Even if you don't like the new Rainbow Six Extraction game, the new black and yellow color scheme breathes new life into a dated chassis design, and it's far more entertaining than all black. However, a few concessions were made in order to keep the price low. You won't get the fancy RGB lighting effects that more costly gaming laptops generally offer, and the keyboard flex is apparent. This isn't the thinnest, lightest, or most stylish gaming laptop on the market, but for the performance it provides, it's one of the finest options around $1800.
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KEY FEATURES
- 15.6" QHD (2560x1440), 165Hz, IPS-Level
- Intel i7-12700H or i9-12900H
- Number-pad
- Cooler Boost 5
- Rainbow Six Extraction Color and Bundle
SPECIFICATIONS
- Brand: MSI
- Storage: 2x M.2 SSD slot (NVMe PCIe Gen4)
- CPU: i7-12700H
- Memory: Up to 64GB
- Operating System: Windows 11
- Battery: 90Wh
- Ports: 1x Type-C USB3.2 Gen1 2x Type-A USB3.2 Gen1 1x Type-A USB2.0 1x RJ45 1x (4K @ 60Hz) HDMI
- Camera: 720p Webcam
- Display (Size, Resolution): 15.6", 2560x1440
- Weight: 5.45 lb
- GPU: Nvidia RTX3070
- Form: Laptop
- Dimension: 359 x 259 x 26.9 mm
- Network: Gigabit LAN; 802.11 ax Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth v5.2
- Speakers: 2x2w
- Price: Starts at $1599
- Model: Crosshair 15
MSI gaming laptops are known for providing outstanding performance and value in a number of configurations despite a bland and forgettable look that has been virtually the same for the past few years. Except for size and thickness, the MSI Stealth, Vector, and Katana all appear to be extremely identical.
If you're weary of the same old dull aesthetics, the MSI Crosshair 15 Rainbow Six Extraction Edition might be worth a look. It's definitely... one-of-a-kind.
What's in the Box, Anyway?
The vibrant hue of the Crosshair 15 extends to its packaging as well:
You'll also get the following items in addition to the laptop, charger, and manuals:
Rainbow Six Extraction Deluxe Edition by Tom Clancy (Code activated on Ubisoft Connect)
Mousepad Aim to Perform (Rainbow Six Extraction)
MSI Gaming Mouse for Rainbow Six Extraction
For most people, the included deluxe version of the game, which retails for $49.99, is the greatest element of this deal. The wired gaming mouse and trackpad aren't really impressive. They're a nice touch, especially if you're a big fan of the game, with their matching color scheme and game branding, but otherwise unremarkable.
The mouse pad is too small for me, and the mouse is uncomfortable in my hand. It's light and easy to move around, however after a few minutes of gaming with it, I quickly switched back to my Logitech MX Master 3.
While these features are appreciated, they are unlikely to be the determining factor in whether or not to purchase the Crosshair 15 R6E. Even if you aren't a huge fan of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction (as I am), and you don't intend to use the bundled mousepad or mouse, this laptop should be on your short list. The Crosshair 15 is one of the best-value gaming laptops on the market, with one of the most affordable i7-12700H RTX 3070 variants.
Specifications
The Crosshair 15 isn't a brand-new laptop; it's been on the market for a while. This year's Rainbow Six Extraction model uses the same chassis as previous year's Crosshair 15, but with a new 12th Gen MSI Pulse GL66 and an Intel 11th Gen processor. With so much overlap in MSI's selection, it can be difficult to distinguish between them and decide which one to buy.
Let's take a look at a few critical factors to see which model and setup is right for you.
My review model has the i7-12700H, RTX 3070, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD, which is one of the most popular configurations. Choosing the RTX 3070 over the 3060 is, in my opinion, a must-have upgrade.
Design
While the chassis is the same as last year's model, MSI's collaboration with Rainbow Six brings a unique color scheme and plenty of game references to the keyboard deck and top lid, which contains a smooth plastic patch with an aerial grid map and the game's emblem. The yellow from the top of the keyboard deck may be seen on the back of the laptop where the hinge cutouts are when it is closed shut.
Keyboard
The graduated yellow and green runs the length of the keyboard deck before fading to black to match the bottom third of the deck. When the laptop is closed, this gradient is visible on the sides of the laptop above the ports. It's accented with the semi-transparent yellow WASD keys.
The keys have 1.7mm of travel, which makes them comfortable to type on; nevertheless, when applying pressure, a considerable section of the middle keys flexes. The G to K keys have some of the biggest flex I've seen in a long time on a gaming laptop. It's not enough to detract from the gaming experience, but it does serve as a reminder that this is a less expensive laptop.
A number pad is present on the right, but it, along with the enter key at the bottom, feels a little tight. Volume control, play/pause, screen brightness, enabling an aim overlay, enabling cooler boost, and more are all available through MSI's FN options.
The keyboard is backlit with three levels of brightness, but no RGB effects or per-key lighting are available. The lighting on the keyboard is separated into four zones: yellow, blue, green, and white/blue. It's a little more exciting than an all-white backlit keyboard, especially when it comes to matching the rest of the laptop's motif, but it also illustrates another area where the Crosshair 15 has to make compromises in order to keep its pricing low.
Trackpad
The trackpad is good, and it's the same as on prior MSI gaming laptops. The two click zones, which can be triggered almost all the way to the top of the touchpad, are available. The top left has a "REACT" motif, the bottom left has Crosshair 15 Rainbow Six Extraction Edition in a smaller font, and the right has a barcode.
