2020 MSI GL65 15.6 Inch FHD 1080P Gaming Laptop| Intel 6-Core i7 review
2020 MSI GL65 15.6 Inch FHD 1080P Gaming Laptop| Intel 6-Core i7 review
PROS
Impressive hardware mix for the money.
Bright full-HD (1080p) screen.
Solid, not-all-plastic build.
Comfortable keyboard.
SD reader, mini DisplayPort, and dedicated 3.5 mm microphone port
above average Core i7-9750H performance (on Turbo Fan mode)
lightweight chassis with narrow bezels
above average CPU performance
NumPad and full-size Arrow keys
dedicated mouse buttons
per-key RGB lighting
120 Hz panel
above average Core i7-9750H performance (on Turbo Fan mode)
lightweight chassis with narrow bezels
above average CPU performance
NumPad and full-size Arrow keys
dedicated mouse buttons
per-key RGB lighting
120 Hz panel
CONS
Touchpad button clicks are too loud.
Some ports located too near the user.
Tinny speakers.
average display response times; moderate ghosting
-ports are tightly positioned close to the front
-below average bass reproduction
-heavy uneven backlight bleeding
-fans are almost always active
-ports are tightly positioned close to the front
-below average bass reproduction
-heavy uneven backlight bleeding
-fans are almost always active
MSI GL65 SeriesProcessor: Intel Core i5 9300H, Intel Core i7 9750H
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
Display: 15.6 inch
Weight: 2.3kg, 3kg
The GL65 is a huge upgrade over the GL63 in terms of visuals, weight, performance, and size. On the other hand, other key aspects like battery life, ports, brightness, and display quality have barely changed at all.
The GL65 is a huge upgrade over the GL63 in terms of visuals, weight, performance, and size. On the other hand, other key aspects like battery life, ports, brightness, and display quality have barely changed at all.
MSI GL65 9SEK (GL65 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-9750H (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile - 6144 MB, Core: 1110 MHz, Memory: 1750 MHz, GDDR6, 425.31, Optimus
Memory
16384 MB
, DDR4-2666, 19-19-19-43
Display
15.6 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, AU Optronics B156HAN13.0, IPS, AUOD0ED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G, 512 GB
Weight
2.3 kg ( = 81.13 oz / 5.07 pounds), Power Supply: 770 g ( = 27.16 oz / 1.7 pounds)
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
Display: 15.6 inch
Weight: 2.3kg, 3kg
The GL65 is a huge upgrade over the GL63 in terms of visuals, weight, performance, and size. On the other hand, other key aspects like battery life, ports, brightness, and display quality have barely changed at all.
MSI GL65 9SEK (GL65 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-9750H (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile - 6144 MB, Core: 1110 MHz, Memory: 1750 MHz, GDDR6, 425.31, Optimus
Memory
16384 MB
, DDR4-2666, 19-19-19-43
Display
15.6 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, AU Optronics B156HAN13.0, IPS, AUOD0ED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G, 512 GB
Weight
2.3 kg ( = 81.13 oz / 5.07 pounds), Power Supply: 770 g ( = 27.16 oz / 1.7 pounds)
A Value-Packed Cranker
The GL65 is hardly the only 15.6-inch gamer to retail for under a grand with a quad-core CPU and a 4GB GeForce GTX 1650, but it's further under that mark than most. As a matter of fact, as I type this, the system I'm reviewing (model 9SC-004) is an unbeatable deal. A Lenovo Legion Y545 with comparable hardware rings up with only half the storage (256GB). The Dell G3 15 (3590) is in similar straits, costing more than the MSI although that price buys you both a 128GB SSD and a 1TB hard drive. Another option is the Asus TUF Gaming FX505 series (a technology refresh of the TUF Gaming FX504G), but it's also more expensive when outfitted with a comparable AMD Ryzen 7 3750H processor.
Case
Most of our comments on the GP65 chassis apply here on the GL65. The main visual difference between them is that the outer lid of the former incorporates additional design elements whereas the outer lid of the GL65 is completely flat. Chassis materials and texture are otherwise identical.
Aluminum, which covers the GL65's top and lid backing, is nice to see on a laptop at this price point. The Asus TUF Gaming FX505 and Dell G3 15 both make exclusive use of plastic. The rest of the MSI's construction is plastic, keeping its heft in check; I weighed our review model at 4.6 pounds, although MSI's official specifications say it's supposed to be 5.1 pounds.
Put It in Red
The red-only keyboard backlighting is one of the ways this GL65 unit keeps costs down. (MSI sells upscale models in the GL65 line with per-key RGB backlighting.)
Connectivity
Port options and even positioning are almost identical to the last generation GL63. The only main difference is that the AC adapter port is now closer to the front instead of towards the rear corner. It's not recommended to use the GL63 AC adapter on the GL65 since the latter ships with a more capable adapter (180 W vs. 135 W).
