MSI GP62 7REX LEOPARD PRO
As a budget gaming notebook, the GP62 7REX Leopard Pro aims to blend affordable speci cations with a compelling mix of value-added features.
Now, it isn’t going to win any design accolades, measuring 29mm at its thickest point and weighing a hefty 2.4kg. MSI has incorporated a brushed metal nish on the lid for a slightly more premium feel, but there’s no getting away from the predominantly plastic build.
Like the Lenovo Legion Y520, the MSI notebook lets you manually boost the cooling during intensive workloads. The fans do become quite audible, but again, we noted a near 10°C drop in peak CPU temperatures. The feature can be activated with the dedicated Cooler Boost button at the top right, so it’s really convenient to use.
A second button beside the Cooler Boost key lets you toggle between different lighting effects, so there’s no need to enter the MSI Dragon Centre utility to manually switch things up. That said, if you want extra customizations, the keyboard still supports three-zone RGB backlighting and three levels of brightness.
Another interesting feature is the support for GPU overclocking. MSI offers something called Shift mode, and setting the laptop to Turbo mode lets you overclock the GPU by as much as 200MHz. Alternatively, you can shift down to Eco mode for cooler and quieter operation.
There’s not much to be had out of overclocking a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, but the different settings do allow for an additional degree of exibility. We were also able to squeeze out an 8 per cent improvement in 3DMark Fire Strike, so you’ll have the freedom to tinker around for a bit more performance.
MSI is also keen to emphasize its Nahimic audio technology, which supposedly improves audio and voice clarity, which could come handy in game. It’s an audio tweaking tool much like Creative’s Sound Blaster Cinema 3, and you can also customize certain aspects of the sound output.
GPU can be overclocked Poor display viewing angles