Packed with an Intel 11th Gen i7-11800H processor, NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti 4 GB graphics card, and a powerful cooling system, the MSI Pulse GL66 is a 15.6 Inch FHD 144 Hz gaming laptop that delivers high performance and blazing fast speeds.
The 8 GB of RAM ensures you can multitask between your favorite games, apps, and programs, while the 512 GB SSD grants you vast amounts of storage space and rapid boot times.
And with Wi-Fi 6 capabilities, you can stay connected to the internet in even the most remote areas.
As far as gaming hardware goes, MSI is one of the biggest players in the market. With a wide range of laptops and desktops on offer, MSI has a product for everyone. The company also offers an extensive gaming laptop lineup in partnership with Intel and NVIDIA called the MSI Pulse Series. This series is targeted at gamers who are looking to spend under $1,000 on a gaming laptop that gives them decent performance while being easy on the pocket.
- The MSI GL66 is a premium gaming laptop.
- The MSI GL66 features a 15.6-inch display, a 4-cell battery, and an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics card.
- It has an Intel Core i7 processor clocked at up to 4.2 GHz.
- The MSI GL66’s design is sleek and stylish with a blue backlit keyboard and a white body that looks like metal but is actually plastic.
- The MSI GL66’s keyboard feels nice when typing on it.
- MSI’s GL65 is a good example of a high-end laptop, with a powerful Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 3050 ti graphics card. The GL65 also has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of hard drive space.
Other features include an HDMI port and USB Type-C port. Both ports allow you to connect to external displays, which lets you turn the laptop into a desktop computer when you need it. You could use the HDMI port to output video to an external display or monitor, along with inputting audio through the headphone jack.
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The MSI GL65 15-inch laptop is not only capable but also affordable. The laptop offers more performance than many people would expect from such a sleek and lightweight design.
In addition to that it offers some great value for those on a budget who are looking for something quick on their feet !
A great gaming Laptop for budget gamers
MSI has taken their game to the next level with their MSI Pulse GL66 gaming laptop. This product is not only a powerful gaming machine, but it’s also portable and ideal for both work and play.
MSI GL66 is another entry-level laptop in the GL series, which is aimed at providing decent performance for gamers. But in this case, we are looking at a new 11th generation processor from Intel, namely the i7-11800H.
When looking at the design of this notebook, it was clear from the start that MSI did not want to change much from its predecessor and kept the same design language. The device is equipped with a 15.6-inch FHD display that covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut and operates at 144 Hz.
There are also two variants of this laptop with different graphics cards: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (4 GB) and 3050 (2 GB). I have been reviewing laptops for several years now, and this is not something I’ve seen before: a laptop with an integrated graphics card called RTX 3050 Ti. This card has similar specifications to NVIDIA MX450, but with some minor improvements such as GDDR6 memory instead of GDDR5 inside the MX450.
You can expect up to 4 hours of battery life on this machine, even while gaming! The MSI Pulse GL66 has an RTX 3050 Ti graphics card which will render your games in stunning detail at 1080p or 1440p resolutions. This laptop has everything you need for a great gaming experience!
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Powerful Internals
With the GL66, MSI has created a laptop that looks like something out of the future. Its sleek, metallic body and hexagonal design give it the look of an old-fashioned spaceship—and its performance isn’t far off either.
It is powered by an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, ensuring that it runs smoothly and can handle any task you throw at it.
The GL66 Creator is a workhorse: we tested it by running multiple programs simultaneously and its performance stayed strong throughout. When it comes to specs, there’s no doubt that the MSI Pulse will allow you to do your best work.
The other great thing about this laptop? It’s got a stunning display with FHD resolution and 99% Adobe RGB color gamut display technology. This means that the images onscreen will be clear and vivid, no matter what you’re doing on your computer—and that includes gaming. The MSI Pulse Laptop is perfect for both professional gamers and those who need a reliable machine for work or school projects alike.
Gaming Performance – Thanks to its 11th-generation 11th Gen i7-11800H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, gaming on the Pulse GL66 was a breeze at 1080p resolution with medium to high settings on most games. You’ll be able to play AAA titles like Borderlands 3, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, and Need For Speed Heat with ease. If you’re looking for a portable laptop to game on, the Pulse GL66 should be a serious contender.
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Battery Life – MSI equipped their latest gaming laptop with a 53Whr battery. While it may not sound big, it actually lasted me 5 hours while watching videos at 50 percent brightness with Windows 10’s battery saver mode enabled. If you’re playing games while not plugged in, expect around 2 hours of battery life at medium settings depending on the game you’re playing.