SD Card Reader
While we appreciate the fact that the system integrates a full-size spring-loaded SD card reader, its very slow transfer rates are hard to forgive. Transferring 1 GB worth of images from our UHS-II test card to desktop takes about 45 seconds compared to just ~8 seconds on the Dell XPS 15. The slow speed can be frustrating for content creators who rely on SD readers.
Communication
The Intel 9560 offers Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5 connectivity. Strangely, transmit speeds are only about half of what the module is capable of. We're able to record an average transmit rate of 355 Mbps compared to 620 Mbps on the MSI GS65 equipped with the exact same Intel 9560. Other than this performance oddity, we experienced no wireless issues with the GL65.
Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by 12 Philips screws that will unfortunately require tearing a factory seal sticker to service. Once inside, upgrading core components like RAM, WLAN, battery, or the two storage bays becomes simple.
Accessories and Warranty
Put It in Red
The red-only keyboard backlighting is one of the ways this GL65 unit keeps costs down. (MSI sells upscale models in the GL65 line with per-key RGB backlighting.)
Connectivity
Port options and even positioning are almost identical to the last generation GL63. The only main difference is that the AC adapter port is now closer to the front instead of towards the rear corner. It's not recommended to use the GL63 AC adapter on the GL65 since the latter ships with a more capable adapter (180 W vs. 135 W).
SD Card Reader
While we appreciate the fact that the system integrates a full-size spring-loaded SD card reader, its very slow transfer rates are hard to forgive. Transferring 1 GB worth of images from our UHS-II test card to desktop takes about 45 seconds compared to just ~8 seconds on the Dell XPS 15. The slow speed can be frustrating for content creators who rely on SD readers.
Communication
The Intel 9560 offers Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5 connectivity. Strangely, transmit speeds are only about half of what the module is capable of. We're able to record an average transmit rate of 355 Mbps compared to 620 Mbps on the MSI GS65 equipped with the exact same Intel 9560. Other than this performance oddity, we experienced no wireless issues with the GL65.
Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by 12 Philips screws that will unfortunately require tearing a factory seal sticker to service. Once inside, upgrading core components like RAM, WLAN, battery, or the two storage bays becomes simple.
Accessories and Warranty
Port Locations Aren't Ideal
The MSI's ports are all located on its sides. This wouldn't be a talking point if it weren't that most them are too close to the front edge, which can be problematic if you plug in a device that sticks out and encroaches on external mouse space. The good selection almost makes up for the inconvenience, however. On the left, you'll find an Ethernet jack; HDMI and mini DisplayPort video outputs; USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C ports; and separate headphone and microphone jacks.Meanwhile, the right edge is graced by two more USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a full-size SD card reader, and the power connector.
The 150-watt AC adapter has a right-angle jack so it doesn't stick out too far. For wireless communications, the GL65 offers 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.
Solid Entry-Level Performance
Now let's see how far the GL65's bargain hardware can carry it in our benchmark suite. I pitted the MSI against the following gaming laptops, most of which pack harder-hitting (and more expensive) components:
The Acer Nitro 7, despite having the same basic hardware as the GL65, has a more premium build and features. Up the performance scale from there is the Lenovo Legion Y545, packing a 6GB GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU, followed by the Asus ROG Strix Scar III and Dell G7 15, each equipped with a 6GB GeForce RTX 2060. The MSI GL65 is, on paper, the least capable in the CPU department; its Core i5-9300H has two fewer cores than the Core i7 chips in the others.
2020 MSI GL65 15.6 Inch FHD 1080P Gaming Laptop| Intel 6-Core i7 review
Input DevicesKeyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard and trackpad (11 x 6.3 cm) are identical to the GP65. Keep in mind that some lower-end SKUs have single-zone red keyboard backlight only whereas this GeForce RTX SKU includes per-key RGB lighting.
We applaud MSI for using the SteelSeries keyboard across most G series laptops in order to give a consistent look and feel between models and generations. If you have typed on an MSI G series laptop before, then you will already have a good idea of how the GL65 keyboard will feel.
The keyboard is familiar if you've used an MSI gaming notebook recently. The feel is rubbery but pleasant, with enough key travel for communicative feedback. Layout-wise, the left-side Windows key is missing, but the preinstalled MSI Dragon Center utility lets you swap its functionality with the Fn key to the right of the space bar. A dedicated button at the top right of the keyboard launches Dragon Center; next to it is the power button and another to engage maximum fan speed (which I never needed; see the cooling section later in this review).
Speaking of software, note that the GL65's keyboard, while it's designed in conjunction with peripheral maker SteelSeries, isn't compatible with the SteelSeries Engine app like the keyboards of some higher-end MSI notebooks. As such, it doesn't support remapping keys or saving profiles.
