MSI GS66 Stealth unboxing – Intel 10th Gen i7-10750H

MSI delivered an Engineering sample of their new GS66 Stealth laptop so we could get a look at Intel Core i7-10750H on day one of the launch and then told us we weren’t allowed to run benchmarks. Seriously. Not at all. None. Wow, we never knew Lucky the Dragon could be so mean!

Note: if the above images are not displaying properly, you may need to disable Ad Block as it is known to interfere with our display code

Specification of GS66 Stealth 10SE:
Screen Size 15.6-inch
Screen Type FHD 1,920×1,080, 240Hz IPS-Level
Processor Intel Core i7-10750H Processor 2.6GHz-5.0GHz, 12MB Cache
Graphics RTX 2060, 6GB GDDR6
Memory 16GB DDR4-2666MHz, dual channel
Storage 512GB Kioxia NVMe SSD
Wireless Killer Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5
USB Ports 2x Type-C USB 3.2 Gen2, 3x Type-A USB 3.2 Gen2.
Display outputs 1x HDMI 2.0.
Dimensions 358.3mm x 248mm x 18.3-19.8mm
Weight 2.1kg
Operating System Windows 10 Home

The headline feature of the GS66 Stealth we looked at for our video is the new Intel Core i7-10750H Comet Lake-H processor which promises a speed bump over the previous Core i7-9750H. We have been waiting for Comet Lake-H for quite some time and while we welcome a speed increase over Coffee Lake, this is the very definition of an incremental improvement. Things are looking up when it comes to the graphics, although not so much in the case of the laptop we had on loan as that version sports the familiar RTX 2060 chip.

The next model up the stack sports RTX 2070 Max-Q and after that we hit new graphics with RTX 2070 Super Max-Q and RTX 2080 Super Max-Q.

The other change as you move up the GS66 product stack is that you have the choice of Core i7-10750H or Core i9-10980HK which looks like an awesome processor (provided it can be kept cool) however it also costs a small fortune. By this stage in the game you are spending over £2,500 and if you go for the top flight version of GS66 Stealth you are looking at a price of £3,000.

When we look back at our original review of GS65 Stealth it is clear that MSI steadily updated the hardware over time with the result that the new GS66 looks quite similar to the most recent GS65. There are a few tweaks that are new for GS66 such as the inclusion of a 99.99Whr battery and the option of a 300Hz display panel. We also welcome the inclusion of a second USB-C port and the addition of Type-C charging.

Closing Thoughts.

It seems that MSI GS66 Stealth will offer some useful improvements over GS65, however the most obvious changes come with the new Intel 10th Gen CPU and Nvidia Super graphics. These both look like incremental improvements and while it is possible that a little bit here and a little bit there will add up to a substantial boost, we have our doubts.

The cause of our concern is AMD Ryzen 4000 which demonstrates what a new design can deliver, when compared to Intel's elderly silicon. It is frustrating for everyone that Intel hasn't delivered 10nm Ice Lake for gaming laptops, so while we acknowledge that MSI has worked hard to improve GS66 it is also clear they are being held back by Intel.

Our other cause for concern is the high price charged by Nvidia for each incremental improvement in graphics. It may well be that RTX 2080 Super Max-Q is excellent but the price you pay compared to RTX 2070 Super Max-Q looks very high indeed.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says:We have our doubts about Intel 10th Gen. Comet Lake-H but perhaps a full review of MSI GS66 Stealth will prove us wrong.

Become a Patron!