MSI Haswell New Reviews

MSI GT70 is one of a number of hardware vendors that have started upgrading their products as Intel officially releases the fourth Daicouri processor Haswell. The game's audio-visual notebook, which sells up to $2799 (about 17171 yuan), is not only powered by Intel's newest Haswell processor, but also has the Nvidia GeForce GTX 780M discrete graphics card, which is the world's fastest notebook graphics card. This new range of features means that MSI GT70 has more powerful graphics and overall performance, as well as a longer battery life. So, MSI GT70 can become a brand-new game notebook representative model, together with the evaluation of the content to check it.

MSI GT70 main parameter information:

Screen: 17.3-inch 1080P Full HD capacitive touch screen

Processors and graphics: Intel Core I7-4700MQ processor at 2.4 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M discrete graphics, 4GB video memory

Memory and HDD: 32GB memory, dual 128GB SSD + 1TB 7200 to SATA HDD

Operating system: Windows 8

Wireless network: 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0

Interface: 3 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports, audio input/output, DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet interface, HDMI, headphone/MIC interface, security lock slot

Body size and Weight: 484*285*55 mm, weight 3.9 kg

Price: from 1499 USD (approximately RMB 9196)

Exterior design and details

Obviously, this MSI GT70 Red Dragon Limited edition looks cool, the fuselage top cover uses the red metal wire drawing craft, the MSI MSI logo has the backlight effect, the red dragon pattern surrounds in four weeks, looks very eye-catching. However, the high-end texture of the fuselage was damaged by some plastic material, such as the red plastic above the top cover and the black plastic base, in fact, we prefer the body of all-metal material. As a gaming notebook with a 17.3-inch screen, MSI GT70 's fuselage size is naturally not very mini, reaching 484*285*55 mm, weighs 3.9 kg, this size is slightly larger than the Alienware m17x R4, but slightly lighter.

MSI GT70 body Design

The notebook interior is a classic MSI style, made of aluminum, frosted and glossy plastic. Above the keyboard, there is a fairly large silver power button, with a few common shortcut keys on both sides and two huge speakers. The keyboard has a recessed design for four weeks, with glossy black plastic material that looks very layered. At the bottom of the keyboard is a red dragon, and the touchpad is designed to be under the G and H keys and is quite wide.

In addition, MSI GT70 has a customizable backlit keypad that allows you to set up features with the included software and even create custom lighting profiles for better use. Feel, the remote island keyboard arrangement is slightly crowded, but overall provides an excellent typing experience. The black scrub keys are evenly spaced and provide sensitive feedback. However, with the addition of a separate numeric keypad, the right SHIFT key and the BACKSPACE key are slightly smaller. The palm rest of the space is very abundant, aluminum alloy material also has a very cool feeling. The touchpad, which provides good multi-touch functionality, reacts more quickly, and the left and right buttons provide solid and resilient feedback.

MSI GT70 keyboard and Touch panel design

Fuselage interface, you can see the MSI GT70 on the right side of the Blu-ray burner CD-ROM drive, there is a pair of USB 2.0 interface, the left side of the fuselage has a row of audio output input interface, a seven-in-one reader and three USB 3.0 interface. The back of the fuselage, you can also see HDMI, VGA, Gigabit Ethernet interface, DisplayPort, security lock hole and power Jack, the overall full use of the fuselage space, the interface is very comprehensive.

MSI GT70 fuselage interface design

MSI GT70 fuselage interface design

The MSI GT70 also has a 720P camera, which works well, especially in terms of color accuracy. In the test, the camera can accurately restore the blue dress, the chocolate complexion under the natural light and the fluorescent lamp. However, the pixelated effect is slightly more noticeable and the detail is not very good.

Screen display and audio effects

MSI GT70 is equipped with a full HD (1920*1080 pixels) matte display, which we tested with the "Tomb Raider" game to see the vibrant green jungle of the screen. In the lowest setting, the texture is quite cloudy, the details of the scene are full of textures and mosaics, and in higher settings we can see more details, including the nearby waterfall and the delicate smoke effect when the torch goes out. However, the color performance of this screen has yet to be improved, especially compared to the Alienware m17x R4, which uses a mirrored screen. For example, the Alienware m17x R4 is much brighter when the orange is displayed on the start page of the Firefox browser. However, MSI GT70 wins in the restoration of details, especially the performance of Shadows.

MSI GT70 screen display effect

We also try to use MSI GT70 's built-in display management software (built-in dynamic, presentation, office, game, and movie mode), but the picture continues to show a dull, high-gloss effect that is still less than a competitor. In the screen brightness test, MSI GT70 scored 240 lux, below the average of 10 points, while the refined model Alienware m17x R4 282 lux, Toshiba X875 Performance is the most prominent, 305 lux.

The MSI GT70 is equipped with well-known Dynaudio speakers, providing a complete and clear sound, but not loud enough. The details are relatively good, and in our game tests we can provide immersive acoustics that can restore a variety of sound details. In the music test, it is possible to restore the treble in a clear and accurate way, but the bass effect is slightly less. However, with the built-in sound management software, you can adjust the bass effect and support modes such as music, games, movies, and custom settings.

Processor performance

MSI GT70 is one of the first laptops to use the intel® Haswell processor, which Intel says is a new chip technology that delivers better overall performance and graphics performance, effectively improving power consumption and extending battery life. In the PCMark 7 processor performance test environment, the machine has scored 6025 points with a four-core Intel Core I7-4700MQ processor and 32GB memory at 2.4 GHz, far exceeding the 3999-point average. In addition, the Alienware m17x R4 and Toshiba X875, which use the third generation Intel Core i7 series processors, also have an absolute leading edge.

