MSI is officially announcing the specs for the newest entries in its powerful Raider series and modestly designed Stealth series, plus a design philosophy overhaul for its next productivity laptop. All will include Intel's new 10th Gen H Series CPUs.
Earlier this year, we saw the GE66 Raider, the GE66 Stealth, and Creator 17 at CES in Las Vegas, where we were impressed by their capabilities but weren't told many specifics. Now, MSI is letting us in on the full details, including release dates.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | MSI GE66 Raider | MSI GE66 Stealth | MSI Creator 17 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Up to Core i9-10980HK | Up to Core i9-10980HK | Core i7-10875H |
| Graphics | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX2080 Super Max-Q | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX2080 Super Max-Q | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX2080 Super Max-Q |
| RAM | Up to 32GB DDR4 2666MHz | Up to 32GB DDR4 2666MHz | Up to 32GB DDR4 2666MHz |
| Storage | Up to 1TB NVMe SSD | Up to 1TB NVMe SSD | Up to 2TB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080, 3ms response time, up to 300Hz | 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080, 3ms response time, up to 300Hz | 17.3-inch 3840 x 2160 HDR100 mini LED 1180 nits OR 17.3 inch 1920 x 1080 144Hz IPS |
| Ports | USB Type C 2x, USB Type A 2x, HDMI, mDP v1.4*1 Mini-Display Port, 3.5mm headphone jack, SD Card reader | USB Type C 2x, USB Type A 1x, HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack | USB Type C 2x, USB Type A 1x, HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, Micro SD slot |
| Size | 14.09 x 10.51 x 0.92 inches | 14.7 x 9.65 x 0.71 inches | 15.59 x 10.21 x 0.80 inches |
| Battery | 99.9Whr | 99.9Whr | 82Whr |
| Weight | 5.25 pounds | 4.64 pounds | 5.51 pounds OR 5.29 pounds |
| Starting Price | $1,799 | $1,499 | $1,799 |
| Release Date | April 15th | April 15th | April 15th |
MSI is setting up the GE66 Raider as its next gaming flagship, and that means options up to a new 10th-Gen Intel Core i9 CPU, Nvidia Geforce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, a 1TB SSD, a 300Hz display--and of course plenty of RGB.
As the follow-up to the MSI GE65 Raider, currently sitting atop our best gaming laptops list, the GE66 has some big shoes to fill. Aside from the new GPU and longer battery life, that means communicating to gamers right away what this upgrade offers.
On that note, the new Raider features a wider CTRL key than previous models, and has moved the Windows key back to a more standard position. It's also gets a shiny light bar across the front, though it's probably a good idea to turn that off to maximize battery life.
The MSI GE66 Stealth shares many of these specs, but attempts to pack them into a more lightweight, minimally designed laptop designed not to look out of place in an office. This most noticeably comes at the loss of a USB Type C port, a mini-display port, and an SD card reader, but gains you a thinner profile and more travel-friendly weight for your trouble.
The MSI Creator 17 is a different beast altogether. MSI told us that this PC marks a shift in the company's attitude with laptops meant for content creators. Rather than providing gaming-style specs in a more productivity-inspired shell, the company will aim to deliver features and specs specifically meant for creators.
This means options all the way up to similar graphics and RAM as the Raider and stealth, but a 1TB larger SSD and a weaker CPU. In exchange, you'll get a much larger screen at 17.3 inches, and a choice between either a 144Hz FHD IPS display or a UHD miniLED display.
MSI says it's the first laptop producer to bring a miniLED screen to market, allowing it to offer VESA certified HDR 1000 visuals at over 1000 nits of brightness without risking the screen burn-in of OLED. That should make it an ideal candidate for those producing HDR content on the go.
The Creator 17 will also be equipped with a new keyboard "designed for creators," with a more casual font and, more crucially, function keys dedicated to key features like microphone control and basic photo editing.
With starting prices as low as $1,499, MSI's latest laptops are sure to entice more than a few buyers once they arrive in mid-April. And we hope to see more laptops soon with HDR 1000 displays.