Located left of center in the palm rest, the GL65's touchpad is spacious enough. It's marred only by its overly loud button clicks; I found myself tapping the pad to click to avoid the noise.Built-in biometric features are lacking on the GL65, a drawback it shares with many gaming notebooks. I point this out in reviews since non-gaming laptops that cost much less often include a fingerprint reader, face recognition webcam, or both. At least the GL65 measures up when it comes to its 720p webcam, which offers a reasonable picture in the right light. On the audible side of the spectrum, the MSI's speakers are just so-so. While they have enough volume, their tinny sound and lack of bass will have you reaching for your headphones.
Bright and Full HD
The GL65's display is everything a value-oriented gaming rig's should be. Not only is its 1080p resolution just right for gameplay with the GeForce GTX 1650, but games are brought to life by its bright and colorful picture, wide viewing angles, and anti-glare surface.
The panel's refresh rate is 60Hz, not the 144Hz (or even 240Hz) supported by deluxe gaming screens, but that's not a biggie at this price. Outside of some less demanding esports titles, the GTX 1650 isn't likely to push beyond 60 frames per second (fps) in modern games.
Display
Unlike the LG Philips LP156WF6-SPK6 IPS panel on the GL63, the GL65 ships with an AU Optronics B156HAN13.0 IPS panel instead. This particular 120 Hz panel can be found on no other laptop in our database as of this writing. Unfortunately, this is a budget-midrange panel with its slow response times and narrow gamut as shown by our table below. The Sharp LQ156M1JW03 panel on the more expensive MSI GS65 offers both significantly faster black-white response times to reduce ghosting and more accurate colors.
Subjectively, onscreen content looks crisp despite the matte overlay. Colors, however, are not as deep as what you'd find on the GS65 or the pricier Razer Blade 15 OLED. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the display is its moderate-heavy uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom corners. The bleeding is immediately noticeable during a cold boot or when viewing videos with black borders. This would be easy to forgive on a cheap multimedia laptop, but MSI has no excuse on this RTX
Color space is narrow at just 55 percent and 35 percent of sRGB and AdobeRGB, respectively, compared to >95 percent sRGB from the Sharp LQ156M1 panel on the Alienware m15 R2. This is definitely not the panel to use for any sort of professional graphics work.
Further measurements with an X-Rite colorimeter reveal average grayscale and relatively poor color accuracy. While our calibration attempt significantly improves average grayscale (DeltaE from 3.5 to 1.7), colors are still inaccurate at higher saturation levels due to the narrow gamut of the panel.
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
Display Response Times
Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
↔ Response Time Black to White
30 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined ↗ 17.6 ms rise
↘ 12.4 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 72 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (24.9 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
26.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined ↗ 13.2 ms rise
↘ 13.2 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.9 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 16 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (39.6 ms).
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected
In comparison: 51 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 13570 (minimum: 43 - maximum: 2500000) Hz was measured.
Outdoor visibility is about the same as the GL63 since brightness and colors haven't improved by all that much on the GL65. This is kind of a bummer because the GL65 is so much smaller than the GL63 and yet the display isn't any brighter when outdoors.
Getting back to the GL65, its 2.4GHz Core i5-9300H processor is a quad-core, eight-thread part with a 45-watt thermal design power (TDP) rating, qualifying it as a chip worthy of a desktop-replacement notebook. Gaming laptops in the next pricing tier usually step up to the Core i7-9750H, a six-core, 12-thread chip that's better suited to multitasking and livestreaming duties.
Graphics-wise, the MSI's 4GB GeForce GTX 1650 is Nvidia's bread-and-butter "Turing" offering for both laptops and desktops. More potent than the "Pascal" GTX 1050 it replaces, it's generally comfortable playing games at 1080p resolution without compromising on image quality settings too much. (I'll hone that statement a little further in the benchmarks section of this review.) The next step up for notebooks is a big one, to the 6GB GTX 1660 Ti, as there's no middle-ground GTX 1660 as in the desktop world. The Ti is much faster than the GTX 1650, but you'll almost certainly spend four figures for a laptop that has one.
The only hardware spec where the GL65 disappoints a little is its memory. The single 8GB DDR4-2666 stick in my review model is the minimum required by many AAA game titles. During my testing, I noticed some sluggishness while gaming and trying to do other tasks at the same time. It's possible to inexpensively add a second 8GB DIMM to double the memory, or to upgrade the GL65 to 32GB via two 16GB DIMMs.
Patience and caution are required for such an operation, though. The bottom panel is held on by a dozen screws, and you'll need a pry tool to undo all the plastic clips holding the chassis halves together. When taking the plastic halves apart, special care is needed to route the chassis port openings around the actual ports (especially the headphone and microphone jacks) to avoid damage. It's not a process I'd care to undertake more than once.
You've Got That Gaming Feeling
The GL65 shares its basic design with MSI's pricier GE65 Raider. The two even share dimensions, at 1.1 by 14.1 by 9.8 inches. Though on the thick side, this notebook is hardly chunky. Its display bezels are about as thin as you can get.
