MSI GT63/GT83 Titans Upgraded with Six-Core CPUs, Samsung’s PCIe SSDs

Among the many laptops getting a refresh this month alongside Intel's new 8th gen Core processors are the 15.6-inch GT63 and the 18.4-inch GT83 desktop replacement laptops, both of which are receiving hex-core CPUs along with faster Samsung SSDs and DRAM. Designed to offer ultimate performance at any cost, these laptops are MSI's no-compromises devices, meaning the best CPUs, the best GPUs, and the best storage that can be reasonably fit into a luggable computer.

Before we proceed to the details regarding the upgrade, it is necessary to note that while the MSI GT83 Titan is up updated version of the MSI GT83VR Titan released last year, the situation is a bit different with its younger brother, the MSI GT63 Titan. The latter builds upon the MSI GT62VR Dominator Pro laptop that was positioned a bit below MSI's Titans. With the new generation, MSI decided to simplify its branding, and instead of releasing another Dominator Pro, it moved the GT63 to its higher-end Titan category. In addition to repositioning, the GT63 Titan have got a new keyboard featuring per-key RGB lighting, jut like its higher-end GT83 Titan and GT75 Titan brethren, so from the styling perspective MSI’s Titans have a number of similarities.

MSI reserved the “fully unlocked” Core i9-8950HK CPU (six cores, 2.9 – 4.8 GHz, 12 MB LLC) for its flagship GT83 Titan and GT75 Titan notebooks, so the GT63 Titans will be equipped with up to Core i7-8850H (six cores, 2.6 – 4.3 GHz, 9 MB LLC) processors. There is a rationale behind such move. The MSI GT63 Titan is positioned below the GT75 Titan and must be significantly cheaper, which is why MSI did not equip it with a top-of-the-range CPU.

Intel’s Coffee Lake-H processors officially support DDR4 memory at 2666 MT/s, therefore the GT83 Titan and the GT63 Titan notebooks come with up to 64 GB of DDR4-2666 memory. MSI says that all of its GT-series DTR machines are equipped with Samsung memory, so we can expect it to be made using one of the latest process technologies and offer a certain level of overclocking headroom.

Moving on to storage sub-system upgrades of the MSI GT Titan laptops. From now on, all the GT Titan-series PCs will use Samsung’s “latest” SSDs with a PCIe interface. Considering the fact that computer makers equip their systems with OEM drives, it is safe to assume that the higher-end versions of the GT63/GT83 laptops use Samsung’s PM981-series SSDs. The higher-end MSI GT83 Titan features three M.2 slots (two supporting PCIe and SATA, one supporting only SATA), so it will be able to run two fast SSDs in RAID 0 mode and thus offering very high read and write speeds. Meanwhile, all MSI GT Titans have a 2.5-inch bay for DFF storage devices for high-capacity drives.

With its Spring update for its Titans, MSI focused primarily on CPU and memory/storage, but not display panels. The MSI GT83 Titan still comes with an 18.4-inch FHD IPS panel featuring a 60 Hz refresh rate that the company introduced in 2018. Meanwhile, the MSI GT63 Titan can be equipped with a 15.6-inch FHD panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a 3 ms response time. Alternatively, the GT63 Titan can be outfitted with a 15.6-inch UHD panel with a 60 Hz refresh rate.

Leading retailers already sell MSI’s GT63 Titan and GT83 Titan DTR laptops. The entry-level Titan is available starting at $2,133, whereas the highest-end MSI gaming notebook is sold for $5,699 in a beefy configuration.

Related Reading:

• The MSI GT83VR Titan Review: 1080 Times 3
• MSI at CES 2018: Updated GT75VR Gaming Laptop Receives Killer (Wireless-AC 1550) Upgrade