other Unboxing: MSI GT70 2PC Dominator Notebook

[SiD]

Sup.

 

I did an Unboxing for Sin's new toy. First half of the video is the day of. A small section of FPS reading from Tomb Raider. The last half is the next day when I got a better chance to check it out.

 

And yeah I totally notice I grab my crotch a lot. The hell, man?

 

Edit: Preamble for like 10 mins. After 11 mins the Unboxing starts.

 

 

Price: $1450-$1600 USD

 

Pros: Plays latest games flawlessly, great keyboard, large clear screen, fast processor, very good sound, two year factory warranty, great value for the price.

 

Cons: Heavy as balls. Apparently battery life is poor. (Then again it's a gaming laptop so, expected, to me.) Noisy fan/cooler booster.

 

 

http://www.msi.com/product/nb/GT70-2PC-Dominator.html#hero-overview

 

 

CPU: The 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor

OS: Windows 8.1

Chipset: Intel HM87

Memory: DDR3L,up to 1600 MHz, slot *4, max 32GB

LCD Size: 17.3" Full HD (1920x1080), Anti-glare

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX870M Graphics

VRAM: GDDR5 6GB/3GB

HDD: Up to 384GB Super RAID 2 + 750GB HDD 7200rpm

Optical Drive: BD Writer / BD Combo / DVD Super Multi

Audio: Sound by Dynaudio with subwoofer, Support 7.1 channel S/PDIF output, Exclusive Audio Boost technology, Creative Sound Blaster Cinema

Webcam: HD type (30fps@720p

Card Reader: SD(XC/HC)

LAN: Killer™ E2200 Game Networking LAN

Wireless LAN: 802.11 ac

Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0

D-Sub (VGA): 1

HDMI: 1, Support 4Kx2K Output

USB 2.0 port: 2

USB 3.0 port: 3

Mini-DisplayPort: 1, Support 4Kx2K Output

Mic-in/Headphone-out:1/1

Line-in: 1

Keyboard: Full-color backlight SteelSeries keyboard

AC Adapter: 180W

Battery: 9 cells

Dimension: 428 x 288 x 55mm

Weight (KG): 3.9Kg ( With Battery)

 

 

• Windows 8.1

•  

  The 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor

   

• 17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) anti-glare LCD in LED backlight

• Enthusiast level NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 870M discrete graphics card provides great performance and ultra image quality

• Exclusive Super RAID 3 with 4 SSD RAID0 gives over 1600MB/s reading speed! (option)

• Cooler Boost 3: Higher efficiency dual cooling system.

• Killer Double Shot Pro (Killer Gb LAN + Killer 802.11 a/c WiFi) with Smart Teaming

• Audio Boost 2 with 3 independent amp for best sound experience

• Evolution of Sound by Dynaudio 2.1 sound system

• SteelSeries Engine to customize every key and devices for personalizing your play style

• XSplit Gamecaster for easily recording gaming moments, broadcasting and sharing live gameplay sessions to Twitch, YouTube, UStream and more

• Keyboard by SteelSeries with full color LED back light and solid feedback

• Matrix display support max 4 displays to expand the vision for extreme gaming experience or multi tasks

   

   

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What is the MSI GT70?

This monster gaming laptop has one significant advantage over a host of hefty rivals: Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 870M. It’s a brand-new GPU that’s got some of the highest clock speeds we’ve ever seen from a mobile graphics core, and the rest of the MSI’s specification is just as impressive – a quad-core processor, an SSD, plenty of RAM and a 17-inch screen.

 

The GT70 is no Ultrabook. It’s one of the heaviest and thickest laptops we’ve heaved onto our test bench, and it’s got all the hallmarks of a gaming system – a high-end keyboard, optimised audio gear, plenty of flashing lights and an eye-catching, illuminated logo. But this is no exercise in window dressing because the GT70 delivers performance where it matters and at a price that's not ridiculous.

 

MSI GT70: Design & Build Quality

The GT70 isn’t exactly subtle. Its body is 55mm from top to bottom at its thickest point, with rubber feet that add four more millimetres, and it tips the scales at 3.9kg with an extra 500g for the power brick. That’s thicker and heavier than the Alienware 14, and on a par with the Asus G750JX; the MSI is fine for lugging from room to room, or schlepping to LAN parties, but it’s hardly ideal for a regular commute.

