Product Listing

MSI GT72S 6QE Dominator Pro G: As dominating as ever, now with G-Sync and Skylake

By Salehuddin Bin Husin & Kenny Yeo - 27 Oct 2015
Launch SRP: S$4499

Benchmarks

Test Setup

As always, our testing setup consists of a suite of benchmarks:- PC Mark 8, 3D Mark 2013, Tomb Raider and Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. PC Mark 8 is a general all-purpose benchmarking software that gives you a good overall view of the machine's capabilities in various common tasks and usage scenarios. 3D Mark 2013 on the other hand is more specialized and solely focused on 3D hardware performance testing. Finally, we use games like Tomb Raider and Shadow of Mordor's built-in benchmarking tools to test the hardware's capability in a real world setting.

In short here are the benchmarks:-

  • PC Mark 8
  • 3D Mark 2013
  • Tomb Raider
  • Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

We decided to line-up all the recently tested machines that are 17-inch or larger. Since these behemoths only pack NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970Ms or 980Ms, horsepower isn't that much of an issue. The older MSI GT72 2QE Dominator Pro was brought back as a direct comparison;we wanted to see how the new machine stacked up against the hardware of the tricked out machine we reviewed last year while the other machines were brought back to see how the new MSI notebook stacked up against some of its rivals in the field today.

