MSI Raider GE67 HX review

We’ve seen all manner of amazing MSI gaming laptops come through our doors in recent months, but this is the one we’ve been waiting for most. It’s a Raider – so chances are it’s going to be awesome – plus it has a 240Hz, UHD OLED screen! How can it possibly be bad? Will the MSI Raider GE67 HX be our new Number 1 best laptop? Let’s find out…

UPDATE: Check out the new MSI Raider GE68 HX 13V Review

Table of Contents

• Specs
• Design, Handling and Features
• Performance
• Ports and connectivity
• Portability
• Alternatives to the MSI Raider GE67 HX
• Price
• Conclusion
• Pros
• Cons
• Results

Specs

Screen	15.6-inch, glossy, 240Hz, 2,560 x 1,440, OLED display
Processor	3.4–4.8GHz Intel Core i7-12800HX CPU
Memory	32GB DDR5-4800 RAM
Graphics	8GB Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU
Hard drive	1 x 2TB PCIe NVMe
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.2 1 x Thunderbolt 4 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 1 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 Gigabit Ethernet 1 x HDMI 2.1 3.5mm audio jack SDcard reader
Speakers	2 × 2W
Security	N/A
Webcam	Full HD
Battery	99.9Wh
Dimensions	358 x 267 x 23.4mm
Weight	2.38 KG
SKU	GE67HX 12UGS

Design, Handling and Features

Not too much has changed with MSI’s Raiders in recent years. The GE66’s Titanium grey chassis is still there, the embossed dragon logo is on the lid but now its joined by a large, subtle-ish MSI etching down the side. Whereas it could easily blend into an office before, the latter means it’s a smidge harder to explain that the MSI Raider GE67 HX is a nice, normal, sober laptop to any colleagues now.

That’s unless you forget to turn all the RGB off. The disco ‘Mystic Light’ bar at the front is still one of our favourite features from any laptop and the individually back-lit, Steelseries keyboard also looks amazing – especially in low light. The MSI Raider GE67 HX will look great in any consumer-oriented environment.

The main chassis is stiff and robust but there is some flex in the lid when a twisting force is applied. We wouldn’t want to bash it lest it damaged the screen inside.

And what a screen it is! The rumours were true, the promises were real, this UHD, 1,440p, 240Hz OLED screen is simply stunning. The Windows Desktop is crisp and clear; colours are among the most vibrant we’ve seen on any laptop; contrast stretches from true-black to white with details remaining visible in both shadows and highlights simultaneously; colour gradients are smooth; monochromatic gradients and transitions are also smooth and they don’t suffer any blocky aberrations.

On top of that, the unprecedented 240Hz refresh rate (on an OLED screen) works very well – especially in tandem with the fast pixel response time. There’s effectively no ghosting or image smearing and all fast moving objects are rendered sharply, rapidly and accurately to a degree that will even satisfy the demands of pro gamers.

If we’re going to be pernickety, perhaps the MSI Raider GE67 HX’s screen could get a bit brighter. Also, it didn’t play well with Windows’ HDR settings [what does, though?? – ed] meaning some HDR video content doesn’t appear as well as it could. However, that’s a very minor niggle, the contrast and colours mean anything that should be HDR compatible still looks stunning when HDR is not activated.

Just be wary that in dark scenes the glossy coating quickly becomes a black mirror and sitting so close to the screen means that you might end up staring back at your own dishevelled visage in the stead of glorious high-contrast content. These are minor issues though – it’s the best screen we’ve seen on a laptop. Ever. For those who care a lot about backlight bleed, OLED screens have none.

Below the MSI Raider GE67 HX’s screen is the large-keyed. Low-travel Steelseries keyboard that we’ve liked a lot when we’ve seen it in recent years. It’s very comfortable to type upon for extended periods and very accurate for gaming. It has full-sized arrow keys but there isn’t a number pad. The trackpad is smooth and accurate but the buttons are a tad stiff to activate.

Above the screen in a Full HD webcam which offers a great, crisp and clear image. However it does get a bit grainy in low light.

The twin, 2-Watt speakers get relatively loud and punchy and offer decent fidelity from top to bottom. However, there’s not a huge amount of bass and this can leave audio feeling a bit hollow.

Overall, however, the MSI Raider GE67 HX has got it where it counts. It’s a joy to interact with.

