Review: MSI GT72 Dominator Pro

Introduction and design

In order to survive until its next iteration every laptop needs a gimmick.

The Razer Blade, for example, is one of the thinnest laptops on the market, smaller than the diameter of a dime. The Macbook Air, as its name implies, is a featherweight machine that packs a decent bit of power in its components.

What's the MSI Dominator's gimmick? Equipped with the latest Nvidia GTX 970M and 980M mobile GPUs, it dominates through sheer processing power. And if its outrageous performance numbers aren't enough, it comes encased in a sleek brushed aluminum package and sports surprisingly comfortable - and completely customizable - SteelSeries keys.

But this kind of power in a laptop comes at a cost. And before you ask, no it's not the GT72's $2,999 (about £1,900, AU$3,400) price tag that I'm referring to. To pack every pixel into its 17.3-inch 1920 x 1080 screen, the GT72 is nearly double the weight and size of its closest competitor, the Razer Blade. Finding a way to bring this "portable" PC from Point A to Point B was challenging, actually getting it there was the equivalent of beating Dark Souls - impossible.

Design

The GT72 may be big, but it's an unabashedly beautiful machine. It's impossible not to admire the all-silver MSI logo and glowing MSI Dragon Army emblem on the matte black, brushed aluminum lid.

Crack open the case and you'll find the 17.3-inch Full HD anti-reflective screen. It's sharp, crystal clear and works in nearly every environment - from direct sunlight to the dimmest of gaming dens. On each side of the screen is a one-inch plastic bezel that gives the GT72 an almost picture frame-like effect.

Move down a bit further and you'll find the RGB backlit SteelSeries keys. They're not mechanical, but the membrane keys did a decent job of keeping up with the on-screen action. Even better were the custom-built MSI quick launch keys located along the left-hand side.

From top to bottom you'll see a power button, a GPU button, a fan button, XSplit streaming button, and finally a SteelSeries button that pulls up the SteelSeries Engine 3 customization software.

Having the ability to switch between the discrete graphics card and the built-in motherboard GPU should save you a few hours of battery when you're not gaming (though you'll need to restart the machine first), and the fan button can instantly set their speed to full blast when you feel your system running hot.

XSplit to the world

What's the XSplit button for? Well, like most products in their gaming range, MSI packs in six months of XSplit game-streaming software for free. One touch of the side streaming button and you'll be broadcasting live on Twitch via the GT72's built-in, 1080p webcam.

Plus, like previous models, all the laptop keys' colors and functions are customizable thanks to the SteelSeries Engine 3 software that comes pre-installed on every unit. All you need to do is hit the SteelSeries button to switch between profiles.

This level of attention to detail and gamers' wants blew me away. Sadly, the same can't be said of the the faux-glass, cool-to-the-touch touchpad.

It did a lousy job tracking my fingers which, in the case of Window 8 and its myriad unnecessary shortcuts, had me unintentionally opening window after window before I gave up and plugged in an external mouse.

Specifications, performance and verdict

Equipped with a fourth-generation Intel i7 processor, 32GBs of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M GPU, three external display ports, plus up to four 125GB SSDs in Super RAID 3 configuration and a 1TB, 7,200rpm mechanical hard drive to top it all off the laptop isn't hurting in the power department.

In fact, all things considered, it's hard to get better components into a laptop. Here's the MSI GT72 Dominator Pro configuration sent to TechRadar in detail:

Spec sheet

• Processor: 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-4710HQ (quad-core, 6MB cache, up to 3.4GHz with Turbo Boost)


• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M (8GB GDDR5 RAM)


• Memory: 32GB DDR3L (1600MHz)


• Storage: 4 x 256GB SSD, 1TB at 7200rpm


• Optical drive: Blu-ray writer / Blu-ray Combo / DVD Super Multi


• Connectivity: Killer DoubleShot Pro 11ac, Killer DoubleShot Pro Gb LAN


• Operating system: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64‐Bit Edition)


• Power adapter: 230W


• Ports: HDMI, 6 x USB 3.0, 2 x mini-display, Mic-in/Headphone-out, 1 x line in / 1 x line out, SD (XC/HC) card reader, Ethernet


• Size: 1.9 x 19.6 x 11.5 inches (H x W x D)


• Weight: 3.78Kg (about 8 pounds w/ Battery)

Considering the 32GB of DDR3L memory, GTX 980M GPU and 2TB of storage space, there's almost no room for real improvement on this machine. In fact, the only disadvantage is that it is laptop. If it had comparable parts, but was in a desktop form factor, you would easily see a 25% improvement just by switching to a full-size GPU and higher-end i7.

Even so, what's listed above is already the "Best" of the GT72's two available configurations. The other Maxwell-equipped option - a GT72 2QD - drops the the 980M GPU down to a 970M and replaces the 32GB of RAM to 24GB. You'll save $500 by choosing this option, but overall you're buying into something with less power to play the latest games down the road.

Performance

As a gaming machine, the GT72 can pretty much tear through every title out there today, on ultra settings, with little to no problem. Now, does that mean it's future-proof? No. But the fact that we're seeing 37 frames per second on Metro: Last Light and 90-plus fps in BioShock Infinite bodes well.

Unfortunately, the max resolution you're going to get is a sharp, but certainly not blowing, 1920 x 1080. Which is disappointing when you consider the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K - a machine with almost equal or even lower quality parts - already does this. Getting a machine to output that kind of resolution, however, exponentially increases the heat output - which wasn't a problem I ran into while testing the GT72.

Speaking of, here's how the GT72 performed during our tests:

Benchmarks

• 3DMark: Ice Storm: 129,741; Cloud Gate: 22,220; Fire Strike: 8,228


• Cinebench Graphics: 105.99 fps, CPU: 652 points


• PCMark 8 (Home Test): 3,995 points


• PCMark 8 Battery Life: 2 hours and 18 minutes other GPU


• Bioshock Infinite (1080p, Ultra): 91.65 fps; (1080p, Low): 218.91 fps


• Metro: Last Light (1080p, Ultra): 37.0 fps; (1080p, Low): 70.0 fps

Despite what MSI would have you believe, the coolest piece of tech in the GT72 isn't actually the 980M. Killer Doubleshot Pro – a completely new technology built off the back of the standard Killer ethernet technology - is. DoubleShot Pro allows the Dominator to combine both your wired and wireless connection speeds to give even more bandwidth to the apps of your choosing - whether that's a movie download, Netflix or a lag-free first-person shooter.

If you have two apps that need equal attention, it'll even split the signal for you. Playing a game of League of Legends while streaming to Twitch? No problem. The traffic needed to play League of Legends can go through the ethernet port while incoming and outgoing signal needed for Twitch can be taken care of by the 802.11ac wireless card.

Verdict

At 17.3 inches, the GT72's 1920 x 1080 screen should be large enough for media streaming sessions. Also, thanks to its insanely powerful components, this rig should easily withstand whatever the next few years can throw at it.

It's biggest weakness, though, is its form factor. The GT72 is a great gaming machine, for sure, but it's also a hulking piece of plastic with a 2 (and a half) hour battery life.

If you're a mostly sedentary gamer with an urge for owning the latest and greatest technology, the GT72 is one of the best "portable" – of course, I use that term loosely – gaming machines around.

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