MSI GS63VR 7RG Stealth Pro review

The MSI GS63VR 7RG has a rather impressive spec sheet. With the unit used in our testing boasting an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, Nvidia GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics chip and 16GB of memory.

We rarely, if ever, experience any sort of sluggish performance or hiccups during regular use. Gaming performance is similar, only with random wavy lines in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). Although, we suspect the blame here lies in PUBG and not the computer itself.

Overall, the MSI GS63VR 7RG’s benchmark performance was as expected, if not slightly low. Results in the majority of our tests fall short of those produced by the similarly equipped ROG Zephyrus and Alienware 15 R3.

In love with the display

Forget the size, the 15.6-inch, 120Hz IPS-Level FHD panel is our favorite feature of this mobile PC gaming rig. 

It’s bright and vivid without producing oversaturated colors.

The only critique we have to throw out has to do with the bezels. 

They aren’t large to the point of being overtly annoying, but smaller bezels would benefit this laptop overall.

Let’s talk about the touchpad

Hands down, the worst aspect of the MSI GS63VR 7RG is its touchpad. We have yet to figure out exactly where the invisible line on the pad that separates left and right clicks is.

Additionally, a simple brush of the pad with your palm while typing causes all sorts of confusion, as the pointer jumps across the screen. Poor palm rejection isn’t acceptable for a laptop that costs as much as this.

Battery life is solid, but…

There’s a bit of give and take when it comes to gaming laptops. Most of the time, users exchange battery life and portability for increased performance on an all-in-one device. That’s been the acceptable trade-off for quite some time.

With GPUs shrinking and processors growing in power efficiency, it’s not a lot to ask for longer battery life. You get that with the MSI GS63VR 7RG when compared to the laughable battery performance of the ROG Zephyrus, and slightly worse than the Alienware 15 R3.

With nearly 4 hours of constant video playback, battery life on the MSI GS63VR 7RG is respectable, but who doesn’t want a bit more longevity?

Included software

MSI pre-installs a suite of software ranging from SteelSeries Engine 3 for keyboard lighting management to Dragon Center, wherein users can create app profiles and monitor system stats in one handy location. Dragon Center also includes a system tuner, also with user-created profiles, to optimize exactly how you want the computer to handle a specific app or game.

There’s not an overabundance of added software or bloatware installed, which is a welcome break from other laptops that have far too much installed directly out of the box.

We liked

The display is a pleasure to use and watch, both in casual use, like watching movies, and gaming. Ultimately, the MSI GS63VR 7RG’s graphics processing performance and portability are not mutually exclusive terms.

We disliked

Outside of perhaps lacking a little more life from the battery and the frustrating touchpad, there’s simply not much to gripe about with the MSI GS63VR 7RG.

Final verdict

Take the stunning display and the ease of toting the MSI GS63VR 7RG around, combine those points with hardware that’s clearly top of the line, and you have a gaming laptop that would be dream to own for most.

MSI desperately needs to do something about the touchpad. Just because it’s a gaming laptop and most users will opt for a dedicated mouse doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to skimp on, especially at such a premium price.

Priced between the ROG Zephyrus and the Alienware 15 R3, the MSI GS63VR 7RG is a gaming laptop well worthy of your attention.