MSI Pulse GL66

[cadaveca]

MSI's Pulse GL66 is a 15.6-inch laptop platform with the latest Intel mobile processors mated with an RTX 30-series mobile GPU and 144 Hz IPS screen. Built for gaming, the Pulse was co-designed with Maarten Verhoeven and stands apart from MSI's other laptop offerings with its titanium gray top.

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[Tardian]

The MSI Pulse GL66 (Intel i7-11800H + RTX 3070, 90 Wh) has an MSRP of C$2359.
40 W GPU limit with NVIDIA Optimus while unplugged
720p Webcam
512 GB NVMe SSD
4.63 lbs
Trackpad can be limiting in games (subjective)
System can be loud

Not my choice IMO.

 

[nguyen]

wow, insane performance increase in some games vs the 2070 Super Max-Q, feel bad for my 2070S MaxQ laptop now

 

[cadaveca]

Not my choice IMO.

I’m also reviewing the platform and not just this configuration. The 1500 usd config on Amazon changes things I think

wow, insane performance increase in some games vs the 2070 Super Max-Q, feel bad for my 2070S MaxQ laptop now

DLSS has an impact there too.

 

[Space Lynx]

I’m also reviewing the platform and not just this configuration. The 1500 usd config on Amazon changes things I think


DLSS has an impact there too.

do you have temps anywhere in this review? i clicked on a bunch of things and couldn't find temps anywhere.

 

[Tardian]

do you have temps anywhere in this review? i clicked on a bunch of things and couldn't find temps anywhere.

Lap Warmer?

 

[cadaveca]

do you have temps anywhere in this review? i clicked on a bunch of things and couldn't find temps anywhere.

Temps of what? I do have collected data that isn’t reported from every review. This review does have a picture of my IR meter’s display, showing temps of the keys and the hotspot reading between the keys.

 

[Space Lynx]

Temps of what? I do have collected data that isn’t reported from every review. This review does have a picture of my IR meter’s display, showing temps of the keys and the hotspot reading between the keys.

the cpu and gpu during the gaming benchmarks

 

[W1zzard]

CPU and GPU temp measurements seem like a good addition to laptop reviews. Maybe we could make a chart similar to what we do in case reviews (just with software sensor measurement and not thermal probes)

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[LTUGamer]

Trackpad can be limiting in games

Is there any trackpad existing which is suitable for gaming? The only game I have played with trackpad is Heroes III

 

[cadaveca]

the cpu and gpu during the gaming benchmarks

This I do have, but it is also in contrast to the noise the laptop produces. Temps will also vary a lot depending on what power mode the laptop is in... this one, for example ,has a silent mode that has the laptop near throttle before fans kick in. Or you get loud fans at idle, and temps that are far lower than they need to be. So i can toss up that data, for sure. I struggle at normalize the data from review to review though, and that would be up to the reader. I can say "Witcher 3, full settings, max power profile (also loudest and most cooling)" GPU 66c, CPU 89c. Silent profile, GPU 70c, CPU 95. (imagined data, although I do have these numbers recorded).

So how do I make the testing for all laptrops equal? or does that not even matter?

Is there any trackpad existing which is suitable for gaming? The only game I have played with trackpad is Heroes III

I think the size and position matter a fair bit. For example, the XENIA 14 has an excellent oversized trackpad. Maybe the comment about gmaes is teh offputting part here, yep.

 

[Space Lynx]

This I do have, but it is also in contrast to the noise the laptop produces. Temps will also vary a lot depending on what power mode the laptop is in... this one, for example ,has a silent mode that has the laptop near throttle before fans kick in. Or you get loud fans at idle, and temps that are far lower than they need to be. So i can toss up that data, for sure. I struggle at normalize the data from review to review though, and that would be up to the reader. I can say "Witcher 3, full settings, max power profile (also loudest and most cooling)" GPU 66c, CPU 89c. Silent profile, GPU 70c, CPU 95. (imagined data, although I do have these numbers recorded).

So how do I make the testing for all laptrops equal? or does that not even matter?


I think the size and position matter a fair bit. For example, the XENIA 14 has an excellent oversized trackpad. Maybe the comment about gmaes is teh offputting part here, yep.

testing for this does not need to be equalized across all laptops. laptop gamers are a different market, we want to know what we are buying temp wise, stock not touching fan profiles, if there is a max fan profile on that particular laptop, i would like to know temps when that is enabled too, but those two would be enough for me I think.

imagine being the consumer, you are about to drop 2 grand on a gaming laptop to last you 5 years, i don't care about other laptops, i want to know what temps I will get with THAT

if that makes sense. you are thinking of this from a professional physics standpoint, which makes sense for case reviews in full desktop pc's, etc. but not for a gaming laptop market. we are talking a lot of money, and a buyer wants to know what temps to expect for that exact model.

@W1zzard does this make sense?

 

[nguyen]

This I do have, but it is also in contrast to the noise the laptop produces. Temps will also vary a lot depending on what power mode the laptop is in... this one, for example ,has a silent mode that has the laptop near throttle before fans kick in. Or you get loud fans at idle, and temps that are far lower than they need to be. So i can toss up that data, for sure. I struggle at normalize the data from review to review though, and that would be up to the reader. I can say "Witcher 3, full settings, max power profile (also loudest and most cooling)" GPU 66c, CPU 89c. Silent profile, GPU 70c, CPU 95. (imagined data, although I do have these numbers recorded).

