It couldn’t be easier or RTX 3060 in a laptop. MSI GF65 Thin 10U Review – review Addiction

Equipment

In our version, the GF65 Thin costs 115,000 rubles. Accordingly, this is a 6-core Intel Core i7-10750H with a frequency of up to 5 GHz, two 8 GB RAM strips with a frequency of 3200 MHz and one SSD from Micron 500 GB with a read speed of 1.6 GB / s.

The graphics, as mentioned above, are RTX 3060 Mobile. Recall with this generation NVIDIA decided not to copy their desktop chips anymore and started releasing weaker versions for laptops. In the case of the RTX 3060, however, the cuts are not as strong as on older GPUs: they removed only 15% of the processor power and reduced the video memory from 12 GB to 6 GB GDDR6. Nominal frequencies are stated at 900 to 1700 MHz. But, as with any laptop board, they depend on the power supplied by the laptop manufacturer. In our case, the card received only 75 W with a ceiling of almost 130. But, in addition to our configuration, other versions of the GF65 can be found on sale. For example, a SKU based on a 4-core Intel Core i5-10200H frequency up to 4.2 GHz and with the same RTX 3060.

Specifications

Display: 15.6 inches, 1920×1080, IPS, matte, 144 Hz
CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H, (6 cores, 12 threads, 2.6-5.0 GHz, 45W)
Memory: 2x 8 GB DDR4-3200 (Samsung M471A1K43DB1-CWE)
Video card: Intel UHD Graphics, GeForce RTX 3060 “for laptops” (900-1700 MHz, 6 GB GDDR6)
Disk subsystem: 500 GB NVMe SSD Micron MTFDHBA512QFD
Network wired: 1 Gbps Ethernet (Realtek RTL8168)
Network wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1
Connectors: 3.5 mm jack, 2x USB 3.2 Gen.1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen.1, RJ-45, HDMI 2.0
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Additionally: webcam, 720p / 30fps
Dimensions: 35.9×25.4×2.17 cm
The weight: 1.86 kg
Price for March 2023: 125,000 rubles ($ 1,500)

Delivery and appearance

The laptop is delivered in a regular cardboard box, inside which there are only a couple of instructions and a compact 180 W power supply weighing 384 grams. Externally, the GF65 remains the same as in the previous generation: it is relatively thin and light and is mostly made of plastic. Only the space around the keyboard and the lid, which actively collects fingerprints, are covered with metal.

The build level is generally good. You can, of course, find fault with the sharp front edge or the lack of body rigidity, but this is permissible for this segment. The main thing here, rather, is that everything is assembled without gaps, nothing dangles, and the lid sits on a pair of tight hinges, opens by about 160 ° and confidently holds a given position.

Similarly, with the controls. The keyboard may not SteelSeries and without RGB backlighting, but the keys are full-sized and do not block game combinations. To some, they, however, seem too soft, but this is a matter of habit. The touchpad is here without separate buttons, large and well-defined around the perimeter so that the finger does not fly out of the touch area. From the additional control, there is only a power button, which was cut into the case on the left side in front of the screen. Everything else – volume, brightness, disabling the touchpad, activating the camera – works through combinations with Fn.

But the impressions from the display were twofold. On the one hand, this is an IPS-Level gaming matrix with a brightness of 258 cd / m22 and 144 Hz, which is cool for any competitive game. On the other hand, this is an entry-level matrix with only 50% sRGB coverage – and, unfortunately, the lack of colors is really noticeable.

But we have no complaints about the sound or the communication modules. The speakers stand at the bottom and play the table; in terms of frequencies, they are clearly drawn to the high range, in which the voices lie, but they do not fall into a wheeze. For headsets, there is one output for a 3.5 mm jack, which is serviced by a chip. Realtek supported by software Nahimic… The latter allows you to correct the balance, and turn on the “sound around”, and even display the radar on the screen, noting from which side they shoot at you.

By the way, there is a 3.5 mm jack on the right side. All the main connectors are located right there: two USB 3.2 Gen.1 Type-C, a pair of USB 3.2 Gen.1 and RJ-45. On the left side, only power and HDMI 2.0 stand.

In terms of communications, the alignment is as follows: there is a 1 Gbps LAN, and WiFi of the sixth generation along with Bluetooth 5.1. MSI did not forget about the webcam: the module stands above the display and shoots in 720p resolution at 30 frames per second – for Zoom enough.

Inside

Getting to the inside of the laptop is relatively easy: you unscrew a few screws from the bottom, pry the bottom with a pick and pull it towards you. The main thing is to be careful with the right side, on which all ports are located.

Inside, you can change the memory and SSD, as well as clean the cooling system. It is called here Cooler boost 5 and consists of three small radiators, two fans and six heat pipes. The latter were divided equally: both the processor and the video card got two independent pipes, and two more were shared.

Before moving on to temperatures, we note that the laptop sent to us for tests had been sorted out by someone, so we replaced all the standard thermal paste with MX4 just in case. It turned out great: under AVX the processor did not rise above 80 ° C, but under 3ds max kept 77-78 °. The frequencies were kept within 3.1 and 3.5 GHz. In games, they kept at around 4.2-4.4 GHz at similar temperatures: depending on the specific project, it could be 65 or 79 ° С.

But the video card turned out to be relatively hot. Even taking into account the fact that it consumes only 70 W here, the temperature can reach 80 ° C at frequencies from 1500 MHz to Metro: Exodus up to 1740 MHz in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla…

But in terms of noise level, the GF65 Thin is in complete order. Under full load (in Extreme Performance mode) the fans gain 37-38 dB, which according to the noise tables is usually defined as “normal conversation, computer turned on, air conditioner”. Translated into normal language, the fans are noisy, but bearable. However, if desired, the system can be switched to Silent mode, in which the noise drops to 30 dB (the lower sensitivity threshold of our sound level meter). Naturally, all frequencies decrease from this, and it is better not to run the conditional Metro: Exodus like this, but Underrail or Civilization 6 work with a bang – and, most importantly, in complete silence.

The GF65 also did not fail in performance. In processor tests, the results are fully consistent with those of larger and more expensive models (for example, we took MSI GE66). In games, the RTX 3060 is as close to RTX 3070 Super… In graphically loaded projects – Metro: Exodus, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion, Total war: three kingdoms – fps is kept in the corridor of 50-60 fps, although in Hitman 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 can go down to 40–47. However, in projects it is simpler – World of Tanks Encore RT, F1 2023 – the frame rate can take the coveted bar of 144 fps.

Once again, we note: the results for noise and cooling were taken after replacing the thermal paste, since the laptop was sorted out before us.