MSI Crosshair 15 R6 Extraction Edition 

The MSI Crosshair 15 was introduced to us last year, but the current version provides improved performance in the same small package. MSI also sells this model in a limited edition that refers to the most recent version of Rainbow Six Extraction.

We'll take a look at it today.

Today's laptops for gamers can be quite secret, but there are times when we want to stand out and let everyone know that our laptop is a true gaming beast.

If you fall into this category and also enjoy the Rainbow Six series of games, the tested MSI Crosshair 15 R6E model might pique your attention. Otherwise, it's good familiarizing yourself with its specifications, as the lot less flashy MSI Pulse will be fairly similar.

The laptop comes in standard MSI packaging, albeit the cardboard itself is painted in the style of the latest Rainbow Six game. The addition of an equally limited mouse and pad in the package distinguishes this model from the normal edition.

These aren't the best products MSI has to offer, but they're also not bad. The Rodent is a limited edition MSI M99 mouse, and the mousepad is the (also limited edition) MSI Dragon Pad. Of course, this bundle supplements the code for the game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction Deluxe Edition.

A 240-watt power supply weighing 590 g, on the other hand, is more common. Given that the laptop weighs 2.35 kg, the total set (without the mouse and mousepad) does not surpass 3 kg, which is an excellent result for a gaming laptop with such a powerful configuration (more on that later). The Crosshair 15 is also fairly slim, being only 2.7 cm tall with the lid closed.

The matrix hinges (which allow the cover to be tilted to a full 180 degrees) are a design that has been proven in previous models by this manufacturer, which bodes well for their longevity, despite the fact that they are coupled to the laptop's plastic casing. The metal cover has a delicate, but complementary, design that matches the rest of the décor.

The bottom plastic cover includes several perforations to allow additional air for the cooling system. Unfortunately, MSI appears to have prioritized the look over the performance of the cooling system, since the fan on the left has been completely obscured by the non-perforated portion of the cover.

The one on the right is only marginally better off, which means it will be louder and less efficient than if MSI had totally revealed its air supply.

The Crosshair laptop's limited edition comes with only one variant of the panel - this one has a diagonal of 15.6 "with a standard aspect ratio of 16: 9, but with a higher resolution than usual, the laptops have a resolution of 2560 x 1440 px. Furthermore, despite such a high resolution, MSI ensured a high refresh rate of up to 165 Hz in the described laptop!

To make matters more fascinating, MSI attained such speed without sacrificing quality. The panel covers not just the entire sRGB palette, but also nearly the entire DCI-P3 film gamut. These are clearly above-average outcomes, which aren't often obtained even in more expensive models.

The factory calibration is also good (deltaE less than 2.0 for both gamuts and almost perfect white at 6800 K), but the true potential of the matrix only becomes apparent after extra profiling - in this case, we can talk about an ideal representation of even this broader DCI-P3 gamut.

The screen has a 1000: 1 contrast ratio, which is usual for IPS panels, and exceptionally outstanding backlight uniformity, albeit the brightness is not the brightest at 330 nits (luckily the panel is highly anti-reflective).

The matrix is unable to understand the HDR input, which is somewhat insulting given the excellent color reproduction results and somewhat disappointing in comparison to the (despite everything, more costly) competitors.

All ports are located on the housing's sides. Although the standards of these connectors should be greater, their available assortment is standard for this area.

• 2x USB 3.2 gen. 1;
• 1x USB-C 3.2 gen. 1;
• 1x USB 2.0;
• 1x HDMI 2.0 (4K @ 60 Hz);
• 1x RJ 45 (1 GbE);
• 1x miniJack 3,5 mm (combo).

That's accurate, there isn't a single 10 Gbps USB connector, and the USB-C connector doesn't support connecting a monitor to DisplayPort via an adapter.

The latter is especially apparent in light of the fact that HDMI does not support the new 2.1 standards, so you can forget about playing on the best monitors (MSI Crosshair will handle a maximum of 240 Hz for FHD or 144 Hz for QHD).

In terms of connectivity, the gigabit wired network is also below what we currently consider standard, although this shouldn't be an issue in gaming. The present one is still a new (though not the most recent) Wi-Fi 6 module with a bandwidth of 2400 Mbps. Bluetooth 5.2 was also available for connecting extra accessories.

On the one hand, we expected optical-mechanical switches in such a gaming model, but we did not expect a traditional laptop keyboard to be designed in such a player-friendly manner.

And we're not talking about emphasizing (or preserving) the WSAD keys, but about the responsiveness of the keys. The 1.7 mm stroke is more than adequate to provide complete control over the pushed keys, and N-Key Rollover has been addressed (which means that the keys will not block each other in any configuration of presses).

The key arrangement is quite fast and, in our opinion, inconvenient to type. We normally hit "Alt" instead of the space bar when we slide the space bar back to the edge of the "M" button above it (although this is, of course, a matter of habit).

It's wonderful to see that MSI got the number block to fit, even if it's not full size. We also like the standard-size arrow buttons, which include some handy hotkeys like "Crosshair," which activates the hardware crosshair in the center of the screen, which is useful in games that don't ordinarily have one.

The touchpad is far worse. It is not only small but also incredibly resistant to clicking. It is useful as an emergency tool for operating the system, but it is inappropriate for daily use. However, it is tough to criticize this in a laptop for players, as most users disable the touchpads anyhow. The more MSI includes a decent rodent in the bundle.

Similarly, we would add the speakers and camera utilized in this MSI model in the "they are because they are" category. Two 2 W drivers sound quite quiet (at least without distortions) and, as is common for this class of equipment, they cut the band to a very narrow, shallow range.

A camera with a resolution of 0.9 MPx is likewise a typical middling sector representative, and you can not anticipate much more from it than Skype calls.

All of this, as well as the touchpad issue, is irrelevant to players because they play with headphones, and for streaming, you should invest in a suitable camera and, at the very least, a microphone.