I was very skeptical on this purchase because I never heard of MSi computers. Most of the brands I bought in the past were, Toshibas, HPs, and Dell. So needless to say I was a bit apprehensive with this $1500.00 purchase.
The main reason for choosing this MSi GT70 is for the amount of RAM. I did compare it with ASUS laptops too, I wanted more than 8 GB. The MSi has 12 GB. I also wanted a powerful graphics card and this one had a GeForce X675m. Although the graphics card only comes with 2 GB of memory this is still vast improvement over my Dell i7core Studio. I do video editing and wanted a powerful machine. The MSi GT70 does the job fine.
Games: I'm not a big gamer and this is not the main reason for purchasing this laptop. I did play one game that always crashed on every computer I have owned in the last 10 years. Playing on the GT70 was a pleasure. With turbo boost and manual fan control, it played as smooth as butter. There was not one map scenario I could not play, ...and no crashes.
Pre-purchase concerns:
1. I read some people were experiencing hinges breaking. This certainly is scary, but is a rare condition so don't expect this to be a frequent occurring defect and MSI might have corrected the issue by this date. Google it for more info.
2. Unknown brand which I mentioned before.
So let me list out the pros and cons as of this date. I'll start with the cons first.
Cons:
1. Windows 8 was a little tricky at first, I would of rather have windows 7 which is on my Dell and I am familiar with it. However, after a short time of working with it, I found W8 to be very intuitive and perhaps easier to use. It is formatted in an Apps format for the the Windows Start page. This makes customizing possible, but you need to acquire a little practice. See YouTube for demonstration videos!!
2. Size: Please don't be fooled by the proportionate dimensions in the picture. This laptop is big! Almost 17 inches long, 11.5 inches deep, 12.5 inches high when open. Large foot print on your desk.
3. Weight: At 8.6 lbs this computer is no featherweight. Actually it is lighter than I imagined, and when compared to my Dell 16" just slightly heavier. But it is heavier and bulkier than most laptops.
4. Although MSi has built the machine with some plastic panels and brushed aluminum panels, the plastic looks a little cheap. Although, the black brushed aluminum panels are beautiful. The plastic casing in not a deal breaker, but slightly noticeable. In addition, when opening the laptop, the inside with the Steelseries keyboard and brush aluminum panel looks high quality.
Pros:
1. The screen is non-reflective and is not as some reviewers have complained, muddy or grainy. I hardly noticed the matte finish, but I did notice the glare was minimum in the sun. Very nice screen also reduces eye strain.
2. The lighted key board and the Steelseries key board. Well lit and you can change colors of the whole keyboard or just a section. The keyboard is very responsive and feels like a quality keyboard.
3. Button on DVD tray there is still one on the key board to release the tray , but you will have a backup in case the the other goes.
4. Very well made. Solid machine for the cost. Built to last.
5. A laptop that stays cool! Even using turbo burst I have not had a hot computer playing higher CPU games/video editing. Some say the fan is loud. It is in turbo mode. The fan on my 16 in. Dell Studio was much louder for everyday use.
6. DynaAudio Sounds very good no distortion and the woofer on the bottom of the unit makes a difference. Best sounding laptop without headphones.
I will update this review as time goes on. But at this time I am very pleased with this laptop and impressed for what it can do.
Like most large purchases I make, I did a LOT research on this laptop and my decision to buy has not been regretted yet.
ProsGaming. As listed the GTX675m has worked flawlessly. Playing planet side 2 max settings and this computer hasn't even flinched. My 2008 HP with the gt130m couldn't handle it.
StartupI know win8 has had complaints but I honestly got used to it and it works great and starts up super fast. I counted 16 seconds from cold start.
Little bloatwaresome people may not know what im talking about but its useless programs that just take up space.
Screenprofessional reviews say viewing angle is bad but I tried and I think their complaint is a little exaggerated. Screen is also very bright and looks great!
Conspower brick is large but expected for this laptop is expected.
Fanwhen the fan's turbo mode is on it sounds quite loud but it's also not something that is totally necessary to be used unless heavy gaming otherwise the laptop stays quite cool. This is really a pro more than a con.
CameraLESSON TO LEARN IF YOU BUY; you have to engage the camera for it to work. I think it was fn-f6 to turn the webcam on.
All in all this laptop has by far and away been a great laptop. I'm enjoying gaming and ease of use (once you learn win8). I suggest this laptop especially for the price. Compare the specs at this price and I highly doubt you'll find better for the same or cheaper.
