The announcement of Nvidia's Max-Q during Computex 2017 in Taiwan has seen some interesting slimline gaming machines launched this week. Pocket-lint had some time with the MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro on the show floor and it's a fantastic piece of work.

Our quick take

MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro p

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MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro

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The GS in the name stands for Gaming Slim and through using Nvidia's Max-Q design ideals - also announced at Computex - MSI has slimmed down the Stealth to a mere 17.7mm chassis.

The Stealth refers to the discrete design - there are no oversized vents here. To the untrained eye this could pass as a regular laptop, making it perfect for gamers who want to take their gaming on the go and maintain a professional look. This is a nod to MSI's recognition of gamers fitting more than the tired old stereotypical profile.

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It's full of beautiful design points but before we get to those let's run through the specs. It runs Nvidia's GeForce 1070 8GB GGDR5 (although marketing staff hinted a 1080 version may well be in the offing) and up to an Intel Core i7 7th gen processor.

There's a 2.5-inch HDD slot and an NVMe M.2 SSD PCIe Gen 3 x 4 SATA SSD Combo - which can offer up to 2,200MB/s data transfer. Plus up to 32 GB (2 x 16GB) of DDR4 memory can be spec'ed.

You have a choice to make on the 15.6-inch display front with both Full HD and Ultra HD IPS options available. You can also use the Thunderbolt 3 to achieve a 40GBps rate on a 4K external display. Each screen is individually tested to ensure it meets the True Color standard to boot.

And it features the Killer Network card to reduce lag and assist with bandwidth control.

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Now with all this going on in such a slim form factor, overheating would normally be a matter for concern but MSI's Cooler Boost Trinity kicks in to take care of this. Essentially, you're talking copper tubes with copper bumps inlaid to increase the surface area so that heat transfers more quickly. Three fans with 41 individual blades add to the cooling power.

The Max-Q architecture assists with thermal management too, although a lot of the credit should go to MSI for coming up with this design.

Hardcore gamers will be pleased that there's a Turbo mode for overclocking that should help the GTX 1070 Max-Q get closer to achieving the performance levels of the original GTX 1070.

There is a napped, almost suede-like fabric on the base of the alloy chassis to make sure that heat isn't a problem if it's literally being used on a lap. Through the base vents you can see the red accenting on the fans too. It's such attention to detail that helps to make this feel like exactly what it is: an exceptionally well-crafted machine with great attention to design details.

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Neither has MSI skimped on the keyboard, having teamed with SteelSeries for its brand new RGB backlit number. Or for that matter on the audio. There's a built-in digital audio convertor from Nahimic Audio to provide well-rounded low and high ends.

The Stealth is a great looking, discrete, slim gaming machine that shows a lot of promise. We're really looking forward to getting hold of it to put it through its paces in the near future.