Some time ago I had the opportunity to look at Maingear's Titan 17 notebook, a system described as a high performance desktop replacement by the boutique PC builder. The portable certainly lived upwards to the hype as it decimated every benchmark nosotros threw at it, chewing through games on its way to earning the championship of the about powerful notebook we had ever reviewed.

The harsh reality, however, is that near people tin can't afford to spend a few thousand on a notebook computer, even if it's on a solid gaming machine that doubles as a desktop replacement. To that terminate, today we'll exist checking out a portable from MSI that aims to deliver a similarly solid gaming experience without breaking the bank.

The MSI GX60 is the latest entry in the company's Gaming Series of notebooks. The unit we tested arrived with a quad-cadre AMD A10-4600M CPU clocked at 2.3GHz alongside AMD Radeon Hard disk 7970M discrete graphics with 2GB of GDDR5 memory, a 15.6-inch non-glare display operating at 1920x1080, 8GB of DDR3 retentivity in a 4GBx2 configuration, 128GB of flash storage used as the Os drive and a 750GB 7200RPM disk drive for storage.

MSI GX60 - $ane,199 - i,420

  • 15.6" 1920x1080 matte display
  • AMD A10 Processor (2.3 GHz)
  • AMD Radeon Hard disk 7970M, 2GB discrete
  • 8GB of DDR3 RAM
  • 128GB SSD, 750GB HDD (7200RPM)
  • Blu-ray drive
  • 1 ten HDMI, 1 ten Mini-DisplayPort, 1 10 VGA
  • SD/MMC carte du jour reader (left)
  • 4 Audio jacks (right)
  • iii USB 3.0, 1 USB two.0
  • Killer NIC 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth
  • 1.3-megapixel (1280x1024) webcam
  • Steelseries keyboard
  • 15.vi x ten.5 x 2.2 inches, 7.vii pounds

Information technology doesn't stop in that location, notwithstanding, equally MSI has implemented a couple of gamer-specific features designed to heave the system'southward overall appeal. It starts with an upgraded keyboard provided by SteelSeries that'southward said to offering a number of benefits such every bit simultaneous multi-central presses and a secure tactical feel. MSI even includes a wired gaming mouse as part of the package.

The GX60 likewise represents the first time that MSI has incorporated Killer Intelligent Networking (aka Killer NIC) into a notebook, specifically the E2200 platform. Co-ordinate to Killer, the solution is able to automatically detect and accelerate game traffic ahead of other network traffic for smoother, stutter-free in-game performance which could lead to a competitive edge.

When first looking at the GX60, it'southward immediately clear that this system will never exist mistaken for an Ultrabook. Simply put, at 15.6 10 10.five x two.2 inches and weighing in at vii.seven pounds, it's pretty hefty. It'southward non as massive equally the aforementioned Titan 17, but in today'south market, a vii.7-pound computer is heavy.

Having said that, the GX60 is more than aesthetically pleasing than other barebones gaming systems nosotros've seen. The outer lid is generally glossy with a raised design in the middle that terminates at the MSI logo. The right border of the organisation is abode to four audio jacks, a USB two.0 port and a Blu-ray bulldoze. Around back is a locking slot, the ability jack, Ethernet jack, VGA connector, DisplayPort connection and an HDMI connector. Information technology's worth pointing out that the trio of video outputs support AMD Eyefinity Multi-Display Technology, allowing y'all to output to 3 displays simultaneously. On the left side of the GX60 are three USB 3.0 ports and a card reader.

Opening the lid reveals a spacious keyboard deck complete with number pad. Higher up the matte screen is the prototypical 720p Hard disk webcam and microphone. The bezel surrounding the display is pretty thick but it seems to alloy in well plenty with the overall theme of the notebook.

Stereo speakers flank the power button and diverse touch on-sensitive controls that lie but above the keyboard. We're likewise told that the organization includes a subwoofer although it isn't readily visible. One of the more interesting buttons hither is the ability to manually control the organisation's cooling fan – only touch the icon and the internal fans come up to life. This is the first fourth dimension I've seen such a feature on a notebook of whatever kind. Other touch on buttons allow you lot to control the arrangement's wireless connexion, eject the optical tray and shut down the reckoner's display.

MSI says the SteelSeries keyboard is more rigid than the typical notebook board. I'd somewhat agree with this although information technology's not perfectly rigid past any stretch of the imagination. I noticed in that location is no Windows key to the left side of the spacebar similar normal, I imagine to salve space and fit the numpad cleanly. I didn't find anything to complain about with the SteelSeries board.

The touchpad is off-centered to the left considering of the numpad, simply still centered in respect to the actual keyboard similar usual. The touchpad is recessed and features a separate one-piece button for the left and right click functions. There isn't a ton of expanse with this touchpad but odds are, serious gamers will use a mouse when playing anyhow. Five LED indicators beautify the bottom of the touchpad, giving condition updates to things similar difficult drive activity and battery life.

The wrist rest and surrounding surface area look to be built of a brushed aluminum, while the keyboard deck uses a contrasting glossy blackness plastic that matches the upper half of the system near the speakers. The majority of the screen bezel is besides glossy in nature which will no dubiety attract fingerprints over time.