The MSI Notebook team recently unveiled a new GV series which tackles the low-end of the gaming laptop market. Today, we take a look at the GV62 7RC which features Intel i5-7300HQ and NVIDIA MX150.
Product on Review: GV62 7RC Laptop
Manufacturer & Sponsor: MSI
Street Price: UK £750 GBP
Mobile gaming has gained significant traction in recent years as more of us use our mobiles, tablets and laptops while on the move. Gaming laptops are by far the easiest solution for gamers wanting to load up their triple A title and engage in extended gaming sessions. Although some desktop computers are easy to transport to events the laptop still retains a strong grip in portable gaming. MSI are renowned for their diligence in the gaming laptop arena, refreshing their product lines regularly and furnishing etailers with the largest selection of solutions to choose from.
In the spotlight today is a new gaming laptop which sits within MSI’s newly created GV Series. GV tackles the lower end of the market and seeks to offer users with entry-level options for those on a tighter budget. Today we’ll be looking specifically at the GV62 7RC which utilises a quad-core CPU, 8GB DDR4 and the NVIDIA MX150.
About MSI
As a world leading gaming brand, MSI’s goal is to become the most trusted name in gaming and e-sport. We’ve dedicated countless hours and committed numerous resources to the eSports community to support the world’s most aspiring and best gamers and use their knowledge and expertise in our products in return. The insistence on 100% in-house design and manufacturing gives MSI the solid capability to implement innovative ideas and optimized design in our products.
Technical Specifications
Below are the technical details surrounding GV62 7RC obtained directly from MSI:
OS
Windows 10
Display
15.6″ (1920×1080) Anti-Glare IPS Level
CPU
Intel Core i7-7300HQ
Chipset
Intel® HM175
Graphics
NVIDIA MX150 2GB
Memory
8GB DDR4 (2400MHz)
SSD
1x 128GB M.2 PCIE SSD (Toshiba)
HDD
1x 1TB 2.5″ SATA HDD – Seagate Barracuda
Webcam
720p / 30fps
Communication
LAN – Gigabit Ethernet
WiFi – 802.11ac
Bluetooth – 4.2
Audio Jack
1x Mic-in 1x Headphone-out
Type-C USB 3.0
1x
Type-A USB 3.0
2x
Type-A USB 2.0
1x
Card Reader
1x SD (XC/HC) Card Reader
Video Out
1 x HDMI 1.4 (4K @ 30Hz)
1 x Mini DisplayPort 1.2
Battery (Cell)
6-Cell 51 Whr
Battery (Type)
Li-Ion
AC Adapter
120W adapter
Dimension (WxDxH) mm
383 x 260 x 29 mm
Weight (kg w/ Battery)
2.2KG
Windows 10
Display
15.6″ (1920×1080) Anti-Glare IPS Level
CPU
Intel Core i7-7300HQ
Chipset
Intel® HM175
Graphics
NVIDIA MX150 2GB
Memory
8GB DDR4 (2400MHz)
SSD
1x 128GB M.2 PCIE SSD (Toshiba)
HDD
1x 1TB 2.5″ SATA HDD – Seagate Barracuda
Webcam
720p / 30fps
Communication
LAN – Gigabit Ethernet
WiFi – 802.11ac
Bluetooth – 4.2
Audio Jack
1x Mic-in 1x Headphone-out
Type-C USB 3.0
1x
Type-A USB 3.0
2x
Type-A USB 2.0
1x
Card Reader
1x SD (XC/HC) Card Reader
Video Out
1 x HDMI 1.4 (4K @ 30Hz)
1 x Mini DisplayPort 1.2
Battery (Cell)
6-Cell 51 Whr
Battery (Type)
Li-Ion
AC Adapter
120W adapter
Dimension (WxDxH) mm
383 x 260 x 29 mm
Weight (kg w/ Battery)
2.2KG
Closer Look Video
For this review we’ve produced a video which reveals a close, detailed overview of GV62. Please check out the video below for a comprehensive look at this new product:
Benchmarks: Temperatures
For our first benchmark test we observe the max. CPU/GPU temperatures of the system while allowing Unigine Heaven 4.0 to run on a 30 minute loop. To report back on the temperatures we use RealTemp and GPU-Z which provide the peak figures.
