MSI took to the stage at CES 2022 to reveal its new range of laptops for both gamers and content creators, sporting all the latest bells and whistles including the latest 12th-generation Intel processors and Nvidia’s latest and greatest laptop-focused GPU, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti.
The inclusion of the new Nvidia graphics card is of particular note in MSI’s Stealth GS77 (17in) and GS66 (15.6in) gaming laptops. According to Nvidia, during its announcement, the RTX 3080 Ti for laptops offers better performance than the Titan RTX, a $2,500 desktop graphics card released in late 2018.
That should translate to incredible game performance on the new Stealth range, especially when paired with up to a 5Ghz, 14-core Intel Core i9-12900H processor and up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM. There’s also a spacious 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD which should provide rapid game loading times.
The top-end Core i9 variant of the larger GS77 also benefits from phase-changing liquid metal for cooling.
According to MSI, the phase-changing material changes from solid to liquid when the CPU gets hot, filling the space between the CPU and thermal block to aid heat transfer and improve performance. It’s unclear why it’s exclusive to the larger GS77, though.
Size of the display itself aside, there are similar display options across the Stealth 2022 range. Both the GS77 and GS66 offer options for Full HD/260Hz, Quad HD/240Hz or 4K, although the latter is capped at 60Hz on the 15.6in model and 120Hz on the 17in model.
The larger 17in model also has the better speaker setup of the two, sporting six 2W speakers compared to the two on offer from the GS66. it’s the same in the webcam department too, with the larger model’s Full HD webcam beating the 720p webcam of its smaller sibling, although both feature support for Windows Hello facial recognition.
Both models come with a variety of ports including Thunderbolt 4, standard USB-C, two USB-A ports, 2.5Gbps Ethernet connectivity and an HDMI 2.1 port.
The Stealth GS77 measures in at around 2.5kg and just over 20mm thick, while the GS66 measures in at 2.1kg and 18mm – a little heavier than the 15in Razer Blade, but lighter than its 17in model with similar specs.
The 15.6in MSI Stealth GS66 starts at US$2,499 (around £1,899) with a combination of Core i9-12900H, RTX 3070 Ti and 32GB of RAM, while the 17in Stealth GS77 starts at US$1,799 (around £1,399) with a Core i7-12650H, RTX 3060 and 16GB of RAM.
Alongside the Stealth 2022 range, MSI revealed the MSI Raider GE76 and GE66, with a boosted Intel i9 12900HK processor as well as a higher refresh rate on the 4K display of the 15.6in model, although it doesn’t have the Ti variants of Nvidia GPUs onboard.
The Raider starts at US$1,599 (around £1,199) for the 15.6in model and US$2,249 (around £1,699) for the 17in model, with a release yet to be confirmed.
There’s also the brand-new line of MSI Vector laptops, sporting up to the top-end Intel Core i9-1200H and up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM alongside Nvidia’s RTX 3080, starting at US$1,899 (around £1,399) with a Core i7-12700H, RTX 3060 and 16GB of RAM.
MSI’s Crosshair 15 and 17 also got an upgrade with the latest Intel processors and Nvidia graphics as well as a Rainbow Six Extraction-themed redesign ahead of the game’s release in 2022.
Let’s not forget about MSI’s Katana GF76 and GF66, the company’s budget gaming laptop offering for 2022. The laptops come with up to an Intel Core i7-12700H processor, Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics (although non-Ti on the GF76) and up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM.
It’s in the display department that the budget nature shines through, with a single Full HD/144Hz panel configuration. Though, starting at $1,099 (around £799) with a Core i5-12500H, GeForce RTX 3050 and 8GB of RAM, there’s not a lot to complain about.
If you’re on the hunt for a gaming laptop right now and can’t wait for these new models to be released, we’ve got a selection of the best gaming laptops, as well as the best gaming headsets and best gaming mice if you want to upgrade your existing setup too.
