The MSI Pulse GL66 looks like it comes from the past. This thing is big and bulky, but there’s no denying how powerful it is. With its latest 12th-generation processors and other parts, the latest Pulse tries to compete with some of the best gaming laptops on the market. When you add that to the 2022 GL66’s 165Hz 1440p screen, it’s easy to see that it wants to compete with some of the most powerful machines in the game.
The MSI Pulse GL66 gaming laptop has a plastic and aluminium chassis that was designed by the well-known Belgian artist Maarten Verhoeven. The chassis is nice to look at and does a good job of holding all of the parts. Vents on the left side, back, and bottom of the laptop allow a lot of air to flow through.
The Pulse GL66 has a keyboard that is almost as big as a full-size keyboard. The keyboard has single-zone RGB lighting, which is great for places with low light. Some people will complain about how “soft” the keys are, but we haven’t had any trouble. Some people would like a “bump” on the keys, but they are soft, quiet, and work just fine.
The screen is 15.6 inches and has a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. The thin bezels on the screen make for a good ratio of screen to body. The Pulse GL66 weighs about five pounds, which makes it a little hard to carry around, but it’s not the heaviest laptop.
The MSI Center application that comes with the Pulse GL66 lets you programme the keyboard’s RGB lighting and turn it on or off. If you like RGB lighting, you can choose the colour of your keyboard and different effects. Even though RGB lighting looks great, it uses a lot of battery, and the Pulse 66’s battery life isn’t great (more on this later), so being able to control this feature is important.
The Pulse GL66 has three USB-A ports, two of which are USB 3.0 and one of which is USB 2.0. It also has one USB-C port, an HDMI port, and an RJ-45 Ethernet port. This means you won’t have to worry about finding dongles every time you leave the house. On the other hand, the USB-C port can’t transfer power or video. HDMI is the only video port, but it can still power a 4K display at 60 frames per second.