An unexpected and clever guest arrived at our editorial office – the MSI Crosshair 15 gaming laptop in a unique edition dedicated to Rainbow Six Extraction. This laptop immediately stood out for its unusual design, after all, special versions of laptops are far from the most common. Let’s study the model in more detail in our review.
The Crosshair 15 R6E B12UEZ features a 14-core Intel Core i7-12700H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 link for 6GB laptops. This combination cannot be called the most productive, but modern laptop projects are tough.
More about the model
Appearance
The result of the collaboration between MSI and Ubisoft is one of the most colorful laptops. In addition, the design of the edition differs significantly from the base version of the Crosshair 15, which comes in a classic titanium gray color. Our laptop is packed with a combination of bright yellow and green colors, and is also decorated with references to Rainbow Six Extraction. Fans of this shooter will surely recognize REACT’s logos and inscriptions – they belong to a special organization to fight the parasite “Chimera”.
The packaging of the laptop is decorated with the same design, as well as the mouse and pad that come with it. All these elements on the table create a quite unique image – at first you are amazed at such bright devices, but then you get used to them and ordinary gray or black devices seem blurred against their background.
Of course, if you’re not a fan of Rainbow Six Extraction, this look can be off-putting. But the authors skillfully used elements of industrial design, which can be seen in the same Cyberpunk 2077. Therefore, we can not say that the laptop is intended only for fans – other gamers may also like it.
The top cover is made of black metal. The MSI logo in the center has been replaced by an illuminated yellow REACT logo.
The main block inside is made in a yellow-green gradient and the lower right corner is decorated with a clear insert, again with the logo of the game. The keys are backlit and the WASD block is made of transparent material that emphasizes the familiar gaming keys.
On the left side are the following connectors: USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and power. Here you can also see the grille through which the laptop blows warm air out. On the right is a combo jack for a 3.5mm headset, USB 3.2, USB 3.2 Type-C, HDMI and Ethernet. The laptop supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
Only the cooling grilles can be seen at the back. The air inlet comes out of the bottom of the laptop through the already familiar honeycomb-shaped holes. Through it you can see the long-standing Cooler Boost 5 system with copper tubes – a gaming laptop can’t do without good cooling. The battery capacity is 53.5 Wh. The kit comes with a 240W Chicony power supply.
Characteristics
- Display: 15.6 inches, 1920×1080, IPS, 144Hz
- Processor: Intel Core i7-12700H, TDP 45W
- Memory: 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200
- Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 Notebook, TDP 80W
- Disk Subsystem: 512 GB M.2 PCIe SSD
- Sound: 3.5mm combo mini jack
- Connectivity: LAN 1 Gbps, Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax, Bluetooth v5.2
- Connections: Type-C USB 3.2 Gen1, Type-A USB 2.0, 2x Type-A USB 3.2 Gen1, HDMI
- Battery: 3-cell, 53.5 Wh
- Dimensions: 359 (W) x 259 (D) x 26.99 (H) mm
- Weight: 2.3 kg
- Prices: available via the link
Performance. Synthetic Testing
We tested the laptop in synthetic tests Cinebench R23, CPU-Z and CrystalDiskMark. Screenshot results.
We also evaluated the laptop’s power in 3DMark: in Time Spy, Time Spy Extreme, Fire Strike Extreme, Fire Strike Ultra, Port Royale, CPU Profile and Storage Benchmark tests to check the speed of loading games on SSD .
Performance. Game Tests
All game tests were performed in the maximum performance mode set in MSI Center. The processor temperature reached 90 degrees, but the keyboard surface is not hot. Left-handed gamers can feel warm air because the airflow comes from the left and back. And the temperature of the video card rarely rose above 80 degrees.
Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt RED’s long-suffering game got a 1.6 update in September with new fixes and optimization improvements. We couldn’t help but try our laptop in action and discover the possibilities with the new patch.
The laptop was unable to achieve a stable 60 FPS at high settings with ray tracing enabled.
With tracing turned off, Cyberpunk 2077 showed a smooth image and produced 70-80 frames per second.
Metro Exodus. In this shooter, we immediately decided to set the settings to “ultra” and didn’t fail – the built-in benchmark showed an average of 58 frames per second with tracing and DLSS enabled. That is, by twisting the options in the game a little, you can get as smooth a picture as possible. Inside, Metro Exodus showed over 100 FPS.
Rainbow Six Extraction. The network shooter released at the beginning of the year is not the most demanding, which is why the game does not pose the slightest difficulty to the MSI Crosshair 15. On the “ultra” settings you can get 130-140 FPS, on high – a stable 150 fps, which allows you to fully unleash the potential of the screen with a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Such impressive figures do not appeal to the imagination, but of course gladly – after all, the laptop in this edition is associated with the Ubisoft project.
Results and prices
Perhaps the MSI Crosshair 15 R6E B12UEZ does not stand out among other proposals with its performance, but it certainly attracts attention with its design. The model can be called the workhorse that can flirt with ray tracing and demonstrate smooth play in less demanding projects.
Yes, in the latest large-scale projects you will have to sacrifice some settings, but in online shooters you don’t have to think about framerate, allowing you to immerse yourself in the gameplay.
Is it possible to work on such a laptop? Naturally! It would be interesting to see the reaction of people who see such a laptop with a unique and eye-catching design for the first time. He did not leave us indifferent.
View prices
KRASIVO. First of all, it’s beautiful! Seriously, when was the last time you saw something like this?
Awesome! Crosshair 15 R6E B12UEZ does a great job – it produces a smooth and clear image in Rainbow Six Extraction. The bonus is a fairly acceptable strength for modern games and a design unlike anything on the market.
Source: VG Times