The MSI Stealth Pro 009 offers up solid performance all around. A 256 GB SSD from Samsung keeps the OS feeling snappy and games loading quickly, while the 1 TB Seagate HDD offers a decent amount of storage. When it comes to specifications, the MSI packs a decent punch. The GTX 1050Ti, while not a high-end GPU, gets the job done with today's AAA games being easily playable if you turn down a few settings. On the CPU - the Intel i7 7700HQ has way more muscle than needed for the majority of tasks as it features four cores and eight threads. The biggest surprise with the Stealth Pro 009 was the 120Hz 1080p display. Its a nice addition with decent viewing angles and good color reproduction. I myself prefer IPS, but having a 120Hz display when streaming games via Steam from my desktop to the laptop was quite a treat. Performance across the board was solid, with the CPU being roughly comparable to a 6700K. The GTX 1050Ti performed slightly better than the GTX 970M. Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V, Battlefield 4, and Grand Theft Auto 4 were all playable at maximum settings. Only the Witcher 3 proved difficult for the Stealth Pro 009. Gaining access to the battery and HDD is easier than with previous offerings. I am also happy to report that the unit is pretty much free of bloatware. In fact, a few usable apps are installed instead. The Nahimic audio app is a very good equalizer for tweaking sound profiles. Meanwhile, Dragon Center offers a good one-stop shop for important installed applications, LED control, fan control, and more. The Steel Series RGB keyboard is nice as well. It may not be mechanical, but as far as laptop keyboards go, it gets the job done and has some fancy lights. Overall, there is much to like when it comes to the MSI GS73 Stealth Pro 009.

A few problems are evident. The GTX 1050Ti paired with a 120Hz display just doesn't make all that much sense as it doesn't have the performance to truly make it useful. MSI does offer a GTX 1060 6 GB version, which is a better pairing, but costs $200 more. Changing the CPU to a 7300HQ and bumping the GPU up to a GTX 1060 6 GB would make this unit of extremely good value for gamers. Right now, it just feels a bit odd. Moving on, gaining access to the HDD and battery is not all that bad, but changing out the RAM or M.2 SSD requires a near-complete teardown as both are on opposite sides of the motherboard. The CPU does run hot and will thermal throttle under extreme loads. However, it never once dropped below the minimum clock speed of 2.8 Ghz specified by Intel. Even with throttling, it settled in at 3.0 - 3.1 Ghz. While bloatware is nearly nonexistent, MSI does include a trial of Norton Security. While it's not hard to uninstall, it will nag you constantly and is just plain annoying. The multi-touch touchpad is from ELAN, and while it's serviceable, I do miss the physically present left and right mouse buttons. That said, if you plan to do any serious gaming, get a proper USB mouse. Finally, the display itself, while 1080P 120Hz, is in fact a TN panel. While these do offer faster refresh rates, a proper IPS is much easier on the eyes. Still, all things considered, the panel's high refresh rate, solid color reproduction, and wide viewing angle do give it a leg up, making it a worthwhile option.

Overall, the MSI GS73 Stealth Pro 009 is an interesting laptop. While I feel that it could be better balanced in terms of specifications, it does still offer acceptable performance and a host of features. Meanwhile, it is near silent during typical browsing. While it does get loud during gaming, you won't notice it doing so if you use a headset. A few bugs with the software need to be worked out; namely, one with the Nahimic audio enhancer as it seems to have some audio issues with Battlefield 1 that are not present in Battlefield 4. It is likely a one-off issue with that particular game only. However, that doesn't mean it isn't worth mentioning. In the end, while I enjoyed using this MSI laptop as my daily driver, I am still of the opinion that the unit would become the go-to for gamers if MSI were to offer this unit with an Intel i5 7300HQ and a GTX1060 6 GB instead of a GTX 1050Ti, while leaving everything else as is, which would make it quite impressive at or near the $1599 price point. Still, I will admit that when streaming games via Steam from my desktop, the 120Hz display is certainly a nice treat.

If you are looking for a sleek laptop with a manageable weight, some interesting features, and some nice hardware, the MSI GS73 Stealth Pro 009 might be worth a look.