So how do I make the testing for all laptrops equal? or does that not even matter?


I think the size and position matter a fair bit. For example, the XENIA 14 has an excellent oversized trackpad. Maybe the comment about gmaes is teh offputting part here, yep.

Maybe make some metric like avg CPU+GPU temp/dBA, yes I'm aware that dBA is logarithmic but normalizing fan noise on laptop is just impossible.

 

[W1zzard]

So how do I make the testing for all laptrops equal? or does that not even matter?

I don't think it's possible to make it "equal", but probably not needed.

Just reporting like you did, mentioning the power profiles if they exist should help provide enough context for readers. Let me send you the XLS template from case reviews via email

 

[kanecvr]

From the article: "However, that difference is only present when the laptop is plugged in; unplugged, mobile GPUs are power restricted even further yet, and in that instance, you have something different. You've got a 40 W GPU limit with NVIDIA Optimus while unplugged, so what can we get out of that 40 W, and what's the biggest battery we can stuff inside? The answer to that question should set a lot of laptops apart from each other, but I don't often see it considered. Everyone is trying to differentiate themselves to get your dollar, but there is not a lot of focus on what you get unplugged."

I'm sorry, who games on battery power??? Not only will you get about 1-2h of usage, but performance will be SEVERLY crippled. Where are you gonna game on battery? On a plane? In a car? On what surface do you plan to put your mouse? How do you deal with the heat when the thing blasts 100w down your lap? Gaming on battery will also cause said battery to wear out a lot faster then normal. This "gaming on battery" argument is infuriating.

There is NO EXCUSE or explanation for the existence of 80-100w RTX 3070 cards in a laptop. At that power limit they will perform worse then a 3060, while costing 25 to 40% more. This does not benefit the consumer or nvidia. These devices should not exist. I know, because I tested an Asus Zephirus G14 with said 3070 and I have to say, most of the time it performed similarly or slower then the 3060 in a Lenovo Legion 5 that has a 115-130w rtx 3060, but costs 415 euro less...

 

[cadaveca]

From the article: "However, that difference is only present when the laptop is plugged in; unplugged, mobile GPUs are power restricted even further yet, and in that instance, you have something different. You've got a 40 W GPU limit with NVIDIA Optimus while unplugged, so what can we get out of that 40 W, and what's the biggest battery we can stuff inside? The answer to that question should set a lot of laptops apart from each other, but I don't often see it considered. Everyone is trying to differentiate themselves to get your dollar, but there is not a lot of focus on what you get unplugged."

I'm sorry, who games on battery power??? Not only will you get about 1-2h of usage, but performance will be SEVERLY crippled. Where are you gonna game on battery? On a plane? In a car? On what surface do you plan to put your mouse? How do you deal with the heat when the thing blasts 100w down your lap? Gaming on battery will also cause said battery to wear out a lot faster then normal. This "gaming on battery" argument is infuriating.

There is NO EXCUSE or explanation for the existence of 80-100w RTX 3070 cards in a laptop. At that power limit they will perform worse then a 3060, while costing 25 to 40% more. This does not benefit the consumer or nvidia. These devices should not exist. I know, because I tested an Asus Zephirus G14 with said 3070 and I have to say, most of the time it performed similarly or slower then the 3060 in a Lenovo Legion 5 that has a 115-130w rtx 3060, but costs 415 euro less...

My own four kids and their friends seem to not like having to be plugged in, lots. "Hey, check out this in my game"-type scenario happens lots.

This happens in the living room, the dining room ,their bedrooms, the hallway... they are aged 14-22.


Otherwise, I totally see your point. For some users... yeah, not the right chip.


Of course, i've been doing reviews for years now, and my kids have grown with it. But not all their friends... and via that I see a lot of people use devices in ways that aren't all tech-related.


Personally, @ $1500 USD, The 3070 is fine and makes sense. IT allows for same perforamnce with lower power, even plugged in, and that means smaller adapter, less heat, and lower fan noise.

 

[kanecvr]

Personally, @ $1500 USD, The 3070 is fine and makes sense. IT allows for same perforamnce with lower power, even plugged in, and that means smaller adapter, less heat, and lower fan noise.

It unfortunately doesn't work like that.... crippling the 3070 or 3080 to 85w will not stop it from making a lot of heat. In general the 3070 in the Zephirus G14 runs 20% hotter then the 3060 in the Legion 5, despire the 3060 sometimes running at 500-600MHz more - but it could also be down to the cooling system and form factor of the devices.... A 3060 @ 85W performs almost identically to a 3070 @ 85w... having less cuda cores allows the 3060 to clock higher then the 3070 in a power constrained environment, so performance is identical or in favor of the 3060. Read more on this at notebookcheck.com Oh and that 1500$ is probably w/o tax, since I can't find any 3070 equipped notebook in my country for under 1900$.

You're right about the "kids away from the wall" thing - mine does it as well - but won't game when away from the wall - he'll just bring his laptop over to show me some stuff ingame, then got back to his desk. Like I said, no place to put the mouse. He'll also remember to plug the laptop in straight away, since the difference in FPS is noticeable on battery vs plugged in.

Oh yeah, and who gets their 14 year old a laptop with an RTX 3070? My kid is using my hand-me-down FA507IV with a 2060 and is ecstatic since his old machine had a 3gb 1060.