MSI GE66 Raider or Lenovo Legion 7i
- Thread starter Kohaashi
- Start date
Thanks
Out of interest, should I change my mind, did you purchase your direct from Lenovo?
Nope Lenovo do not list the one I have for some reason. I got it from a catalogue place with a %10 discount code worked out £1530. I wanted the 500 nits HDR/Dolby Vision screen.
Decided to order the Legion 7i instead.
@MOOGLEYS twisted my arm.
Managed to get a 10% discount code to use on the Lenovo store so got the 2080 Super Max-Q model.
I tried to cancel the GE66 before it shipped but no luck so I will have to refuse delivery of that.
I’ll let you know how I get on with the 7i.
@MOOGLEYS twisted my arm.
Managed to get a 10% discount code to use on the Lenovo store so got the 2080 Super Max-Q model.
I tried to cancel the GE66 before it shipped but no luck so I will have to refuse delivery of that.
I’ll let you know how I get on with the 7i.
Decided to order the Legion 7i instead.
@MOOGLEYS twisted my arm.
Managed to get a 10% discount code to use on the Lenovo store so got the 2080 Super Max-Q model.
I tried to cancel the GE66 before it shipped but no luck so I will have to refuse delivery of that.
I’ll let you know how I get on with the 7i.
Lol ok not worth trying the GE66 first ?
Mine is the vanilla 2070 max q although it clocks up to 1650/1700 in use it’s more than enough for me. I’m sure the 2080 Super max q will be fantastic.
Does anyone know if the 7i will allow GSync support on an external monitor?
There is no DisplayPort connection on the 7i, but there are USB-C and ThunderBolt ports which support DisplayPort. Are these connected to the Nvidia GPU?
Thanks.
There is no DisplayPort connection on the 7i, but there are USB-C and ThunderBolt ports which support DisplayPort. Are these connected to the Nvidia GPU?
Thanks.
I’m pretty sure I read that all external displays are connected direct to the Nvidia GPU and G-Sync is supported as long as optimums is disabled.
unfortunately I cannot check this as I don’t have the leads or a display port monitor. My C9 tv has G-Sync but only has hdmi.
unfortunately I cannot check this as I don’t have the leads or a display port monitor. My C9 tv has G-Sync but only has hdmi.
Re-did the thermal paste on my 7i today. Unlike the reviews my unit has vapour chambers on both cpu & gpu. It’s a very well made and thought out system and by far one of the best cooling setups I have seen. As well as drawing air from the bottom the fans also draw air from vents above the keyboard and through the keyboard which keeps it cool. The 2070 is a big chip....lol.. Couple of pics to show what I’m on about....
Man of Honour
I’ve got the MSI with the 2080 Super and in silent mode it’s literally that, I was quite taken back that I can have half hour in BFV with hardly any fan noise! Don’t get me wrong I don’t leave it in silent continuously as I’m sure the temps will creep up uncomfortably but For a quick blast it’s perfect.
By the way don’t sit it on your lap unless you have it on a tray, don’t use a cushion either.
By the way don’t sit it on your lap unless you have it on a tray, don’t use a cushion either.
So I've tried both the Legion 7i and GE66 Raider and unfortunetely neither were for me.
The Legion 7i that I received ran too hot and I felt like I wasn't getting the performance I'd paid for because it was hitting thermal limits. 8 core cpu and 2080 Super MaxQ.
The display was fantastic though.
The GE66 Raider was better in this regard, ran much cooler, better fan control, however the left (CPU) fan emitted a noise that I found annoying. The noise wasn't loud but was at such a pitch that I found irritating. This was upto about 50% fan speed when the noise of the air being exhausted drowned out the fan noise. The right fan was silent, except for the sound of air being exhausted and this fan was usually off until I engaged the dGPU.
I thought that this may have just been a faulty unit, so I ordered one from elsewhere (OcUK this time) and that was the same. So I can only assume it is not a fault, but MSI's use of poor quality fans maybe. There are some other reports of the same issue and apparently MSI has cheaped out on fans in the past as well.
I am now not sure whether to order the Alienware M15 R3, which is rather pricey with the 2070 Super and OLED display (I was spoiled by the Legion 7i's display so now desire something similar), go for a much cheaper lower spec machine like the Legion 5 with an RTX 2060, or try ordering another Legion 7i and hoping I get a unit with better thermals.
I'm drawn to the Alienware with its OLED display, but at double the price of the Legion 5i, I'm not sure.
The Legion 7i that I received ran too hot and I felt like I wasn't getting the performance I'd paid for because it was hitting thermal limits. 8 core cpu and 2080 Super MaxQ.
The display was fantastic though.
The GE66 Raider was better in this regard, ran much cooler, better fan control, however the left (CPU) fan emitted a noise that I found annoying. The noise wasn't loud but was at such a pitch that I found irritating. This was upto about 50% fan speed when the noise of the air being exhausted drowned out the fan noise. The right fan was silent, except for the sound of air being exhausted and this fan was usually off until I engaged the dGPU.
