MSI GT83VR Titan review: $5,000 gets you legit mobile PC gaming

In order to offer the best in terms of gaming when it comes to laptops, MSI decided it was time to make some serious headway in the performance tables by throwing together the GT83VR, which offers not only a GTX 10 series card but the latest Intel processor, insane amounts of RAM, and even a full mechanical keyboard with CherryMX switches.

About this review

MSI supplied the GT83VR SLI-212 for this review. Our unit in particular features an Intel Core i7 processor, 64GB of RAM, 1TB solid-state drive (SSD), 1TB hard-disk drive (HDD), and a Nvidia GTX 1080 in SLI configuration. This laptop would set you back a cool $5,399.

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Insane tech specs

First, we'll kick things off with the specifications. This is where MSI invested to really ramp things up and create something special. This Titan laptop series can be purchased in different configurations, including a GTX 1070 GPU or GTX 1080 in SLI. Prices vary between them, starting at $3,499.

Big, bad and bold design

The GT83VR is a stunning beast. Wrapped in brushed aluminum, this giant makes even the Razer Blade Pro look like a yapping Chihuahua in comparison. This size is the result of packing so much potential inside the chassis, but it proves to be a concern when one actually desires to use this laptop as ... well ... a laptop.

What I appreciate about the GT83VR is how subtle the touches are. There are some cool glow effects on the lid and rear of the laptop itself, but nothing's over the top or looks unnecessary. This is likely due to MSI believing the sheer enormity of the device boasts to gamers just how serious this laptop is.

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Even the two rear vents look aggressive, with sharp angles and styling. Everything feels solid, even when holding the laptop at an angle or with only a single hand. There aren't any unwanted creaking or stress sounds from the parts, so kudos to MSI there. The main issue I have with the color and design is how easy it is for the laptop to pick up finger marks.

The GT83VR looks premium, and the design overall reflects the asking price.

Colorful display

The display sported by the GT83VR isn't 4K, nor is it 1440p, but this isn't a deal breaker. and it means the two GTX 1070/1080 GPUs will be able to pump out more frames each second, leading to a more responsive and enjoyable gaming experience. You get a mere 1920 x 1080 IPS screen, reproducing great colors and — as expected — showcasing some solid viewing angles.

It manages to reproduce 114 percent of the sRGB, which means games should look as developers intended them to. Nothing will "pop" out of the screen but nothing appears washed out or dull-looking. The one area that is a slight letdown (aside from the resolution) is the brightness. Even at maximum settings, it's still nowhere near that of the Razer Blade Pro.

This will cause issues when used outside in sunlight or a bright day. There are HDMI, Thunderbolt, and miniDisplayPort ports at hand for hooking up an external display.

SteelSeries and CherryMX keyboard

Move aside Razer. MSI packed in a full SteelSeries keyboard with CherryMX Brown switches. As is the case with any keyboard with CherryMX switches, the one inside the GT83VR feels really good to use. It's also a welcome break from CherryMx Blues, which I usually deploy in the office. It's also fully RGB-enabled for incredible light effects, because why not?

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The keyboard is not only designed for great gaming performance, with tactile feedback and fast response, but also general typing.

Appearing next to the keyboard is a trackpad and number pad, alongside two trackpad buttons. Hitting the number lock button will switch between trackpad functionality and the number pad. It's an interesting way of making use of space, touch technology and incorporating a full-size keyboard without having unnecessary keys. The trackpad itself is responsive, though you'd likely want to use one of the five USB ports for a mouse.

Dynamic audio

Just in front of the hinge for the display are two front-facing Dynaudio speakers. There are a further two available, as well as a subwoofer. Overall, the sound produced by the laptop is excellent. Playing some music at high volumes surpasses my Creative PC speaker setup, which was slightly surprising.

Entering into a game without headphones will produce some excellent levels of immersion, thanks to the choice of positioning, as well as the additional subwoofer. The volume goes super loud. Compared to most laptops, the sound system in the GT83VR is a huge advancement.

You get deep bass, great highs, and satisfactory mid-range playback.

SLI decimates battery life

It's a laptop, yes. It should be portable and last some time on a single charge, but it should be reiterated that we're not only talking about a Core i7 here but two Nvidia GTX 1080 GPUs, which drain a lot of power.

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We got just over two hours of use on a full charge while browsing the internet and opening a few programs. You should expect to see even less time before warning lights show in-game with the two GPUs pushed to the max.

