MSI GE76 Raider Gaming Laptop is One Fast Gaming Machine
Several months back, I had a look at the Asus TUF Dash F15 and walked away pretty impressed. In fact, I didn’t think anything could beat it when it comes to value and performance. We loved it so much, we even gave one away, which was COGconnected’s most successful contest ever. I didn’t have anything bad to say about it and I still don’t. Yet, something new has come along that now reigns supreme when it comes to gaming laptops. MSI GE76 Raider is incredible and is just about the best gaming laptop I have experienced to date.
Granted, it is a pricey laptop and a big bastard. It goes without saying, this bad boy is targeting serious gamers, but after nearly a month of constant use, I am left with the opinion that while it is far from perfect, it is an excellent investment PC gamers should seriously consider.
Here are 6 things I absolutely love about the MSI GE76 Raider:
Meaty and Feels Expensive
It usually isn’t a good thing when your laptop is thick, heavy and a bit of a pain in the ass to lug around. Most seem to prefer lighter and thin laptops. I do as well but I am making an exception here. Weighing in at 6.39 pounds, the MSI Raider is a big boy. It’s a chonky gaming machine but incredibly sturdy and extremely durable. It doesn’t shake or wobble during intense games. In terms of design, it has been made with long gaming sessions in mind. It has the Raider’s trademark angular hinges, large cooling vents allowing for plenty of ventilation, and a slick-looking RGB lightbar. The lightbar and RGB keyboard backlighting can be configured with the provided SteelSeries app. Needless to say, it’s a sexy-looking beast and a heavy one at that.
Massive and Responsive Screen
Gaming laptops absolutely need to have high refresh rates and a good quality screen. Obviously, right? Yet the Raider’s screen is brilliant. It displays full HD (1920×1080 pixel) screen resolution and has an incredible 360Hz refresh rate. This makes this particular laptop ideal for esports or competitive gaming. Granted, I do find the default brightness settings a tad dim but nothing can be overcome without adjusting a few settings. Regardless, games seem to look great on the screen and I never encountered any issues with regards to the refresh rate. I also love the anti-glare surface which minimizes reflections. Supported by Intel’s Core i9 HK-series processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, this gaming laptop can handle any robust online AAA game you throw at it.
Surprisingly Good Webcam
The quality of the webcam was a pleasant surprise. The Raider includes a 1080p webcam, which is pretty cool especially when you consider most laptops slap on a 720p cam. Granted, it lacks a privacy shutter and some other features such as an IR camera for facial recognition but I’ll admit that is getting pretty nit-picky. Regardless, it’s a great quality cam, and the built-in Dynaudio-tuned speakers allow for folks to come through loud and clear.
Outstanding Performance
The model we looked at is a laptop valued at over $3,000 USD. It ain’t cheap at all but it comes equipped with Intel’s Core i9-11980HK CPU, a 16GB Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB solid-state drive, and Windows 10 Home. So it is packed with everything you need to ensure you are getting the best gaming experience possible. Games like Halo: Infinite and Call of Duty; Vanguard run incredibly smooth. Graphically demanding games Red Dead Redemption 2 and Forza Horizon 5 also run brilliantly. The laptop also excels when it comes to day-to-day working. I can play YouTube music videos in the background while having multiple tabs open, email open, and typing away on a word doc. Whatever you need your laptop for, it excels and likely will continue doing so for years.
Keyboard Lights Up and Feels Great
It is hard going back to a keyboard that doesn’t light up after using the Raider’s wonderfully lit-up keyboard. The backlighting is subtle but sharp. Not to mention the keyboard feels great. Granted some of the key placements took some getting used to but overall it feels great to work with. Typing is effortless and I found it very comfortable. The trackpad is a decent size as well.
So Many Ports
When it comes to connectivity, the MSI Raider has you covered and then some. On the sides of the laptop, you’ll find three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port, a full-size SD card reader, and an audio combo jack. The back of the lappy has your HDMI and mini DisplayPort video outputs. It also has a 2.5Gbps Killer E3100 Ethernet jack, and a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port. The large power adapter also connects through the back. The amount of ports is great and something I see lacking with so many other laptops these days.
The MSI Raider has the following specifications:
•            17 inch LED FHD ultrafast (360Hz) screen
•            Intel Core i911980HK CPU (as you know, this is Intel’s highest-end CPU)
•            GeForce RTX3080 GPU
•            1Tb SSD
•            DDR4 32Gb
Thanks for checking out this feature and let us know what you think in the comments below.