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MSI Leopard 15.6" 144Hz Laptop: i7-11800H, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, RTX 3070 Expired
$1500
$1,799.99
+ $10 S&H
Costco Wholesale offers their Members: MSI Leopard GP66 Gaming Laptop (11UG-290) on sale for $1,499.99. Shipping is $9.99.
Thanks to community member jaytielle for finding this deal.
Specs:
Thanks to community member jaytielle for finding this deal.
Specs:
- 15.6" 1920x1080 Full HD 144Hz IPS display (non-touchscreen)
- Intel Core i7-11800H Octa-Core (16 Thread) Processor
- 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM
- 1TB PCIe M.2 NVMe Solid State Drive
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB Graphics Card
- Killer 802.11ax WiFi 6 (2x2), Bluetooth 5.2
- Windows 10 Home 64-Bit (free Upgrade to Windows 11 when available)
- Steel Series RGB Keyboard w/ Anti-Ghost Keys
- Integrated 720p HD Webcam, 2x 2W Stereo Speakers
- 4-Cell 65Wh Li-Ion Battery
- Weight: 5.25 lbs.
- Ports:
- 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A
- 1x HDMI-Out
- 1x Mic-In/Headphone-Out Combo Jack
- 1-Year Manufacturer Warranty + Costco 2nd Year Warranty, Free Technical Support
Original Post
Written by
Edited October 18, 2021
at 10:57 PM
https://www.costco.com/msi-leopar...92120.
Reference for the wattage: https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GP66-L...ification=
Reference for the wattage: https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GP66-L...ification=
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Featured Comments
If these aren't issues for you this laptop has unparalleled horsepower at this pricepoint right now and is built well
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Also, given that Nvidia is halting GPU production this month due to chip shortages, miners are buying 3070 laptops as they will mine at the same rate as a 3070 non-lhr desktop card for about the same price and better efficiency. Gaming laptops will be in very short supply soon. Also, ethereum looks like it will not be moving to POS until 2023 now.
Also, given that Nvidia is halting GPU production this month due to chip shortages, miners are buying 3070 laptops as they will mine at the same rate as a 3070 non-lhr desktop card for about the same price and better efficiency. Gaming laptops will be in very short supply soon. Also, ethereum looks like it will not be moving to POS until 2023 now.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/...gn_id=9383
I was able to order the Lenovo for $1529.99, so slightly more expensive than the MSI. I will need to return one, but no clue which one is better for the money. The biggest differences that I can see are the 5800H vs i7, the 1TB hard drive versus 512GB, and the screen for the Lenovo looks to be nicer. Does anyone have any insight on which would be worth keeping? Thanks
GP66 Pros:
- 11800h with undervolting allows the CPU to run faster AND cooler than the 5800h
- Costco concierge warranty
- Per key RGB Keyboard (if you're into that stuff)
GP66 Cons:
- No USBC
- Abysmal battery life
L5Pro Pros:
- Bright QHD Screen
- Decent battery life
- USBC ports including PD
L5Pro Cons:
- Bad stock RAM that will lower gaming performance
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The Gp66 doesn't get that hot for me. I ubdervolted it too though, which is easy to do. Didn't mess with much else. I have a cooling pad too, but I don't use it all that often. However the fans are very loud.
GP66 Pros:
- 11800h with undervolting allows the CPU to run faster AND cooler than the 5800h
- Costco concierge warranty
- Per key RGB Keyboard (if you're into that stuff)
GP66 Cons:
- No USBC
- Abysmal battery life
L5Pro Pros:
- Bright QHD Screen
- Decent battery life
- USBC ports including PD
L5Pro Cons:
- Bad stock RAM that will lower gaming performance
From Walmart?
Do you know return policy for laptops at Walmart? Do they price adjust if it goes on sale? Do they do the thing where extended return for holiday period?
From Walmart?
Do you know return policy for laptops at Walmart? Do they price adjust if it goes on sale? Do they do the thing where extended return for holiday period?
