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Updated January 10, 2024·
The MSI Pulse GL66 boasts a higher-performance graphics card suited for intensive gaming and 3D or engineering tasks but offers less battery life and is heavier, making it less portable. The MSI Prestige 15, conversely, provides a better battery life and lighter weight for enhanced portability, alongside a higher quality screen display. It's more suited for general use and business applications, but it features a less powerful processor and graphics card, which means it may not perform as well for demanding software or gaming. If portability and screen quality are your primary concerns, the Prestige 15 is the favorable option. If you're focused on performance for gaming or demanding applications, the Pulse GL66 would be the better fit. 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 Pulse GL66
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 15
- Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.2
6.3
7.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Pulse GL66 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 15 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Screen Quality
6.8
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
245.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The MSI Pulse GL66 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 15 for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 15 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The MSI Prestige 15 has a display that boasts higher resolution and brightness, which is ideal for general use where readability and visibility in various lighting conditions are essential. For engineering and design tasks, it offers a wider color gamut, ensuring that professionals who need accurate color representation for their work are satisfied. However, both laptops have screens with lower refresh rates that are less optimal for 3D applications and gaming, where smooth motion is crucial for an immersive experience.
Battery
4.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 15 has 7.5 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
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Prestige 15 and MSI Pulse GL66 both have good portability, though the MSI Prestige 15 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,399
$1,044
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The MSI Pulse GL66 has a price of $1,399 and the MSI Prestige 15 costs $1,044.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.3
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
245.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Prestige 15 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for general use.
The MSI Pulse GL66, with its higher-end CPU and dedicated graphics card, offers strong performance suitable for a variety of tasks, including more demanding ones, but its battery life is shorter and it's heavier, affecting portability. In contrast, the MSI Prestige 15 provides a balance of performance and portability with its lighter frame and longer battery life, making it a great choice for users who require mobility without sacrificing capability for general applications.
Engineering and Design
7.5
7.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Pulse GL66 and MSI Prestige 15 are both good for engineering and design.
The MSI Pulse GL66 is equipped with a higher-tier Intel i7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU, which provides strong performance for demanding engineering and design tasks, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the Prestige 15.
Content Creation
7.2
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Prestige 15 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for content creation.
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
7.0
7.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Prestige 15 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for software development.
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.
Build Quality
7.4
7.4
The MSI Pulse GL66 and MSI Prestige 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the MSI Pulse GL66 and the MSI Prestige 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI Pulse GL66 | MSI Prestige 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,399 | $1,044 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2021 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.94'' | 14.1'' x 9.2'' x 0.74'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.63 lbs | 3.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.13" | 14.05" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.2" | 9.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-11800H | Intel i5-1240P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 53 Wh | 82 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 245 nits | 298 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.1/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
MSI Pulse GL66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | April 2022
"The MSI Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."
MSI Prestige 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | December 2022
"The MSI Prestige 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the MSI Pulse GL66 or the MSI Prestige 15
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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