The technical iteration of 2023 is almost time for its debut. After the announcements of the past few months and weeks, soon we’ll see versions of the technology we know and love, barring marginal improvements to accommodate the latest batch of hardware arriving in the second half of 2022. But, before we get to that point, time to check out the last iteration of 2022, as I’ve been playing and testing the MSI Pulse GL76 lately.
This gaming laptop has a very specific concept at its core, high frame rate HD gaming. That’s because it has a 1080p display that can run at up to 360Hz. So, before getting into the details, know that if resolution and graphics quality are your priorities, this probably isn’t for you. But if you’re a shooter or a gamer who likes super smooth and fluid performance, there’s a lot to like here.
Under the hood, the system I’ve been playing with has a 14-core 12th Gen i9-12900H CPU clocked at 2900MHz, along with an RTX 3070 GPU and 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM. It’s not the most powerful piece of hardware in the unit, but for HD gaming it’s a very capable collection of hardware that can deliver some really impressive fps values even in some of the most demanding titles.
For reference, I tested a bunch of games during my time with this laptop, including Marvel’s Spider-Man, Apex Legends, Marvel, Deathloop, Ghostrunner, and even a technically very accessible retro FPS called Dread Templar. For each title, I compared high and low graphics settings (where applicable), and I saw some dramatic framerate gains when selecting the fps-friendly lower graphics option.
For example, with Spider-Man, on High, the game clocks in between 60-100 fps, depending on what and where you are in the game. On Low, on the other hand, this nearly doubles to 100-140 fps. Apex Legends gets more out of the laptop, with 100-150 fps on high and well over 230 fps on low. Horror Templar (which can be easily played on less powerful hardware) displayed frame rates above 700 fps in some cases, which is far higher than this fantastic display can achieve. The point is that the Pulse GL76 does exactly what it was designed for: very smooth game play at lower resolutions.
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Otherwise, it’s worth mentioning that the Pulse GL76’s display has a very neatly thin bezel around it, which allows the 17.3-inch screen to fit neatly into the chassis. The actual keyboard and trackpad also take up a reasonable amount of real estate on the body, so that you never feel like the keys are crammed too closely together to save space. Those who like RGB and customization will be happy to know that the keyboard has plenty to fiddle with too, even if there are no other RGB zones on the laptop at all – which I really appreciate as it gives the system a more subtle look.
Talking about its design, the Pulse GL76 does have a bit of a “gaming” aesthetic, mostly around its large air vents, but for the most part, it’s more of a flashy design than one that’s too gaudy, or unnecessarily complicated , or futurism. You can forgive the bulky vents, as they do work together with the Cooler Booster 5 technology to keep the laptop cool. Essentially, you’ll never have to worry about fan noise or overheating, because the Pulse GL76’s core design is so good at dissipating heat. The cooling solution is excellent, allowing the speaker system to shine as you can actually play the game without the headphones and still hear the audio, which is something many gaming laptops just can’t manage.
However, there are a few gaming-laptop tropes that dominate this system. It’s a pretty big piece of technology with a fair amount of weight behind it. As usual, you won’t be able to get the most out of your games without plugging it into a power source, or the battery will melt, and performance will suffer quite a bit. Still, this is hardly a Pulse GL76-only issue.
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That’s why overall I’m impressed with the system. It’s well done and you can’t blame it. With all the features and hardware this laptop brings to the table, plus it even has a built-in webcam and a wide range of ports for all your connectivity needs, this system is perfect for anyone looking to game in 1080p/HD at super high frame rates It is a good choice for anyone who is on the go.
