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Updated January 12, 2024·
The MSI GE66 Raider offers premium features such as more storage, a faster processor, better graphics, and a higher resolution display, which may be important for intensive tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning. It also has a more robust build, higher battery capacity, and better overall performance, but this comes at a higher cost and with increased weight. The MSI Thin GF63, on the other hand, provides good performance at a significantly lower price point, making it a better option for general use and for those who prioritize portability and value. If your budget is a concern and you mostly handle everyday tasks, the GF63 is quite adequate, but if you require top-tier performance for demanding applications and can handle a heavier and more expensive laptop, the GE66 Raider is the better option. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the MSI GE66 Raider
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Good battery life
- Good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Thin GF63
- Good portability
Key differences
General Use
8.4
7.4
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
347.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for general use, while the MSI Thin GF63 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
8.6
6.9
9.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.6/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Thin GF63 is only fair.
The MSI GE66 Raider excels in gaming and 3D tasks thanks to its top-tier Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 120Hz, whereas the MSI Thin GF63, equipped with a capable yet less powerful Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and higher 144Hz refresh rate, provides good gaming performance at a potentially more affordable level. Additionally, the GE66 Raider's superior CPU and screen resolution contribute to its excellent rating, while the GF63, with a still robust CPU and standard screen quality, strikes a balance between performance and cost.
Engineering and Design
9.1
7.5
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
9.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI GE66 Raider is excellent for engineering and design, while the MSI Thin GF63 is good.
The MSI GE66 Raider, with a more powerful processor, double the RAM, and a significantly superior graphics card, offers better performance for demanding engineering and design tasks than the less equipped MSI Thin GF63. The Raider also boasts a higher-resolution screen, enhancing the visual clarity necessary for detailed work, although it’s less portable and noisier under load than the GF63.
Content Creation
8.4
7.4
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for content creation, while the MSI Thin GF63 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.4
7.2
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for software development, while the MSI Thin GF63 is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.2
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
347.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The MSI GE66 Raider has a better screen than the MSI Thin GF63 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the MSI GE66 Raider offers superior visual clarity and brightness due to its higher resolution and quality panel, making documents, web pages, and media appear sharper and more vibrant. During engineering tasks, its wider color range accurately represents different hues, crucial for detailed design work, whereas the MSI Thin GF63, with more limited color coverage, may not display colors as precisely. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the Raider's lower refresh rate can result in less fluid motion compared to laptops tailored for gaming, which often prioritize high refresh rates for smoother visuals in fast-paced scenes.
Battery
6.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The MSI GE66 Raider has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Thin GF63 has 4.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Fair
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The MSI Thin GF63 has good portability, while the MSI GE66 Raider has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
6.5
The MSI GE66 Raider has very good build quality, while the MSI Thin GF63 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$3,199
$1,400
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The MSI GE66 Raider has a price of $3,199 and the MSI Thin GF63 costs $1,400.
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How the MSI GE66 Raider and the MSI Thin GF63 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI GE66 Raider | MSI Thin GF63 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$3,199 | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2022 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.25 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.09" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.51" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-12900HK | Intel i7-12650H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2160 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 347 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.9/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.3/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 4 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
MSI GE66 Raider
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Patrick Schüdzig | June 2022
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
MSI Thin GF63
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Charles Jeffries | November 2022
"The MSI GF63 Thin 11SC can be an admirable value for gamers and power users on a minimal budget. For just $599 as reviewed in its base model, its Intel Core i5 H-class processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics perform much better than low-wattage CPUs and integrated graphics. That said, this is a light-class gaming laptop. Low scores in our demanding gaming benchmarks indicate using lower visual-quality settings will be required for playable performance."
Get a great deal on the MSI GE66 Raider or the MSI Thin GF63
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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