A dainty, 14-inch gaming laptop weighing just 1.8KG. GS43VR 7RE Phantom Pro is armed with the Kaby Lake 7700HQ and NVIDIA’s GTX 1060, making it ideal for 1080p gamers.
Product on Review: GS43VR 7RE Phantom Pro
Manufacturer & Sponsor: MSI
Street Price: UK £1400 US $1400
The gaming laptop market is currently thriving with the latest editions of both Intel’s 7th Generation of processors (codenamed Kaby Lake) and NVIDIA’s GTX 10-series GPUs. With NVIDIA’s new GPUs, gamers can enjoy desktop-grade performance on a mobile platform where there was once a huge disparity. Gaming on the move presents a set of challenges and there are certainly advantages to investing in a powerful desktop machine – but some users either simply do not have the space or favour a unit which is portable. Today we turn to one of the leading manufacturers in this field – MSI, for a detailed look at the new GS43VR 7RE Phantom Pro.
On offer from the MSI GS43VR is a powerful specification which revolves around Intel’s Core i7-7700HQ, 16GB DDR4 and then 1080p champion by way of the renowned 6GB GTX 1060. These key components supply a strong platform which is further strengthened by the robust Samsung SM951 SSD.
On paper this all sounds great, but how will it perform? Let’s find out!
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 GS43VR, supplied from MSI:
OS
Windows 10
Display
14″ (1920×1080) Anti-Glare IPS Level
CPU
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
Chipset
Intel® HM175
Graphics
NVIDAI GTX 1060 6GB
Memory
16GB DDR4 (2400MHz)
SSD
1x 128GB M.2 SSD (Samsung 951)
HDD
1x 1TB 2.5″ SATA HDD
Webcam
1080p / 30fps
Communication
LAN – Killer Gigabit Ethernet
WiFi – 802.11ac
Bluetooth – 4.1
Audio Jack
1x Mic-in 1x Headphone-out
Type-C USB 3.1 Gen2
1x
Type-A USB 3.0
2x
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)
4-Cell
Battery (Type)
Li-Ion
AC Adapter
150W adapter
Dimension (WxDxH) mm
345 x 245 x 22
Weight (kg w/ Battery)
1.8KG
Battery (Whr)
45
Windows 10
Display
14″ (1920×1080) Anti-Glare IPS Level
CPU
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
Chipset
Intel® HM175
Graphics
NVIDAI GTX 1060 6GB
Memory
16GB DDR4 (2400MHz)
SSD
1x 128GB M.2 SSD (Samsung 951)
HDD
1x 1TB 2.5″ SATA HDD
Webcam
1080p / 30fps
Communication
LAN – Killer Gigabit Ethernet
WiFi – 802.11ac
Bluetooth – 4.1
Audio Jack
1x Mic-in 1x Headphone-out
Type-C USB 3.1 Gen2
1x
Type-A USB 3.0
2x
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)
4-Cell
Battery (Type)
Li-Ion
AC Adapter
150W adapter
Dimension (WxDxH) mm
345 x 245 x 22
Weight (kg w/ Battery)
1.8KG
Battery (Whr)
45
Unboxing & Closer Look Video
For this review we’ve produced a video which reveals the packaging, bundle and a close, detailed overview of GS43VR. 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: PCMark 8
PCMark 8 combines performance benchmarking with battery life measurement and includes tests based on popular Adobe and Microsoft applications. Whether you are looking for long battery life, or maximum power, PCMark 8 will help you find the devices that offer the perfect combination of efficiency and performance for your needs. It’s the complete PC performance benchmark for home and business.
Benchmarks: 3DMark TimeSpy & Heaven 4.0
Time Spy is a DirectX 12 benchmark test for gaming PCs running Windows 10. With its pure DirectX 12 engine, built from the ground up to support new API features like asynchronous compute, explicit multi-adapter, and multi-threading, Time Spy is the ideal benchmark for testing the DirectX 12 performance of the latest graphics cards.
Benchmarks: TW: WARHAMMER, ROT Tomb Raider, Deus Ex: MD, DOOM
The MSI GE62 7RE uses the GTX 1060 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
While larger 16/17-inch gaming laptops will be ideal if you need a semi-portable solution, the 14-inch offering that we’ve had the pleasure of looking at today clearly emphasises the notion of portability by serving up a lightweight solution with tighter dimensions.
Clean lines and elegance are something we’ve become accustomed to after reviewing a number of MSI laptops throughout different generations. The designers behind these models clearly like to maintain a cohesive scheme and it definitely works.
The list of components which form the basis for GS43VR work very well together. Having a capable CPU like the Intel Core i7-7700HQ guarantees good performance in CPU-based tasks and for the graphics delivery, NVIDIA’s GTX 1060 is another reliable component for 3D-based operations. The GTX 1060 in its 6GB variant is widely regarded as the go-to choice for gamers desiring competent 1080p performance in-game and we can certainly verify this in our experience.
Across the laptop, we have a decent selection of features including USB 3.1 Gen2 by way of a Type-C port. However, we are disappointed to only see two type-A ports via USB 3.0. Having just two ports is quite a limitation, especially if the intention is to pair this laptop up with a USB mouse.
Having already reviewed the GE62VR (which also features the GTX 1060) and seeing the GS43VR’s GPU jump up by an additional 20 degrees, it’s evident that the cooling system inside our laptop isn’t as efficient as other MSI models. This is likely down to the physical design of GS43VR as the restricted dimensions limits the calibre of thermal design – a compromise must come for a smaller unit bearing such specification of hardware.
Currently the GS43VR sits at a price of £1400 GBP in the UK and $1400 USD in the US. At this price point we have a proficient gaming laptop that is able to accommodate a multitude of different uses and all of this is backed by a 2 year warranty.
Though smaller in size compared to other MSI gaming laptops, the GS43VR tackles 1080p gaming with ease and establishes itself as the ideal mobile system for content creators.
VIDEO REVIEW – VORTEZ TV
Pros
+ Classy design
+ Lightweight
+ Great build quality
+ LED backlit keyboard
+ Clear, vibrant display
+ Great overall performance
+ Includes card slot reader
+ Features USB 3.1 Gen2
Cons
– CPU/GPU get rather hot
– HDMI 1.4 instead of HDMI 2.0
– Just two USB type-A ports (USB 3.0)
– System upgrades cannot be performed without voiding warranty
+ Classy design
+ Lightweight
+ Great build quality
+ LED backlit keyboard
+ Clear, vibrant display
+ Great overall performance
+ Includes card slot reader
+ Features USB 3.1 Gen2
Cons
– CPU/GPU get rather hot
– HDMI 1.4 instead of HDMI 2.0
– Just two USB type-A ports (USB 3.0)
– System upgrades cannot be performed without voiding warranty
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