 

The MSI’s traditional design also means it’s got loud looks. It’s made from a combination of plastic and aluminium, which means brushed metal on the lid and wrist-rest and glossy plastic elsewhere. It’s got sharp angles, big vents, flashing status lights, a colourful backlit keyboard and an illuminated logo on the lid. This is a machine designed to make statements as well as break benchmarks, and it stands out among its rivals: it’s flashier than the Asus, but it’s not quite as coherent as the Alienware, which is matte throughout and is overloaded with colour-coordinated lights.

 

It’s also got strength that will withstand being lugged around. The base and wrist-rest are both robust, with no give in the former and the tiniest hint of depression in the latter. The monitor’s rear can be flexed a little, but the panel’s enclosure is so thick that there’s no sign of on-screen distortion.

 

The port selection is broad. The right-hand edge has two USB 2 ports and a DVD writer, the left-hand side serves up three USB 3 connectors, a card reader and four audio jacks, and the back edge has Gigabit Ethernet, and a trio of display outputs: HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, and D-SUB.

 

Killer Networking is used for connectivity, with this specialist hardware deployed for both the dual-band 802.11n wireless and Gigabit Ethernet connections – it’s designed to prioritise game traffic for a smoother experience. There’s also Bluetooth 4.0.

 

MSI GT70: Screen & Sound Quality

The MSI’s panel ticks the right boxes for gameplay: a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, a matte finish, and no touchscreen layer.

 

The screen is made from TN hardware, but don't let this lure you into believing not up to the task. Its brightness level of 343 nits is great – better than the Alienware’s 276 nits – and the black level of 0.29 nits is similarly impressive, which means plenty of depth to the darkest shades. The contrast ratio of 1,191:1 is top-tier, even if it can’t quite match the Alienware’s stunning 1,425:1 result.

 

The high brightness and contrast means colours are punchy and vivid, but they could be more accurate. The temperature of 6,760K is better the Alienware, but the Delta E of 7.2 can’t match the more accurate 4.66 result from the rival notebook. This isn't a huge deal for gaming, but budding photographers should take note.

 

Overall, the MSI has one of the biggest, brightest and best screens on any gaming laptop, but it’s not without issues. The deepest shades of black are crushed together, which means there’s not enough distinction at the very bottom of the colour range, and the matte layer adds a little too much grain for our liking.

 

Audio comes from Danish firm Dynaudio, which has optimised the two speakers and single subwoofer. It's done a good job, with crisp high-end and a punchy treble that sits proud from the rest of the range without becoming dominant. Bass is present, thanks to that subwoofer, which lifts the MSI above many tinny rivals – but, if we’re being picky, we’d prefer a little more oomph to the low-end. The GT70’s audio kit has the punch to make games sound suitably brawny, and it’s also has more than enough volume to fill a room.

 

MSI GT70: Performance

MSI has deployed an Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M inside this machine. It’s the first chip we’ve seen from the firm’s new mobile range, and it’s a monster: 1,344 stream processors clocked to 941MHz with a GPU Boost peak of 967MHz, which is faster than every top-end mobile GPU from Nvidia’s last range. There’s also 6GB of GDDR5 RAM that runs at 1,250MHz, which is MSI’s doing – Nvidia only installs 3GB of memory on this chip.

 

That’s twice the amount of memory that Nvidia specifies for this part, and its clock speed is higher than every top-end mobile GPU from last year’s Nvidia stack.

 

 

It’s an impressive specification, but the GTX 870M made an inauspicious start in benchmarks. Its 3DMark Ice Storm score of 63,839 can’t match the Asus, and the GT70 scored 63,259 in Ice Storm – still behind the G750JX.

 

The MSI made up for this mid-range performance in trickier tests. Fire Storm is 3DMark’s toughest benchmark, and the GT70’s 4,286 score easily beat the 3,133 from the Asus and the Alienware’s 2,565. The MSI then scored 22.9fps in Unigine Heaven’s Extreme 1,920 x 1,080 test, which was better than the Asus’ 17.3fps.

 

Nvidia’s latest chipset further flexed its muscles in real-world tests. We ran Battlefield 4, BioShock Infinite and Batman: Arkham Origins at 1,920 x 1,080 and their highest quality levels, and the three games averaged 34fps, 86fps and 52fps – all easily playable.

 

 

The GTX 870M uses last year’s Kepler silicon rather than the new Maxwell architecture, which is currently reserved for mid-range cards, but it scarcely matters thanks to huge amounts of memory and increased clock speeds – at the business end of our benchmarks, this is the fastest gaming notebook we’ve seen.

 

The Core i7-4800MQ has four Hyper-Threaded cores, a standard speed of 2.7GHz and a Turbo peak that’s 1GHz higher, and it proved rapid. The MSI’s PCMark 7 result of 6,137 squeaked past the 6,009 points from the Alienware and easily best the Asus. It’s no surprise – it’s helped here by 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD.

