MSI GL63 8RD-221 Review

Are you looking to replace your old gaming laptop with something new that doesn’t cost a lot of money? If you answered yes, then you’re in the right place. The MSI GL63 8RD-221 is an upper mid-range laptop that comes with a good set of hardware accompanied by a reasonable price tag. MSI is known for its gaming laptops and this one plans to maintain its reputation as well.

In this MSI GL63 8RD-221 review, we are going to review this new gaming laptop from MSI and see how fares against other gaming notebooks in the same category. The laptop is aimed at serious gamers who want to game but without spending a fortune on a gaming machine. Is this notebook worth your money? Let’s find that out in the full review.

Design

MSI laptops come with an excellent design and this one is no different. The laptop comes in a nice black finish with red accents all over the laptop. The construction of the laptop is solid and feels very premium to touch. Though the material is not metal, the material used here is sturdy and will last for a long time.

Though the laptop looks like a beast, it doesn’t weigh that much. With a weight of 4.83 pounds, the laptop is relatively lighter than many other laptops in the same size category. Though gaming on the go is not something you see people doing, you can take this with you if you want some company when you’re traveling.

The keyboard in this model is a steel series keyboard. It is a full keyboard with a dedicated number pad as well. The keys are tactile and come with a key travel of 1.9mm. The typing experience on this thing is a real joy. The keyboard comes with an anti-ghosting zone for 45 keys which is a nice addition to the keyboard. The touchpad is also pretty decent and is responsive as well. 

The MSI GL63 8RD-221 comes with a neat cooling system in place. There are a couple of anti-dust fans inside that help vent the hot air out keeping the temperature optimum when you’re playing games. You can also find hot air vents all over the laptop. With this cooling system in place, the laptop can handle some serious gaming marathons.

MSI GL63 8RD-221 Specs

The MSI GL63 8RD-221 comes with a 15.6″ screen that has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. This is not an IPS panel but a TN panel. With the full HD resolution in play, the display has a good pixel density. The images are crisper and the texts are sharper for viewing. The color accuracy of the display is also good giving nice, vibrant pictures.

The display is excellent for consuming media. You can stream Netflix and other stuff on this laptop as the picture quality is impressive. The colors are brilliant and you can enjoy media consumption and gaming on this display. The only drawback here is the viewing angles. They are not as good as the IPS panels and so you have to be in a nice position to get the best picture possible.

The sound output of the laptop is more than adequate. The laptop can get really loud and even at high volumes, you do not observe a lot of distortion. For a gaming machine, this audio quality is the best you can get. If you’re an audiophile who only wants the best, then getting a decent gaming headphone is ideal.

Raw Performance

The processor that powers the MSI GL63 8RD-221 model is an Intel Core i5 chip from its 8th generation. This i5 processor is a quad-core chip that comes with a base clocking frequency of 2.3GHz. When you’re in need of more power, the processor can use turbo boost and can clock up to 4.0GHz which is a lot of power. The processor comes with a smart cache memory of 8MB which is solid.

With 4 cores and 8 threads, the i5 8300H is an upper mid-range processor. It gets a score of 9488 in the CPUMark benchmark tests which tells us that this one can handle more than you everyday routine. The notebook does an impressive job with daily tasks like going through the web, running social media, listening to music, downloading stuff, and even streaming videos.

If you’re an avid laptop user and have some heavy applications to use, then this one can handle them as well. The processor is well equipped to take care of anything you throw at it. With the help of the 8 gigs in the memory department, the processor does a good job running multithreaded apps. You can also do a good deal of multitasking which is nice.

There is a 256GB solid-state drive for storage purposes. It is fast and comes with good reading and writing speeds. The bootup speed is ridiculously fast and the apps launch swiftly as well. With an SSD in place, your computing will be much faster and if you’re coming from a mechanical hard drive then the difference will be day and night.

Gaming on the MSI GL63 8RD-221

The graphics card in the laptop is an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. This is a graphics card that is based on Pascal architecture. When it was introduced in 2017, this one can run pretty much any game you want. But now it is more of a mid-range GPU.

With this GPU in place, you can most of the games without any problems. If you want to play MMORPGs, then this GPU will give you a pleasant experience. Playing mid-range and even some high-end games won’t be a problem as well. But if you want to play the latest and the greatest, then you may have to compromise on the settings which might play a part in your gaming experience.

Battery life and Connectivity

Being a gaming laptop, the MSI GL63 8RD-221 does not come with stellar battery life. With light usage, the laptop might last for about 4 to 5 hours at best. If you’re going to game, then expect the laptop to lose juice after a couple of hours. This is the case with most gaming laptops, so nothing new here. If you’re going to start a gaming marathon, then be sure to plug your laptop in.

The laptop doesn’t lack when it comes to connectivity. There is a couple of USB 3.0 ports, a USB 2.0 port, a USB type C port, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, a headphone jack, and also an audio-in jack. With support for Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, you can get rid of all the extra wires on your table.

Bottomline

The MSI GL63 8RD-221 is a solid gaming laptop in this price range. It presents you with a full HD and gives you excellent pictures. The processor is powerful enough to handle all your everyday needs without breaking a sweat. The gaming performance of this laptop will put a smile on your face as you can play most games without any issues. If you’re looking for an affordable gaming laptop that offers you a reliable gaming experience, then this is probably it.