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Slender gamer. The sleek MSI GS75 Stealth 9SG handles all modern triple-A games with ease thanks to its Core i7-9750H processor and GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU. The 17.3-inch device has good battery life too, lasting longer between charges than even some office laptops.

The current MSI GS75 Stealth series is already familiar to us, having reviewed the 8SG in March. The 9SG has now entered our offices, which features a newer CPU, namely the Intel Core i7-9750H. All other components are identical though, with the two devices sharing the same design, connectivity, input devices, display, GPU and speakers. Correspondingly, we shall omit all but the Display and GPU of those for this review. Please see our GS75 8SG Stealth review for our thoughts on the areas that we have not included in this review.

The display in the 9SG also achieved a respectable 1,262:1 contrast ratio thanks to its 0.29 cd/m² black value. The panel also has a 144 Hz refresh rate, a must for modern gaming laptops. Additionally, it has stable viewing angles, short reaction times and accurate colour reproduction. In short, the 9SG has an excellent display, just like its GS75 sibling.

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The MSI GS75 Stealth 9SG is a sleek 17.3-inch gaming laptop that packs a punch. Unfortunately, while the device looks stylish by gaming standards, it could do with being sturdier. Hopefully, MSI addresses this with subsequent models by reinforcing or refreshing the chassis.

The MSI GS75 Stealth 9SG is a powerful gaming laptop that should make most gamers happy. Its flimsy case and high retail price are reasons to look elsewhere though.

The 9SG also has comparatively good battery life thanks to its 80.25 Wh battery and should last a full day’s use between charges. The flimsy case helps keep weight down too, with the 9SG weighing in at just 2.28 kg (~5 lb). Including Thunderbolt 3 was a wise move, and while there should be enough ports for most people, MSI had the space to add a few more. Overall, the MSI GS75 Stealth 9SG is a good option for those who are in the market for a mobile 17.3-inch gaming laptop. If you can overlook the deficiencies with its design, then the 9SG will reward you with cutting-edge performance on a gorgeous 144 Hz panel.

* Tested by MobileMark® 2014 office productivity scenario. Test configuration: GS75 Stealth 10SF/ Full HD 240Hz display /Super battery mode. The battery life will vary from specifications

The MSI GS75 is definitely one of the more intriguing laptops that have been on my shortlist for the past year or so.  To me, I always looked at it as a 17” powerhouse inside a 15” “GS60-like” package.  I had the GS73VR for quite a while and enjoyed it, so I figured I’d like the GS75 just as much or even more.

Well, about a year ago when it came out, the timing wasn’t right I guess and I ended up sticking with the Razer Blade instead.  But MSI was nice enough to loan me a GS75, so I can see what I was missing all this time.

It’s not much different than I saw with the GS65 really.  It’s not a unibody design, but rather has top and bottom panels that are screwed together onto a plastic inner chassis.  It’s probably what keeps the weight down, but it also comes at a cost of sturdiness.

The lid has a perfectly smooth surface and only a modest dragon decal on the upper portion.  I really appreciated this about the GS65 and I still do with the GS75.  The only difference between the two is that this one appears to shine a little more in certain lights.  Overall, it’s far from being too unprofessional and is certainly a huge step up from the glowing logo I’m used to seeing on MSI gaming notebooks.

Overall, I’d have to give the GS75 a “good enough” grade in regards to the design.  I like the way it looks and feels, but I wish the build quality was a little sturdier.  Thicker metals would add more weight and thickness, and the end product would pretty much be the GE75. Having just reviewed the GE75, I’d be a little torn choosing between the two as they both have pros and cons.  If the GE75 looked a little more like the GS75 in terms of aesthetics, I’d hands down say that’s the better choice.

I still stick with my opinion on that one – it did feel different.  Now that I have something to compare it to, I can say without a doubt that those keys felt mushier than what I have here.  The keys on the GS75 are very tactile, actually, and have pretty good travel.

The GS75 has a 17.3-inch IPS panel with FHD resolution and 144 Hz refresh rate. It’s made by Chi Mei, with part number N173HCE-G33.  I was really excited to see this panel, since it’s the same one I had on the GE75, which I loved.

But after taking some readings, I started to question that.  It’s mostly the same, but the maximum brightness and contrast are slightly different.  Upon further investigation, I found out that the panel ID for this model is CMN1760, where as the one I had on the GE75 was CMN175C.  That’s the first time I’ve seen the same model number have different IDs.

The maximum brightness I was able to achieve was 295 nits.  A lot lower than the 365 nits I got on the other panel, but it’s still a respectable level for most occasions.  The contrast level at maximum brightness was 1355:1, showing how deep the blacks are on this panel.

Even with the reduced brightness, it’s still a great panel.  144Hz is just an awesome refresh rate, both for games and normal tasks.  Everything just runs smoother.  The FHD resolution is on the edge of being grainy on a 17” panel, as I can certainly see the pixels when I get up close.  But from normal viewing distances, the images are crisp and the viewing angles are excellent.

This model of the GS75 Stealth comes with an Intel Core i9-9880H, which is the top CPU available on laptops of this class.  It’s an octa-core and tops out at 4.8GHz of boost, which certainly makes a difference compared to the hexa cores that are on all the competitors.  Paired with the CPU are 32GB of RAM a Max-Q version of Nvidia RTX 2080 GPU.

That’s not the case with this model though.  The M.2 slots and Wifi module slot are located on the edges and are flipped, so swapping them can be done just like on any other laptop, by removing the back panel.  The RAM, however, is still on the other side, so if you need to upgrade that, prepare yourself for some work.

The MSI GS75 is available at many retailers, including Amazon.  The review model I have here is a whopping $3400, but keep in mind that this is the highest spec model, with the Core i9 and GTX 2080.

To conclude this article, I’m overall very pleased with the MSI GS75.  As a laptop for productivity purposes, it’s just great, as it’s both portable, powerful and looks somewhat professional (when compared to most other 17” laptops).

I haven’t handled the GX701, but after hearing from Andrei about it, I think it’s safe to assume that the build quality is better on the Asus than it is on the GS75.  It is also definitely better with the Razer Blade Pro 17.  So, if that’s something that’s important to you, you might want to consider those options.

The GS75 is both lighter and smaller than both those models though, so that’s also something to keep in mind.  Really, for all three models, there are a lot of pros and cons to each – so you’ll probably want to give it some deep thought before making a purchase of this magnitude.

It’s a little thicker, but the build quality is much more sturdy.  The only other major negatives are its more gamerish design, while the GS75 is much more subtle in my opinion, and the smaller battery, but that’s compensated by the much nicer speakers.  These aside, I liked the keyboard better on the GS75, but I liked the screen and trackpad better on the GE75.  Confused yet?

At the end of the day, the GS75 is still a very nice laptop.  If you’re the type that typically is very careful with their machines, I think you’ll really like it – provided you can afford it.  There really isn’t any other option this thin with such a powerful CPU/GPU combo.

Today we"re checking out the top-of-the-line MSI GS75 Stealth 8SG, one of a number of new RTX-powered gaming laptops from MSI. As this beast fits into their Stealth line, it"s designed to be a slim and light portable gaming system, with the GS75 branding indicating it"s their 17-inch model. Previously we reviewed the GS65 and really liked it, so we were definitely keen to check out the larger model equipped with a new GPU.

The GS75 Stealth 8SG model we were sent for testing is the most powerful unit available equipped with an RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU. There are also models available with the RTX 2070 Max-Q and the RTX 2060. Each variant of this laptop with a different GPU is then available with different RAM and storage configurations, in our case we received 32GB of dual-channel memory and a dual 512GB SSD setup in RAID 0.

In terms of CPU performance, all we"re looking for is to see whether the MSI GS75 Stealth performs especially well (or not) compared to the average result from all the Core i7-8750H laptops we"ve tested so far. It does depend on the workload, but the GS75 is a little slower on average, especially in longer workloads like Handbrake and x264 encoding where it"s about 6 percent behind. With that said, it"s a little faster shorter tasks like 7-Zip and MATLAB so this isn"t a bad result overall, it"s just can"t sustain as high performance for as long as some of the beefier laptops we"ve tested.

If you are coming from a quad-core laptop, something using a Core i7-7700HQ for example, you can expect the GS75 to deliver pretty sizable gains: 40% in workloads like x264 encoding, and over 50% in 7-Zip, with a handy 10% improvement in single-threaded tasks as well. Jumping up to six-cores is a good move, especially if you do a lot of multi-threaded work, and it can help alleviate a few bottlenecks in some games.

The GS75 Stealth uses the regular 80W configuration of the RTX 2080 Max-Q, not the faster 90W version, so the data to look at in our GPU review is for the standard configuration. But that data only refers to how this laptop performs in the default Sport performance mode, if you enable the Turbo mode, the GPU gets a 100 MHz factory overclock of sorts, which improves performance over the "standard" RTX 2080 Max-Q configuration.

We"re getting 12 percent more performance from the GS75 than a standard RTX 2070 Max-Q laptop without any factory overclocking. Some games are heavily constrained by the CPU or other hardware, like Hitman 2, while other such as Metro Exodus deliver 17 percent more performance. You"re not getting desktop-like margins here, but low double digit gains from the same cooler design isn"t bad.

How does 27 percent more performance than the GTX 1070 Max-Q sound? That"s a very healthy improvement assisted by the small factory overclock provided by the GS75. We"re not comparing the same price bracket, but we suspect some people with a GTX 1070 Max-Q laptop might be considering spending a bit more cash on their next upgrade.

You"ll also get 18% more performance than an RTX 2060 laptop. This is another GPU that"s available in the MSI GS75, so which GPU is best might come down to the pricing you can get for each variant. The RTX 2080 Max-Q is a decent amount faster.

MSI"s current-generation triple-fan cooling solution is very good, it"s definitely one of the better designs we"ve seen for this sort of portable gaming system. Even when using the overclocked Turbo mode, the GS75 is quieter than your average gaming laptop, at 44.5 dBA. And it does this while keeping the GPU around 75 degrees C, which is cooling performance you"d normally expect from a chunkier laptop like the ROG Strix Scar II, not a slim system like this.

In fact, the GS75 is significantly better it this regard than the GS65 with the GTX 1070 Max-Q, although it is slightly louder, it"s also a larger system so there"s more room for heat dissipation, and the GPU is different. More impressively, it"s quieter and cooler than the Gigabyte Aero 15 X9, which uses the slower RTX 2070 Max-Q. However, this does come at the cost of CPU cooling, which is right at its limit, hitting 91 degrees C under a gaming load.

Looking at storage performance, the GS75 we received with 1TB of SSD space was configured with two Samsung PCIe NVMe drives in RAID 0, so naturally it delivered extremely good sequential speeds. Random performance is at the limit of these drives but is still excellent for a gaming laptop, and it"s safe to say this SSD is much faster than what you need for game loading.

The display is 17.3-inches in size, it packs a 1080p resolution and it has a 144 Hz refresh rate. You don"t get adaptive sync, which is a trade-off to allow better battery life through GPU switching, but the quality of this panel is great and the high refresh rate is a perfect pairing for this GPU that often pushes frame rates above 100 FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings.

Overall the MSI GS75 Stealth 8SG is an excellent portable gaming laptop. There"s not a lot to complain about in regards to the hardware package. We absolutely love the metal chassis, the 15-inch display is very good, it"s cooler and quieter than an average gaming laptop despite the size and powerful hardware inside, and there"s good I/O.

Unfortunately, this hardware comes at a price, and it"s a high one. To get top-end performance in this size, you"re going to need to fork out $2,800, and that"s just for the GS75 with a 256GB SSD and 16GB of RAM. For the configuration we reviewed, with a 1TB SSD and 32GB of RAM, it"s closer to $3,000.

The value situation is further muddied by Pascal laptops, which admittedly are getting harder to find as stock clears out. Right now you can get a GTX 1070 Max-Q system like the Asus ROG Zephyrus S for around $1,800, which is slightly better value than the RTX 2060 GS75, given the 1070 Max-Q is also slower.

It"s an interesting market, because for regular laptops - meaning, not the slim and light variants we"ve been talking about so far - we wouldn"t recommend a more expensive RTX 2060 laptop over a cheaper GTX 1070 laptop right now. But for slim and light systems, the GTX 1070 Max-Q and RTX 2060 are fairly priced given their performance differences. What is the better option will be down to your budget, though we tend to like a lot the value offered by the RTX 2060 GS75 just because we love this MSI design and its 17 inches for playing games.

MSI struck gold with last year’s GS65 Stealth. It had it all. Trimmed bezels, an unbelievably thin chassis, a 144Hz screen, and impressive gaming performance.

MSI has brought that same design up to the 17-inch size with the GS75 Stealth. Along with that larger size is updated components like Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics and three storage expansion slots. It starts at $2,099, but our configuration maxed out at $3,000. That’s not cheap, and now that competing gaming laptops have also thinned out, does MSI’s design still have the magic?

The MSI GS75 keeps the same style as last year’s 15-inch model. It isn’t flashy, but it is distinctive. Simplicity is the name of the game. The top is just a solid, smooth black panel, accented by MSI’s dragon logo. There are frills, no lights, just straight edges and gold trim along the hinges, the outline of the touchpad, and the hallmark vents along the sides. It’s even the defaulted color of the RGB keyboard. All this gold might not be enough to make the laptop feel luxurious, but it’s nice change from all the red, blue, and green LEDs in the gaming world.

Though it’s mostly plastic, the GS75 feels solid. It’s not on the level of an aluminum laptop like the Razer Blade, but it’s not flimsy either. There’s a bit of flex in the lid, as well as the hinge, but unless you’re heaving on it, you wouldn’t notice. The laptop opens with one finger, and even has a small lip to pull it open. The hinge does close a bit prematurely, however. Once you get it 75 percent closed, it slams shut, which led to more than a few accidental shutdowns.

The size of the GS75 is one of its biggest strengths. It weighs just under five pounds and is only 0.7 pounds heavier  than the 15-inch model. That’s a whole pound lighter than the ROG Zephyrus S GX701 and 17-inch Lenovo Legion Y740. Meanwhile, it’s just a sliver thicker than the Razer Blade and Asus ROG Zephyrus S at 0.75 inches, and a solid 0.15 inches thinner than the Legion Y740. The MSI has stiff competition in the area of portability, but it’s still among the most mobile gaming setups you can buy.

Gaming laptops used to be saddled with poor displays, but that’s changed over the last few years. The GS75 Stealth has an excellent screen — fast and responsive for games, with good contrast and colors for everything else. Like a lot of high-end gaming laptops in 2019, the GS75 has a 1080p 144Hz panel, meaning the screen handle framerates up to 144 FPS (frames per second) without screen tearing or artifacts. It’s smooth and beautiful.

The GS75’s image quality is right line with its competitors, which means it’s fantastic for what it’s meant to be used for. The screen’s brightness goes up to 345 nits, which is plenty bright for the non-reflective matte display. Colors are vivid yet accurate, and the narrow border around the screen removes any distractions from your gaming. It’s not as accurate as a MacBook Pro, but it’s reliable enough to do some video or photo editing on. That’s important, as a laptop like the GS75 might be an attractive choice for content creators, who just happens to be gamer.

The MSI GS75 Stealth comes with the latest six-core Intel processor that gaming laptops and high-end productivity machines have used for the past year or so. It’s an extremely capable CPU, especially when matched with 32GB of RAM, which our unit came with (though that much RAM is definitely overkill).

In Geekbench, there’s not a noticeable difference between the GS75 and some other popular gaming options, whether it’s in single core or multi core performance. To see how it did in a real-life scenario, we also encoded a 4K movie trailer from H.264 to H.265. The GS75 finished the task in 2 minutes and 28 seconds, which is 10 seconds slower than the Zephyrus and 7 seconds faster than the Predator Triton 500.

Our review unit came with 512GB of M.2 SSD storage from Western Digital, which proved to have some super-quick write and read speeds. Storage is accessible once the back cover and fourteen screws are removed. Unlike most gaming laptops, the GS75 Stealth includes an extra M.2 SSD slot, which comes empty. It’s a nice touch for those that appreciate some extra expansion room in the future.

We weren’t surprised to see the GS75 Stealth is a strong performer in the graphics department. It comes equipped with the RTX 2080 Max-Q, the most powerful mobile graphics card you can find. How a laptop handles a card will always be different, so we ran the system through 3DMark Time Spy to start.

The GS75 Stealth isn’t at the front of the pack. The extra cooling and larger chassis of the ROG Zephyrus S produces a 14 percent increase in Time Spy. In fact, the MSI is even a tiny bit behind the Acer Predator Triton 500, which squeezes the 2080 Max-Q into a smaller 15-inch chassis. When we headed to play some actual games with the GS75, we saw very similar results across the board.

Those are impressive numbers compared to previous generations of gaming laptops, but they’re right in line with competitors from Asus, Acer, Lenovo, and Razer. The ROG Zephyrus S is once again at the head of the pack, while the RTX 2070 machines we’ve tested are at the back. The GS75 is right in the middle. Its performance is most closely matched to the Acer Predator Triton 500, which is a 15-inch laptop with an Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q, which means the extra chassis space isn’t affording the GS75 much advantage.

A lot of laptops in 2019 are moving to G-Sync screens, which often bars systems from using Nvidia Optimus to switch between the discrete graphics and dedicated graphics. While G-Sync has its benefits, the result is horrible battery life. The MSI GS75 Stealth avoids the matter, which lets the system earn a win there.

While the difference in battery life in an intense test like Basemark is less significant, our lighter tests are where the GS75 takes the lead. It’s around twice as long as the Lenovo Legion Y740 17, with 6 hours and 51 minutes in local video playback and 5 hours and 45 minutes in web browsing. Compared to a standard 15-inch laptop like the Dell XPS 15, that’s a disappointment. It won’t last you through a full workday. But for a gaming laptop, it’s one of the best performers out there, neck-and-neck with the Razer Blade (if you buy it without the optional G-Sync screen).

MSI’s thin-and-light design doesn’t stand out quite as much as it did in the past. But that doesn’t mean the GS75 Stealth fails on its promise. With good battery life, an impressive screen, and great gaming performance, it still has certain strengths over its competitors. It’s on the higher end of the pricing scale, though it still offers an alternative to the spendiest machines from Razer.

MSI offers a smaller, 15-inch version, the MSI GS65 Stealth. The smaller size and more affordable price make it an attractive option. We still think the Razer Blade has the best balance of gaming capabilities, but it’s also one of the most expensive gaming laptops you can buy.

If you’re set on a larger screen, the GS75 is one of your better options. The Legion Y740 17, though, is a good alternative. It’s quite a bit larger and heavier, though it’s as powerful and a bit more affordable.

The MSI GS75 Stealth is futureproof, and its specs are up-to-date. The build quality, however, may make hold the device with a bit more caution. It comes with a standard one-year warranty for repairs.