 

The CPU’s GeekBench result of 12,666 is in the lead, too – the Alienware was next-best, with 12,509.

 

That SSD is the only weak link. Its sequential read pace of 497MB/s is excellent, and it bodes for rapid loading times, but its write speed of 271MB/s is average.

 

 

MSI GT70: Heat and Noise

The powerful components are chilled by bulky heatsinks and one large fan, but that didn’t stop the processor and graphics card peaking just short of 90°C in stress tests. That’s not far off their thermal limits, which is the point at which the silicon begins to throttle its speed before it becomes unstable.

 

That fan isn’t exactly quiet, either. It stirred when we played games, and its low rumble was noticeable – we had to turn the volume up in order to drown it out, and its whir proved irritating during quiet moments in games and movies. We’d plug in some headphones.

 

 

MSI GT70: Battery Life

Gaming laptops aren’t renowned for their longevity, and the GT70 did nothing to change this perception. In our PowerMark test the MSI lasted for three hours and 5 minutes, which is about fifteen minutes short of its two rivals.

 

The situation worsened when we used Unigine Heaven to simulate gameplay. We looped this demanding benchmark and the MSI could only last a few minutes beyond one hour before it ran out of juice.

 

When the GT70’s battery was empty we plugged it back in for thirty minutes and the MSI regained 25% of its capacity. That’s one percent behind the Asus, and a pretty standard result. It’ll give you about 45 minutes of standard usage, but only twenty minutes of gaming.

 

MSI GT70 – Keyboard & Trackpad

It’s important for gaming machines to have good ergonomics, and MSI has roped in Scandinavian specialists SteelSeries to provide this machine’s keyboard – the same arrangement used on its slimline GS70 gaming laptop

 

The partnership pays off. The Scrabble-tile unit has a reasonably solid base, which helps for hammering away during intense sessions, and there’s more space between these keys than those on the cramped Alienware. Each key has a firm, consistent action, which means the MSI is on a par with the excellent Asus.

 

There’s room for a numberpad, and the backlight is adjustable. We’re less keen on the single-height Return key and the fact that the four cursor keys aren’t set apart from the rest of the keyboard, but they’re minor quibbles.

 

The trackpad has a smooth, responsive surface that worked equally well with Windows 8 gestures and FPS games, and we like the two buttons – they’re clicky and consistent, with a light action that’s reminiscent of specialist gaming mice. The trackpad is just too small, though – we often hit its edges during frantic gameplay.

 

As always with gaming laptops, it’s still better to plug-in a USB mouse if you’ve got a suitable surface available.

 

Other things to consider

The MSI has one of the most versatile interiors we’ve ever seen on a laptop. A large section of the base can be removed and it gives access to two free full-size mini-PCI-Express slots, and there’s also two vacant memory sockets that can handle up to 24GB of extra memory.

 

The hard disk is stored in a simple caddy, and the heatsinks and fans can be easily removed and unscrewed, which is handy for cleaning.

 

These are all nice, practical bits of design that we really like.

 

Should I buy the MSI GT70?

The MSI GT70 is a traditional gaming laptop, so it’s got the usual range of strengths and weaknesses: incredible gaming power, a strong processor, and loud design that’s designed to attract attention. The screen and speakers are good, and the keyboard is also impressive, but the MSI is hampered by its sheer size, loud fan and poor battery life.

 

Neither of the MSI’s rivals solved all of these problems, though, and the GT70 stands tall over the Alienware 14 and Asus G750JX in two key areas: it’s much quicker in games, and it’s better value than both, with the Alienware’s top models proving more expensive and the Asus costing a similar amount for poorer performance.

 

It’s a bulky, brash system but, if you need a gaming notebook and performance is everything, the MSI GT70 is the one to buy.

Verdict

The MSI streaks ahead of its rivals in games benchmarks, and it’s got the processing performance to match – even if battery life is poor, like many other gaming notebooks. It's by no means perfect, but it delivers where it counts and that's why we recommend it.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/msi-gt70-2pc-dominator_Laptop_review

Edited September 12, 2014 by SiD

[daredevil]

1600$ for laptop? I have feeling that you could have build kick ass desktop with that price? 

[SiD]

I have a kick ass desktop, hah. gtx 780, i7-3770k, multi-monitor etc /highfive My frankenbeast! Actually first pc I ever built.

 

Numbnuts wanted a gaming laptop because she moves around with it a lot. Not enough space around here for another desk/set-up anyway.