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Updated January 10, 2024·
The MSI Pulse GL66 is a more budget-friendly choice with solid performance for general use and gaming, featuring a mid-range processor and graphics card. It has a respectable battery life and is reasonably portable, making it suitable for everyday tasks and moderate gaming. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE76 is premium priced, offering higher performance for 3D, machine learning, and intensive engineering tasks due to a more powerful processor and top-end graphics card. It boasts a larger and better-resolution display, superior battery capacity, and enhanced features for gaming. However, it is heavier, which reduces its portability. Choose the GL66 for a balance of cost and performance in a more portable form or the GE76 for top-tier performance and gaming at a higher cost and with less portability. 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 GE76
- 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
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3
8.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
245.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The MSI Raider GE76 is very good for general use, while the MSI Pulse GL66 is good.
The MSI Pulse GL66 offers a solid general-use experience with decent processing power and memory for everyday tasks, and its screen and portability are good for those on the go, but it's limited by average battery life. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE76, while less portable due to its larger size and weight, provides a superior general-use experience with its more powerful CPU, double the memory, and significantly higher-quality screen, while also featuring a much longer battery life, making it well-equipped for both everyday and demanding tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.2
8.9
7.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
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
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE76 is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Pulse GL66 is good.
The MSI Pulse GL66 includes a robust Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU and a high refresh rate of 144Hz, making it suitable for gaming and 3D applications. The MSI Raider GE76 steps up the performance with an even more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU and a superior 240Hz screen refresh rate, enhancing gaming and 3D experiences even further.
Engineering and Design
7.5
9.0
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE76 is excellent for engineering and design, while the MSI Pulse GL66 is good.
The MSI Raider GE76 is considered excellent for engineering and design because it boasts a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, an upgraded GPU, and superior screen quality with a higher resolution and better color coverage, which are very important for demanding tasks and detailed visuals. In contrast, the MSI Pulse GL66, while still suitable for engineering, has less powerful specifications and a lower-quality screen, but it offers better portability and keyboard quality which are somewhat important, yet secondary to raw performance and display fidelity for such specialized use.
Content Creation
7.2
8.4
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 GE76 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
8.2
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 GE76 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
8.6
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
245.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE76 has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize high resolution and brightness for everyday tasks, the MSI Raider GE76 offers a sharper and brighter display, enhancing your experience for general use and detailed work in engineering and design. Its display covers a wider range of colors, crucial for precise color work in these fields. However, for gaming and 3D applications where the smoothness of motion is key, both laptops have poor screen refresh rates which could result in less fluid visuals despite their other screen qualities.
Battery
4.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE76 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.
Portability
Good
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The MSI Pulse GL66 has good portability, while the MSI Raider GE76 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The MSI Raider GE76 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
$3,552
$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 GE76 costs $3,552.
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How the MSI Pulse GL66 and the MSI Raider GE76 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| MSI Pulse GL66 | MSI Raider GE76 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,399 | $3,552 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2021 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.94'' | 15.6'' x 11.2'' x 1.02'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.63 lbs | 6.39 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.13" | 15.63" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.2" | 11.18" | |
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" | 17.3" | |
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 | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.1/10 | 5.9/10 | |
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 | 6.5/10 | |
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 | Yes | |
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 GE76
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | January 2022
"The MSI Raider GE76: with Alder Lake and RTX 3080 Ti to gaming heaven. Yes, MSI could improve some aspects (like the quality of the webcam), but the manufacturer offers a very convincing and balanced overall package. The biggest advantage is definitely the immense performance potential. The combination of Core i9-12900HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 32 GB DDR5 RAM and two NVMe SSDs offers a lot of performance for the next couple of years and plenty of power for 3D applications. Most titles would run smoothly on an external 4K screen no matter the quality preset. We came away impressed with the integrated 360 Hz panel's fast response times and good color accuracy."
Get a great deal on the MSI Pulse GL66 or the MSI Raider GE76
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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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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