MSI GE66 Raider 2021 Gaming Flagship with Massive Performance

MSI has sent its newest gaming heavyweights into the race. The latest models of the GE Raider series offer significantly better performance with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 16 GB GDDR6 graphics memory, but there is a crucial gap in the display options offered.

The GE66 Raider is MSI’s brand new flagship: The notebook can not only come up with high-end equipment but also with an unmistakable design. The MSI GE66 Raider packs a 15.6-inch screen in a 23.4 mm thick, and 2.38 kg case.

Unfortunately, the GE66 Raider gaming notebook has a few weak points, namely the display options offered. Buyers have the choice between a 1080p panel with a frame rate of 240 Hz or 165 Hz, alternatively, there is also a 60 Hz 4K display. Competitors such as the Razer Blade Pro 17 also offer 165 Hz 1,440p or 120 Hz 4K panels in a similar price range, which you will not find in the new GE series.

In return, an even more convincing performance should be offered, not least thanks to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 16 GB GDDR6 graphics memory. The same graphics chip is sometimes installed in significantly slimmer notebooks, but the performance of the RTX 3080 largely depends on the TDP specified by the notebook manufacturer and the performance of the cooling system, and larger laptops traditionally have advantages.

The equipment also includes an Intel Core i9-10980HK, which can still offer excellent gaming performance with eight cores and clock frequencies of up to 5.3 GHz. There is also a maximum of 64 GB DDR4-3,200 RAM, two M.2 slots that are connected via PCIe 3.0, and a 99 Wh battery. Both variants have a 1080p webcam and stereo speakers with dedicated woofers.

Thunderbolt is missing, but with three USB-Cs, two USB-As, a Mini-DisplayPort, and an HDMI connection, most users should be satisfied. There is also Wi-Fi 6E, Killer E3100 Ethernet (2.5 Gbit / s), and a SteelSeries keyboard with which the RGB lighting can be controlled per key.

Price and availability

The MSI GE66 Raider price starts from $2,299 and is now listed on the Bhphotovideo.com and Adorama.com online e-shops.

MSI GE66 Raider Specifications

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• OS: Windows 10 Home
• CPU: Core i9-11980HK (2.6 – 5.0GHz)
• Chipset: HM570
• Display: 15.6″ UHD, Anti-Glare Wide View Angle 4K Thin Bezel, Adobe 100% / QHD, 240Hz or 165Hz 2.5ms DCI-P3 100%
• Resolution: 3840×2160 (16:9) / 2560×1440 (16:9)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Up to 1635MHz Boost Clock, 130W Maximum Graphics Power with Dynamic Boost / RTX 3070, Up to 1660MHz Boost Clock
• Graphics memory: 16G GDDR6 / 8G GDDR6
• Memory: 32GB (16G2) DDR4 3200MHz / 16GB (8G2) DDR4 3200MHz
• Storage: 2TB NVMe SSD / 1TB NVMe SSD
• Keyboard: Steel Series per-Key RGB with Anti-Ghost key (84 Key)
• Audio: Nahimic 3 / Hi-Res Audio, 2 x Dynaudio Speaker with Passive Radiator
• Connectivity: Killer E3100 2.5GbE, Killer WiFi 6E AX1675 (2×2 ), Bluetooth 5.2
• Webcam: 1080p FHD Webcam
• Ports: 1 x USB3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB3.2 Gen 1, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 USB4 w/PD charging, 1 x USB 3.2Gen 2, HDMI (supports 4K @ 120Hz, 8K @ 60Hz), mDP v1.4*1, 1 Audio Combo
• Battery: 4 cell (99.9Whr) (280W Adaptor)
• Dimensions: 14.09″x 10.51″x 0.92″
• Weight: 5.25 lbs

Along with the new variant of the GE66 Raider 2021, MSI has also introduced the two new gaming laptops: MSI Crosshair 15 and 17 laptops are aimed at gamers with the latest GeForce RTX 3060 laptop, RTX 3050 Ti laptop graphics cards, 11th generation Intel processors, and 144 Hz panel is also used on the display. And MSI Katana GF66 gaming notebook with Tiger Lake-H and Nvidia Geforce RTX 3050 GPU.