I thought that this may have just been a faulty unit, so I ordered one from elsewhere (OcUK this time) and that was the same. So I can only assume it is not a fault, but MSI's use of poor quality fans maybe. There are some other reports of the same issue and apparently MSI has cheaped out on fans in the past as well.
I am now not sure whether to order the Alienware M15 R3, which is rather pricey with the 2070 Super and OLED display (I was spoiled by the Legion 7i's display so now desire something similar), go for a much cheaper lower spec machine like the Legion 5 with an RTX 2060, or try ordering another Legion 7i and hoping I get a unit with better thermals.
I'm drawn to the Alienware with its OLED display, but at double the price of the Legion 5i, I'm not sure.
What was up with the thermals on 7i ? Mine initially spikes to 94c @ 4ghz for about 25 seconds and then settles down to around 84c @ around 3.6ghz... That’s all cores full load. My 2070 barely gets past 65c at any load regardless of cpu load. I did get slightly better temps re-doing the thermal compound. Did you try any undervolting ?
Man of Honour
What about the possibility of replacing the fans yourself?
I've gone and ordered another Legion 7i. Hoping I get a better unit this time.
The last one ran at around 95c and would suffer sudden frame rate drops. I didnt try repasting or undervolting as I had the GE66 aswell at the time and thought I would be keeping that due to its decent thermal performance.
I will try undervolting this one when it arrives.
The last one ran at around 95c and would suffer sudden frame rate drops. I didnt try repasting or undervolting as I had the GE66 aswell at the time and thought I would be keeping that due to its decent thermal performance.
I will try undervolting this one when it arrives.
Did the temps drop after about 25 seconds ? These chips run at max pelt at around 94-95c during the initial boost then drop back down to 3.4-3.6Ghz at around 84c. A lot of reviews have taken this initial spike as operating temp and not the boost temp.
For undervolting you need to enable the advanced bios. Be careful as you can adjust everything in there from overclocking to every voltage you can think of.
If you need any help when you get it fire me a message.
Thanks @MOOGLEYS
I'll let you know how I get on. I actually just received the new unit this morning.
I forgot how much better the speakers are on the 7i compared to the GE66 as well.
No worries they are pretty good. I have the Legion headset too and mouse they are pretty good too.
Tbh the only complaint I have with mine is not being able to disable the rainbow effect on power up.
Does your power button feel a bit squishy? This ones feels weaker on the right side of the button. I don’t recall the last being like this. It’s also got minor light bleed in the bottom right corner of the display but otherwise it’s great.
Going to play with the thermals today.
Not that I have noticed it clicks when pressed not noticed it weaker one side. I don’t have any light bleed on mine best screen I have seen outside of Mac’s....
Enable xtu in the advanced bios under overclocking. Then when you run xtu you can adjust everything from there. I have not undervolted mine as tbh it does a decent enough job without it.
Hey @MOOGLEYS
In the end I decided the 7i wasn't for me and I've since sent it back for a refund.
It's a great machine. The display and the speakers are some of the best I've tried in a laptop and the 15" form factor was great too, having previously owned a 17" gaming laptop.
But ultimately, I think I'm just too fussy when it comes to laptops.
The main reason I wanted to switch to a laptop is because I have a 2yr old and a 3 month old and find it difficult to make use of the desktop for gaming in the evening, which is also inconveniently located in the upstairs bedroom (insufficent space in the living room). My plan was to sell the desktop and get a laptop so I could game in the evening when sat with the Wife watching TV, as I used to do when I owned the Asus G751JY.
The problem I have is that all modern gaming laptops are lacking in some way or another.
Some of the issues I have are as follows:
- In my opinion, the 7i is too small for its own good and lacks custom fan curve controls. This meant that even when undervolted and ran is silent mode, the fans would still spin up to a level that I found distracting. - Whilst I believe the G751JY doesn't have custom fan curve control either, due to the size of it (5cm thick) it was still able to remain relatively quiet even under load.
- As I am working from home now, I cannot afford to be without a computer. The desktop I have I only built 6 months ago and were anything to go wrong I could simply replace the part concerned. Were I to have a similar issue with a laptop I would likely be without the machine for some time.
- Whilst the aluminium build of the 7i is nice and premium-feeling, I am concerned that I would likely end up scratching it with my watch clasp or wedding ring. I didn't have the same concern when testing the GE66 as this had a different type of coating to it.
- I found the RGB puke and iCUE software issues of the 7i to be more annoying than I thought I would. I think if I used the iCUE software I could learn to live the RGB puke on boot-up, but because I had iCUE disabled due to it draining the battery so much, I was limited to what keyboard lighting I could use and had to set this each time I change performance mode or booted the machine.
In the end I think I decided that if I were to get a gaming laptop it would probably have to be something quite a lot chunkier, like the G751JY. I did previously purchase the Area 51m bac in October last year from the Dell Outlet store but that had numberous issues which resulted in a dead GPU in the end, so I think my options are probably limited.
For now I think I will stick with the Desktop and try to allocate time to gaming a couple of nights a week.
Thanks for your help with regards to the Legion 7i.