PCMark 7 processor Performance test scores

To satisfy both high-speed and large-capacity storage, MSI GT70 also uses a popular hybrid hard drive design, with a dual 128GB SSD SSD and a 1TB 7200-rpm hard match, so Windows 8 start-up time takes only 8 seconds to easily beat the competitor. In terms of data transmission, it takes only 11 seconds to copy the 4.97GB multimedia file into the machine, and the transmission rate is as high as 462.7 Mbps, leaving the competitor far behind.

Hard drive transfer Speed test scores

Finally, in OpenOffice's spreadsheet macro test, MSI GT70 took 4 minutes 1 seconds to complete 20,000 contact information matching work, a small lead competitor. Overall, the performance gains from the Intel Haswell processor are obvious.

Game performance

The MSI GT70 features a graphics configuration with integrated graphics + single discrete graphics, integrated graphics for the Intel HD 4600 for a number of everyday Office applications, and a standalone video card that is a single 4GB memory-based nvidia GeForce GTX 780M with impressive performance. Using the 3DMark 11 graphics performance software for testing, MSI GT70 scored a good 7352 score, far more than the average and Toshiba X875 (nvidia GeForce GTX 670M graphics), and a small lead alienware m17x R4 (nvidia GeForce GTX 680M Graphics).

3DMark 11 Graphics Performance test scores

When running the Tomb Raider game, the MSI GT70 can achieve a 38.7fps frame rate in 1080P resolution and high-definition mode, while the normal image quality is increased to a minimum of 101 fps.

MSI GT70 Game effect screenshot

We then use the "bio-Jones" game to test, in the 1366*768 resolution of the low-quality mode, MSI GT70 can achieve a 155fps frame rate, the resolution increased to 1080P after the drop to 70fps. By contrast, Alienware m17x R4 's results were 132fps and 59fps respectively, while Toshiba X875 was less. This shows that the new graphics card powered by MSI GT70 still has better image quality performance, of course, compared to the higher-end dual graphics game notebook is still a little bit, but is enough to deal with the daily large 3D games.

Cooling effect

After 15 minutes of viewing online HD video using MSI GT70, the touchpad portion is 27.7 degrees Celsius, the temperature around G and H keys and the bottom of the laptop is 31.1 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius, while the air outlet temperature of the notebook is slightly higher, but also within the comfort range.

While running a large 3D game, MSI GT70 also maintained a relatively cool and quiet effect, the only slightly higher part of the fuselage on the back of the air outlet temperature, for 37.2 degrees Celsius, beyond the comfort of the range, of course, as long as not using laptops on the knees, it is not a fatal problem.

Battery life

As we all know, the endurance of the game notebook is basically a cloud, most of the time need to connect power, as a desktop to use. However, MSI GT70 also integrates Nvidia's Optimus technology with more efficient Intel's fourth generation core processor, which is better than expected. With the use of WiFi continuous Internet, MSI GT70 has a 4-hour 18-minute endurance, 32 minutes more than the average, and a better 1-hour 58-minute comparison with Toshiba X875. However, the Alienware m17x R4 has a battery life of up to 5 hours and 27 minutes, and is estimated to be related to a larger capacity.

Software and warranty

With built-in software, MSI GT70 has a wealth of system management software to help users better use their computers. These include system control management, allowing users to adjust screen brightness, wireless network, Bluetooth, volume, CD and webcam. There are also MSI burn recovery that can help users back up their valuable data. Third-party preinstalled software is similar to a regular notebook, including Skype, Evernote, Microsoft Office and a range of tools, plus a 30-day free trial version of the Norton Antivirus Kit.

If that's not enough, MSI GT70 also has a built-in Bluestacks simulator that lets you run Android apps on your laptop. In addition, MSI also provides a two-year warranty service for GT70.

Optional configuration

The MSI GT70 for the High-volume flagship limited edition, with a clock 2.4 GHz Intel Core I7-4700MQ processor, 32GB memory, dual 128GB SSD +1TB 7200 rpm, Intel HD 4,600 set integrated +4GB memory of Nvidia GeForce GTX 780M Discrete graphics, priced at $2799 (about 17171 yuan).

The normal version of MSI GT70 uses a more low-key black color palette, with a clock 2.4 GHz Intel Core I7-4700MQ processor, 24GB memory, 128GB SSD +1TB 7200 rpm hard Drive, Intel HD 4,600 set integrated +4GB memory for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M Discrete graphics with a slightly lower price of $2599 (about 15944 yuan).

If your budget is limited, consider the minimum configuration, priced at $1499 (approximately CNY 9196), configured with a clock 2.4 GHz Intel Core I7-4700MQ processor, 8GB memory, 1TB 7200 RPM HDD and 3GB of independent video memory nvidia GeForce GTX 770M discrete graphics card.

Evaluation Summary

It is clear that MSI has been the first to demonstrate the performance of the next generation of laptops through GT70, with the latest technology from Intel and Nvidia bringing very strong overall and graphical performance, coupled with a decent glare-free display and solid audio quality, making MSI GT70 the most watched gaming notebook of the moment. Of course, the high-priced version of the sky may be a part of the players can be deterred, but the lower version of the price is relatively reasonable, should be able to get some of the user's attention. While some of the core players may choose to wait for the Alienware series to upgrade the Haswell processor and Nvidia's latest graphics card, for now, MSI GT70 is a good choice for a high-end game book.

Advantages:

· Cool Body Design

· Keyboards that support custom features

· Excellent overall performance and graphics performance

· Battery life above average

Disadvantages:

· Screen brightness below average level

· Heavier body

· The price is expensive