Full Load Temperatures
During our full load tests, the CPU temperature reached a worryingly high of 97 degrees Celsius, however we got a surprisingly low temperature of only 67 degrees Celsius for the GeForce RTX 2080. Yes, the CPU load temperatures may be very high, but MSI’s dedicated cooling solution with 8 heat pipes handled it with no problems. What you’ll notice is that the cooling fans can be a little noisy at full load.
144Hz Refresh Rate @ 1080p
The 17.3-inch panel is gorgeous to look at. It’s large and has a nice thin bezel. Using https://www.testufo.com/refreshrate we go an accurate refresh rate reading of 144Hz.
Verdict and Conclusion
So the main question on everybody’s mind is … can the MSI GE75 Raider 9SG really replace my desktop computer? Well, answer that question you only have to take a look at the scores during our benchmark tests. From what we can see, I have to say the overall performance is very good indeed, with an impressive score of 4,975 in PCMark 10 and a high score of 5,617 in 3DMark Port Royal. For Timespy and Firestrike, we got a score 8,204 and 17,770 respectively.
These impressive numbers is all thanks to the Intel Core i7 9750H processor (with 6 cores/12 threads), as well as a powerful GeForce RTX 2080 (non Max-Q) with 8GB of GDDR6 ram, and of course 16GB of DDR4-2666 ram. Again, MSI have included a single 16Gb module in single channel mode … so if you want even more performance, you can also install another 16Gb to give you 32GB in dual channel mode.
I’ve never really had the chance to play with a laptop that has a 17-inch screen (or larger) until now. And boy, what a different a 17.3-inch screen can make. It’s a gorgeous IPS panel with a nice thin bezel and a refresh rate of 144Hz, offering full HD resolution of 1920×1080. A larger screen mean less strain on the eyes and your Windows desktop does looks spacious.
The GE75 9SG has a large footprint than most laptops measuring 397 x 268.5 x 27.5mm, and weighs in at a hefty 2.66 kg (5.86 lbs) … so it’s not exactly compact or light-weight. Well, I’m not going to carry this around that often let me tell you. It’s likely to stay on my desk, at home for sure. Is it a desktop replacement? – Yes!
As for all the other extra features … you get the per-key RGB gaming keyboard from Steelseries, along with the 4-speaker Dynaudio sound system, the Killer ethernet LAN and Wifi, as well as a standard HD webcam with a resolution of 720p @ 30 fps. The included MSI’s Dragon Center software allow users to monitor the status of the laptop including temperatures, cooling, memory usage, RGB lighting, audio and gaming preferences.
For connectivity, the GE75 offers the same as the GE65, these include 1 x mic-in and 1 x headphone out, as well as 1 x Killer gigabit LAN port, 1 x SD Card slot, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Mini Displayport, as well as 2 x USB 3.2 gen 2 (Type-A and Type-C) and 2 x USB 3.2 gen 1 ports.
As far as power and battery life is concerned, I got between 5-6 hours of heavy usage from the 6-cell 65W Li-ion battery. What I also noticed, is that the laptop would reduce the CPU power while running on battery. So again, like the GE65, I would definitely recommend using the power charger and run the laptop off the mains.
You can buy the MSI GE75 Raider 9SG Gaming Laptop from various retailers including Amazon for around USD $1,999~ which I think is an amazing price considering the specs you’re getting.
Pros:
- Fast 6-core/12 thread Core i7-9750H processor @ 2.6GHZ (max boost 4.5 GHz)
- Excellent performance
- Onboard GeForce RTX 2080 with 8GB GDDR6 ram
- 512GB M.2 SSD boot drive (c:) and 1TB drive for storage (d:)
- 16GB DDR4-2666 ram
- 17.3-inch 144Hz Full HD IPS panel
- Killer Gigabit LAN
- Built-in per-key Steelseries RGB keyboard
- 4 speaker Dynaudio system
Cons:
- Single 16GB memory module means ram is running in single channel
- Can get a little hot and noisy
Final Thoughts
So in conclusion, the GE75 Raider 9SG is basically a 17.3-inch version of the GE65. Except of course, you get a more powerful GeForce RTX 2080. If you’re after a desktop replacement, then take a look at the MSI GE75 Raider 9SG. It offers excellent performance with a ton of great features, at a price that’s sub USD $2k.
You can buy the MSI GE75 Raider 9SG
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