Day 1: Wow, I really dislike this keyboard. I really wish I had paid more attention. I understand changing laptops means changing keyboards, and that brings a period of awkwardness, but this keyboard hurts.1) The keyboard layout has been narrowed by removing the space from between key-groups, so I'm finding it impossible to locate the arrow keys and navigating the function keys without taking my eyes off the screen to look at the keyboard. Consider this: This 16:9 laptop is 1.2 inches wider than my old 16:10 machine, yet the keyboard is .75 inches narrower. [EDIT.3.2013 Using adhesive mini bump dots has made the keyboard navigable.]
2) The PageUp/Home and PageDown/End keys have been combined. PageUp and PageDown are the default functions. The Fn key must be pressed to access the secondary Home and End functions. I hate that this was done, but if it was truly necessary, I wish they had done it the opposite way, making Home and End the default functions. (Update: I was able to fix this well-enough by running KeyTweak.exe)
3) The Fn key must also be pressed to adjust the volume or mute. So it takes two hands when you need a quick volume adjustment/muting.
4) Most of the light emitted by the keyboard comes from under the keys. This is an issue because I almost exclusively use the laptop while sitting in a recliner. From that angle the bright light from under the keys way outshines the keypads. I'll have to find a way to increase the unit's tilt in my lap to make this problem go away.
5) The tactile bumps on the F, J, and 5 keys are nearly non-existent and I expect they will wear away soon.
6) So it occurs to me just now; Will I be able to replace worn F and J keys for this keyboard.
7) The Windows Start key is moved to the right side of the space bar. I understand why they did this, but with the particulars of Windows 8, some folks may have preferred it stayed on the left.
Day 2: Everything seems top notch. 2-boxing EQII at max quality has been all smooth goodness. Skyrim is beautiful, CODBO1 rocks. The sound quality is pretty impressive and the the fast boot from off the SSD is really sweet. The optical disc drive however is kinda on the slow side; but I have to say, it reads damaged DVDs like no other drive I've ever had. It might be that when it comes to optical drives, slow and steady wins the race. Also, the unit came with nearly no junk-ware, so purists won't have to spend much time striping it down to the essentials. Lastly, the Power button and LED indicating sleep-state both blink. Besides disliking blinking lights, this is just plain annoying when you set the unit to the side in a darkened room. I suppose this can be avoided by having the unit go into hibernate instead of sleep, but I chose to use a bit of electrical tape and a static-cling sticker; problem solved.
Week 2: The installed 128GB SSD is on the small side. Mine arrived from MSI with 43.5GB free space. I understand data goes on the 750GB HDD, and Windows' 'Library' concept makes that easy enough. But after installing some games and a bunch of applications it got down-right cramped. So I'm already migrating over to a 256GB SSD.
Week 6: Over-all, a very solid machine. I like it alot, but if I had it to do over again, I would not buy it. It's the keyboard. Whether I'm healing the tank or re-naming files, wandering Freeport or navigating a spreadsheet, this keyboard has me taking my eyes off the screen all the time. So unless you just have to have it now, I recommend waiting till next summer. By then numerous manufactures will be offering up comparable configurations, most of them with more conventional keyboards. And by then, probably three to four hundred dollars less. [EDIT.3.2013 Using adhesive mini bump dots has made the keyboard navigable.]
Hope to Jeebus you don't get one with problems. I was sent a broken computer, and let me tell you, I am being punished for it.
There is something wrong with the internal hardware, not sure what, but the scrolling ability on my computer would go haywire after just a few minutes of use, and would render the computer itself almost useless. For this reason, it was extremely difficult to type an e-mail to tech support, so I tried to call them instead.
If there's one thing you should know about MSI tech support, or customer service, is that one does not simply call MSI tech support, or costumer service. Because you will get no answer. No matter how many messages you leave, or that you call in the middle of work hours. The recording will talk at you, then promptly give you the figurative finger.
After cursing and raving at my broken new computer while trying to type e-mails with a cursor afflicted with tourette syndrome, I finally got a helpful reply with information to send my computer to the RMA department. This was two months later. I was so happy they they were finally going to fix it that I almost didn't get annoyed about the fact that I had to find my own shipping box to fit this behemoth computer, buy my own package materials, and pay for the shipping. But then I got annoyed. I live in Alaska.
The story doesn't end there. I get an e-mail today from the repair department with pictures of the package, and it looks like someone dropped it in a muddy puddle, then a velociraptor promptly stomped on it after chewing on it for a while. Despite the big red sticker stating "FRAGILE! HANDLE WITH CARE!!!1" plastered right on the front. Now, I know it's not their fault, but they want another 300 dollars out of me to repair the resulting -surprisinglysmall dent to the corner of the blasted machine. And for me to send them all my credit card info.
So, yeah, you can buy this computer if you want to take a gamble that you will never have to deal with MSI after the purchase. I read that customer service sucked in previous reviews before buying this computer, but I never thought I would have to deal with them. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back and slap myself in the face for wasting 1700+ dollars.
Buy MSI Computer Corp. Notebook GT70 0ND-492US;9S7-17212-492 17.3-Inch Laptop Now
Great computer at a good price. I have had the computer for several months now and am very happy with it. It is thick and very well ventilated. I expect it to last well. No slimline notebook here. Keyboard looks great and has a ton of backlighting options.The power cord plugs into the middle of the back of the computer, which I don't love, but wouldn't prevent me from buying it again.
