MSI Laptop Naming Scheme Explained: GS vs. GE vs. GT

By Published October 01, 2016 at 8:30 am
MSI Laptop Naming Scheme Explained: GS vs. GE vs. GT
Hardware

Naming schemes are occasionally interesting topics – normally because a company has decided to stop naming its products after Greek gods, or because of its complexity. MSI's laptop lineup has grown enough in diversity to demand three primary lines (“Apache,” “Titan,” and “Stealth”), each of which is then assigned two significant numbers.

While visiting MSI at its office last week, we finally had a chance to demystify a naming scheme which the product managers acknowledge can be somewhat confusing. The laptops we looked at are all of the new 10-series nVidia options, previewed here, including the GT83, GT73, GE63, GS63, and GS73. Each character means something:

  • G = “Gaming” line.

  • T = “Titan,” reserved for larger (fatter) laptops.

  • E = “Apache,” used for the mid-range line of medium thickness (and affordability) laptops.

  • “S” = “Stealth,” used for the thin & light notebooks, all less than 1” thickness.

And then the first set of numbers:

  • 6 = 15.6” laptop

  • 7 = 17.3” laptop

  • 8 = 18+” laptop

The second set of numbers:

  • 2 = Second generation chassis (shell/enclosure and cooling only).

  • 3 = Third generation chassis, the current design.

That should mostly clear it up. The third generation chassis design, for all the 10-series units we've taken apart, all seem to be equipped with a three-fan cooler for GPU & CPU heat dissipation. Second generation designs use a two-fan cooling solution with fewer heatapipes.

And as for differences between the Stealth models, the thickness is the primary factor between generations. Last generation (900 series) GS laptops, particularly the GS62, were larger in all dimensions (marginally longer/wider) and in thickness. The 900 series GS62 is 0.78” thick, with the GS63 current gen 15.6” unit at 0.69”, and the GS73 (17.3”) at 0.77”.

We'll cover the rest in reviews, but that should at least get the naming straight. This has been a consistent point of confusion for us internally; it made sense to demystify things for those attempting to find the best gaming laptop for their needs.

Editorial: Steve “Lelldorianx” Burke
Video: Andrew “ColossalCake” Coleman

Steve Burke

Steve started GamersNexus back when it was just a cool name, and now it's grown into an expansive website with an overwhelming amount of features. He recalls his first difficult decision with GN's direction: "I didn't know whether or not I wanted 'Gamers' to have a possessive apostrophe -- I mean, grammatically it should, but I didn't like it in the name. It was ugly. I also had people who were typing apostrophes into the address bar - sigh. It made sense to just leave it as 'Gamers.'"

First world problems, Steve. First world problems.

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