MSI GT62VR Dominator Pro-005

New generations of components always help evolve the PC landscape, and the launch of Nvidia's Pascal graphics technology is no exception. For the first time, the laptop versions of the new graphics card line are very close in performance to their desktop counterparts, allowing previously unseen potential for gaming laptops. The MSI GT62VR Dominator Pro-005 (starts at $1,499; $1,999 as tested) is among the first Pascal notebooks we've tested, and the performance made possible by its GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card sets the bar, making it a top pick for midrange gaming laptops. With plenty of storage and port options, this VR-capable system is perhaps most importantly available at a reasonable cost, even starting at a slightly lower price than our previous Editors' Choice, the MSI GT72 Dominator Pro G-1438, a 17-inch laptop powered by a GTX 980 card.

Design and Features

Visually, the GT62VR isn't the flashiest system. Big and boxy, it measures 1.56 by 15.36 by 10.47 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.45 pounds. This is far from an ultraportable like the Razer Blade (0.7 by 13.6 by 9.3 inches, 4.26 pounds), but it's still a good deal smaller than another new Pascal-bearing laptop, the Asus ROG G752VS-XB78K (1.5 by 16.4 by 12.7 inches, 9.92 pounds). It compares well to a laptop with the same screen size, the Acer Predator 15 (G9-591-74KN), which is 1.52 by 15.39 by 11.79 inches and just north of 8 pounds.

The keyboard deck and lid are black brushed aluminum, while the latter features red gradient stripes and the red MSI logo. The stripes look a little silly to me, resembling cheap decals more than cool design flourishes. The SteelSeries keyboard itself boasts fully backlit anti-ghosting keys. The lighting color and pattern are customizable across three zones, while the anti-ghosting technology prevents input logjams during frantic gameplay. The keys are comfortable to type on, but a little too much travel makes them feel somewhat bouncy. The touchpad, offset to the left side, is smooth and sturdy; left- and right-click functions are handled by tapping or by pressing the two well-sized buttons just beneath the touchpad.

The matte display features full HD resolution and In-Plane Switching technology for wider viewing angles, though the effect of that seems diminished when the screen lacks a glass coating. Even with the new graphics, 1080p is still ideal for notebooks, which lack of the power of desktops to run QHD+ or 4K resolutions without meaningful performance drops. The GT72 Dominator Pro, the Predator 15, and the Origin EON17-X all run at 1,920-by-1,080 resolution. The Razer Blade does boast a 3,200-by-1,800 screen, but frame rates drop accordingly. The GT62VR's display also features Nvidia's G-Sync technology, which enables smoother frame rates while gaming. It's a demanding feature, though, so there will be an impact on performance if the system is struggling with a game—you can turn it on and off at your discretion, but we ran our benchmark tests with G-Sync off to judge the laptop's full capabilities.

Port options on the GT62VR are varied and plentiful, which is especially important if you're doing VR gaming since most devices take up a few of your USB ports at once. On the left flank is a USB 2.0 port and the mic, headset, and audio lines. The right side holds three USB 3.0 ports and an SD card slot. Around the back, there's a USB-C port, an HDMI port, a Mini DisplayPort connector, an Ethernet port, and the power jack. A lot of storage is on board in the form of a 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive and a 256GB M.2 SATA solid-state drive (SSD). This is more than the GT72 Dominator Pro, which also has a 1TB hard drive but only a 128GB SSD. Also included are Bluetooth 4.1 and dual-band 802.11ac wireless. MSI supports the system with a two-year limited warranty.

Performance

Alongside the brand new 8GB GTX 1070 graphics card, the MSI GT62VR is equipped with a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor and 32GB of memory. On the PCMark 8 Work Conventional productivity test, the GT62VR scored 3,355 points. That's comfortably ahead of the smaller and less expensive 2016 Razer Blade (2,886), right on par with the same-sized Acer Predator 15 (3,382), and behind the larger and more expensive Asus ROG G752VS-XB78K (3,865) and Origin Eon 17-X (3,946). Performance was fast on multimedia tests as well, with the GT62VR finishing alongside or ahead of these other systems.

See How We Test Laptops

Given the new graphics system, though, it's the 3D and gaming test results that are of most interest. The new notebook cards are meant to be very similar to their desktop counterparts for the first time, and this was reflected in the tests. On the 3DMark Cloud Gate and Fire Strike Extreme tests, the GT62VR pulled scores of 25,278 points and 7,366 points, respectively. The Asus ROG G752VS-XB78K and its 1070 fared better (29,082 on Cloud Gate and 7,590 on Fire Strike Extreme), but the card impressed in both cases. Older laptops with GTX 980 graphics were still able to keep up on Cloud Gate, but fell well behind on the more demanding Fire Strike Extreme, as seen in the results for the Origin EON 17-X (27,630 and 4,395) and the GT72 Dominator Pro (22,872 and 4,355).

The trend continued on the Heaven and Valley gaming tests, as the GT62VR easily handled medium quality settings with frame rates of 173 frames per second (fps) and 95fps, respectively. When we turned up the settings and increased the resolution to 1080p, the laptop achieved 97fps on Heaven and 89fps on Valley. The EON 17-X, even as our best-performing premium gaming laptop, topped out at 54fps and 60fps on these settings—still good, but clearly more in danger of dropping below a smooth 60fps on the highest settings. The GT72 Dominator Pro—the previous Editors' Choice at the same price—reached only 51fps and 57fps on these tests. Even though the 1070 is not the top of the new graphics line, the jump to Pascal provides a clear boost over last generation's cards in gaming performance. During testing the laptop was audible, but not overly loud, and heat stayed at normal levels thanks to the rear and bottom vent system.

Finally, the GT62VR's battery lasted 3 hours, 55 minutes, on our rundown test, which isn't bad for a gaming laptop. As is typical for the category, that's much shorter than a desktop replacement or an ultraportable, but the EON 17-X lasted just 2:49, and the Asus ROG G752VS-XB78K managed 3:48. The Razer Blade ran for 5:04, while the Acer Predator 15 leads the pack at 6:38.

Conclusion

Thanks to new graphics technology, the MSI GT62VR Dominator Pro-005 is the top performer in the category, beating even high-end machines on 3D testing, and at a lower price. The physical design isn't particularly elegant, but that's not the primary concern for a stay-at-home system, and it's still less bulky and heavy than many gaming systems. There's more storage and memory than the GT72 Dominator Pro, and though the screen is smaller, it's hard to recommend anything but the newest graphics card, especially at this price. As such, the GT62VR Dominator Pro-005 is our Editors' Choice midrange gaming laptop, effectively demonstrating the power of Nivida's new Pascal notebook cards.