Good
Attractive, subtle design
Gorgeous, fast display
Excellent performance
Effective thermal management
Bad
Underside gets burning hot
Forthcoming biometric login
Poor native audio
The design of the new GS65 is nearly unchanged from MSI’s previous versions, and that’s a good thing.
For the price, the MSI GS65 Stealth is one of the best gaming laptops you can buy today. This is officially the most impressive Nvidia Max-Q gaming laptop that I have had the chance to review to date, outclassing most rivals by trouncing them in design and style.
Overall the MSI GS65 Stealth is an excellent portable gaming laptop. There’s not a lot to complain about in regards to the hardware package. We absolutely love the metal chassis, the 15-inch display is very good, it’s cooler and quieter than an average gaming laptop despite the size and powerful hardware inside, and there’s good I/O.
It’s even better from a performance perspective.
By all rights for what this laptop costs, you should expect to simply glide through the latest games at all but the absolute highest settings of detail and polish. With it quickly refreshing display with supreme coloration, this gaming laptop is ideal for all types of games, from twitch shooters to vibrant, story-driven adventures.
All told, for the price, the GS65 Stealth is one of the best gaming laptops you can buy today. While you’ll have to make some compromises in audio, and there’s no biometric login available, those are small conceits to make for a laptop you can confidently both take into work and into your next gaming session.
Specifications
Here is the MSI GS65 Stealth configuration for review:
CPU: 3.9GHz Intel Core i7-8750H (quad-core, 9MB cache, up to 4.2GHz)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB GDDR5, Max-Q)
RAM: 16GB DDR4 (8GB x 2, 2,400MHz)
Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080), anti-glare, wide view angle display (144Hz, 7ms response, 72% NTSC color gamut, 16:9)
Storage: 512GB SSD (M.2)
Ports: USB 3.1 Gen2 x 3, Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), miniDisplayPort, HDMI-out, RJ-45 Ethernet, 1/1 SPDIF (ESS Sabre HiFi)
Connectivity: Killer N1550 Combo 802.11ac Wi-Fi (2×2 MIMO); Bluetooth 5.0
Camera: 720p HD webcam
Weight: 4.14 pounds (1.88kg)
Size: 14.08 x 9.75 x 0.69 inches (357.63 x 247.65 x 17.53mm; W x H x D)