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For the money, you really can't beat this computer. It came down to this laptop and the Asus G75VW. The main reason I went with this laptop is because of the mixed reviews of the Asus. This had very good reviews and had alot of neat features. So far I've played Mass Effect 3, Civilization 5, Minecraft and Eve Online and it has played all the games at max settings without a flinch. The ability to control the fan is nice too. After I'm done playing the game I turn the fan on to help cool the computer down faster. The turbo button is nice too, but after some updates mine stopped working. I looked it up in the forums and it said to just reinstall the device driver and it will be ok. Havent done so yet. The keyboard is awesome. Several different colors to choose from and in several configurations. The brushed aluminum that surrounds the keyboard is nice. It stays cool during game play and doesnt heat up your hand. Windows 8 is a trip. Very different from Windows 7 and others, but once you get used to it, it's nice. Some cool features that aren't in 7. The Sound is amazing. I played a video and I thought I was in a surround sound setup. I definatley felt as though I was in the movie. I did however have a hiccup, proably fixable. When i plugged in a set of headphones, the speakers still played. I havent looked into yet, but I'm sure theres a setting I accidentily pressed. Will update later. It is big and a little heavy, but I don't mind. It's what I wanted and I love it. Well that's all I can think of right now. I would definatley reccomend this laptop to anyone.
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Ive had the laptop for about 2 or 3 days now. When I first got it out of the box it looked awesome. The keyboard is nice to type on, better than my Toshiba. The computer boots up quickly. Windows 8 takes a little getting used to but it isn't to bad once you get the hang of it. Like most Windows OS, you can change the settings to have it set up however you want.
When I opened the laptop up, i did notice some scratches on the shortcut keys above the keyboard. The plastic is a soft, easy to mar, touch screen of a sort. I thought they were just smudges and used my shirt to wipe them away and pressed to hard accidentally with my fingernail and left an extra scratch. The laptop does come with protective plastic covering everything but just pressing on this surface with a hard object (like your fingernail) will scratch it easily through the protective plastic. I didn't like this too much. They should have used a harder plastic so that wasn't an issue but I actually can't see it unless it hits the light just right. So you don't even notice it with normal use.
Now, other than that, the laptop is great. Super fast, smooth. The graphics card is superb for a laptop. I have yet to tax it on any demanding tasks but once I do some simulations on the graphics card, ill know how good it is. I think i read that it had 384 cores, give or take, so should be quick for parallel processing. Obviously a desktop is better for these things but its nice to have a powerful laptop capable of mobile high processing on the go.
Pros
Quick, windows 8 actually isn't too bad (i disabled several features however, prob add linux later)
Laptop looks beautiful. I pressed around in various spots testing the casing. It didn't give at all. Strong case it seems. Brushed finish shows smudges but unless you plan on never touching your laptop, deal with it.
Speakers sound great and the turbo fan is not overly loud. Helps cool tremendously.
Keyboard feels awesome
Cons
Soft plastic covering on the shortcut keys above keyboard. Scratches easily.
So far thats the only bad thing Ive noticed. Everything else has been excellent.
Ill update if I notice anything over the next few weeks.
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I received this product yesterday, after choosing the 1 day shipping. Lets start off by saying Amazon's customer service is impeccable, and I highly recommend buying from Amazon. Now to the computer.
I have used this computer, so far, for gaming. I have tried 2 games, Minecraft and ArmA 2. With Minecraft, using the 32-bit java(oops) and maxed out settings, I got a steady 70 fps. Note I used the 32 bit, which drastically lowers fps when on far mode. I also could not get the fps to drop, which is unbelievable.
On ArmA 2, I was able to play on the max setting again, but since this has a 1080p screen, it hurts your eyes when turning too fast. So though it can play on max setting easily, it is difficult to see.
As for heating, I think it isn't an issue at all. I played on this laptop for 5 hours, and virtually no heat was present. Though I cannot honestly judge heat as I used a cooling pad, which are amazing.
The appearance of the laptop is also great! I was in awe when first starting up this computer. It takes around 3 minutes for its first boot up, but once installation is done, it only takes 20 seconds. The lighted keyboard is very cool and unique. You are able to change the keyboard with various different colors, and can change it by choosing 1 of 3 rows on an application, and switching the color, with 5 different effects as well. The outside of the case feels very smooth and sturdy. There is a large metal plating, surrounded by done sort of strong plastic, giving it a great feel and look.
The battery life is also pretty good, giving you around an hour to two of energy-demanding activities.
The screen is absolutely massive! I was shocked at how large this computer actually was! It is fairly large, but pretty light. The screen looks very nice, and minimal reflections can be seen.
I only have a few small complains about this product. The drag pad or whatever it is called, is not very responsive while pressing keys alongside it. This means you will not probably be able to play first person games without a mouse. Another thing is the keyboard. I find it very difficult to play on the keyboard, even though it is the size of most other keyboards. The right side of the keyboard has a shortened shift button. This causes me to often push the arrow keys next to the right shift button, which interferes with typing. That is about it for complaints, very minimal.
Windows 8 is also installed on this computer. Most people will tell you it is terrible, and a waste if time. Do NOT believe this. Windows 8 is highly advanced, and takes time to learn, but once you learn how to use windows 8, you'll love it. It is far superior to windows 7 due to the increased speeds and such. With the new Windows 8, even Internet explorer isn't terrible! Plus, personalization is highly valued.
So honestly, don't go for another computer around this price range. I searched for weeks, and I am very glad I chose to buy this computer. Buy this laptop from Amazon, and even pick up a cooling pad to eradicate the possibility of over-heating from prolonged use.
Pros:
