Introduction

Not all laptops are built the same. One thing that stands out right away is naming schemes for mobile parts these days, with mobile GPUs hard to differentiate from one another. They have similar names even though their performance may be quite different. You really have to pay attention to the specifications and power draw of mobile GPUs to exactly know what you are getting—information that is sometimes hard to find. Examples are the low-power RTX 3070 GPUs, which in their low-power format are eclipsed in performance by the seemingly lesser yet high-power-draw RTX 3060. However, that difference is only present when the laptop is plugged in; unplugged, mobile GPUs are power restricted even further yet, and in that instance, you have something different. You've got a 40 W GPU limit with NVIDIA Optimus while unplugged, so what can we get out of that 40 W, and what's the biggest battery we can stuff inside? The answer to that question should set a lot of laptops apart from each other, but I don't often see it considered. Everyone is trying to differentiate themselves to get your dollar, but there is not a lot of focus on what you get unplugged.

MSI's Pulse GL66 is a laptop that tries to do things differently right from the start. Clad in titanium-gray instead of MSI's usual black, the Pulse GL66 takes cues from futuristic fighters in its look. There's subtle design cues all over the Pulse GL66/GL76. There's attention to the parts used inside. All finely balanced. MSI states that "with titanium-gray metal armor and contour lines, the Pulse GL series is for those who love futuristic aesthetics." To pull this off, MSI tapped Maarten Verhoeven, digital concept sculptor and Z-Brush World Champion.



While the Pulse GL66 comes in a multitude of configurations, we have a variant with one of those lower-power 85 W 3070 GPUs inside. Yet once you unplug from the wall, maximum power levels aren't exactly in use anymore, and you're then still left with a 3070, not a 3060. Once you unplug from the wall, the 3070 is further restricted to 40 W. Fortunately, we also have a 90 Wh battery, so that time unplugged is as long as it can be. There are still silicon supply restraints in place too, so this lower-power 3070 is a great option for those who plan to use their laptop unplugged, but want an aesthetic different from the norm.

Packaging and Contents

Opening the box of the MSI Pulse GL66 was actually rather disappointing, with nothing truly special catching the eye at all. Given this is a special design, a fancy box would have been nice, but we instead have standard MSI laptop boxing.

I did find a bag of paper guides at the bottom of the box.

• Laptop
• User guide
• Battery charger and cable

The MSI Pulse GL66 comes with a 180 W power supply manufactured by Delta Electronics. It has a fairly long cable that comes with an attached Velcro strip so you can wrap up the cable.

A Closer Look

Freed from the foam and cardboard, we're left with the laptop itself, wrapped in a plastic and then a fabric bag. The first thing I noticed when pulling out the laptop was the textured bottom.


The titanium gray top really stands out compared to other laptops; a definite statement and perhaps the defining feature that makes you buy this laptop. A huge variety of configurations are available, as well as wide pricing, so there's nearly an option for everyone.


We have a full-size 99-key keyboard that includes a numpad. It features a single RGB lighting zone. No per-key lighting to be found here.


On one side, we find two USB Type-A ports, along with the power plug and an exhaust vent, while the other side features the Ethernet port, a single USB Type-A, one Type-C, and an HDMI port.


The laptop features etching at either side of the keyboard that kind of guides your fingers to where they need to be, an interesting touch that continues the theme from the top.


Stickers on the bottom of the keyboard point out the laptop's feature set.


We have a standard-sized trackpad, nothing too fancy itself other than more etching that ties into the theme again. There's also some venting at the top of the keyboard, under the display panel.


The rear of the Pulse GL66 carries on the theme as well, with the vents at the rear matched on either side of the Pulse GL66. Personally, I like this look and all these little touches everywhere as they are subtle and don't intrude, yet together all tie into something that really stands out.

A look Inside

The guts of the Pulse GL66 are well thought out as well, with this configuration sporting a full-sized battery that fills the upper edge under the trackpad. You can see the heatpipes snaking around the bottom edge; MSI uses special thermal paste to help make sure they work to their utmost capability.


The chipset itself is bare and doesn't have a cooler. I located an open M.2 port for upgrading the rather meager 512 GB capacity.


I also noticed a standard SATA port near the battery, but the battery is in the way. There is a model that features a standard laptop 1+1 TB drive; I'm not sure if the secondary drive is mechanical or SSD-based. Either way, you have a choice of expanded storage at the price of smaller battery size and thereby battery life, depending on which configuration of the Pulse GL66 you choose.


We have 16 GB of memory standard, at 3200 MHz. Both DIMM slots are populated, so this is a dual-channel memory setup in all configurations. A maximum of 64 GB are supported.