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MSI GT72 Dominator Pro Dragon Edition vs Asus G752: Battle of the premium gaming laptops

MSI GT72 Dominator Pro Dragon Edition vs Asus G752: We take a look at two of the best gaming laptops offered by MSI and Asus, to see whether the MSI GT72 Dominator Pro or the Asus G752 is the better performance gamer. Here’s our full comparison review.

MSI GT72 Dominator Pro Dragon Edition vs Asus G752: Design

Neither laptop can exactly be described as ‘subtle’, but the dragon featuring of the Dominator Pro is definitely more in-your-face. We like the unique styling, especially that glowing eye on the lid, which is wonderfully unnecessary and sure to raise any surrounding eyebrows.

The G752 also has a light-up lid, with two red slashes beaming brightly when the laptop is on. Even the ‘spoiler’ at the rear of the machine glows a satisfying red, so you know that this laptop isn’t fucking around.

Of course, the LEDs aren’t merely limited to these laptops’ lids. Both the G752 and the GT72 boast illuminated keyboards, which make the keys easy to make out even in pitch black rooms. However, the MSI goes one step farther by allowing you to set up custom colours for each section of the keyboard. Both boards are well laid-out and comfortable to use, even over extended evening-long sessions, packing all of the shortcut keys that you’d expect.

MSI’s machine is slightly thicker than the Asus, but it’s also a little lighter. That said, you wouldn’t actually want to sit with either of these ‘laptops’ plonked on your lap, because your legs will most likely lose all feeling in just a few minutes. Thankfully I at least managed to carry them both around separately in rugged backpacks for an hour or so, without snapping my spine in half.

When it comes to connectivity, both laptops are well stocked with plenty of ports. You get an impressive six USB ports on the MSI, with four lining the Asus’ edges, plus Type-C on both machines. And whatever your choice, you’ll have HDMI and mini DisplayPort outputs as well as a Blu-ray drive for kicking back with a movie during down time (or actually installing a game from a disc, if you’re feeling all nostalgic).

MSI GT72 Dominator Pro Dragon Edition vs Asus G752: Screen and media

When it comes to visuals, these laptops are basically evenly matched. Both laptops sport a 17.3-inch IPS screen with a Full HD 1920×1080 pixel resolution, so image clarity is identical. There’s very little between them when it comes to brightness and colour saturation either; the likes of Rise of Tomb Raider looks amazing on the MSI and the Asus alike. And while the contrast levels were stronger on the MSI, it’s not enough of a difference to argue over.

Likewise, the built-in speakers on both laptops are powerful enough to fill your ears with explosions and gunfire during frantic gaming sessions. Audio quality is awesome too, really bringing games and movies to life.

MSI GT72 Dominator Pro Dragon Edition vs Asus G752: Performance and battery life

When it comes to gaming prowess, the MSI is the dominating force – unsurprising given its higher cost. Not only does the GT72 pack a super-fast Core i7 chipset, but you also get the desktop Nvidia GTX 980 GPU rather than the mobile version.

In our benchmarking tests with Rise of the Tomb Raider, the MSI managed to regularly average around 75 FPS on Full HD resolution with graphics maxed out. The Asus laptop hovered around the 55 FPS mark under the same conditions, occasionally dropping into the high 40s. Still, the game was perfectly playable on the G752 and we didn’t see any stutter or visual issues, even during prolonged sessions.

When it comes to temperature, both the G752 and the GT72 have reliable cooling systems that keep the laptops from toasting themselves. Of course, once the fans start spinning, they’re pretty damn loud, especially if you’re playing in a quiet room. The only time this proved an issue was when I was gaming in bed, which proved slightly disruptive to my other half.

The Asus G752 seems to do a better job of keeping the entire frame cool, although the MSI GT72 never became worryingly hot. The back end does get quite warm after a short period, but certainly not to skin-scalding levels. You can still comfortably pick it up and carry it around, without your hands getting too sweaty.

The GT72 boasted better battery life in our tests, although both machines only managed around two hours of solid gameplay before dying. These laptops aren’t really designed to be used on the go; you should definitely pack your charger when you leave the house.

MSI GT72 Dominator Pro Dragon Edition vs Asus G752: Verdict

The MSI Dominator Pro is the more powerful laptop here, and the only choice if you want to get involved with VR gaming. However, the Asus G752 is a great machine for the money and offers the same visual experience, while both devices boast eye-catching design.

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