MSI sells all kinds of gaming laptops; from the lightweight ones under the “GF” lineup to the might powerful devices in the high-end “GP” and “GE” series. I have been using the new GP66 Leopard for almost a month now. And in this review, I’ll be sharing all my experiences with the MSI GP66 Leopard (11UG).
MSI GP66 Leopard (11UG) Specifications:
- Design & Build: Plastic-aluminum hybrid build, 14.13W x 10.51D x 0.92H-inches, 2.38 kg
- Color Options: Core Black (Matte cover lid with MSI Dragon logo)
- Display: 15.6″ anti-glare IPS panel, 240Hz refresh rate, 72% DCI-P3, close-to 100% sRGB, 300 nits brightness, 3.5ms response time
- Resolution: FHD (1920×1080) resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio
- Keyboard: Full-size backlit per-key RGB SteelSeries keyboard
- Trackpad: Glass multi-touch trackpad, Windows Precision drivers
- Security: TPM 2.0 chip, No fingerprint sensor
- Processor: Intel Core i7-11800H CPU (Tiger Lake), 8C/16T, 4.6GHz Max Turbo Frequency, 24MB Intel Smart Cache, 10nm process, 45W TDP
- RAM: 16GB DDR4-3200MHz (2x 8GB), Up to 64GB
- Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (2x M.2 slots total)
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (140W), 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
- Audio: 2x 2W speakers, Hi-Res Audio
- Battery: 65 Watt-hours 4-cell Li-Ion battery
- Power Supply: 280W Smart AC power adapter
- Webcam: 720p HD camera, No physical shutter, Dual-array microphones
- Connectivity: Killer WiFi 6E (802.11 ax), Bluetooth 5.2
- I/O Ports: 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x RJ45 (LAN), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.4, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack
- Price in Nepal: Rs. 299,000 (i7-11800H, RTX 3070, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
- What’s inside the box: Laptop, power adapter, quick start guide
Starting with the design, as you can see, it’s quite a chonky unit. But thankfully, MSI has used a plastic-aluminum hybrid material to keep the weight to a minimum. At 2.38 kg—despite its aggressive look—the GP66 is actually lighter than the Omen 15 that I reviewed recently.
Still, coming from the M1 MacBook Pro, this is a far cry from an easily portable laptop for me. Regardless of its bold design, the GP66 doesn’t get the RGB encasement as the more expensive MSI GE76 Raider, but that’s fine by me. I’m a bigger fan of the subtlety anyway.
Its hinge is fairly sturdy for the most part but I did notice a considerable flex near the middle of the chassis. Also, while the company embraced a modern-looking 16:10 aspect ratio in its 2021 lineup of Creator laptops, this one still hosts a traditional 16:9 display. The side bezels don’t bother me as much but this chin is certainly distracting.
