Hi brenda813,In my opinion, the only MSI utility that you
need is the
SCM (system control manager). Without it, some of the low-level functions will not work. This includes the Fn key combinations as you've already noticed. But it can also affect the operation of the cooling system profile on some systems, GPU button (for those GT-series notebooks that have one), Turbo Boost button (for those notebooks with one) etc. Plus, some of the other utilities depend on the SCM. For example, the Dragon Gaming Center depends on the SCM so, if you plan to install the Dragon Gaming Center, you must install the SCM first. And, if you ever decided to update the SCM, you need to first uninstall all dependencies (like the Dragon Gaming Center), then reinstall them after the SCM is back up and running.
The
Battery Calibration utility is helpful but
not essential.
The
Dragon Gaming Center displays the status of the CPU, GPU and cooling system. It also allows the user to assign a program (usually a game) to the P1 key (Fn+F4)---also called "Instant Play". And it provides a place where you can list shortcuts for other utility programs that you often use (including third-party utilities). It has a "Display & Audio" section where you can control the sound level, display brightness and gamma. It has a "Mouse" section where you can control the pointer speed and double-click speed. It provides a "Resource Release" section so you can end various Windows tasks before playing a game (freeing up resources so there will be more for the game). It provides a way for you to turn off the Win key, enable "High Performance" mode, and change the "Shift Mode" (a performance setting). The Dragon Gaming Center has been replaced in newer MSI gaming notebooks with the
Dragon Center. It is much larger and provides integration with Nahimic, True Color and provides its own overclocking and fan profile controls. Both the Dragon Gaming Center and the newer Dragon Center are
not essential.
The
After Burner is used for overclocking your GPU. Many of its features have been rolled into the newer Dragon Center. If you do not plan to overclock your GPU or you plan to use the Dragon Center, this utility is
not essential.
The
VR Optimized is an unknown to me, too. MSI now sells gaming notebooks that are able to run
virtual
reality (VR) headsets (like Oculus Rift) to play VR games (like Elite Dangerous). My guess is that this utility is for those notebooks. Perhaps is configures them prior to using the VR features. Or it may simply be a test program that determines if a notebook has the necessary features for VR. If your notebook is not compatible with VR systems and software and/or you have no plans to use VR, then this utility is
not essential.
The
Sizing Options is used to control the scaling factor for Windows (I think). If I'm correct, it changes the size of text, menus and user controls in some Windows programs. But the programs must be designed with scaling in mind. Besides, you can change this setting directly from the Windows Control Panel so MSI's Sizing Options utility is
not essential.
One utility that was omitted from your list is
Nahimic. It is usually bundled with the Realtek HD audio driver on MSI's driver downloads page for your notebook model. This is because it requires the Realtek HD driver be installed and that it be a compatible version. However, Nahimic is not an MSI product---it is the product of the A-Volute company. Nahimic is a sound effects program and MSI switched to it after they abandoned the use of Creative's Sound Blaster Cinema 2 sound effects program. Nahimic is
not essential and, in my opinion, it is actually harmful to good-quality audio. This is because it adds unwanted distortion to the audio. You can install the Realtek HD audio driver without Nahimic if you desire.
Another MSI utility that was omitted from your list is
True Color. It is intended to provide the user with a variety of color profiles for the built-in LCD panel of the notebook. MSI's marketing poop even claims that individual LCD panels are "calibrated" for it. From my experience, this is mostly rubbish. There is still only one way to calibrate and get the best color from a display and that is to measure it with a colorimeter and create a proper Windows color calibration file. And, because all displays change with age, this calibration process must be repeated numerous times over the life of the notebook if the user wants to maintain best color accuracy. The True Color utility is
not essential. It's mostly just a "toy" for users to play with the color of their notebooks. My advice to anyone needing truly accurate color (for photo editing, movie editing, art or media creation) is to get a colorimeter from X-Rite or Datacolor. Prices are fairly reasonable (beginning at about US$99). See my post
here for more information.
Hope that helps.
Kind regards, David