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Updated January 10, 2024·
The MSI Pulse GL66 is somewhat less expensive and offers midrange performance, suitable for general use and some intensive gaming; its lighter weight and slightly longer battery life make it more portable. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE66, with its higher price, provides significantly better performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, thanks to more RAM, a more powerful GPU, and a higher-resolution display; however, this model is heavier and has a more gaming-focused appearance. 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 portability
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE66
- Very good for general use
- Very good 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
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3
8.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
245.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for general use, while the MSI Pulse GL66 is good.
The MSI Raider GE66 exceeds the MSI Pulse GL66 in its processing power, double the memory capacity, and a superior screen with higher resolution and brightness, which is advantageous for varied and intensive tasks. However, this comes with a tradeoff in portability due to its additional weight and a battery life that, while longer, may still be limiting for extended use away from power sources.
Gaming and AI
7.2
8.5
7.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Pulse GL66 is good.
The MSI Raider GE66 has a more powerful graphics card, the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti, compared to the MSI Pulse GL66's RTX 3070, and a higher screen refresh rate of 240 Hz which is significantly superior for gaming than GL66's 144 Hz, offering smoother visuals during fast-paced action.
Engineering and Design
7.5
8.9
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Pulse GL66 is good.
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for engineering and design use because it features more RAM and a higher GPU model than the MSI Pulse GL66, along with a higher resolution and brighter screen which is crucial for detail-oriented tasks. While the Pulse GL66 is still a capable machine for these tasks due to its competent processor and GPU, the Raider GE66 offers better performance and screen quality, at the cost of being slightly less portable and potentially louder in operation due to its more powerful components.
Content Creation
7.2
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for content creation, while the MSI Pulse GL66 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
7.0
8.0
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for software development, while the MSI Pulse GL66 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
6.8
8.4
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
245.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE66 has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The MSI Pulse GL66 offers a good balance of resolution and brightness for everyday tasks, ensuring a pleasant viewing experience for general users. However, for engineering and design professionals, its color accuracy across various color gamuts is not top-tier, which is crucial for precise color work. As for gaming and 3D applications, its lower refresh rate limits the smoothness of fast-moving visuals, which is a key aspect for an immersive experience in high-pace scenarios.
Battery
4.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 has 6 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.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The MSI Raider GE66 has very good build quality, while the MSI Pulse GL66 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,399
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The MSI Pulse GL66 has a price of $1,399 and the MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
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Key similarities
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Pulse GL66 to have good portability, while the MSI Raider GE66 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the MSI Pulse GL66 and the MSI Raider GE66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI Pulse GL66 | MSI Raider GE66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,399 | $2,499 | ||
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 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.63 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.13" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.2" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-11800H | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 53 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 245 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.1/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 4 | |
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 Raider GE66
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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."
Get a great deal on the MSI Pulse GL66 or the MSI Raider GE66
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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