And two power bricks are required to provide juice to the laptop, which is understandable with what's inside the chassis. Just remember that you'll need two outlets should you wish to top-up when out and about.

The GT83VR is a portable PC, but the sheer amount of power housed within means it's more a portable desktop PC than an actual notebook.

Massive array of ports

MSI included a large number of ports in the GT83VR, allowing for numerous devices to be hooked up.

You get a total of five USB 3.0 ports, two on the right and three on the left. The three video output ports are on the rear, alongside Killer LAN and AC input. Unfortunately, there's no Type-C.

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Lastly, there's an SD card reader, which is ideal for any professional who also happens to be a serious gamer. It's nice to see Ethernet included for LAN events where Wi-Fi is usually either unavailable or unreliable.

Unlimited gaming performance

An Intel Core i7-7920HQ coupled with two GTX 1080s in SLI configuration is an insane amount of power. Add in 64GB of RAM and you now have a serious beast of a gaming PC. Do all this inside a laptop chassis, and you're talking about black magic, man!

As expected, running various synthetic benchmarks resulted in the laptop beating out other portable gaming solutions.

CPU

Geekbench 4.0 benchmarks (higher is better)

PCMark - 10

GPU

And now it's the turn of the GPUs. As expected in 3D Mark, the GTX 1080 SLI configuration offers increased levels of performance over single GPU-sporting laptops.

3DMark - Fire Strike (higher is better)

Time Spy brought about some staggering figures, decimating the competition.

3DMark - Time Spy (higher is better)

SSD/HDD

CrystalDiskMark HDD (higher is better)

Now witness the power of PCIe SSD storage.

CrystalDiskMark SSD (Higher is better)

Synthetic tests are great for producing benchmark figures, but they mean very little when it comes to actually playing games. Thankfully, the GT83VR doesn't disappoint.

The two GTX 1080 GPUs running in unison easily handle everything we threw at the laptop. Games like Hitman, GTA V, and The Rise of the Tomb Raider ran near or above 100 FPS on average, which was an excellent result with high settings enabled. Going all the way up in Hitman dropped numbers down to around the mid-40s.

Sporting two GTX 1080 GPUs in SLI configuration means the GT83VR more than meets requirements for Virtual Reality (VR). MSI makes sure you are aware of this with the inclusion of VR in the product-line branding.

Loud sounds and heat

Again, much like the dimensions and weight of the laptop, the noise due to cooling and heat dissipating from the chassis is considerable thanks to the amount of power housed inside. At idle, the fans are barely noticeable, but fire up a game to utilize the CPU and both GPUs and suddenly you've boarded an Airbus.

We recommend using headphones when gaming on this laptop. But while noise levels are rather high, the efficient cooling system used by MSI means temperatures are within acceptable limits.

The ambient temperature was 24 C (75F) at the time of readings. Again, we must stress that some noise and heat is to be expected when you throw these components inside a compact chassis. The above readings reflect the commendable effort made by MSI to keep temperatures low.

Also, because a total of 15 heat pipes are used, with a total of 52 blades across two fans to keep everything cool, there's no thermal throttling. Only just though.

Double the storage

The unit we received has a 1TB SSD (2x 512GB in RAID 4) and 1TB mechanical drive. Other configurations include this setup or a single 1TB HDD.

Overall, the GT83VR has some killer storage to match its networking cards. Even using the HDD for game storage once the 1TB SSD configuration is at maximum capacity allows for fast gaming with low load times.

Conclusion: GT83VR is top dog in portable PC gaming

There are a number of gaming laptops that suit most consumers, but should you require something with a little bit more oomph, you really cannot go wrong with the GT83VR. With the option of GTX 1070 and GTX 1080, as well as different RAM configurations, it's also possible to save a few pennies but still get a capable gaming experience.

The main highlights of this laptop, in particular, are the design, internal components, and keyboard. A few downsides to the PC include the heat and fan noise, bulkiness and weight. Oh, and that price tag.

Bottom line: I'd absolutely pick up the GT83VR for gaming on the go if money were no issue. LAN events and hotel stays would never be the same again.

Pros

• Insane levels of performance.
• Mechanical keyboard with CherryMX switches.
• Great sound system.

Cons

• Expensive.
• Isn't the most portable laptop.
• Loud

I recommend the MSI GT83VR series of laptops for those who have large budgets to invest in powerful, yet capable and somewhat portable laptops. You're not going to want to carry this thing around for very long, but sitting down on a flat surface with an outlet at hand turns the black slab into a monster gaming rig.

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