MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE [GS65 8RE-080RU] (9S7-16Q211-080)

Super powerful gaming ultrabook

A gaming laptop rarely boasts the dimensions of an ultrabook. Inside the case, engineers need to arrange a bunch of performant iron and think over a ventilation system so that this very iron does not overheat. All the more surprising is the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE model, which has a top set of hardware on board, but is practically not felt in a backpack or bag.

Elven magic

Laptop dimensions are 357.7x247.7x17.9 mm and weighs 1.88 kg. For comparison, any model of a gaming laptop with a thickness of 21–22 mm is considered quite thin, and a weight of 2.5–2.7 kg is the norm. In the case of the Stealth Thin 8RE, we see some implausible figures, and even an all-aluminium body. Elven magic, and nothing else.

Fusion of elegance and power

If we do not know these details, then what will we see? Stylish business-class laptop with thin bezels around the screen, a nice golden edging for the keyboard and a neat pattern that hides the speakers. MSI calls the GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE a fusion of grace and power, and this is the case when marketers just want to nod in approval.

Stylish backlit keyboard

If it wasn't for the multi-coloured RGB backlighting, it would be decidedly impossible to unravel the essence of a laptop without looking at the specs. Ordinary coloured backlighting would kill all the magic, so they made it unusual: the keys are illuminated not from below, but from the inside, which is why only the symbol highlighted on the key glows. It looks damn stylish, like a Blade Runner poster with multiple neon signs intertwined.

High performance iron

All this beauty did not affect the configuration of the laptop. It has a six-core Intel Core i7 processor of the latest generation (operating frequencies 2.2 – 4.1 GHz), a powerful video chip NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB of video memory and 16 GB of DDR4 RAM. This filling allows you to forget about the FPS counter and run almost any modern game with high resolution and Ultra graphics settings. Sometimes you have to turn off anti-aliasing, but this is not fatal.

The only compromise solution in the system seems to be a single 256 GB SSD drive. For a gaming machine of this price category, a bunch of SSD and HDD is not a luxury, but a necessity, since modern games weigh 40–60 GB, and you also need to leave space on the disk for the system. Therefore, for the sake of thickness and lightness, you will have to sacrifice the craving for hoarding and not keep more than 3-4 top games on the disk. Or install an additional SSD using the M.2 connector. Well, or buy an external hard drive to store your collection of games.

Almost Hi-Fi acoustics from Dynaudio

The display in the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin is a Full HD IPS panel with a high frame rate of 144Hz and a fast response time. The screen is excellent in all respects, even with the immodest price tag. A good picture is complemented by excellent sound: the laptop has a high-quality sound card with a good DAC and a pair of speakers from the eminent Danish manufacturer Dynaudio. The power is only a couple of watts, but they play very cleanly and pleasantly.

Up to 7 hours battery life

At this point, it would be time to stop praising this model and move on to the topic of poor battery life, sad for gaming laptops, but no matter how. MSI GS65 holds a charge up to 7 and a half hours. Of course, not in the game mode, but in the standard mail-browser-vidos-documents, but still this is an excellent result.