Yep from Walmart. On their website it says laptop returns are 15 days but looking at my order page it says returns eligible until Nov 24 so I guess there is an extended period.
My order is arriving on the 26th so that's just about 30 days.
This is actually my exact same use case. I play with the Oculus quest too and my main concern was the usb c situation and the MSI GP66 doesn't have any. If it did I would probably not be considering the Legion 5 pro.
Luckily the Quest works with usb a cables too. I just have a usb a to usb c cable to connect the GP66 to my Quest. I played around on half-life Alyx for like 5 minutes on ultra and it's smooth. I also tried a heavily modded Skyrim VR build and it works quite well if you mess with it a little.
I still want a usb c though because the L5 pro can charge via usb c PD at 100W so I don't have to lug around the giant power brick if I'm just doing lighter tasks. I want to keep the giant brick in my office and use a usb c or a 230W brick when I'm downstairs in the living room.
Temps wise. It's really not a problem with the GP66 after undervolting. I'm actually more concerned about the L5pro temps than the GP66. I've seen benchmarks on the L5Pro reaching above 90 deg on performance mode so I'm not sure why people keep saying how cool the L5P runs. In comparison after undervolting, my GP66 never goes above 90 deg
Undervolting really is some magic voodoo that AMD users are missing out on. It makes the CPU run cooler AND make it perform faster. It boggles my mind.
Posting this after the deal expired as I was having issues into logging into Slickdeals to post in time, but hope this helps anyone else who is considering this Costco MSI GP66 gaming laptop even though it's back at it's normal price now at Costco.
To Those of you who are comparing this Costco MSI GP66 Leopard 11UG and the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro to decide which to buy.
If you guys are like me and have been browsing reddit for days/weeks like me looking between the Costco exclusive MSI GP66 Leopard 11UG model for $1,500 (sale ends today) and the Legion Pro 5 deal at Walmart. Just wanted to share with you my own experiences after having purchased the Costco GP66 laptop after doing all the research, and playing with it the last couple of days.
**Please keep in mind this post is going to be long, so just a heads up as I hope what I share here will help others decide which gaming laptop to get for their budget.**
I've used MSI Afterburner with Rivatuner, etc to confirm the FPS, temperatures for the 3070 mobile GPU with 140W (maximum graphics power confirmed in the Nvidia Control Panel under system info), Intel 11th gen CPU and wattage usage for both the GPU/CPU. I can say this Costco MSI GP66 consistently provides good FPS, while the temperatures are being kept in check with the great thermal/cooling system built into this gaming laptop as I also use it on my Nexstand to prop it up so there is plenty of airflow while also raising the laptop to eye level so more ergonomic and no neck strain when working or gaming if using an external keyboard/mouse.
I can definitely say you'll be happy with your purchase from Costco at the $1,500 discounted price range for the MSI GP66. This is a killer deal, and even after I bought this Costco MSI GP66, I still can't find any laptop that gives you a better value for the most recent 11th gen Intel (poor battery life but better gaming performance) along with the RTX 3070 mobile GPU, along with 16 gb DDR4 ram, and 1 TB SSD included - that is in stock and you can receive in a few days along with a wonderful no hassles return policy.
I've been using it just out of the box and can enjoy the laptop immediately, without having to upgrade the SSD (Legion 5 Pro only comes with 512 gb storage around this similar price range), or try to re-do the thermal paste like in the ASUS Rog Strix Advantage edition, etc.
I mainly purchased this gaming laptop as a desktop replacement so plugged in 100%, understanding it's battery life using as a mobile laptop will be low, to replace my old desktop to use so I could play the more recent AAA games, and other games that are more graphics intensive and I have been blown away by the results.
