GE62 VR from MSI: A Gaming Laptop Review

Hey everyone, welcome back to my channel! Today we're going to take a closer look at the GE62 VR from MSI, an entry-level 15-inch gaming laptop that's been updated with some exciting features. As you can see, the exterior design hasn't changed much since its release, but don't let that fool you - there are some great updates under the hood.

The laptop's exterior is still dominated by a black brushed aluminum top panel, paired with a plastic chassis and bottom panel. The build quality of the laptop is decent, but it's clear that MSI didn't prioritize durability when it comes to the screen hinge itself. Opening the laptop one-handed can be a bit of a challenge, and the hinges feel stiff and inflexible.

However, the keyboard area on this laptop is where things really shine. Made from aluminum, the keys are great to type on, with good key travel and nice spacing between them. I've always been impressed by MSI's keyboards, and this one doesn't disappoint - they're stiff, but in a good way, providing a solid typing experience. The Steelseries lighting system is also a nice touch, even if it's not individually lit keys. You can still customize the colors to suit your preferences.

One thing worth noting is that the keyboard is located on the right side of the laptop, so you may need to adjust if you're used to having the Windows key on the left. On the other hand, the trackpad is a bit more disappointing. Made from plastic, it's textured to match the brushed metal of the palm rest, but unfortunately, this also makes it feel like there's friction when trying to navigate up and down - it's a bit weird, if you ask me.

However, the physical buttons on this laptop are where it really shines. With good activation pressure, not too loud, and great clickyness, I've had no issues with them at all. It's clear that MSI put some thought into designing a keyboard that's both functional and comfortable to use.

When it comes to ports, the GE62 VR has a good selection of options - individual audio jacks, a USB-C port, two USB3 ports, display outputs, Ethernet connectivity, and an SD card slot on the other side of the laptop. One thing worth noting is that there's no Thunderbolt 3 support, which may be a disappointment for some users.

One of the best things about this laptop is its ability to open up and show off its internal components. With just a few screws removed, you can access the GPU, RAM, and other internal parts - it's a great way to get a look at what's going on under the hood. The GTX 1060 GPU is a significant upgrade from previous models, providing a serious boost in performance.

Overall, the GE62 VR from MSI is an entry-level gaming laptop that packs some serious punch for its price. While there are some minor quibbles with the build quality and trackpad, these are easily overlooked when considering the overall package. With good keyboards, great lighting, and a solid selection of ports, this laptop is definitely worth considering if you're in the market for a new gaming rig.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHey, how's it going guys? This is Dave2D and today we're taking a look at the GE62 VR from MSI.This is their entry-level 15-inch gaming laptop,it's been updated with some nice features, including the GTX 1060. So not much has changed on the exterior.It's got the same black brushed aluminum top panel with a plastic chassis and a plastic bottom panel.The overall build quality on the laptop is ok, the screen is pretty flexible,you want to be careful about putting too much weight on the laptop. The screen hinge itself is also a little stiff.It's not easy to open one-handed. The chassis however is good.The keyboard area is aluminum and it's actually quite stiff. The keys are great to type on.MSI consistently has nice keyboards and this one doesn't disappoint. Good key travel with nice spacing.It has Steelseries lighting, it's not individually lit keys, but it's still cool to be able to customize colors.If you use your windows key a lot, keep in mind that it's on the right side, on this keyboard.The trackpad is mediocre, it's plastic, and it's textured to match the brushed metal of the palm rest.It doesn't use native windows drivers, it uses Elan drivers, so tracking is imperfect.But the texture is what gets me the most, there's friction going from side to side, but not up and down.So it's a little bit weird.The physical buttons are nice though. Good activation pressure, not too loud, good clickyness, I like them.For ports it has individual audio jacks, a USB-C, but there's no Thunderbolt 3 support,a pair of USB3s, display outputs, Ethernet and on the other side we have USB2 and an SD slot.The internals can be accessed by removing a bunch of screws,it has one of those \"warranty void if tampered\" stickers, but... Who cares, right?This unit has 16 gigs of RAM, a one terabyte hard drive and an m.2 SSD. Drive speeds are good.I was worried they drop a slow drive in here, but it's actually pretty good.The 51 watt hour battery is relatively small and it's partially because the optical drivetakes up so much space in there and I get it, it's not something I use anymore,but there's still quite a few number of people in this world that use optical media for their games.But because of it, the battery life is relatively short as well.The CPU is a SkyLake 6700HQ, we've seen this chip a lot. It has very good mobile performance.This laptop is rocking a GTX 1060 and the performance is really nice,running at the native 1080P screen resolution, moderately demanding games like Rainbow Six Siegewill break 100 frames per second on Ultra graphics setting. Overwatch has the same thing going on,if you're playing on Ultra at 1080p, you're hovering around 100 frames per second,basically any kind of light to moderately demanding title plays very comfortably on this card.Witcher 3 will still be around 60 frames per second on High graphics settings,but if you want to play it on Ultra graphics, it'll be closer to 45 frames per second.So, overall I think the GTX 1060 is a great fit for current generation gaming and of course it's VR Ready.So, if that's your jam, you're good to go.The display is a 15.6 inch IPS panel. There is a 4K option if you're a content creator.The 1080p panel is reasonably bright and the panel overall is nice.Matte finish, good color accuracy, great viewing angles.My unit has a little bit of light bleed on the top right, but it's very mild and it's not something I really care about.The previous generation of the GE62 had great performance,but it didn't have great thermal management.MSI has changed a couple things and now it has two extra heat pipes, and it makes a huge difference.This updated model has lower temperatures and it's a bit more comfortable to use on a table and on your lap.Fan noise is not bad. It's pretty quiet on idle and under load it's pretty average for a 15-inch gaming laptop.It's audible, but it's not super loud or anything. The speakers are unchanged from the previous generations.It's got a pair of speakers on each side and a small subwoofer. The audio stays clean when it's loud.The bass still isn't great. I mean it's a very small sub, but the overall sound is pretty good.Alright the MSI GE62 VR starts at around $1500 US. It's made with a mix of aluminum and plastics.Ok build quality. The 1080p screen is pretty bright and has a good image.The keyboard is really nice with customisable RGB lighting zones. The trackpad is not as nice.On the inside the SkyLake 6700HQ and the GTX 1060 deliver great performanceand with the addition of the 2 extra heat pipes, they are properly cooled now.There are 16 gigs of RAM, a 2.5 inch drive bay and a single m.2 slot.All of them are easily accessed for upgrades.And lastly there's a 51 watt hour battery that'll get you around 3 hours of battery-life.So, if you're looking for a Pascal based laptop, the GE62 VR will give you great value.The GTX 1060 has great performance and the components all around are pretty good.The build quality is average, but if you're looking for the best performance for your dollar,this laptop should be on your shortlist. That's the end of this video. Hope you guys liked it.Thumbs if you did, subs if you loved it. It's been nice, see you guys next time.\n"