Test Notebooks Compared
  MSI GT72S 6QE Dominator Pro G MSI GT72 2QE Dominator Pro Aftershock Titan V2.1 Gigabyte Aorus X7 Pro ASUS ROG G751JT MSI GT80 2QE Titan SLI
  MSI GT72S 6QE Dominator Pro G MSI GT72 2QE Dominator Pro Aftershock Titan V2.1 Gigabyte Aorus X7 Pro ASUS ROG G751JT MSI GT80 2QE Titan SLI
Processor and Chipset
  • Intel Core i7-6820HK (2.7GHz, 8MB smart cache)
  • Intel CM236
  • Base:- Intel Core i7 4720HQ Processor
  • Tested:- Intel Core i7-4980HQ Processor
  • Intel HM87 chipset
  • Intel i7-4710MQ (2.5GHz)
  • Intel HM87
  • Intel i7-4870HQ (2.5GHz)
  • Intel HM87
  • Intel I7-4710HQ (2.5GHz)
  • Intel HM87
  • Intel i7-4720HQ (2.6GHz, 6MB cache)
  • Intel HM87
Operating System
  • Windows 10 Home
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 8.1 64 Bit
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 8.1 64 Bit
System Memory
  • 16GB DDR4
  • 16GB DDR3L (4 slots) @ 1600MHz
  • 16GB DDR3L
  • 16GB DDR3L
  • 8GB DDR3L
  • 16GB DDR3L
Video & Display
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (8GB VRAM)
  • 17.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) anti-glare, IPS G-Sync
  • 17.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080), Anti-glare
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M 8GB DDR5
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (2 x SLI)
  • 17.3 Inch Full HD Matte LED display
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (2 x SLI)
  • 17.3 inch Full HD Matte LCD
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
  • 17.3-inch Full HD Matte IPS
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (2 x SLI)
  • 18.4 inch Full HD Matte LED with eDP
Storage
  • 128 SSD + 1TB HDD
  • 256GB (2x 128GB SSD) Super RAID 3
  • 1TB HDD 7200rpm
  • 120GB SSD + 1TB HDD
  • 512GB (256GB x 2, RAID 0) SSD + 1TB HDD
  • 8GB Hybrid HDD + 1TB HDD
  • 256GB (128GB x 2 Super RAID) + 1TB HDD
Optical Drive
  • Blu-Ray Writer
  • Blu-ray Writer
  • 8 x DVD ± R/RW/4X +DL Super Multi Drive
  • Blu-ray writer
  • Blu-ray Writer
Connectivity
  • Killer DoubleShot Pro GB LAN with Killer Shield
  • Killer DoubleShot Pro 11ac
  • Bluetooth 4.1
  • Killer DoubleShot Pro Gb LAN
  • Killer DoubleShot Pro 11ac Wireless LAN
  • Bluetooth v4.0
  • Intel 7260 A/C WiFi + Bluetooth
  • Integrated 802.11ac
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • Killer LAN
  • Integrated 802.11 a/c
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • Gigabit LAN
  • Killer DoubleShot Pro GB LAN
  • Killer DoubleShot Pro 11ac
  • Bluetooth 4.1
Audio
  • Dynaudio 2.1 channel with 1 Woofer
  • 7.1 channel SPDIF output
  • ESS SABRE HiFi audio DAC technology
  • Nahimic sound technology
  • Dynaudio 2.1-channel speaker system
  • Supports 7.1-channel S/PDIF output
  • Exclusive Audio Boost 2 technology
  • Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 2
  • Soundblaster X-FI MB3
  • 2x 2 Watt speaker
  • 2x Woofer speaker
  • Built-in speakers
  • Built-in subwoofer
  • MaxxAudio support
  • 4 x Internal Speakers
  • 1 x Sub-woofer
  • 7.1 channel SPDIF support
  • Audio Boost 2
  • Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 2
I/O Ports
  • 6 x USB 3.0 ports
  • 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C port (Super Port)
  • 1 x Mini-DisplayPort
  • 1 x HDMI 1.4 port
  • 1 x Ethernet port
  • 1 x audio jack
  • 1 x SD card reader
  • 6x USB 3.0
  • 1x HDMI (1.4)
  • 2x Mini-DisplayPort
  • 1x Headphone
  • 1x Microphone
  • 1x SD (XC/HC)
  • 1x Line In
  • 1x Line Out
  • 4 x USB 3.0 (1 x powered USB port, AC/DC)
  • 1 x USB 2.0
  • 1 x Thunderbolt
  • 1 x HDMI Output
  • 1 x eSATA (USB 3.0 combo)
  • 1 x Headphone jack
  • 1 x Microphone jack
  • 1 x S/PDIF output jack
  • 1 x Ethernet
  • 1 x 9-in-1 card reader
  • 3x USB(3.0)
  • 2x USB(2.0)
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x D-sub
  • 1 x Headphone jack
  • 1 x Microphone jack
  • 1 x Ethernet port
  • 1 x S/PDIF port
  • 1 x SD card reader
  • 4 x USB 3.0
  • 1 x Thunderbolt
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub
  • 1 x Headphone jack
  • 1 x Microphone jack
  • 1 x S/PDIF output jack
  • 1 x Ethernet
  • 1 x SD card reader
  • 5 x USB 3.0
  • 1 x HDMI output
  • 2 x mini-DisplayPort
  • 1 x Headphone jack
  • 1 x Microphone jack
  • 1 x S/PDIF output jack
  • 1 x Ethernet port
  • 1 x SD card reader
Miscellaneous
  • SteelSeries Multi Backlight Gamer Keyboard
  • Full-color backlight SteelSeries keyboard
  • Mechanical Keyboard (Cherry Brown)
  • Golden W,A,S,D and ESC keys
Battery Type
  • 83Wh (9-cell Lithium Ion, fixed)
  • 9-Cell Lithium Ion (83wHr)
  • 89.21Wh (8 Cells, Removable)
  • 73.26Wh (Li-Polymer, fixed)
  • 88 Wh (8 Cells, fixed)
  • 89Wh (8 Cells Li-Ion, Fixed)
Dimensions
  • 428 x 294 x 48 mm
  • 428(W) x 294(D) x 48(H)mm
  • 419 x 293 x 39.3~49.7 mm
  • 428 x 305 x 22.9 mm
  • 416 x 318 x 20 ~53 mm
  • 456 x 330 x 49 mm
Weight
  • 3.78KG
  • 3.78Kg (w/ Battery)
  • 3.9kg (including ODD and battery)
  • 3KG
  • 4.8 kg (with battery)
  • 4.5KG (including ODD and battery)

 

PC Mark 8

Despite boasting of a new processor, the new MSI GT72S barely kept pace with the older GT72 2QE Dominator Pro. While that might be a bit disappointing, remember that the older GT72 2QE Dominator Pro which we tested came with bleeding edge hardware including a top of the line Core i7-4980HQ processor and two SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration. When examining the numbers, it becomes clear that the new MSI GT72S is let down by its storage performance. To cut a long story short, the problem lies with Windows 10's native NVMe drivers, which forces all write operations to be duplicated - to a cache and to the drive. This results in underwhelming write performance, which we can see clearly in the results below when running AS SSD, a storage benchmark. Fortunately, we think this problem will soon be rectified once Windows released updated drivers for NVMe drives. 

 

3D Mark 2013

3D Mark 2013 showed us similar findings to PC Mark 8. While the new MSI GT72S continues to trail the older GT72 2QE Dominator Pro, the difference isn't that noticeable. There was only a 7% difference between the two machines on Cloud Gate and a a paltry 2% difference on Fire Strike. Overall, the MSI GT72S held itself well when compared to other notebooks with a single GPU. The difference against notebooks with SLI configurations, such as MSI GT80 and Aorus X7 is understandably great, especially on the more intensive Fire Strike scenario.

