MSI GP66 Leopard Review - Best Pure Performance Gaming Laptop Under $2000 So Far

The MSI GP66 Leopard with Intel i7-11800H and RTX 3070 provides top tier gaming performance at the $1899 price point. It topped out my chart in CPU game performance, and it nearly topped out my chart in GPU performance as well. However, there are a lot of cons to this laptop as well. I do my best to explain them in this detailed review of the MSI GP66 Leopard.

If you use the affiliate links below or some of the links on the sheet, it helps support me as a creator. So thank you very much! But absolutely no pressure to buy. Buy only when you need a laptop and when you find one you think you'll love!

00:00 - Intro
00:46 - Tech Specs & Overview
02:22 - Display Specs
03:20 - Timespy & Cinebench R20, 23
05:08 - Stress Testing, Temps, & Fan Noise MSI GP66
06:57 - Is 95C Too Hot for i7-11800H?
08:20 - Performance with Different Fan Profiles
09:00 - 11th Gen CPU Game Performance
09:46 - Why is GP66 so Powerful?
10:32 - Speaker Test
11:05 - Battery Life Was Not Tested
11:43 - Touch Pad and Keyboard
12:24 - Build Quality, Flex, & Upgradeablity
14:15 - Why NOT to Buy GP66
15:30 - Ports
17:00 - Worth Buying? What Other Laptops Should You Consider?

[tilo]

Hey Brandon, got my GP66 11th gen RTX3070 thank you so much for your review and recommendation. This is a BEAST out of the box the GPU is rated to 135 watts benchmark score 11 552 Timespy with GPU 11 757 and CPU 10 516 STOCK out of the box with NO UnderVolting - The GP66 performance is INSANE!

[THEHOTSORA]

I bought the i7 10th gen version of this laptop in February, I’ve got to say that it still slaps really hard. My friend owns a 2070 super PC and I was competing with him when it came to test results. So even if anyone can’t get this new 11th gen version, the 10th gen one is still super good. Also I’ve been playing Fortnite tournaments and Warzone ones too, it’s super smooth. Yes the 11th gen one has a better monitor but the 10th gen is still worth it in my opinion. 😃

[abhigyandatta]

Your reviews are a work of art. Informative as always, but the intro, the editing and the lighting are the best I’ve seen from a tech reviewer

[tyleresmondson]

Just bought this for 1200$ on new egg an it’s a huge step up from my 1660 an 1650 laptops

[blue]

Great review! The 8GB RTX3080 Max-P GPU model has been sitting at $2000 for almost the entire year and an amazing deal for a fully-powered 3080.

[stephantremblay]

Thanks for the review. I just got this laptop for 1299.00 CAD. Amazing performance

[KTMLaranjinha]

As always, an excelent and complete review of the gp66...great Power machine dispite temps, lack of USB-C, sd-card reader & thunderbolt. Congrats from Portugal ;)

[edwardlewis]

I have had the GP76 with the same specs for about 4 months and it is a beast. I love it!

[darrell]

Very informative and balanced. Nice job with identifying the pros and cons of this machine. Well done.

[djerinich]

I have it for about 5 days now and I can say that temps are around 85c CPU and under 80C GPU, 2055mhz boostclocks by HWmonitor, all core 4.3-4.6ghz, -50mV undervolt via bios, bf5 solid 180FPS on max latency settings, what can I say its a true beast and my unit seems to have almost no backlight bleed, I'm also going to be pairing it with 240Hz monitor, for $2000 including taxes its really no brainer. 11800h looks like nothing Ive seen before 8750h 9750h 10750h owner and they all run 90c+ with -120mV and edited power. idk, but I'm quite impressed with my unit so far

[Hunger]

I got MSI GP76 less than a week ago, and the temps are extremely good. The CPU is 66-78 max in games, and the GPU usually stays in the 50-60 range. Best thing I ever bought. Also, if you need this laptop for work I should mention that during shader compilation in Unreal Engine when the CPU is loaded for 100% for 10-15 minutes, the temps can go up to 90-93, but if these temps are critical for you, in bios, you can specify at what temperature you want your CPU to start throttle, by default it is set to 95.

In terms of performance, it is a beast, especially with a 240Hz screen you'll have an absolutely different gameplay experience. But I noticed that even specs say that I have 140W GPU, but I didn't manage to hit that value. In all games, it is usually at 125W, and in benchmarks, it can go up to 132. @GizmoSlipTech have you figured what causing this?

[KratosisGod]

Great review, I've had my eye on this one for a while definitely seems worth buying.

[heavy_logic]

Nice review. I'm currently shopping for laptops. My current one is a bit dated. Shopping for laptops is difficult now. There are so many options. Good reviews like this help narrow it down.

[TWitWoW]

Awesome stuff. Intel 11th gen is insane. I can't freaking wait for the Legion 7i. Can't get here soon enough.

[ronchu]

picked up a RTX 3080 version for $1899. Will use it for VR Gaming.

[the_golden_s]

This is what I call a review and intro

[AvenirRacing]

I just forked out almost $3, 800AUD for the GP66 with the 12th Gen i7 and 3070Ti. I really hope it's the beast it seems to be, because I don't plan to upgrade for a long, long time.

[itsvivianshh]

tested the speaker in store and it was amazing, not even joking.

[XDrThraX]

This machine will be in the ' Shell Shocker' after 3hours and 35 min.. hopefully I could get me one.
I'm using an external 1440p monitor, Would this laptop be a good choice?
Thank you for your informative reviews 🤙

[alihichemtn]

I truly love your review, you answer exactly my questions. Great work man !