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Synthetic And Productivity Benchmarks
We're comparing the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro to a couple of similarly-equipped laptops within the same price range. One of these systems is the Stealth Pro's sibling, the MSI GE72VR Apache Pro-010. Like the Stealth Pro, this Apache Pro configuration features an Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor and 6GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card. Unlike its stealthier contemporary, the Apache Pro only has a 128GB M.2 SSD and 12GB of DDR4-2133 memory.
We're also comparing the Stealth Pro to another 15" competitor from Asus. The recently reviewed Asus Strix GL502VM-DB71's specifications are more or less the same as the Stealth Pro's. It features an i7-6700HQ processor, a 6GB GTX 1060 graphics card, and 16GB of DDR4-2133 memory. The biggest difference is the lack of an SSD; the 15" Strix main drive is a 7200RPM HDD. It also happens to be our recommended pick of the gaming laptops we've tested so far, thanks to solid performance at a very reasonable price. We'll see how the Stealth Pro stacks up to it.
Finally, just to demonstrate what $600 more will purchase, we're comparing the Stealth Pro to the previously reviewed Gigabyte P37X v6, which features an i7-6700HQ, a GTX 1070, 16GB of DDR4-2400 memory, and a 512GB NVMe SSD. It also has a UHD 17" display. We'll review the MSI Apache Pro shortly, so stay tuned!
3DMark
The Intel Core i7-6700HQ and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 pull the MSI Stealth Pro into a comfortable position against similarly-equipped laptops. During Fire Strike and Fire Strike Extreme benchmarks, the Stealth Pro falls slightly behind the Apache Pro and Strix 15, but it ends up in between the two during the Time Spy test, with definitive losses coming at the hands of the more powerful Gigabyte laptop.
Cinebench R15
The Stealth Pro takes an ever-so-slight lead against the other GTX 1060 laptops during Cinebench’s single and multi-core rendering tests. For the most part, the results between all of these systems are so close that small differences can be attributed to the margin of error. Even the P37X v6 comes out only slightly ahead of the Stealth Pro during the OpenGL Shading test.
CompuBench
Our CompuBench results paint a similar picture for the Stealth Pro; it holds a minuscule lead over the Apache Pro and just as small of a disadvantage against the Strix 15, but the slight difference is attributed to margin of error, except where the stronger Gigabyte bests MSI's offering.
Disk Speed
To test read and write speeds, we run Disk Speed from the system's primary drive. Most gaming systems $1500 or more will have at least a 128GB SSD as the OS drive and a 1TB HDD for the main data storage. Two of the systems in our comparison — the Asus GL502VM and MSI Apache Pro — only have a 1TB HDD, and as a result, their storage speeds are vastly outmatched by the Gigabyte and the Stealth Pro. Thus, we've omitted them from the Stealth Pro's chart.
The MSI Stealth Pro and Gigabyte P37X v6 both share a Samsung SM951 M.2 SSD, but the Gigabyte laptop has twice the capacity of our MSI system. It should come as no surprise that the Stealth Pro was outclassed in both random and sequential speeds.
PCMark 8
As far as Adobe Creative and Microsoft Office suite performance goes, the Stealth Pro falls in the middle of the pack, between the Apache Pro and the GL502VM. The Stealth Pro has 4GB more memory than the Apache Pro, securing it the slight victory. Note that after multiple tests, the Gigabyte P37X v6 scored less than we predicted, even to the point where our GTX 1060 laptops outperformed it during the Microsoft Office benchmark. This is likely attributable to the Gigabyte's poor thermal performance, which we noted in our review of the system.
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