 

Tomb Raider

Yet again, we see the two MSI GT72 machines neck and neck in the results. While the older GT72 had a slight 1% lead on Normal settings, the new GT72S posting fought back on High settings by racking up 6% higher frame rates. The new GT72S also held up well when compared against the ASUS ROG G751. However, it trailed considerably against the notebooks with SLI configurations, where the difference could be as great as over 90%.

 

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

As before, the benchmark for Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor saw the older MSI GT72 machine taking a 10% lead on High and a 8% lead on Ultra. Though the difference is pretty significant, we think most users would be hard pressed to notice the difference, except perhaps only during the most intensive phases of the game. As usual, the SLI machines were the best performers.

 

Temperature

If there's one aspect that the GT72S 6QE Dominator Pro G is vastly superior over its older brother, it has to be its thermal performance profile. GPU-Z recorded the maximum GPU temperature of the machine at 63 degrees Celsius, which is a whopping 12 degrees Celsius cooler. That's an improvement of over 16%, which is considerable. In fact, the GPU temperature even beat out the ASUS G751JT's GPU temperature, which was already low at 68 degrees Celsius. The lower chassis temperature also jibes with the lower GPU temperature, as the chassis on the GT72S 6QE Dominator Pro G was also much cooler than the GT72 2QE Dominator Pro.

So what changed to bring about this massive temperature drop? Nothing has changed on the GPU front - both MSI GT72 notebooks feature the same NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M GPUs. So if it's not the GPU, the next major component that can affect temperature performance is the CPU and that's thanks to the new Skylake processor used as opposed to the Haswell (Crystal Well) processor. While the GPU-Z utility does measure the GPU core's temperature, you have to remember that in the tight confines of a notebook, operating temperatures of various components can affect each other.

In the case of the Skylake Core i-6820HK processor, it has quite a bit going in its favor such as the 14nm process technology it is manufactured upon, use of lower powered DDR4 memory, lower base/turbo frequency, lower TDP configuration and a less powerful integrated GPU. And we haven't even talked about the architectural enhancements to Skylake that make it the most power-performance efficient processor on the market. You can read a whole lot about the technologies it possesses to bring about the massive power savings and increased throughput in our dedicated Skylake architecture article. All these help drastically lower the CPU's operating temperature which in turn lowers the entire notebook's operating temperature.

 

Battery Life and Power Consumption

While both GT72 machines have the same battery capacity of 83Wh, it should be noted that the GT72S 6QE Dominator Pro G doesn't have the benefit of NVIDIA Optimus technology. This is because of one of the limitations of incorporating G-Sync - the display requires a direction connection to the GPU which makes graphics switching impossible. That said, it's still impressive that the machine lasts just as long as its elder brother. We reckon the similar battery life can be attributed to the new power saving technologies incorporated into the new Skylake processors, which makes the Intel Core i7-6820HK processor much more power efficient.

 

Portability Index

Our Portability Index is our custom chart where we take into account the physical characteristics (not the hardware) and the battery life of a notebook to see if it's worth it to carry it around when compared to other machines of a similar class. In other words, we are comparing how portable a machine is.

It's not surprising that the slim Aorus X7 Pro blew everything else away. The Aorus X7 Pro is the only slim 17-inch machine in the list, with the others all being more suitable for desktop replacements than portable gaming machines. The Aorus X7 Pro weighs just 3kg and measures just 22.7mm thick - impressive for a 17-inch gaming notebook with dual GeForce GTX 970M GPUs. The MSI GT72S and GT72 Dominator Pro tied with each other, since their dimensions and weight are still the same and the battery life difference is negligible. Practically speaking, we doubt anyone would be enthusiastic about taking them on tow as they are really bulky and heavy.

Now that we've looked at every benchmark and have seen how the GT72S 6QE Dominator Pro stacks up, head on over to the next page for our conclusion.

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8.0
  • Design 7
  • Features 9
  • Performance 8.5
  • Value 8
  • Mobility 6
The Good
Powerful, unlocked processor
Great gaming performance especially with G-Sync
Robust audio capabilities
Runs cool
Support for up to 64GB RAM
Excellent and customizable keyboard
Super Port, tons of USB ports, Blu-ray drive
The Bad
Heavy and unwieldy
Non-removable battery
Full-HD 1080p display starting to look dated
No automatic graphics switching, affects battery life
Pricey
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