Performance

Inside our SKU of the MSI Raider GE67 HX is a desktop-grade 3.4–4.8GHz Intel Core i7-12800HX processor with eight Performance cores and eight Efficiency cores. Combined with 32GB of DDR5-4800 RAM and a 2TB NVMe hard drive it scored 7,142 in the general PCMark 10 test. That’s some way behind its 17-inch, Core-i9’d big brother, but actually ahead of the also-Core-i9’d Titan. Either way, it’s a very good score.

In the Cinebench CPU rendering tests the MSI Raider GE67 HX scored 3,460 and 20,529 in R15 and R23, respectively. This again rivals some 12^th Gen Core-i9 processors and so is particularly impressive for a ‘lesser’ Core i7.

Our SKU also came with an Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 RAM. In 3DMark Time Spy it scored an excellent 12,519 which is an average of 74.3fps. In Fire Strike Extreme it managed 14,768 (average 66.6fps). These scores demonstrate it will have no issues playing the latest AAA games. However, note that the 8GB GDDR6 RAM isn’t quite enough to add features like Far Cry 6’s additional texture pack. That’s a rare bottleneck though, on this laptop.

In the difficult 3DMark Port Royal ray-tracing test it scored 7,427 (average 34.38fps). In the new, even difficulter Speed Way test it managed 3,084 which is an average of 30.85.

Ultimately, these are all very high scores which is, again, impressive for ‘second-tier’ components. The MSI Raider GE67 HX is available with Intel’s best Core-i9 processor and also Nvidia’s top 3080 Ti GPU, but these components will be overkill for some people and, as we’ll see below, their selection should be a boon to the Value score.

However, we can’t leave this section without pointing out that this laptop is not the quietest. Cooler Boost 5 technology includes two fans, seven heat pipes and a phase-changing thermal pad. But, while that just about does the job at fending away the worst heat, the fans do regularly kick in – even when using Silent mode and doing office work! It’s not particularly loud, but the whirr does come and go and will be distracting in a quiet environment.

Ports and connectivity

Inside there’s Wi-Fi 6E plus Bluetooth 5.2. At the end of the day, the MSI Raider GE67 HX has a thorough complement of connectivity.

Portability

We hoped the MSI Raider GE67 HX would pull ahead here thanks to its 2.38KG bulk being significantly lighter than it’s 17-inch relatives. However, you still have to factor in the 1.3KG power brick and cables that provide the power to the thirsty processor.

You won’t be able to leave it far from the mains either. As with its big brother, this Raider flat-out refused to run PCMark 10’s Modern Office test. From our educated guesses (and from what readers have told us about their experiences with the GE76 Raider) we’d say that it would typically last five to six hours, which isn’t much in the age of 12-th Gen laptops. That’s despite the massive 99.9Whr battery.

Build quality is generally very good, but the lid isn’t the toughest, so don’t bash it when on the road.

Alternatives to the MSI Raider GE67 HX

– MSI Titan GT77 review (12UHS)
Larger | More OC potential | Looks better | Not as fast as it should be | More expensive

– MSI Raider GE77 HX
Best performance of any laptop | Bigger | More expensive | Similar battery issues

– MSI GE76 Raider Deluxe 12UHS
Bigger | Less power hungry

– Lenovo Legion 5i Pro
Great all-rounder | More expensive | Doesn’t look as good | Not as fast

– Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Powerful | Portable | Smaller | Good battery life | Gets very hot

– Acer Nitro 5
Much cheaper | Looks good

Price

As we went to press, our version of the MSI Raider GE67 HX had a sticker price of $4,199. While expensive, when compared to it’s larger brethren, that’s some $3,000 less! What’s more, if you’re quick, it can be had for $3,799. That’s amazing value.

Conclusion

We expected the MSI Raider GE67 HX to be number 1 and we suspect that a more-powerful SKU would have been. However, this came extremely close indeed – finishing only behind its big Raider sibling. And considering it costs up to $3,500 less, it’s incredibly tempting! The larger laptops have more headroom for additional features, overclocking and upgrades but the MSI Raider GE67 HX will suit anyone wanting one of the very best laptops on the market.

Pros

Superb OLED screen
Good value
Very fast

Cons

Mediocre battery
Fan noise

Results