Visually, the GL65 dips into gamer cliché with its red-and-black color scheme. Most of the red comes from the keyboard backlighting, with only a few accents on the chassis. Despite the colors, the overall look of the machine is conventional, though the MSI gaming logo on the lid (which is passively backlit by the screen) means it won't be mistaken for anything but a gaming laptop.
Performance
CPU and Media Tests
We start with UL's PCMark 10, a general productivity or system assessment benchmark. The GL65 was a little off the pace here, though still above the 4,000-point mark we expect from a high-performance machine.
Also included here is the PCMark 8 storage benchmark, which we use to evaluate the performance of the PC's primary drive. The MSI and its 512GB PCIe SSD kept up just fine.
Getting back to CPU performance, the Cinebench R15 test uses all available cores and threads to render a complex image. With only four instead of six processing cores, the GL65 was at a clear disadvantage...
Next comes our Adobe Photoshop test, in which we add up the total execution times while using a 2018 release of Photoshop Creative Cloud to apply 10 filters and effects to a standard JPEG image.
The 8GB of RAM in our GL65 is enough to run Photoshop without slowdowns, though for serious use as an image editing system, it'd be better to have 16GB.
Graphics Tests
For the 3D-focused testing, we'll start with UL's 3DMark suite. The two gaming-style benchmarks we use are Fire Strike and Sky Diver, both of which are DirectX 11-based. In the more demanding Fire Strike test, the GL65 kept up with the Acer Nitro 7, using the same 4GB GTX 1650 GPU.
The GTX 1660 Ti in the Lenovo Legion Y545 was far ahead, however. This general pattern carried over to Unigine's Superposition test, which we run at two resolutions. It uses a different rendering engine than 3DMark for a second opinion on a PC's graphics performance.
The MSI slightly edged out the Acer. Note the GeForce RTX 2060-based Asus and Dell laptops didn't greatly distance themselves from the Lenovo—the latter's GTX 1660 Ti was close in performance, although it lacks the ray tracing and DLSS features inherent in Nvidia's RTX product line. (None of our tests leverages RTX-specific features.)
Finally, we use the built-in benchmarks in two real-world AAA games, Far Cry 5 (at its Normal and Ultra 1080p presets) and Rise of the Tomb Raider (at its Medium and Very High presets). Far Cry 5 uses DirectX 11; we flip Rise of the Tomb Raider to DX12.
Unlike the LG Philips LP156WF6-SPK6 IPS panel on the GL63, the GL65 ships with an AU Optronics B156HAN13.0 IPS panel instead. This particular 120 Hz panel can be found on no other laptop in our database as of this writing. Unfortunately, this is a budget-midrange panel with its slow response times and narrow gamut as shown by our table below. The Sharp LQ156M1JW03 panel on the more expensive MSI GS65 offers both significantly faster black-white response times to reduce ghosting and more accurate colors.
Subjectively, onscreen content looks crisp despite the matte overlay. Colors, however, are not as deep as what you'd find on the GS65 or the pricier Razer Blade 15 OLED. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the display is its moderate-heavy uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom corners. The bleeding is immediately noticeable during a cold boot or when viewing videos with black borders. This would be easy to forgive on a cheap multimedia laptop, but MSI has no excuse on this RTX
Color space is narrow at just 55 percent and 35 percent of sRGB and AdobeRGB, respectively, compared to >95 percent sRGB from the Sharp LQ156M1 panel on the Alienware m15 R2. This is definitely not the panel to use for any sort of professional graphics work.
Further measurements with an X-Rite colorimeter reveal average grayscale and relatively poor color accuracy. While our calibration attempt significantly improves average grayscale (DeltaE from 3.5 to 1.7), colors are still inaccurate at higher saturation levels due to the narrow gamut of the panel.
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
Display Response Times
Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
↔ Response Time Black to White
30 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined ↗ 17.6 ms rise
↘ 12.4 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 72 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (24.9 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
26.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined ↗ 13.2 ms rise
↘ 13.2 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.9 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 16 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (39.6 ms).
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected
In comparison: 51 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 13570 (minimum: 43 - maximum: 2500000) Hz was measured.
Outdoor visibility is about the same as the GL63 since brightness and colors haven't improved by all that much on the GL65. This is kind of a bummer because the GL65 is so much smaller than the GL63 and yet the display isn't any brighter when outdoors.
Getting back to the GL65, its 2.4GHz Core i5-9300H processor is a quad-core, eight-thread part with a 45-watt thermal design power (TDP) rating, qualifying it as a chip worthy of a desktop-replacement notebook. Gaming laptops in the next pricing tier usually step up to the Core i7-9750H, a six-core, 12-thread chip that's better suited to multitasking and livestreaming duties.
