MSI GP66 Leopard
MSI GP66 Leopard
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GENERAL USE: Good—7.5/10
GAMING/AI: Good—7.8/10
ENG/DESIGN: Good—7.9/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Good—7.2/10
CONTENT CREATION: Good—7.4/10
PORTABILITY: Fair—6.8/10
BATTERY: Fair—6.5/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Good—7.4/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Very Good—8.1/10
SIZE: 15.6"
The MSI GP66 Leopard is a midrange-priced laptop equipped with powerful hardware, including an Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics, making it well-suited for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks. Its 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage can handle multitasking and ample data. It has a 15.6-inch IPS display with a high refresh rate, although it does not support touchscreen functionality. Due to its performance-oriented build, it has a shorter battery life and is heavier, compromising portability. Its keyboard is backlit without a number pad, has good heat management, but it tends to have notable fan noise. It also includes Ethernet but lacks USB-C charging and Thunderbolt ports. With a sturdy build quality and hardware ray tracing support, it's a robust choice for users needing performance over sleekness and portability. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Midrange price
- Intel i7-11800H processor
- Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics
- 144Hz refresh rate display
- RGB keyboard backlighting
Cons
- Heavy at 5.25 pounds
- Moderate battery life
- No touchscreen available
- Launched May 2021; not latest model
Ratings by Category
Engineering & Design:4.4
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design, CAD and 3D work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Build Quality:4.4
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability.
Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify.
Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
Keyboard Quality:4.4
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
Gaming & AI:4.3
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability as well as AI performance, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
While performance (especially graphics performance) is the most important factor determining this score, we also give modest weight to screen quality, heat management, keyboard quality, and storage.
General Use Screen Quality:4.3
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
General Use:4.2
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.
The most important factors in this score include CPU performance, amount of RAM, screen quality, storage, and battery life.
Keyboard quality, speaker quality, low fan noise, heat management, and to a lesser extent webcam quality are all moderately important factors for this score.
Content Creation:4.2
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, and video editing work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Software Development:4.1
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Portability:3.9
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
Battery Life:3.5
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
Operating Noise:3.5
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | May 1, 2021 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | ||
Weight | 5.25 lbs | ||
Width | 14.09" | ||
Depth | 10.51" | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Intel i7-11800H | ||
RAM | 16 GB | ||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | ||
RAM Slots | 2 | ||
Storage | 512 GB | ||
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | 5 Hours | ||
Battery Capacity | 65 Wh | ||
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | ||
Display Technology | IPS | ||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | ||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | ||
Display Brightness | 362 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 8/10 | ||
Portability Score | 6.9/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | ||
Premium Business Laptop | No | ||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | ||
Webcam | 720p | ||
Fingerprint Reader | No | ||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | ||
Number Pad | No | ||
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | 3 | ||
USB-C ports | 0 | ||
USB-C Charging | No | ||
Display Outputs | 2 | ||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | ||
MSI GP66 Leopard
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NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | December 2021
"The MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
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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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