My initial concern was that the 15.6" monitor/LED panel in the Costco MSI GP66 was going to be terrible, since after reading tons of reviews, others had mentioned the Legion 5 Pro has a better quality one. Using the 1920 x 1080 native resolution for the MSI GP66 is what gives you maximum FPS (if that's something you care about) when gaming along with the 144 hz refresh rate). It also has a HDMI and Mini Display port so you can always connect an external monitor if you want better resolution with the 140W high wattage 3070 Nvidia mobile GPU.
To my surprise, I had always used an external monitor for my desktop, but after putting this MSI GP66 on my Nexstand so it is eye level, I am actually ok with gaming on this laptop just using the 15.6" monitor/panel while my external monitor sits unused. Although the screen is smaller relative to my external monitor, I am ok with gaming on this 15.6" screen while enjoying higher FPS from the built in 1920 x 1080 resolution so far while also saving desk space.
When I compared the quality of the screen to my say, iPad Pro 2018 (as it has a higher quality screen) while having them both play back some 4k HD video on youtube, I noticed the colors on the GP66 were not as deep & rich as my iPad Pro's, but it was still good enough for gaming, watching youtube videos, movies, surfing the web, etc. In fact, I didn't really notice the lack of the screen contrast/quality when gaming, I was too busy enjoying seeing all the rich details/environments from the ultra presets on all my games which I could not play on ultra before.
To give you my own perspective about the keyboard, I actually believe you get a pretty good quality keyboard and keycaps. I typically use an external mechanical Ducky one 2 mini keyboard with Cherry MX silent red switches & double shot PBT keycaps primarily when gaming but have been typing on the MSI GP66's onboard keyboard and the keyboard quality feels, honestly, quite good when I compare it to my mechanical keyboard that I would be fine if I had to use it full time.
The best thing that I discovered was how they implemented the volume controls and brightness increase/decrease into the arrow keys on the bottom right of this keyboard versus the Legion 5 Pro. I've found this to be SUPER convenient when adjusting display and volume as I use those features the most often when using the laptop and gaming. It is one of those little design choices that just make a lot of sense and something that the Legion 5 Pro seems to lack. Due to this, it frees up the function shortcut keys for the MSI GP66 on the top for added features like display switching, turning off the track pad, turning off the webcam, turning on max fans if you want better cooling, etc.
Although this keyboard lacks a numpad (which I don't use anyway), I really like the fact my hands won't rest on the touchpad when typing like some reviewers pointed out for the Legion 5 Pro since they had to make compromises with the placement of the trackpad when squeezing in the numpad.
Some con's I noticed, not really big ones but just a bit nit picky on my end, were the integrated speakers don't have as much bass, so I normally use my portable Bose Soundlink Mini speaker or portable headphones if I'm gaming. However, if I didn't have my external speakers to compare and listen side by side, the integrated speakers are good enough.
Another thing I noticed was the trackpad only clicks from the bottom portion of the track pad. The quality is definitely not as good as my Apple Macbook's trackpad where you can click anywhere. However, I just leave it on tap to click for general usage and it's fine for my purposes as I game with an external mouse.
If you were to game with this laptop and are right or left handed when using your external mouse, just note there are 4 external fan vents, 2 that blow to the upper right and upper left, and another 2 that blow to the right and left of the laptop, so if you are gaming it could lead to warm or hot hands with the mouse depending on the climate/where you live.
Since I use my GP66 on my Nexstand and have it raised with an external keyboard and mouse when gaming it doesn't bother me. In fact I like how it's pushing the hot air through those 4 vents to keep my GPU temperatures in the low to mid 70 degrees Celsius & CPU temperatures in the 80's degrees Celsius range or lower consistently when using the maximum performance, discrete graphics mode (only using the 3070 mobile GPU), 100% of the time. The temperatures could go up during the summer time as it's been relatively colder now where I live.
Fan noise is ok, not too annoying or too loud when gaming at 100% performance with the discrete 3070 graphics card and after you turn off the game, it automatically scales down to where you barely hear it when using the laptop for normal web surfing/emails, etc.
