Review: msi gs60

MSI is one of the best gamer manufacturers on the market for notebooks and computer components. For the past two weeks I have used the fantastic MSI GS60 with i7 Haswell processor, 16GB of RAM and a GTX970m graphics card. If we add a 3K monitor to all this… should the experience be incredible? Will our "cut" pass?

We thank the MSI team for the transfer of the sample for analysis:

Technical characteristics

• Intel® Core i7-4710HQ Processor (2.5 GHz, 6 MB) RAM 16GB DDR3 SDRAM SODIMM 1TB Hard Drive (7200 rpm S-ATA) + 256GB mSATADisplay 15.6 ″ LED 1920 x 1080 Pixels 16: 9 MatteNvidia GeForce GTX 970M 3GB GDDR5 Graphics Controller
  • LAN 10/100/1000 Killer N1525802.11 a / b / g / n Bluetooth V4.0 Front Laptop Camera 1920 x 1080 Pixels 30fps Microphone
  6-cell lithium-ion 4840 mAh battery Connections
  • 1 x Mini display Port 1 x HDMI 1 x Headphone output 1 x Microphone input 3 x USB 3.0 1 x RJ45 3 in 1 Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
  Full Color Backlit SteelSeries Keyboard Microsoft Windows 8.1 64bit Operating System Dimensions (Width x Depth x Height) 390 x 266 x 19.9 mm Weight 1.96Kg Color Black

MSI GS60

MSI surprises us with a PREMIUM design in its packaging with a large rectangular box in black and with an incredible title. This promises… Inside we find two compartments where it houses the laptop and the power cables. The bundle is made up of:

• MSI GS60 3K version laptop with GTX970M. Power cord and power supply. CD with drivers and instruction manual. Briefcase (This comes as a complement / gift, will depend on the promotion).

The design of the notebook seems exquisite and incredible to me with a brushed aluminum in black. It has a compact size 390 x 266 x 19.9 mm and a light weight of just 1.96KG. Regarding hardware, it is not far behind with a 15.6 ″ Glossy screen with matte IPS technology and 3K resolution: 2880 x 1620 pixels, i7-4710HQ processor at 2.5 Ghz and 6MB of cache, 16GB of DDR3 memory, a storage system with a 1TB hard drive to store information and a 256GB SSD for the operating system. Although most of the most comes with the 3GB GTX970M which is capable of moving any current game on this system in FULL HD configuration.

Regarding connectivity, it has an RJ45 10/100/1000 model Killer N1525 for the most gaming and low latency, Bluetooth V4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n and AC connection, card reader and without forgetting the ports USB 3.0.. Very good MSI!

One of the points that I like the most about this laptop is the Steelseries keyboard, as many of you will know it is a reputed keyboard brand and that only this range has its switches. I really like it more than the classic "chewing gums" that the rest of the manufacturers assemble. The sound is impressive and I loved it, very good combination.

We have also opened the laptop, it is quite simple from the back and our surprise is that in order to make the extensions we must open the front (keyboard area), so we have ruled out continuing with the disassembly. We see the battery, the mechanical hard disk, the rear area of ​​the chipset, etc… It does not look bad. On the temperatures they are quite moderate.

About the battery we should not worry about it has 4840 mAh (6 cells) which is equivalent to an autonomy of up to 8 hours with normal use, while in gaming we will reach 3 and a half hours depending on the game and the use of the components.

Experience and games

As I have previously explained, we have a 3K screen with a 2880 x 1620 pixel resolution. And it is that I see it unnecessary for gamers… and an extra cost that is unnecessary for a screen of 15.6 ″. It looks great ok… but… In games we cannot use it because the graphics is not powerful enough to play decently and we have to re-scale to 1080 (FULL HD). The feeling of working day to day and doing graphic design with this IPS panel seems like a real blast. A highly recommended experience.

To try to fix the small letters MSI includes MSI Sizing an application that allows us to adjust the font from 100% to 200%. When we got the laptop it was 200%, although the recommended one is 150%, which is where we see the grace of this curious resolution. As we have explained the processor is a fresh and very powerful Intel Haswell i7, for example in cinebench R11.5 we have got 7 points in multi thread which is great. The graphics card is the last GTX970M that at least we have not found any "but"… it works at 1035 mhz with Boost and we play all the games at 39 to 41 FPS. For example to titles like: Tomb Raider, Metro Last Night or Battlefield 4.

WE RECOMMEND YOU Review: Tacens Mars Gaming MMP2 Mousepad

GTX970M frequency

MSI Sizing software

MSI GS70 Manageable Software

To end this session I would like to highlight the MSI GS60 manageable software. What does it offer us? Monitoring and adjustment of energy thanks to the SHIFT application (automates according to our work). In addition to utilities, instant replay and advanced settings. Very accomplished?

Final words

It has successfully passed the MSI GS60 test both gaming and graphic design. Its appearance is fabulous thanks to its brushed aluminum body and its weight less than 2KG. Regarding the hardware, it comes very complete and I think it is a good idea to include the new generation of graphics cards with the 3GB GTX970M and 16GB of RAM. Without forgetting details such as the 256GB SSD, Killer network card and Wifi 802.11 AC.

Regarding the tests we have had a very good result in FULL HD resolution , since at 3K it is unthinkable to start the games on a portable system. With an average of 40/45 FPS in current titles and in benchmarks like the Cinebench R11.5, a score of 7 points.

In short, if you are looking for a good laptop and you have an unlimited budget, the MSI GS60 is an excellent option. Who is looking for a laptop and has become infatuated with it… I recommend your purchase but you should always use your head and more in the technology sector… according to version it is between 1900 to 2200 €.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ DESIGN AND MATERIALS.	- PRICE TOO HIGH.
+ HARDWARE WITH I7 AND GTX970M	- IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO MOUNT A 3K SCREEN, AT LEAST FOR GAMNG EFFECTS.
+ 16GB OF RAM MEMORY AND HD + SSD COMBINATION.
+ GAMING EXPERIENCE.
+ OPTIMAL REFRIGERATION.
+ STEELSERIES KEYBOARD AND IPS PANEL.

The Professional Review team awards him the gold medal: