MSi GP76 Leopard Review: Extremely powerful gaming laptop

Tech Week Score
5.0
- Maxim Novik

The MSI GP76 Leopard is above all an aesthetic that harkens back to the gaming laptops of yesteryear, which loved angular shapes where they were not needed, and aggressive, red and black accents. They also looked tough enough to withstand a collision with a truck. The new Leopard is far from the stylish and professional design that is gaining popularity among gaming laptops in 2021, which confuses a powerful gaming laptop with an office machine, but there is a category of buyers that will be inspired by nostalgia.

Fortunately, the GP76 Leopard offers a lot of modern solutions, so you don’t have to limit yourself to games from 2014, even though you might think so based on the design experience. It is equipped with a GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card and an Intel Core i7-10750H processor. Throw in 16GB of RAM and you can be sure it can handle just about any game you throw at it by moving the graphics sliders to High.

In our subjective opinion, it is large and weighs 2.9 kilograms, but it would be strange to expect such a large and low weight laptop. It’s certainly still portable enough for you to put in an appropriately sized bag when you’re playing outside, but we don’t expect you to travel with it every day – your back will resent.

Unfortunately, increasing the chassis doesn’t help the laptop keep the components cool: the fans are noisy and the base of the laptop heats up after a few minutes of playing any demanding AAA project. We noticed that even while watching a movie, the temperature of the laptop causes discomfort, in front of you is not the most suitable machine for kneeling.

However, you get a stunning 17.3-inch screen with 144Hz refresh rate, so any shooters that need any extra edge will get even better with Nvidia’s conventional ray tracing and DLSS solutions. Resizable BAR is also included to optimize the game where you need to improve performance.

Overall, the GP76 Leopard is a powerful laptop, but the user experience falls short of its amazing performance. If you can easily close your eyes to the “retro” design and fan noise, then this is a great choice for every user who wants to enjoy the GeForce RTX 3000 .

MSI GP76 Leopard Gaming Laptop

CHARACTERISTICS

Here is the MSI GP76 Leopard configuration that came to us for review:

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  • Processor : Intel Core i7-10870H 2.2 GHz (8-core, 16 MB cache, up to 5 GHz);
  • Graphics : Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 (8GB GDDR6)
  • RAM : 16GB DDR4 (3200MHz)
  • Screen : 17.3-inch IPS FHD (1,920 x 1,080) 144Hz
  • Physical memory : 1TB SSD (NVMe M.2);
  • Ports : x3 USB-A 3.2, x1 USB-C, x1 HDMI, x1 RJ45 Ethernet, x1 3.5 Combo;
  • Connection : Intel Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax (2×2), Bluetooth 5.0;
  • Camera : 720p (30 FPS);
  • Weight : 2.9 kg;
  • Size : 397 x 284 x 25.9mm (W x D x H)

PRICES AND CONFIGURATIONS

The GP76 Leopard configuration from our review costs $ 2,600, for this money you get an Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB of RAM with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card . Other configurations are currently listed on the MSI website, including GeForce RTX 3080 video cards , as well as GeForce RTX 3060.

This price is significantly more expensive than some of the competitors also working with the new Ampere graphics cards, but your choice here depends on brand loyalty. For $ 1999  you can buy another MSI laptop, the GE76 Raider with RTX 3070 and even 32GB of RAM, an offer that we think looks much more attractive. The Gigabyte Aorus 17G , another 17-inch beast offering the RTX 3070 with 32GB of RAM on Core i7-10870H processors, will set you back $ 2,100 . A bit more expensive, but you get a 300Hz panel and an integrated mechanical keyboard with it, which justifies the extra expense.

MSI GP76 Leopard Notebook

DESIGN: GP76 LEOPARD

As stated earlier, we’re not overly impressed with the design, but that junk is a treasure to one another – if you like a slightly dated retro gaming design, MSI’s new product could be a breath of fresh air among the latest releases that are desperate to be like business laptops. among them, for example, Lenovo Legion 7i.

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And it doesn’t just feel solid, the laptop case is very well built and built. We did not find any flex points on the bezels or at the base of the keyboard, and the screen hinge is strong enough. We certainly weren’t able to test how many rough knocks it will survive, but if you want a gaming laptop that can handle the harsh environments, the new GP76 Leopard will do just fine.

The SteelSeries keyboard has contributed to the aging look of the MSI laptop by choosing an unusual font that would look better on an energy can. This is not the first time MSI has allowed such a font on its laptops, and as long as this solution suits our taste, the choice is quite risky. The keyboard is not mechanical, so if you prefer a crisp click here, the sound is muffled and soft, but all keys are responsive.

MSI GP76 Leopard

Nonetheless, the integrated RGB lighting is very good, and each individual key can be customized for a specific reaction in games. There are several preset modes and effects that can be programmed to respond to the music if you want.

The preinstalled SteelSeries Engine 3 software is exactly what you need to customize the backlight, but it actually stuck twice when trying to set up a custom backlight profile. When we did manage to get it to work, we didn’t have any more problems, but the software is obviously not very pleasant to use, which shouldn’t be a problem if you don’t change settings often.

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MSI GP76 Leopard Keyboard

The touchpad is offset to the left, but we did not notice any problems with the WASD keys, in fact it turned out to be quite comfortable and responsive in everyday use. We always recommend a mouse over the integrated touchpad, and it seems small considering the laptop’s dimensions, but for simple and leisurely games like Age of Empires, it is a last resort.

The big screen is incredible, so you’ll want to play more than just old strategy games on it. At 17.3 inches diagonally, a 144Hz refresh is heavenly for esports athletes who can benefit from the extra screen speed. You get an average of 292 nits of brightness, which is enough for most games at 1080p, although everything ray tracing won’t look as bright as you’d like.

Backlight MSI GP76 Leopard

In its ad, MSI promises a great cooling system for the new GP76, which features an advanced Cooler Boost 5 with huge side and rear fans that generate airflow to the GPU and CPU heatpipes. Sounds cool in theory, but the noise they generate is deafening. Okay, we overdid it with drama, but this is one of the loudest gaming laptops of recent years, we have yet to see another RTX 3000 gaming laptop suffer the same problem.

Not only are the fans trying to outshout the little plane when you load just about any game from the Steam library, it doesn’t seem like the fans do a good job of dissipating heat. The bottom of the laptop heats up very quickly and gets too hot for you to leave the laptop on your lap. You will most likely need a separate laptop stand to provide additional airflow, we recommend leaving as much free space underneath as possible.

The vents aren’t the only thing you’ll find at the back and sides: a headphone jack and one USB-A 3.2 are located on the left, two USB-A 3.2 ports are on the right, as well as USB-C, LAN, HDMI and a power port on the back of the laptop … The language will not turn to say that MSI spared the choice of ports, you can connect everything to the Leopard except the kitchen sink.

TEST RESULTS

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Here’s how the MSI GP76 Leopard performed in our suite of benchmarks:

  • 3DMark Night Raid : 38297 | Fire Strike : 20592 | Time Spy : 9458;
  • Cinebench R20 : 3242 points;
  • GeekBench 5 : 1250 ( Single Core ) | 6060 ( Multi-core );
  • PCMark 10 (Home Test) : 6133 points;
  • PCMark 10 (Battery Test) : 3 hours 42 minutes
  • Battery life (video test) : 2 hours 38 minutes;
  • Total War: Three Kingdoms (1080p, Ultra): 82 FPS / (1080p, Low): 76 FPS;
  • Metro Exodus (1080p, Ultra): 69 FPS / (1080p, Low): 112 FPS;

PERFORMANCE GP76 LEOPARD

Equipped with an RTX 3070 and an Intel Core i7-10870H processor, the MSI GP76 Leopard is a gaming laptop beast capable of playing almost every game in existence. We tested the GP76 in a wide variety of games at 1080p, including Valorant at over 200 frames per second on a consistent basis, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, for example, returned an average of 105 frames per second.

While playing Metro Exodus, the laptop returned a commendable 69 frames, which is not too bad for such a demanding game. Any RTX 3080 based laptop will cost you more, but the difference in games will remain negligible. Unfortunately, the Gigabyte Aorus 17G comes with similar specs (and even an extra 16GB of RAM), but negates all attempts by the GP76 Leopard to excel in performance, and for $ 2,100 ($ 157,500 + VAT), the Aorus remains the more affordable option while you can. find it and order it in your city.

The GP76 Leopard handles heavy tasks with ease when you really need to: an active Discord, game playback, Spotify, and multiple active tabs in Chrome won’t be a problem as long as the laptop is plugged in. No matter how hard the game was, loud fans would start up after a few minutes, so we would recommend all owners to play with noise canceling headphones and ditch the onboard audio right away.

MSI GP76 Leopard Ports

If you are looking for a laptop for graphics work, the GP76 may be the right choice, regardless of its design. The laptop’s hardware configuration can handle most Adobe apps and other demanding software with ease, so while a mobile workstation can offer better results on less budget, you might choose Leopard for gaming and work.

The GP76 Leopard speakers are great when you can hear them, much better than what we usually expect from a gaming machine. Sharp bass, nothing is lost, good and clear sound. It lacks the quality of the Dell XPS 15 , but for those users who like to listen to music directly from their laptop speakers while doing housework, it will do.

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MSI GP76 Leopard Ports

AUTONOMOUS OPERATION TIME

As with most other gaming laptops, the GP76 Leopard’s battery life won’t impress anyone – this monster’s hardware is quite power hungry. However, 3 hours 42 minutes on PC Mark 10 benchmarks is the minimum for mid-range devices.

You will have much less time playing the game, about 90 minutes in different single-player games. We’re smart enough not to play competitive online games without plugging in, given that a single League of Legends game can last over an hour.

The laptop lasted about 2 hours 38 minutes in our video test, so if you want to watch a good movie on a short metro ride or on an intercity (short) plane flight, it will do the trick. The huge diagonal certainly has a negative effect on battery life, but positively on watching movies, just make sure not to put it on your lap considering how hot the base of the laptop is.

MSI GP76 Leopard Ports

 

BUY IF …

You love the classic design of gaming laptops . There’s no denying some nostalgia for older gaming laptops that the MSI GP76 Leopard relies on to some extent with its evil design and RGB keyboard backlighting.

You need a big screen . The 17.3-inch laptop screen is huge and will give you a fresh perspective on games and movies with an impressive 144Hz refresh rate.

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You need something durable for outdoor play . This is a well-built laptop that does not allow the chassis or keyboard to flex. We do not approve of testing its strength by applied means, but it should pass any test if required.DO NOT BUY IF …

You need a device to work and play . The design itself makes it unsuitable for professional use. If you’re looking for an office laptop with gaming potential, there are plenty of better options.

You need something lightweight . This is a massive laptop, so you should stay away from it if you plan to carry your laptop with you day in and day out.

You want to play / watch multimedia away from the wall outlet . The GP76 Leopard gets very hot during operation, so never place it on your lap. We would recommend a laptop cooling pad to help dissipate heat.

Conclusion

The MSI GP76 Leopard is an extremely powerful gaming laptop equipped with next-gen Nvidia RTX 3070 graphics to run and play anything in your Steam library, but steam should be blowing out of the vents of this laptop, given the temperatures we noted in the review. … With a huge 17.3-inch panel with 144Hz refresh rate, this is an outstanding laptop if you’re willing to put up with its temperatures.

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