans on eBay, complete disassembly, replaced both fans (1 for CPU, 2 for GPU) and up and running again with normal temps and fan sound (also upgraded SSD at same time).

Life of machine used as daily driver happily extended to even longer…! :-)

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Gary Porter

July 17, 2020 at 11:28 pm

Hello Derek
I have the GS73 7RE(Stealth Pro) and I have stupidly broken one the white brackets under the space bar.
I have tried so hard to find new brackets and a video on how to fix it, but unsuccessfully.
Can you offer any advice.
I live in the UK in case you can recomend a local supplier or repairer, as I have never upgraded a laptop before.
I have tried the local MSI repair centre but they are not responding.

I also want to upgrade the SSD "C Drive" but I don't know how to transfer the data to a new SSD and to install the new SSD. I'm thinking that I want to buy a Samsung 970 EVO 1 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 (2280) Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) from Amazon.

I would be eternally grateful for any help or advice.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  July 18, 2020 at 12:27 am
  
  I'll start with the easy question. For SSD replacements, I usually install the new blank SSD and then use a USB adapter to hook up the old SSD via USB. Then I run a SSD cloning software(I use Macrium Reflect) and boot to it. Then you just clone one SSD to the other. Sometimes you have to resize the partitions afterwards, depending on if you're going from a smaller SSD to a larger one. Another method if cloning isn't necessary is to just hook up the SSD via USB after you install Windows and only copy the files you need manually.
  
  As for the spacebar key. Do you mean the hinge underneath the spacebar key cap? If so, have you looked at replacementlaptopkeys.com?
  
  Reply
  - Gary Porter
    
    July 18, 2020 at 9:01 am
    
    Thanks for the feedback.
    With regards to the hinges, yes, there is two small white okazt hinges under the space bar each one is made up of two bits. I broke the lug of one by trying to push it back after cleaning under the actual tab.
    I cannot find a video of how the actually fit together and I snapped it when pressing it back. (I placed it wrong) 😢
    
    With regards to the clonning or data transfer, I have a USB stick which I "burned" as requested by the laptop when I purchased it, would that not work.(i think it's called recovery software)
    
    Please forgive the possibly stupid questions but I've never done this before.
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    July 18, 2020 at 3:18 pm
    
    You should just make your own cloning bootable. There's a lot of how to's on YouTube on how to make a bootable macrium reflect USB. I'd start there.
    
    As for your spacebar, check out that site I mentioned before. They sell the key, hinge and cup for your model. Just make sure you look at the pictures and pick the correct hinge.
Gary

July 18, 2020 at 9:31 pm

Thanks a million. Really helpful info and guidance.
Regards
Gary

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MSI GS73VR Stealth Pro review – 17-incher with GTX 1060 graphics & 120 Hz screen

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