Graphics-wise, the MSI's 4GB GeForce GTX 1650 is Nvidia's bread-and-butter "Turing" offering for both laptops and desktops. More potent than the "Pascal" GTX 1050 it replaces, it's generally comfortable playing games at 1080p resolution without compromising on image quality settings too much. (I'll hone that statement a little further in the benchmarks section of this review.) The next step up for notebooks is a big one, to the 6GB GTX 1660 Ti, as there's no middle-ground GTX 1660 as in the desktop world. The Ti is much faster than the GTX 1650, but you'll almost certainly spend four figures for a laptop that has one.
The only hardware spec where the GL65 disappoints a little is its memory. The single 8GB DDR4-2666 stick in my review model is the minimum required by many AAA game titles. During my testing, I noticed some sluggishness while gaming and trying to do other tasks at the same time. It's possible to inexpensively add a second 8GB DIMM to double the memory, or to upgrade the GL65 to 32GB via two 16GB DIMMs.
Patience and caution are required for such an operation, though. The bottom panel is held on by a dozen screws, and you'll need a pry tool to undo all the plastic clips holding the chassis halves together. When taking the plastic halves apart, special care is needed to route the chassis port openings around the actual ports (especially the headphone and microphone jacks) to avoid damage. It's not a process I'd care to undertake more than once.
You've Got That Gaming Feeling
The GL65 shares its basic design with MSI's pricier GE65 Raider. The two even share dimensions, at 1.1 by 14.1 by 9.8 inches. Though on the thick side, this notebook is hardly chunky. Its display bezels are about as thin as you can get.
Visually, the GL65 dips into gamer cliché with its red-and-black color scheme. Most of the red comes from the keyboard backlighting, with only a few accents on the chassis. Despite the colors, the overall look of the machine is conventional, though the MSI gaming logo on the lid (which is passively backlit by the screen) means it won't be mistaken for anything but a gaming laptop.
Performance
CPU and Media Tests
We start with UL's PCMark 10, a general productivity or system assessment benchmark. The GL65 was a little off the pace here, though still above the 4,000-point mark we expect from a high-performance machine.
Also included here is the PCMark 8 storage benchmark, which we use to evaluate the performance of the PC's primary drive. The MSI and its 512GB PCIe SSD kept up just fine.
Getting back to CPU performance, the Cinebench R15 test uses all available cores and threads to render a complex image. With only four instead of six processing cores, the GL65 was at a clear disadvantage...
Next comes our Adobe Photoshop test, in which we add up the total execution times while using a 2018 release of Photoshop Creative Cloud to apply 10 filters and effects to a standard JPEG image.
The 8GB of RAM in our GL65 is enough to run Photoshop without slowdowns, though for serious use as an image editing system, it'd be better to have 16GB.
Graphics Tests
For the 3D-focused testing, we'll start with UL's 3DMark suite. The two gaming-style benchmarks we use are Fire Strike and Sky Diver, both of which are DirectX 11-based. In the more demanding Fire Strike test, the GL65 kept up with the Acer Nitro 7, using the same 4GB GTX 1650 GPU.
The GTX 1660 Ti in the Lenovo Legion Y545 was far ahead, however. This general pattern carried over to Unigine's Superposition test, which we run at two resolutions. It uses a different rendering engine than 3DMark for a second opinion on a PC's graphics performance.
The MSI slightly edged out the Acer. Note the GeForce RTX 2060-based Asus and Dell laptops didn't greatly distance themselves from the Lenovo—the latter's GTX 1660 Ti was close in performance, although it lacks the ray tracing and DLSS features inherent in Nvidia's RTX product line. (None of our tests leverages RTX-specific features.)
Finally, we use the built-in benchmarks in two real-world AAA games, Far Cry 5 (at its Normal and Ultra 1080p presets) and Rise of the Tomb Raider (at its Medium and Very High presets). Far Cry 5 uses DirectX 11; we flip Rise of the Tomb Raider to DX12.
The Core i7-9750H CPU and GeForce RTX 2060 GPU are high-end specifications aimed at enthusiasts. For even faster GPU options like the RTX 2070 or RTX 2080, however, MSI fans will have to turn towards the pricier GS65 series instead.
Nvidia Optimus comes standard on all SKUs to automatically exclude G-Sync. LatencyMon shows no DPC latency issues even when wireless is enabled.
Processor
The Core i7-9750H in the MSI performs above average when compared to other laptops equipped with the same processor. When running CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop, for example, we're able to record an initial peak of 1279 points before dropping and stabilizing at about 1180 points to represent a dip of only 8 percent. The GS65 with the same CPU stabilizes at a slightly lower score.
See our dedicated page on the Core i7-9750H for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.
System Performance
PCMark results are in the same ballpark as other high-performance laptops like the Gigabyte Aero 15 or MSI GS65 even though the GL65 is a cheaper alternative. We experienced no software issues during our time with the unit.
