MSI GE62 2QE Apache Review

Performance Analysis

The inclusion of a quad-core CPU, and a hyper-threaded one at that, does help the Apache to battle away in our benchmarks although it can't really keep up with the latest desktop Core-i5s in single or lightly-threaded applications. For example, in the image editing test its score of 1,656 was a long way off the 2,040 achieved by the Core i5-4690K, and that's before the latter was overclocked too.

Switching to multi-threaded applications, though, and things are much better. In the video encoding test, the Apache's Core i7-4720HQ was trading blows with desktop Core i5s and actually bettered both them and AMD's FX-8350 in Cinebench R15. The overall score in the Media Benchmarks painted a relatively rosy picture considering this is a laptop, with just a couple of hundred points between the Apache and a Core i5-4690K, while it was noticeably faster than a Core i3-4130.


In terms of GPU comparisions, the GTX 965M proved to be the equal of AMD's desktop Radeon R7 265 2GB, managing playable frame rates at the screen's native resolution of 1,980 x 1,080, while performing a little slower than a Radeon R9 270 2GB. The desktop GTX 960 was significantly faster thanks to its higher clock speeds, but even so, this is a perfectly capable 1080p gaming laptop, although you'll need to dial down the settings a little to get smoother frame rates. Interestingly, Unigine Valley saw it eek out a hefty lead over the Radeon R7 265 2GB but the GTX 960 still had a 1,000 point advantage over the 1,990 scored by the GTX 965M.


Battery life is arguably less important in what is essentially a desktop replacement laptop, but the Apache managed a little over four hours sitting idle, a little less in the PCMark 8 Conventional battery test that mimics mundane tasks such as working with spreadsheets but as per usual, you won't see more than three quarters of an hour or so when gaming away from a power socket. These results can be seen as mediocre although you won't see much more time from a quad core CPU combined with mid-range dedicated graphics. In addition, it's worth remembering that the system won't run at full speed on battery anyway and there isn't a way around that.

Thermals were a little warm for our liking with the CPU closing in on a delta T of 60°C with an ambiet room temperature of 24°C while gaming. We couldn't get GPU-Z or any other piece of software to detect the GPU temperature so we can't draw a firm conclusion here. Thankfully, while the fans do make quite a racket under full load, there's still a way to go before you'll be bashing your fists on the keyboard and telling the Apache to shut up. It's loud, but not excessively so compared to other gaming laptops we've seen. As for the speakers, well only one or two laptops we've ever come across have come close to matching even a basic desktop set. Needless to say, if you're picky on your gaming audio and like to feel those bullets and explosions on your ear drums, you'd best use some headphones.

Conclusion

There's a lot to like with the MSI GE62 2QE Apache. It's surprisingly compact for such a high-power laptop - in fact it's barely any bigger or heavier than your typical £300, 15.6in budget machine so it can certainly double as a standard laptop while acting as a desktop replacement gaming system when you get home. The downside to the reasonable weight is that if you're looking for battery life in excess of six hours then you should look elsewhere. Apart from a few niggles, the keyboard, touch pad and buttons, screen and build quality score highly too. The price is roughly in line with the competition although it's worth remembering that GTX970M-based gaming machines don't cost much more.

It's not going to cope with all games at max settings at the native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, but if you don't mind dialling them down a little, the Apache is otherwise very capable for the price. The star of the show though is the CPU. It keeps up with desktop Core i5s in many tests and is arguably the component here that will have your PC quaking in the corner. With no sign yet of quad-core Broadwell mobile CPUs, you shouldn't worry too much about it being out-dated too quickly either.