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MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro Uses 7th Gen Intel Kaby Lake and Thunderbolt 3 to Enhance Your Gameplay

MSI has made a name for itself in gaming PC's, with a strong line of Virtual Reality Ready PC's that include quad core processors, high end graphics GPU's, and a lot of RAM. MSI focuses on affordable performance that helps it establish a loyal gamer fan base. 

Visiting the MSI retail store in SynTrend Tech Mall in Taipei, Taiwan, they were promoting their latest Apache Pro and Stealth Pro VR ready laptops.  

Many had USB Type-C support but only had a couple models displayed with Thunderbolt 3- one was the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro.

Another model shown with Thunderbolt 3 was the MSI GT73VR. Unfortunately neither the MSI GS63VR or MSI GT73VR had any content on their marketing screens to explain the benefits of Thunderbolt 3.

However, other non-Thunderbolt based USB Type-C models like the GE72MVR 7RG supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s) but not Thunderbolt 3 over its USB Type-C port.

We purchased the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro, a VR ready Windows 10 notebook, which is designed to work with premium VR headsets like the HTC VIVE and Oculus Rift. They actually didn't have any in stock since this store was used more for showcasing products but they were able to locate one in a nearby partner store. Like similar stores in the area, they were willing to give a discount on the purchase.

The MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro supports Thunderbolt 3 similar to its other Thunderbolt 3 enabled siblings like the MSI GS73VR Stealth Pro  and MSI 14-inch GS43VR Phantom Pro Notebook. The MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro uses the USB Type-C port to support Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s), DisplayPort 1.2 to connect with 4K@60hz displays, and USB Power Delivery.

The 15.6-inch MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro also has more SSD drive capacity options up to 512GB and 2TB hard drive capacity than the more compact MSI 14-inch GS43VR Phantom Pro Notebook. Like most of its family members, the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro offers the NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 10 GPU for superb graphics performance.

MSI has kept it to the basics for the packaging that the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro comes in.

The MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro is also supplied with a handy MSI laptop bag which matches the laptop's color theme and showing off the MSI logo at the front.

The laptop bag also provides ample storage to safely keep the notebook and accessories.  

The MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro's box itself is relatively basic and doesn't try to splurge on trying to give a premium look.

The MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro comes with more accessories than other MSI machines that include an AC adapter, USB Type-A to Type-C adapter cable, gaming mouse, and documentation.

Similar to the MSI GS73VR Stealth Pro and MSI 14-inch GS43VR Phantom Pro Notebook, the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro also uses a conventional AC power adapter (150 watts) to power the notebook instead of the USB Type-C port. 

The USB Type-A to Type-C adapter cable will come in handy especially if you need to connect to USB Type-A storage drives and other peripherals. Just connect the USB Type-A to Type-C adapter cable to the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro, and you can then insert the USB Type-A device into the adapter.

The optical gaming mouse accessory can plug into the USB Type-A port of the PC.

The notebook PC itself doesn't try to get fancy on style.

The PC does come with red LED lighting which gives it a nice gaming glow.

The bottom of the PC has a soft, felt like material. 

The MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro now boasts the newer and faster 7th generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor as well as 6G GDDR5 video memory. Its other features are mostly similar to those offered by the Stealth Pro family.

On the right side of the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro, there is a Thunderbolt 3 based USB Type-C port, a USB 2.0 Type-A port, a HDMI 2.0 port, an Ethernet port, and an AC power input.

The other side of the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro has a secure lock slot, a mini DisplayPort connector to attach to monitors, an SD card slot, three USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gb/s) ports, and audio jacks.

Typical of the MSI's Steel Series, the notebook also has a full-color backlight gaming keyboard with Anti-Ghost key and silver lining along with the standard touchpad.

The setup of the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro is familiar to those who have set up a Windows 10 PC.

Like other Windows first time startups, this one also involves a lengthy update process.

With the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro, you can run the MSI Dragon Center application which acts as a control panel for the PC. You can use it to access product help as well as various system configurations such as RPM fan speed, drive capacity boost, LED and display, network connectivity, and system performance. There's also an App portal where you can see all the apps that are available on the PC.

Recognizing the growing popularity of high end PC gaming and the benefits of using Thunderbolt 3 technology, MSI is releasing more and more gaming PC's with Thunderbolt 3 like the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro. With Thunderbolt 3, the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro will be able to connect to a variety of 4K displays, external graphics docks, fast Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 Gen 2 storage, and port interface expansion docking solutions.

We'll be testing the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro's Thunderbolt 3 based USB Type-C port to see how well it works with other peripherals.