Storage Devices
Internal storage options include an M.2 2280 NVMe slot and a 2.5-inch SATA III bay. The 512 GB Western Digital SN520 SSD in our test unit returns good sequential read and write rates for an NVMe drive, but pricier alternatives like the Samsung PM981 in the GS65 can be even faster as shown by the table below.
GPU Performance
The mobile GeForce RTX 2060 is performing where we expect it to be at within 2 percent of the average mobile RTX 2060 in our database. Keep in mind that the desktop RTX 2060 can offer 25 to 30 percent faster performance than our mobile RTX 2060 version. If you have no interest in RTX-specific features, then the mobile GTX 1660 Ti can offer very nearly the same performance as the mobile RTX 2060 for hundreds less.
Gaming Performance
The mobile GeForce RTX 2060 is able to play any title at the native 1080p resolution. Maintaining 60 FPS on most titles is possible as well at Medium settings or higher. Even so, performance is unfortunately closer to the GTX 1660 Ti than it is to the "proper" desktop RTX 2060.
Idling on Witcher 3 shows no recurring frame dips to suggest no interrupting background activity. See our dedicated page on the mobile GeForce RTX 2060 for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.
Emissions
System Noise
The cooling solution consists of twin fans and seven heat pipes between them. Interestingly, the left fan has two sets of ventilation grilles while the right fan only has one for an asymmetric setup.
The fans are almost always active for a constant level of noise no matter the processing load or power profile. Expect an audible fan noise of up to 33.5 dB(A) when browsing or video streaming. If gaming, fan noise will jump to 51 dB(A) to be louder than the MSI GS65 but quieter than the Asus Zephyrus S GX531GX. The system is louder than the outgoing GL63 GTX 1050 as well likely due to its more demanding RTX 2060 GPU. Enabling Turbo Fan mode will induce a constant fan noise of 58 dB(A) regardless of onscreen activity.
We can notice no electronic noise or coil whine from our test unit.
Temperature
Three sets of exhaust grilles
Surface temperatures are quite warm even when just idling on desktop. We're able to record a temperature of 40 C near the center of the keyboard from doing absolutely nothing on the laptop for half an hour. The unusually high idling temperatures back up our unusually high idling power consumption results in our Power Consumption section. In comparison, the hot spots on the GS65 are only 28 C to 33 C when under the same idling loads.
Running Witcher 3 results in a maximum surface temperature of 49 C near the center of the keyboard or 39 C near the WASD keys. Fortunately, the palm rests remain much cooler.
Stress Test
We stress the laptop with synthetic loads to identify for any potential throttling or stability issues. When running Prime95, clock rates would spike to 4 GHz for the first few seconds until hitting a core temperature of 95 C. Thereafter, clock rate drops to 3.5 GHz in order to maintain a cooler core temperature of 88 C. When Turbo Fan is enabled, core temperature drops further to 83 C while clock rate remains the same. Turbo Fan is therefore not necessary for maximum performance since it impacts temperature more so than clock rates to be consistent with what we observed on the GT series.
When running Witcher 3, CPU and GPU temperatures hover around 80 C and 72 C, respectively, or 67 C and 61 C when Turbo Fan is enabled. Running on battery power will impact overall performance. A 3DMark Fire Strike run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 10287 and 4565 points, respectively, compared to 17280 and 16331 points when on mains.
A strange bug we encountered was that the laptop would not recognize the AC adapter when both Prime95 and FurMark are initiated simultaneously even though the AC adapter is still physically connected. This would only occur when Turbo Mode is active and never during any of our real-world gaming tests.
Speakers
Unlike the 3 W stereo speakers on the 17.3-inch GL75, the 15.6-inch GL65 uses 2 W speakers instead. Volume is fairly loud but also severely lacking in bass reproduction. Bass roll-off begins at almost 1k Hz compared to 500 Hz or 250 Hz on other multimedia laptops like the HP Spectre x360 15. On the other hand, there are no vibrations on the palm rest when set to maximum volume likely because bass is already so poor. We expected more from a dedicated 15.6-inch gaming laptop.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Consumption when idling is very high at 41 W to 47 W compared to just 7 W to 11 W on the older GL63. We disabled wireless and made sure all Windows Updates were complete but our results did not change. MSI may want to double-check some of its background activity or software behavior to get to the bottom of the high consumption rates.
Consumption when gaming is otherwise normal. When running Witcher 3, the GL65 pulls in a steady 149 W to be very similar to the GP65 equipped with the same CPU and GPU. Note that the GS65 and its RTX 2080 Max-Q consumes about the same amount even though it offers 15 to 20 percent faster gaming performance and even faster ray-tracing performance.
We're able to record a maximum consumption of 214 W from the medium-sized (~16.5 x 8 x 2.5 cm) 180 W AC adapter.
