I’ve had the opportunity to review several different MSI laptops over the past few months. Whether it’s a crosshair or a katana sword, I have to experience different, distinctly gaming-centric machines, which is what makes today’s devices even more exciting. Because while there’s no denying the hardware inside the case makes this laptop a gaming laptop, the MSI Stealth GS66’s looks and capabilities allow the laptop to shine as a more focused machine . But before I explain why this is so, let’s talk about the technical details.
The Stealth GS66 I had the pleasure of testing came with some great hardware that you could say is limited by the unit’s display. Under the hood, it features a 12th Gen Intel i9-12900H CPU, along with GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics, all backed up by 32GB of RAM. Essentially, by modern gaming standards, this lineup will allow you to run most games at top (or very close to top) graphics fidelity and still get solid, somewhat smooth frame rates, or at lower resolutions Provides incredibly smooth, high frame rate gameplay. But that’s theoretical, as this Stealth GS66 has a 3840x2160p (4K) display with a max refresh rate capped at 120z, meaning it’s primarily built for 4K gameplay, with the option to favor performance a little.
I say this because the hardware inside the Stealth GS66 can allow the system to play games at higher than 120fps, if you will, even if the monitor can’t accommodate such a thing. There are a few options to get a frame rate focused display on this system, in my opinion the best option is a 240Hz clock at 2560x1440p (2K) as that will give you some worlds of two. I’ll say, though, that if you want top-notch visuals first, I’ve found that a 4K monitor can deliver 60fps gameplay to be able to properly experience the best games in comfort. It should be noted that since this is a 4K monitor, you do get very vivid and crisp visuals that can really bring the wonderful worlds of video games or dramatic sets from movies and TV to life.
This brings me back to my earlier point about the Stealth GS66 being the ideal machine for wider attention. Between the arguably visuals-first display and the 99.9Whr battery, which will ensure you have enough battery to play for extended periods of time without power, this laptop can do anything a productivity-focused machine can do, and doing it well. The 15.6-inch display gives you plenty of room to open multiple tabs/apps, and the wide keyboard and large trackpad made by SteelSeries make it easy to type and work on the Stealth GS66, which is only possible by its commensurate A thin profile (for a gaming laptop) and a subtle design to elevate it won’t draw much attention.
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Sure, there are some “gaming” elements, including the multi-color backlighting of the keys, which seems a little out of place considering the fully blacked-out chassis, but thankfully these can be customized to something more subtle. Also, the variety of available ports (including Wi-Fi 6-enabled Ethernet ports) is more typical on gaming laptops these days that are heavier than average, but that’s hardly something people notice on this device the first thing. No, that would be the noise it makes.
Between the backlit keys, plus the combination of the always-obvious cooling solution and the Dynudio-supplied speaker system, calling this laptop a “Stealth” must have been a joke among MSI developers. Because this is a noisy laptop. Very loud. While that’s a bonus when looking at the speakers, which use a front-facing speaker set to produce incredibly clear and loud audio, it’s not an added bonus when talking about its fan noise. The Cooler Boost Trinity+ system does keep the Stealth GS66 cool at all costs for better gaming quality, but if you don’t want to be overwhelmed by fan-made rackets, you’ll need to get the speakers to play audio or use features at near-deafening levels Powerful noise-cancelling headphones. If you think the basic level of fan noise is high, just push a button to enable turbofan mode that will make you think you’re standing behind a Boeing 747 engine.
So, the Stealth GS66 finds itself in an odd dynamic. First, it’s a powerful device for gaming and productivity, all with a subtle design and look, but on the other hand, some core features, including a cooling solution and speaker system, make this device look like I want you to be aware of its existence. Either way, despite its flaws, it’s undeniably a powerful computer, even if (like a lot of PC gaming hardware and gaming laptops do these days) it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg One leg to use the same hardware under the hood.
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