When gaming, the top center of the keyboard area, above the F6 and F7 function keys is where it will get the hottest, so if you place your hand/skin on there for too long it can get burned, but people rarely place their hands there for long periods of time, just something to point out. However the rest of the areas on the keyboard felt good enough temperature wise if you were gaming and using the onboard keyboard.
The built in monitor/panel when lifting it and closing seems pretty solid, little wobble but feels sturdy. Considering this is a 15.6" monitor/panel, I am appreciating how they fit all the recent hardware/GPU into this portable form factor (portable for a gaming laptop anyway), while still maintaining good cooling/thermals.
There is some slight back light bleeding on this monitor/panel but it was not that bad that I'm completely fine with it and I never notice it when gaming, only if I stare at a black screen for a prolonged period of time.
All the ports so far seem to work fine when tested out of the box (except for the Mini Display port as I haven't needed to use it so haven't tested it yet), 3x USB 3.1 ports (2 on right side and one on left), one audio 3.5mm, one power supply input, HDMI, Ethernet, and Mini Display port.
The included power supply is 280W, while large should supply plenty of power for the GPU and CPU to run at their maximum wattage with no issues.
I hope this helps to answer some of your concerns considering this purchase but rest assured, just like me if there is ever an issue, Costco has an amazing return policy. 90 days from purchase, plus you can buy the added 3 yrs drops & spills warranty for an extra $99 through their Allstate protection plan within 30 days after purchase through Costco.
Even if the Legion 5 Pro were to be in stock today for pickup I doubt I would buy that just to pay more just for worse gaming/FPS performance plus having to upgrade the SSD to 1 TB. You can always use an external monitor for better screen resolution if you are seriously gaming.
I'll save my money from buying this Costco discounted MSI GP66 at $1,500, which I paid a total of $1,652.77 (with taxes/shipping included) to use for now, and a few years down the line, I can use the money I saved now to buy an even better gaming laptop to play the future AAA games.
Definitely makes me feel good for not spending over $2,500 / $3,000+ / $4,000+ for the best gaming laptop right now just to justify using it for 6+ years to get my money's worth out of it.
Another added benefit, if there is a deal better than this during black friday/cyber Monday/Christmas/New Years - you can return it to Costco with no questions asked : ) Not sure how the return policy is for online retailers, I doubt it is as easy as Costco if you have a local Costco store nearby to return it in person.
Warmest Regards,
Goodo8
Luckily the Quest works with usb a cables too. I just have a usb a to usb c cable to connect the GP66 to my Quest. I played around on half-life Alyx for like 5 minutes on ultra and it's smooth. I also tried a heavily modded Skyrim VR build and it works quite well if you mess with it a little.
I still want a usb c though because the L5 pro can charge via usb c PD at 100W so I don't have to lug around the giant power brick if I'm just doing lighter tasks. I want to keep the giant brick in my office and use a usb c or a 230W brick when I'm downstairs in the living room.
Temps wise. It's really not a problem with the GP66 after undervolting. I'm actually more concerned about the L5pro temps than the GP66. I've seen benchmarks on the L5Pro reaching above 90 deg on performance mode so I'm not sure why people keep saying how cool the L5P runs. In comparison after undervolting, my GP66 never goes above 90 deg
Undervolting really is some magic voodoo that AMD users are missing out on. It makes the CPU run cooler AND make it perform faster. It boggles my mind.
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I decided to keep the L5P. I was leaning towards keeping the GP66 but after having the L5P in person definitely feels like a higher quality laptop than the GP66. And WOW the screen and build quality is so nice, but it's significantly heavier than the GP66.
The L5P has some problems but nothing that a little bit of money can't fix. While the GP66 has problem that can't really be fixed with money (i.e, battery life, lack of usb c, ok screen)
L5P Problems:
Shitty WiFi, can be replaced.
Low storage space, can be replaced
Slow RAM timings, can be replaced.
Large charging brick: can be replaced with smaller brick and even use a 100W charger for lighter tasks
Overall, I'm very happy with the L5P and it's enough for me to return the GP66.