Battery Life
Battery Rundown Test
In our last benchmark, we measure a laptop's unplugged runtime while playing a locally stored video with screen brightness at 50 percent and audio volume at 100 percent. We use the notebook's energy-saving rather than balanced or other power profile, turn off Wi-Fi, and even disable keyboard backlighting to squeeze as much life as possible out of the system
The days when gaming notebooks conked out after only 90 minutes or so away from a power outlet are over. The MSI's five and a half hours isn't a record, but it's not a negative, either. It'll let you step away from a wall socket without having to constantly keep an eye on the battery percentage.
Runtimes are downright terrible likely due to the high power consumption values we recorded above during low processing loads. Expect just under 4 hours of real-world WLAN use even though battery capacity has increased gen-to-gen from 41 Wh to 51 Wh. Idling on Power Saver mode at the minimum display brightness with the integrated GPU enabled results in a pathetic runtime of just 4 hours and 22 minutes.
Recharging from empty to full capacity takes about 1.5 hours. Attempting to recharge the system via USB Type-C will not work.
Verdict
Nvidia Optimus comes standard on all SKUs to automatically exclude G-Sync. LatencyMon shows no DPC latency issues even when wireless is enabled.
Processor
The Core i7-9750H in the MSI performs above average when compared to other laptops equipped with the same processor. When running CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop, for example, we're able to record an initial peak of 1279 points before dropping and stabilizing at about 1180 points to represent a dip of only 8 percent. The GS65 with the same CPU stabilizes at a slightly lower score.
See our dedicated page on the Core i7-9750H for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.
System Performance
PCMark results are in the same ballpark as other high-performance laptops like the Gigabyte Aero 15 or MSI GS65 even though the GL65 is a cheaper alternative. We experienced no software issues during our time with the unit.
Storage Devices
Internal storage options include an M.2 2280 NVMe slot and a 2.5-inch SATA III bay. The 512 GB Western Digital SN520 SSD in our test unit returns good sequential read and write rates for an NVMe drive, but pricier alternatives like the Samsung PM981 in the GS65 can be even faster as shown by the table below.
GPU Performance
The mobile GeForce RTX 2060 is performing where we expect it to be at within 2 percent of the average mobile RTX 2060 in our database. Keep in mind that the desktop RTX 2060 can offer 25 to 30 percent faster performance than our mobile RTX 2060 version. If you have no interest in RTX-specific features, then the mobile GTX 1660 Ti can offer very nearly the same performance as the mobile RTX 2060 for hundreds less.
Gaming Performance
The mobile GeForce RTX 2060 is able to play any title at the native 1080p resolution. Maintaining 60 FPS on most titles is possible as well at Medium settings or higher. Even so, performance is unfortunately closer to the GTX 1660 Ti than it is to the "proper" desktop RTX 2060.
Idling on Witcher 3 shows no recurring frame dips to suggest no interrupting background activity. See our dedicated page on the mobile GeForce RTX 2060 for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.
Emissions
System Noise
The cooling solution consists of twin fans and seven heat pipes between them. Interestingly, the left fan has two sets of ventilation grilles while the right fan only has one for an asymmetric setup.
The fans are almost always active for a constant level of noise no matter the processing load or power profile. Expect an audible fan noise of up to 33.5 dB(A) when browsing or video streaming. If gaming, fan noise will jump to 51 dB(A) to be louder than the MSI GS65 but quieter than the Asus Zephyrus S GX531GX. The system is louder than the outgoing GL63 GTX 1050 as well likely due to its more demanding RTX 2060 GPU. Enabling Turbo Fan mode will induce a constant fan noise of 58 dB(A) regardless of onscreen activity.
We can notice no electronic noise or coil whine from our test unit.
Temperature
Three sets of exhaust grilles
Surface temperatures are quite warm even when just idling on desktop. We're able to record a temperature of 40 C near the center of the keyboard from doing absolutely nothing on the laptop for half an hour. The unusually high idling temperatures back up our unusually high idling power consumption results in our Power Consumption section. In comparison, the hot spots on the GS65 are only 28 C to 33 C when under the same idling loads.
Running Witcher 3 results in a maximum surface temperature of 49 C near the center of the keyboard or 39 C near the WASD keys. Fortunately, the palm rests remain much cooler.
Stress Test
We stress the laptop with synthetic loads to identify for any potential throttling or stability issues. When running Prime95, clock rates would spike to 4 GHz for the first few seconds until hitting a core temperature of 95 C. Thereafter, clock rate drops to 3.5 GHz in order to maintain a cooler core temperature of 88 C. When Turbo Fan is enabled, core temperature drops further to 83 C while clock rate remains the same. Turbo Fan is therefore not necessary for maximum performance since it impacts temperature more so than clock rates to be consistent with what we observed on the GT series.
When running Witcher 3, CPU and GPU temperatures hover around 80 C and 72 C, respectively, or 67 C and 61 C when Turbo Fan is enabled. Running on battery power will impact overall performance. A 3DMark Fire Strike run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 10287 and 4565 points, respectively, compared to 17280 and 16331 points when on mains.
