Last month we were introduced to MSI’s Pulse series laptop with a GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card on board. For the same review, the company provided a laptop from the Vector line – MSI Vector GP66 12UGSO with a more powerful GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and a 12th generation Intel Core i7-12700H processor.
Learn more about the laptop
Characteristics
- Display: 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080, IPS, 144Hz
- Processor: Intel Core i7-12700H, 2.3GHz (4.7GHz Turbo)
- Memory: 16GB DDR5-4800
- Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB GDDR6 Notebook
- Disk subsystem: 1 GB M.2 SSD
- Connectivity: Gb LAN (up to 2.5G), Killer AX Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth v5.2
- Connections: 1x Type-C USB3.2 Gen2, 3x Type-A USB3.2 Gen1, 1x RJ45, 1x (8K @ 60Hz / 4K @ 120Hz) HDMI, 1x Mini-DisplayPort, 1x DisplayPort (USB Type-C)
- Battery: 4-cell, 65 Wh
- Dimensions: 358 (W) x 267 (D) x 234 (H) mm
- Weight: 2.38 kg (without adapter)
Appearance
The case of the MSI Vector GP66 12UGSO-671RU model is made in matte black. Externally, lovers of multi-colored additional lighting will not please the laptop – only the SteelSeries keyboard is equipped with customizable RGB lighting. But traditionally settings can be made in the MSI Center application. You can mark each key with the color you need.
The laptop screen opens to about 130 degrees. The lid is made of metal and the screen is held on by hinges hidden behind neat plastic overlays. At the top of the screen is a 720p webcam, which should be enough for instant messenger calls.
On the left side of the laptop you can see the following elements: a Kensington lock hole, a battery charge indicator, USB3 Type-A, USB3 Type-C ports and a 3.5 mm mini-jack for connecting an audio headset.
On the right side, there are only two Type-A USB3.2 Gen1 connectors.
On the back are power, Mini-DisplayPort, RJ-45 Ethernet and HDMI ports.
You can see the well-known Cooler Boost 5 cooling system with copper tubes through the bottom plate. The intake of cold air comes from both the bottom and the back of the laptop. Hot blow – on both sides of the laptop.
The battery capacity is 65 Wh, which will keep you busy with a laptop for about two hours. Comes with a 280W Chicony power supply.
Performance. Synthetic testing
We tested the laptop in synthetic tests Cinebench R23, CPU-Z and CrystalDiskMark. Screenshot results.
We also evaluated the power of the laptop in 3DMark: in Time Spy, CPU Profile and Storage Benchmark tests to check the speed of loading games on SSD.
Performance. Test game
All game tests were performed in the game mode set in MSI Center. Resolution – 1920×1080 and 1280×720 for DLSS scaling mode. The processor temperature in gaming tests reached 95 degrees. The temperature of the video card rarely rose above 85 degrees.
It is quite expected that the most exciting element of the laptop was the Intel Core i7-12700H processor with a TDP of 45 W in standard mode and 115 W in turbo mode. A cooling pad is indispensable for long gaming sessions.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti video card with a 125 W TDP rarely warms up to critical values.
Cyberpunk 2077. This isn’t to say that Cyberpunk made the laptop sweat – at high settings it was quite comfortable to play both without ray tracing and with it. In the second case, the average frame rate still drops slightly below a pleasant 60 FPS mark, so you’ll need to lower some settings for smooth gameplay.
Hogwarts legacy. The laptop showed excellent results at high settings without ray tracing – 90-100 FPS.
The magic with ray tracing enabled (high settings) didn’t happen and the frequency dropped by an average of 20 frames per second. But it’s still stable and smooth FPS for a comfortable game.
Atomic heart. This novelty also turned out to be difficult for the laptop – with ultra settings and DLSS enabled, the game showed about 100 FPS.
Results and awards
The MSI Vector GP66 performs well in modern projects and offers enough performance to play at high settings, including ray-traced modes.
A pack of Intel Core i7-12700H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is complemented by fast DDR5 memory and a fast SSD from Micron. And while the entire laptop market is waiting for new laptops with RTX 40 series cards, the MSI Vector GP66 will come in handy for all gamers who want to enjoy modern games already released without overpaying for high-end hardware.
Request a price
Astonishing! MSI Vector GP66 ensures a smooth and stable image in all modern projects. Yes, these are not ultra settings, but the model has no such purpose.
Perfect construction. The laptop is in a seasoned style, firmly knocked down and without any play. It is pleasant to hold in hands, it is convenient to play on it.
Source: VG Times