Benchmarks: Boot Time & Battery Uptime
In this test we observe how fast the boot into Windows 10 is by using a digital stopwatch. Battery uptime is another important observation, for this we charge the notebook up to 100% and then disconnect the charging unit and leave Heaven 4.0 running on a continuous loop until the notebook loses all power.
Benchmarks: Cinebench R15 & x264 HD
CINEBENCH can measure systems with up to 64 processor threads. This test scene contains approximately 2,000 objects which in turn contain more than 300,000 polygons in total, and uses sharp and blurred reflections, area lights, shadows, procedural shaders, antialiasing, and much more. The result is displayed in points (pts). The higher the number, the faster your processor is.
Benchmarks: 3DMark, Unigine Heaven 4.0 & Superposition, PCMark 10
In the next set of synthetic benchmarks, we test out the 3D performance of GV62 using well-known, indsutry leading applications 3DMark Timespy and Unigine Heaven 4.0 & Superposition which will tax the CPU/GPU. Lastly, we run PCMark 10 for overall analysis of the system performance.
Benchmarks: Rise of the Tomb Raider, PUG-G, HITMAN, DOOM
The MSI GV62 uses the MX150 for graphics delivery, in this section we test the latest gaming titles to see how effective the 3D capabilities are. We report on the average framerate using FRAPS or in-game benchmark tool.
Conclusion
Today’s review of the GV62 has been quite surprising. Although this is clearly an entry-level machine, it still offers a good deal of performance in the direction of gamers.
Right across this laptop we have a great selection of features and functionality. Intel’s Kaby Lake 7300HQ is at the beating heart of this unit and it offers solid quad-core performance, while the 2GB NVIDIA MX150 tackles 3D-based operations reasonably well. We do have USB 3.1 missing on this laptop, but there is still a good assortment of USB 2.0/3.0, video out and SD card slot reader. One particular area which we were very pleased with is the inclusion of a PCI-Express driven M.2 SSD. Many laptop designers leave low-mid end systems with SATA-based SSDs in order to cut costs but GV62 includes a super-fast Toshiba drive which is capable of up to 2000MB/s.
By having the 2GB NVIDIA MX150 inside GV62 there are some obvious limitations compared to models under the GTX portfolio. Most triple-A gaming titles will require the detail preset to be lowered in order to enjoy playable framerates but with less demanding titles like CS:GO and DOTA 2 1080p with high detail presents no problems at all.
GV62 can be purchased for around £750 GBP in the UK and we have no pricing currently for the United States. There has been some significant price drops recently in the Black Friday Sales, and come January 2018, this laptop may feature in some of the New Year deals too – so it’s worth keeping an eye out!
If you’re a light/casual gamer or even a student then MSI’s GV62 will be the ideal laptop for those wanting to keep costs down while still enjoying a reasonable gaming experience. This laptop comes with plenty of features, including fast storage and an LED backlit keyboard.
VIDEO REVIEW – VORTEZ TV
Pros
+ Easy on the eye design
+ Reasonably small dimensions
+ Good build quality
+ LED backlit keyboard
+ Good 1080p performance
+ Includes card slot reader
+ Features fast PCIE M.2 SSD
Cons
– Just one year warranty
– No USB 3.1
– Detail presets need lowering in AAA game titles
+ Easy on the eye design
+ Reasonably small dimensions
+ Good build quality
+ LED backlit keyboard
+ Good 1080p performance
+ Includes card slot reader
+ Features fast PCIE M.2 SSD
Cons
– Just one year warranty
– No USB 3.1
– Detail presets need lowering in AAA game titles
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
