MSI GE72 6QC Repair

The MSI GE72 6QC (also known as the MSI GE72 6QC-Apache) was released worldwide in 2016 for a price at around $1,299 USD. It was likely discontinued sometime between 2018 and 2023, (since the latest major bios update was in 2018 while the latest patches are from 2023). It came with a 17-inch 1080p screen and It boasts an impressive i7-6700HQ which was a high-performing laptop CPU of its era, along with a GTX 960M which was a moderately performing laptop GPU of its time, both of which can still play certain games almost ten years after release.

MSI has not publicly given any information on how many were manufactured and sold but given that this line did receive successors it's reasonable to say that it resonated with consumers. This device is intended for gamers with a moderate budget who want good features without breaking the bank. It has gaming capabilities with high graphics and CPU performance, and could additionally be used for office work. While it didn’t introduce anything revolutionary in the gaming laptop market, it's clear from user reviews that it was a top-of-the-line gaming laptop of its time for its price point. Making it a favourite for gamers.

This is doubly true since there weren’t any recalls for this device making it a trustworthy pick for consumers. Professional consumer review articles praised how affordable it was for its performance and its overall construction, especially the large display and feel of the keyboard. While they disliked how short the battery life was, the presence of bloatware in the form of anti-viruses that were preinstalled as well as complaints about the plastic touchpad. Online forums from consumers showed that they usually had overheating issues from the fan not cooling enough since they were tweaked to run slower in the bios, and problems with certain keys on the keyboard not working or not working consistently.

The MSI GE72 replaced the GE71/GE70 which had a 4th generation intel i7, the GE72 now uses the 6th generation, which then the GE72 was replaced by the GE73 with a 7th generation intel core i7. GPU for the GE70 included a NVIDIA GTX 860M while the GE72 had a 960M, the GPU that replaced the GE72 was a GTX 1060. For RAM the GE71 has a 8GB DDR3 while the GE72 has a 16GB DDR4 and what replaced this was an upgrade from 16 to 32GB DDR4. The batteries for all three computers are relatively the same with slight differences, the GE70 has a 6-cell LI-ion, the GE72 has a 6-cell and the GE73 has a 6-cell 51.

The MSI GE72 6QC comes in black with red accents going around the side of the chassis, the back, and under the hinges. The back of the screen had some divots on the left and right side. Along with a red and white dragon icon on the back of the screen with the MSI logo above it.

On the front of the screen, you have another logo present under the screen in the center. Above the screen, there is the webcam and above that the top of the chassis is tilted upward slightly, looking a little like a triangle as opposed to being a straight line like most laptops to make an interesting aesthetic design.

Along with this, it has a full-size RGB keyboard (produced by SteelSeries) with a num pad placed in the center, the power button and keyboard light controls in the top right-hand corner, and a black trackpad below the keyboard slightly on the left side. The I/O containing an ethernet port, two USB 3.0 ports, a USB c port, HDMI, Mini-DisplayPort, and headphone and microphone jacks are placed on the left side along with a Kensington lock. An optical drive, USB 2.0 port, SD card reader, and charging port on the right side.

It contains cooling vents all over the bottom in the center, with four rubber feet in each corner. The model number for the laptop is present on a white rectangular sticker on the bottom.

(Specifications obtained from the official msi website and a third party site)

• CPU: Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz
• OS - Windows 10
• Chipset - Intel HM170
• Memory - 8 GB DDR4 - 2133 (Max supported 32 GB)
• Display - 17.3” Full HD (1920 x 1080)
• Graphics - GeForce GTX 960M
• Storage - 1 x 2.5" HDD + 1 x NVMe M.2 SSD by PCIe Gen3 X4 / SATA-SSD Combo
• Optical Drive - DVD Super Multi
• I/O
  • 1x - Card Reader - SD (XC/HC)
  • 1x - LAN - Killer E2400 Gigabit Ethernet
  • 1x - HDMI - 1(Support 4K @30Hz)
  • 1x - USB 2.0 Port
  • 2x - USB 3.0
  • 1x - USB 3.0 Type C
  • 1x - Mini-Displayport
  • 1x - Microphone Jack
  • 1x - Headphone Jack
  • Charges using 120 W AC Adapter
• Audio - Sound by Dynaudio with Woofer
• Webcam - HD type (30fps @720p)
• Wireless LAN - 802.11ac
• Bluetooth - Bluetooth v4.0
• 6 cell Battery
• Dimensions:  419.9(W) x 287.8(D) x 29.8~32(H)mm
• Weight 2.9Kg

• Youtube: Full Teardown Guide
• All Official Technical Specifications from MSI
• MSI GE72 6QC Laptop Drivers
• MSI GE72 6QC Manual 

MSI. (2016). Specification GE72 6QC Apache. Laptop Specifications 

(MSI GE73 Raider RGB 8RF – Light’em Up, n.d.-d) - GE73 specifications

(MSI GE70 2OE.(2018). MSI.com) - MSI GE70 Specifications

Icecat. (2025, January 25). Icecat: Open feed with product information, data-sheets for ecommerce. MSI Gaming GE72 6QC(Apache)-023BE Intel® CoreTM i7 i7-6700HQ Laptop 43,9 cm (17.3") Full HD 8 GB DDR4-SDRAM 1 TB HDD NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) Windows 10 Home Black. Third party details about laptop specifications

Macy, S. (2015, December 8). MSI GE72 Apache Pro Review. TechRadar. Laptop Review

MSI Global - the leading brand in high-end Gaming & Professional Creation. MSI. (2016b). Laptop Support Page

Buzzi, M. (2016, July 19). MSI GE72 6QD apache pro review. PCMAG. Laptop Review

R/msilaptops on reddit: MSI ge72 experiencing crazy overheating! I cant run and nice looking games anymore! more info in comments. Reddit. (2019, January 28). Forum about overheating issues

R/MSILAPTOPS - overheating issue. Reddit. (2018, January 28). Forum about overheating issues

MSI Global English Forum. (2017, April 8). Three keys on my GE72 6QD are not working properly. MSI Global English Forum. MSI Forum about keyboard issues