Display
The MSI Crosshair 15 has a 15.6-inch display "IPS 165Hz display with a resolution of 25601440 pixels. This is a significant improvement over the previous generation 1920x1080 144Hz displays found in 11th Generation devices.
The display is good, but the laptop has a thick top and bottom plastic bezel that makes it look antiquated and heavier than other comparable gaming machines. MSI hasn't implemented the 16:10 aspect ratio that many laptops are adopting, unlike the MSI Creator 15 that I previously evaluated. The space is there, and I wouldn't be shocked if MSI included the 16:10 update in the next model.
The DCI-P3 rating of 100 percent is excellent for professional content development. The anti-glare coating helps reduce reflections in direct light, but it detracts from the richness of the image, in my opinion. 15.6 percent "is a suitable screen size for portability and on-the-go gaming and work.
A score of 17.3 "The non-R6E version of the Crosshair 17 is now available. It's heavier, as expected, at 6.17 lbs, but that's not the only difference. The Crosshair 17 also sports a 1920x1080 144Hz display, according to MSI's official page, but it hasn't been upgraded to the higher and faster resolution panel technology seen in the Crosshair 15. MSI also identifies the battery as 53Wh, rather than the bigger 90Wh found in the RTX 3070 Crosshair 15 models. This could be a data entering error, but if that's the case, battery life won't be great with the larger 17.3-inch display "show off
Connectivity
Because it's a thicker laptop, you'll get a good assortment of full-size ports. A DC charging port, USB Type-A 3.2, and USB 2.0 are located on the left, starting from the back. I find it strange that a USB 2.0 port is still there on a 2022 machine.
Cooling
MSI's Cooler Boost 5, which has two fans in the back to exhaust its six heat pipes, manages to maintain the laptop's GPU at 75° C or below even when playing games on Ultra settings. Fans, on the other hand, are quick to turn on and conspicuous when gaming.
Use the Fn + Up Arrow to increase cooling performance by setting the fans to maximum RPM. It is, without a doubt, extremely noisy. When gaming on this laptop, I strongly advise you to use headphones. I ran a few tests in Overwatch to check if utilizing the maximum fan speed drove the temperatures down any lower than using the usual speed, but I didn't see any change in those testing. You can probably leave the fan speed on Auto and let MSI's software handle it.
Fresh air is taken in from the underside, while exhausts are located on the back and left sides of the laptop. The slightly higher feet allow air to flow freely into the system, preventing clogging. If you are right-handed, you will not feel the warmth as much while gaming. Because there are no vents on that side, your mouse hand stays cool. The WASD keys will feel warmer in your left hand, but the center and top of the keyboard deck will feel substantially cooler.
Touching these places for an extended amount of time can be uncomfortable, although this should not be an issue for most gamers. The difference between the number pad area, which is substantially cooler, and the bottom of the keyboard deck, which is perfectly cool, is striking.
Competition and Configurations
Variants of the RTX 3060 and RTX 3070 graphics cards
The MSI Crosshair 15 R6E costs $1599 for the 15.6-inch model "The RTX 3060 is a high-end graphics card. My 15.6-inch laptop "The RTX 3070 is featured in the review unit, which I would suggest above the 3060. The RTX 3070 is only $200 extra, but it frequently receives discounts or price cuts that bring it down to just $100 more; nevertheless, it also improves the SSD to 1TB vs. the normal 512GB. The price is justified by that update alone.
Crosshair 15 R6E vs Crosshair 15 R6E vs Crosshair 15 R6E vs Crosshair 15 R (Standard)
MSI also provides the Crosshair 15 B12U, which is very identical to the Crosshair 15 R6E except for the absence of the yellow Rainbow Six Extraction logo. I'm not sure why MSI keeps these two models apart when the color scheme on the keyboard deck is identical, and much of their internet marketing still uses Rainbow Six graphics, only without the official model name.
All three laptops, including the GL66, have the same basic specifications (IO, Memory/Storage Compatibility, Screen, Webcam, Speakers, and so on), are powered by the same processor (i7-12700H or i9-12900H), and have the same GPU (RTX 3060 or RTX 3070). What's strange is that the Crosshair 15 B12U appears to be the only one of the three that offers the RTX 3070 Ti as a GPU option right now. To acquire that extra GPU performance, you'll have to give up that extra bit of Rainbow Six branding.
Gaming Capabilities
All games are ran at full HD with uncapped fps and V-Sync disabled on their Ultra or Best graphical presets.
Extraction from Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Minimum 104, Maximum 179, Average 155
46 / 161 / 100 for Batman Arkham Knight
88 / 157 / 120 for Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Borderlands 3 has an average rating of 85.2.
Overwatch: 145-195 average (no built-in benchmark; average FPS depends on the map and the action happening on screen)
Are you looking for a stylish budget gaming laptop?
MSI is still one of the top cheap options for getting the highest performance. With its i7-12700H and RTX 3070, the Crosshair 15 can run most recent AAA games at 1080p at 120 frames per second.
If you don't mind decreasing the settings a little, you can get up to 165 frames per second to fully utilize the display's speed.
Even if you don't like the new Rainbow Six Extraction game, the new black and yellow color scheme breathes new life into a dated chassis design, and it's far more entertaining than all black.
However, a few concessions were made in order to keep the price low. You won't get the fancy RGB lighting effects that more costly gaming laptops generally offer, and the keyboard flex is apparent. This isn't the thinnest, lightest, or most stylish gaming laptop on the market, but for the performance it provides, it's one of the finest options around $1800.