General Analysis

Where to begin? I suppose it would be best to look at performance first. Depending on the synthetic benchmark or game, test graphics performance is all over the place. In some tests, it performs as expected, and in others, it is similar to a GTX 1060. This is unacceptable considering it's a GTX 1070 under the hood. This performance problem is due to the single channel memory MSI decided to use in these units. Multiple drivers and OS installs made no difference. No errors or issues were encountered. It boiled down to lower CPU clocks than desktop parts and single channel memory being the limiting factor.

While this is not a huge problem in the majority of titles, Dota 2 and Fallout 4 were severely impacted. Running similar tests on other systems with both single- and dual-channel memory, we did notice similar issues, but the variations were smaller due to higher CPU performance. Daily tasks or CPU-heavy tasks were not impacted in noticeable ways. As such also not something that will pop up all the time, users will need to ask themselves if the issue is likely to pose a problem for them down the road. An easy solution on MSI's part is to go back to using a 2x8 GB configuration. I myself would like to more closely examine the issue in the future.

The ability to maximize cooling performance with the press of a button is also a nice touch, and it does in fact work. While maximizing GPU usage and hammering the CPU's FPU with AVX loads does result in thermal throttling, typical gaming loads will usually have the CPU hit 70–75 °C while the GTX 1070 maxes out at 80°C. Noise levels with fans working at their absolute max hit 49 dBA at 30 cm/1 ft away, which is pretty loud. However, typical gaming results in 46 dBA, which isn't terrible all things considered.

Build quality is solid; the frame feels decently stiff considering the price, and disassembly is quite simple. The decision to not include an HDD in this particular model was interesting as well. I found it refreshing since I would, as an end user, rather buy a drive and install it, saving some money when it comes to expanding storage. However, for some, that might be a bit out of their comfort range, in which case another SSD + HDD at an added cost are available. As for portability, the unit's weight and size are pretty spot on. It's not heavy enough or large enough to be cumbersome, making it a good all-around option in that regard.


At $1699, however, the unit isn't a bad deal considering MSI is pairing it with a 120 Hz display, a per-key RGB LED illuminated keyboard from Steelseries, and a speaker configuration that's better than expected. While I wasn't blown away by the audio the MSI GE63VR put out, it was satisfactory. While a bit muddy in the high-end, the two subwoofers and two speakers at least output a bit more bass than other tested laptops. If you want cleaner, crisper, and louder audio, I can wholeheartedly say that you better grab your headphones. However, for YouTube or Netflix on the go, it definitely did just fine.