Specs
- Display 15.6-inch IPS LCD 1920 x 1080 144 Hz, 100% sRGB, 72% NTSC
- Processor Intel Core i7 11th Gen 11800H 2.30 GHz 8-Core, Max Turbo 4.60 GHz, 16MB Cache (45W TDP)
- Graphics NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6 VRAM
- Memory 8 GB DDR4 2666 MHz (2x 4 GB modules)
- Storage 512 GB M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 SSD
- OS Windows 10 Home 64-Bit Edition
- Connectivity Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i Bluetooth 5.1
- Ports 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x HDMI 2.0b 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 1 x 3.5mm audio combo jack Kensington lock slot SD card slot
- Battery 4-cell 53Wh lithium-polymer battery (230 Wh/L)
- Webcam 720p at 30fps webcam with dual array microphone and privacy shutter
- Dimensions 14.13″ x 9.57″ x 0.78
The Pulse GL66 is all about performance and customization.
A dark gray plastic case with a honeycomb pattern on the lid and a MSI logo in the middle doesn’t have any outstanding features, but it certainly looks good. The bottom panel is held in place by 10 screws, which are very simple to remove with a screwdriver. Most people don’t expect to see large gaming laptops with mechanical keyboards, but that’s exactly what you get with this laptop.
MSI offers the GL66 in three different variants with different processors and graphics cards: GL65 ($1099), GL65 ($1,299) and GL76 ($1,699). The GL66 I’m testing here has an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, an Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and 16GB of RAM.
The MSI GL series is one of the more unique laptops in its class that features a futuristic design language with an emphasis on aesthetics. The full aluminum chassis is not only durable but well shaped as well making for an aesthetically pleasing design. The lid is also quite interesting due to its brushed one-piece sheet metal construction along with the visible MSI dragon logo.
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It’s definitely a nice touch and good use of materials in my opinion. As expected with all MSI gaming laptops, the build quality is top-notch and highly sturdy. The lid has held up against some serious abuse while the belly has yet to show much strain from being open and closed so frequently (can’t say the same for how much it weighs though).
Powerful CPU for gaming
The MSI GL66 offers up to 40% performance gains over the previous generation and is equipped with the latest 11th Gen. Intel Core i7 processor, 8-core processor supporting up to 4.6GHz dual core turbo frequency. It also comes with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU featuring 6GB GDDR6 memory, and 16GB of ultra-fast DDR4 memory for instant responsiveness and enhanced productivity. This gaming laptop can handle all your graphics-heavy tasks with ease, including video editing, 3D rendering, and design work.
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As a top tier gaming notebook, the MSI GL66 has a full HD IPS display that’s capable of delivering smooth visuals at 144Hz refresh rate and has a 3ms response time for blur-free action sequences even when you’re moving quickly across the screen or aiming at fast moving targets. It also supports NVIDIA G-SYNC technology to reduce screen tearing or stuttering as well as display latency for smoother gameplay experience.
Powerful cooling system
MSI’s innovatively designed Cooler Boost Trinity represents the pinnacle of MSI’s thermal solutions. Featured with three dedicated thermal systems—one for both CPU and GPU, and another entirely-dedicated cooling for the laptop’s powerful dual GeForce RTX 3050 Graphics Card—the Cooler Boost Trinity is MSI’s flagship thermal solution for gamers.
The combination of the Cooler Boost Trinity with MSI’s exclusive Silent Storm Cooling technology produces less fan noise while processing heavier tasks, and even includes professional-grade dust removal technology to maintain cooler notebook temperatures beyond normal levels.
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Laptops have been a staple of the tech world for quite some time now. With their portability and sturdy build quality, they’ve found a home in many of the daily routines around the world. But this has also meant that they are more prone to overheating while being used to its full potential. MSI has developed a solution to combat these issues and released it in the form of the MSI Pulse GL.
It utilizes an internal design which allows for components to be cooled independently via two large internal heatsinks and features a cooling system that is capable of drawing larger amounts of heat away from the device.
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The Verdict
The MSI Pulse GL66 is capable of playing AAA titles at 1080p with settings turned up, with extra frames for smooth gameplay. It has a 144 Hz screen and RTX graphics which can drive games well until you start playing the latest and greatest.
The combination of value and performance makes it one of the best budget gaming laptops, if you can use a chiclet keyboard. The MSI GL63, however, is almost identical to the GL66 but can be found for about $100 less, depending on where you look.
One of the most exciting features in this laptop is the RTX 3050 Ti, which seems to be MSI’s main selling point as well. Although it has some issues like its overclocking, it performs very well in gaming. The high graphical settings are possible to play only for very demanding games for now but in general most of the games should be good enough.
Their state-of-the-art technology at a price that is almost half of what GIGABYTE Aero 15 XP in similar configuration costs makes it another outstanding product from MSI. It’s definitely a decent choice for anyone who wants to enjoy gaming and find a suitable laptop for the money they have available.
In the end, MSI is able to offer a reasonably-priced lightweight powerhouse for gamers. It doesn’t provide an extreme upgrade as well as an insane value for a little more money. However, it does offer an extremely affordable price with decent performance across the board. The MSI GL-series of laptops are highly recommended to anyone with limited budget who would need portable gaming laptop that can run any of their games smoothly at full HD and resolution while able to tackle most average tasks with ease.
Overall, the MSI Pulse GL66 is a pretty decent RTX gaming laptop. The price is reasonable and you get the option to change up your graphics card depending on your needs.