A strange bug we encountered was that the laptop would not recognize the AC adapter when both Prime95 and FurMark are initiated simultaneously even though the AC adapter is still physically connected. This would only occur when Turbo Mode is active and never during any of our real-world gaming tests.
Speakers
Unlike the 3 W stereo speakers on the 17.3-inch GL75, the 15.6-inch GL65 uses 2 W speakers instead. Volume is fairly loud but also severely lacking in bass reproduction. Bass roll-off begins at almost 1k Hz compared to 500 Hz or 250 Hz on other multimedia laptops like the HP Spectre x360 15. On the other hand, there are no vibrations on the palm rest when set to maximum volume likely because bass is already so poor. We expected more from a dedicated 15.6-inch gaming laptop.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Consumption when idling is very high at 41 W to 47 W compared to just 7 W to 11 W on the older GL63. We disabled wireless and made sure all Windows Updates were complete but our results did not change. MSI may want to double-check some of its background activity or software behavior to get to the bottom of the high consumption rates.
Consumption when gaming is otherwise normal. When running Witcher 3, the GL65 pulls in a steady 149 W to be very similar to the GP65 equipped with the same CPU and GPU. Note that the GS65 and its RTX 2080 Max-Q consumes about the same amount even though it offers 15 to 20 percent faster gaming performance and even faster ray-tracing performance.
We're able to record a maximum consumption of 214 W from the medium-sized (~16.5 x 8 x 2.5 cm) 180 W AC adapter.
Battery Life
Battery Rundown Test
In our last benchmark, we measure a laptop's unplugged runtime while playing a locally stored video with screen brightness at 50 percent and audio volume at 100 percent. We use the notebook's energy-saving rather than balanced or other power profile, turn off Wi-Fi, and even disable keyboard backlighting to squeeze as much life as possible out of the system
The days when gaming notebooks conked out after only 90 minutes or so away from a power outlet are over. The MSI's five and a half hours isn't a record, but it's not a negative, either. It'll let you step away from a wall socket without having to constantly keep an eye on the battery percentage.
Runtimes are downright terrible likely due to the high power consumption values we recorded above during low processing loads. Expect just under 4 hours of real-world WLAN use even though battery capacity has increased gen-to-gen from 41 Wh to 51 Wh. Idling on Power Saver mode at the minimum display brightness with the integrated GPU enabled results in a pathetic runtime of just 4 hours and 22 minutes.
Recharging from empty to full capacity takes about 1.5 hours. Attempting to recharge the system via USB Type-C will not work.
Verdict
In review: MSI GL65 9SEK-024US. Test model provided by Computer Upgrade King
The biggest and most notable improvement that the GL65 offers over the GL63 is its smaller and more portable chassis design. It's approximately 16 percent smaller than its predecessor while offering upgraded processor options for a tangible performance boost.
Everything else about the GL65 remains almost the same as the GL63. MSI had the chance to improve the display or poor battery life, integrate quieter fans, or offer a faster SD card reader but they are all nearly unchanged gen-to-gen. You'd have to invest in the higher-end GS65 series if such features are important to your daily workloads.
The downsides are few and relatively minor: The laptop's speakers could be better, its touchpad buttons are noisy, and some of its ports aren't ideally placed. Sure, it would be nice if the system had a Thunderbolt 3 port or RGB-backlit keyboard, but those are features you'd expect to find on a notebook that retails well into four figures. The GL65 manages to be inexpensive without eschewing the essentials.
Overall, this MSI has exactly what it needs to be a great buy and our newest Editors' Choice among value gaming laptops.
Mid-range gaming machine with great looks and performance but with cut corners on battery life, and display. You'll be sacrificing long runtimes and accurate colors with the MSI GL65.
The biggest and most notable improvement that the GL65 offers over the GL63 is its smaller and more portable chassis design. It's approximately 16 percent smaller than its predecessor while offering upgraded processor options for a tangible performance boost.
Everything else about the GL65 remains almost the same as the GL63. MSI had the chance to improve the display or poor battery life, integrate quieter fans, or offer a faster SD card reader but they are all nearly unchanged gen-to-gen. You'd have to invest in the higher-end GS65 series if such features are important to your daily workloads.
The downsides are few and relatively minor: The laptop's speakers could be better, its touchpad buttons are noisy, and some of its ports aren't ideally placed. Sure, it would be nice if the system had a Thunderbolt 3 port or RGB-backlit keyboard, but those are features you'd expect to find on a notebook that retails well into four figures. The GL65 manages to be inexpensive without eschewing the essentials.
Overall, this MSI has exactly what it needs to be a great buy and our newest Editors' Choice among value gaming laptops.
Mid-range gaming machine with great looks and performance but with cut corners on battery life, and display. You'll be sacrificing long runtimes and accurate colors with the MSI GL65.
2020 MSI GL65 15.6 Inch FHD 1080P Gaming Laptop| Intel 6-Core i7 review
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