The red-hot GT72S is ready to dominate
For the past year, the fastest notebook GPU has been the GTX 980M. With AMD and Nvidia both stuck on the 28nm process node for 2015, most didn’t expect to see any significant changes until 2016. Shoehorning a mobile version of GM200 into a notebook seemed unlikely, as the 980M isn’t even using a fully enabled GM204, and yet it still runs into the 100W TDP limit of mobile GPUs. Faced with such an obstacle, Nvidia decided to change the game and release a notebook version of the desktop GTX 980, using a fully enabled GM204 chip.
How has this been accomplished? Simple: The TDP for the notebook GTX 980 is quite a bit higher than the previous 100W target. Nvidia won’t disclose precisely how much higher, but we estimate it’s in the 130–140W range. MSI is first out of the gate with GTX 980 in a notebook, with updated GT72 and GT80 models, but select Asus and Clevobased notebooks will also support the new GPU. The GTX 980 is a $500 upgrade over the GTX 980M, but Nvidia is also giving notebook vendors a lot of leeway in terms of what they do with the GPU, and MSI takes its newfound freedom and runs with it.
Sporting a multiplier unlocked Skylake i7-6820HK processor, MSI allows for BIOS overclocking of the CPU, and GPU overclocking via utilities such as MSI Afterburner. The latter comes preinstalled, and on our test notebook the GTX 980 came from the factory with a modest 110MHz bump in core clocks. Even with a 230W AC adapter, the combination of CPU and GPU overclocking will push the power limits—we measured over 220W peak power draw during gaming tests, without overclocking the CPU, though PSU efficiency means there’s still another 50W or so before the system truly hits its theoretical limit.
When it comes to gaming performance in a notebook, the GTX 980 is the new champion, and memory isn’t a problem, as most vendors will be using the 8GB model. The GT72S smokes our zero-point laptop and leaves it sucking dust, but even a highend GTX 980M SLI rig like MSI’s GT80 will be hard pressed—the GT80 we looked at last month is only 10–20 percent faster in two of our graphics tests, but it trails by 12 percent in Metro: Last Light. Even against desktops like our GPU testbed, which uses an overclocked 4.2GHz i7-5930K, the GT72S holds its own. Our desktop with a GTX 980 card posted average performance that’s only 7 percent faster than the GT72S, albeit with the factory overclock.
Not content with the out-of-box performance, we set out to see how far we could push both the CPU and GPU with overclocking. We were basically redlining the system, and stability wasn’t totally there, but a 4GHz CPU clock with +220/300 GPU core/RAM was close. The factory overclock netted a 5 percent increase in gaming performance, and we increased that to a 15 percent boost. The system can get moderately noisy under load (48dB from 18 inches away), but that’s actually better than other gaming notebooks, and it also stays surprisingly cool.
And it’s not just great performance. The GT72S is loaded with extras, such as multicolored backlighting, switchable graphics with five hours of video playback, a USB 3.1 Type-C connector for futureproofing, and a 75Hz G-SYNC enabled display, elevating the GT72S to lust-worthy status. It’s a true desktop replacement that you can drop into the included backpack for some intense gaming away from home. The GT72S isn’t the sort of system you want to lug around as a daily driver, and a higher resolution display might be nice, but for the target audience, it doesn’t get much better. The only thing faster would be two GTX 980 cards in SLI, or wait for the next-generation GPUs in 2016. JARRED WALTON
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU Intel Core i7-6820HK
RAM 4x 8GB DDR4-2133
GPU GeForce GTX 980 8GB
Display 17.3-inch, 1920x1080 Matte 75Hz G-SYNC enabled IPS
Storage 2x 128GB Samsung SM951 RAID 0, 1TB Hitachi 7,200rpm HDD, BD-Combo
Connectivity 1x Mini-DP, 1x HDMI, Ethernet, SD reader, 6x USB 3.0 (one charging), 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, Killer 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Dimensions 16.85x11.57x1.89 inches
Weight (Lap/Carry) 8 lb 5.9 oz / 10 lb 6.3 oz