MSI Raider GE77 review

Thanks to the success of the Steam Deck and other handheld PCs, it feels like more people than ever are jumping into PC gaming. As much as I love my Deck for playing all the games I can manage tough, it simply cannot do everything a laptop can. Obviously not everyone can grab one of every expensive piece of tech that tickles their fancy, but after reviewing a whole bunch of gaming laptops I can certainly see why. The MSI Raider GE77 has a whole bunch of appeal if you’re looking for a chunky powerhouse of a laptop, and will cater to all your gaming needs with ease.

In an era where all tech is supposed to be slim and professional, the MSI Raider GE77 bursts into the scene with a bang. There’s nothing meek or discreet about this metal monster, it’s unashamedly a big flashy laptop that does big flashy laptop things. Now this doesn’t come without a couple of caveats – this is quite easily the heaviest laptop I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing, with even a power brick that feels closer to its concrete namesake than most chargers. There’s a reason this laptop is heavy though, and that’s because of the sheer power contained within.

For the majority of us the most important aspect of a gaming laptop is how it runs video games, and the MSI Raider GE77 does not disappoint in this department. Sporting a GeForce RTX 3080Ti under the hood, this laptop can play any of those brand new titles that interest you with ease. I’ve been switching between Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite and the recently released The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and easily and consistently hitting a FPS that very few could complain about throughout. It’s simply a joy to play video games on this machine, and if you’re going to shell out multiple thousands of pounds on a laptop that’s what you want to hear.

Ensuring games run great is one thing, but if the display isn’t up to snuff then all that graphical power is for nothing. Thankfully the vibrant 17.3 inch screen has got you covered here, with an impressive brightness and colour range that makes those games pop. When using a top tier gaming laptop the display is always the first thing that blows me away, and the MSI Raider GE77 makes looking at anything else feel underwhelming. Why play games on the TV when you’ve got all these crisp colours right here?

Alongside coping with all the games you’ll want to play, the MSI Raider GE77 is also ideal for switching between those day-to-day tasks that a laptop is perfect for. The intel i9 core can handle anything from switching between windows to content creation with ease, so there’d be pretty much no reason you’d ever need a dedicated at-home desktop PC with this little beaut under your arm.

After spending a couple of months with this lovely laptop it’s hard to imagine using anything else. The built-in SteelSeries keyboard strikes that perfect balance between clicky and squishy, and although the trackpad is fairly basic (and in the end still a laptop trackpad that probably shouldn’t be used for gaming) the fact it’s offset a little to the left made using the MSI Raider GE77 just that little bit comfier for me.

I always make sure to talk about RGB lighting in my laptop reviews, because if you’re going to spend the big bucks on a laptop you might as well look good doing it. The softly alternating rainbow backlight on the keyboard of the Raider GE77 is as appealing here as ever, but the star of the lighting show is the long strip of light that goes along the bottom of the laptop. It’s a hell of a headturner, and really helps this laptop stand out in a sea of grey.

In terms of visual design, the MSI Raider GE77 has a positively old school look that I really like. The chunky hinges add a touch of style that more conservative laptops just don’t have, and the chrome MSI logo looks and feels expensive. The metallic build brings it all together too, providing that finish that only the elite laptops have.

Now I know most people usually just grab a pair of headphones when using their laptop, but I’m a real stickler for audio quality and volume through laptop speakers. A lot of laptops struggle to output a volume loud enough to watch videos on with a buddy, but not the Raider GE77. Sporting a two-sided Duo Wave Woofer, this laptop has the loudest built in speakers I’ve ever experienced while not compromising on audio quality.

The speakers need to be loud though, to offset the exceptionally loud fans in this beast. You’ll probably already know if a noisy laptop fan is something that’ll annoy you, and if you’re someone who can’t tolerate that background whirring this is simply not the laptop for you. It does admittedly mean that the laptop stays fairly cool even when gaming though, which is hard to complain about.

While we’re listing things that are hard to complain about, the MSI Raider GE77 really makes good use of that maxed out battery. Compared to other laptops I’ve reviewed, the Raider GE77 always lasted way longer than I expected unplugged. Even when gaming (which I admittedly don’t recommend without that power boost that comes from being plugged in) this laptop was able to stay alive for a good couple of hours playing some pretty intensive titles.

The MSI Raider GE77 is a powerhouse of a machine, that’s perfect for playing the latest games and so much more. The visual design of the laptop is a treat too, and with a great keyboard and good quality speaker it overperforms in pretty much every way. As long as you can tolerate the fan noise and have the muscles to lift this bruiser, you’ll have a great time using this fantastic laptop for all your computing needs.