Read Best Reviews of MSI Computer Corp. Notebook GT70 0ND-492US;9S7-17212-492 17.3-Inch Laptop Here
Don't get all fooled by all the publicity around the Killer Network cards. They are in two words, cow poop. I am not really sure if it's a problem specific to Windows 8, but I have been experiencing a myriad problems while playing online games through the Ethernet port. Once I switch to WiFi, it's all good.And it's a shame really, because the idea of a free network management software where you can limit exactly how much bandwidth each of your running applications consume is great, especially if you share your connection with someone who is also a gamer. I can stream movies without bothering my roommate by limiting Chrome's bandwidth consumption. I also loved the fact that Games get a higher priority, and this doesn't really lead to less ping, but it does generate more stable pings while also streaming movies, music and other bandwidth heavy tasks...
Oh but if it all were so simple... The Qualcomm Atheros Killer Network Manager drivers are so promising, but in the end, they are still cow poop because they don't work as they should. For one thing, it appears as if the damned software isn't even able to properly save its settings. The software requires a bandwidth test to determine your internet speed, and this is all good, but it asks me to do it EVERY SINGLE DARN time I start windows, as if it just forgot last time's results.
And the worst part is every time you start windows, you play a gamble with the manager software. It can work normally, or it can screw you over. If it's working normally, then good. If not, what you will experience is the following: Skype switches to the "reconnecting" icon where it turns gray twice a minute or so. That's your first indicator. Next, you go into a game and you have 7000+ ping. You go into a website and it opens normally. You load a 1080p video and it plays normally. You play a 1080p stream on Twitch and it plays normally... But game-wise you are completely screwed. You must restart the PC and pray to win the gamble this time. The worst part is a restart usually fixes the problem somehow. I don't even change any settings whatsoever.
I tried everything. Updating the drivers (a hassle btw, because you don't update them normally like any other driver). Then I formatted the PC. Nothing. Still the same old cow poop. I wish I could just rip the network card off this laptop, go personally to Bigfoot HQ, meet its CEO, show him the card, ask him to bring the team of engineers that made the card, ask him to bring the team of software engineers that made the software and drivers for the card, take off my pants, urinate on the card, and then ask them ALL to go on their knees, lick the card and beg me for forgiveness. But alas, my delusions of grandeur are not to be and I must just suck it up and vent it out on this review.
3 Stars, however, because everything else about this laptop is great. The sweet 1080p 17 inch displays your games gloriously. I did expect a bit more from the GTX 675mx, but that's not really MSI's problem. The keyboard by Steelseries is extremely comfortable. The air flow of this laptop and its temperatures are god-like, and if you need the extra cooling you can turbo-mode the fans. It will sound like a jet engine on Turbo-fan mode, but it will cool it down drastically. Other than that, normal mode I can't even hear the fans. The speakers are very very nice. I do have a 7.1 surround headset, but the speakers on this laptop removed my need to buy a sound system. They're just that good.
The display, I guess it's a TN display with low response times, as those seem to have awful viewing angles. So yeah, sit in front of the computer and don't move too much. Trust me, or you'll start seeing color discrepancies all over the display. The processor handles practically anything, although I don't really use processor-heavy applications that are not games, so I wouldn't really know how it performs on, say, video converting, photoshop or CAD, for example. I'm guessing, though, that it should perform flawlessly. The i7-3630QM is one of the very best processors in this price range.
The mouse pad has two SEPARATE buttons, thank God, unlike my previous laptop. I use it 90% of the time with a mouse, but it's a nice detail to have. The 3 USB slots on the left side of the laptop are very well placed, while having 2 extra slots to the right. As a right-handed gamer, this was really important for me, as my previous laptop had ALL damned USB ports to the right, and cables got in the way of my mouse pad and mouse. For all those complaining about the EXTREMELY NICE lights on the keyboard, I'll just tell you one thing: If you don't like them, disable them and that's it.
All in all, well worth the price IF AND ONLY IF, Bigfoot fixes the cow poop of software and hardware it spawned with its Killer series of networking cards, and fires the incompetent people responsible for its flaws. Worst yet, this line is not even recent, it has more than a year in the market and I can't believe it still has driver problems so god knows when, if ever, they'll get fixed.
EDIT: As of May 18, 2013 I have found a workaround for the extremely-high-ping-in-games-only-on-Ethernet issue. Got to the Killer Network Manager Software and turn down ALL application priorities to 3 (Normal). This effectively gets rid of the problem and will give you a normal ping in your games. Curiously enough, it also gets rid of the WHOLE POINT of owning a Killer Network Gaming card, but still, better than the previous status-quo.
Want MSI Computer Corp. Notebook GT70 0ND-492US;9S7-17212-492 17.3-Inch Laptop Discount?
I'm an avid gamer, and try to keep my gaming laptops semi up to date. I'd say about every 3 years (sometimes that's pushing it) it's time to upgrade to new tech. It comes with a useable boot SSD, but if you want even better performance swap out the 750GB 7200 RPM HDD with another SSD and you're set to go. As soon as I verified everything was working properly, I replaced the stock 750GB with another 512 Crucial SSD and don't regret it a single bit. (Although, this does unfortunately void the warranty). And actually, while I'm on that subject why? A simple HDD upgrade or RAM upgrade shouldn't void anything in my opinion. These are easy, non system-threatening upgrades! Ok, other than that, I'm getting amazing performance on everything cranked to it's highest settings. Boot time is 6 seconds to Win 8. Still miss Win 7 but I'm making the best of it. If I had to do it all again I'd get this same model. The keyboard colors give it an extra "wow" factor, and make gaming in the dark so much easier. Getting tons of games reinstalled takes time, but it's great having a fresh system. Good stuff!
0 comments:
Post a Comment