MSI GX640: $1100 for a Speedy DX11 Laptop
AMD's HD 5870 and NVIDIA's GTX 285M. We should have the super heavyweight GTX 480M in for a review in the near future, but all of the mobile GPUs we've mentioned thus far command a hefty price premium.
The Clevo W860CU starts at $1550 from AVADirect, while the new W880CU with GTX 480M starts at $2400 with 4GB RAM. If you're willing to take a step back in performance, MSI's GX640 cuts the GPU down to an HD 5850 and uses a dual-core i5-430M, all at a price point that's $500 lower than the quad-core equipped W860CU. The result is a potent combination of features and performance at a stellar price.
MSI GX640 Specifications
Processor Intel Core i5-430M
(2x2.26GHz, 32nm, 3MB L3, Turbo to 2.53GHz, 35W)
Chipset Intel PM55
Memory 2x2GB DDR3-1333 (Max 2x4GB)
DDR3-1333 @ 9-9-9-24 Timings
Graphics ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
(800 Stream Processors, 625MHz/4GHz Core/RAM clocks)
Display 15.4" LED Glossy 16:10 WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
(Samsung 154MT02-H01)
Hard Drive(s) 500GB 7200RPM
(Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB 16MB)
Optical Drive DVD+/-RW (TSSTcorp TS-L633C)
Networking Gigabit Ethernet (RTL8168/8111)
Intel WiFi Link 5100 (a/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (Motorola)
V.92 56K Modem
Audio HD Audio
2 stereo speakers with line-in, mic, optical, and headphone jacks
Capable of 5.1
Battery 9-Cell, 10.8V, 7800mAh, 85Wh battery
Front Side N/A
Left Side Mic, Line-In, Headphone, Optical (5.1 capable)
1 x USB 2.0
Optical Drive
Modem
Kensington Lock
Right Side Flash Reader (MMC/MS/SD/xD)
ExpressCard/54 Slot
4-pin FireWire
1 x USB 2.0
eSATA
Cooling Exhaust
Ethernet
Back Side HDMI
VGA
AC Jack
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Dimensions 14.1" x 10.24" x 1.22" (WxDxH)
Weight 6.3 lbs (with 9-cell battery)
Extras 2MP Webcam
103-Key keyboard with 10-key
Flash reader (MMC/MS Pro/SD/xD)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
10 multimedia keys
Warranty 3-year limited warranty
1-year global warranty
Pricing Starting at $1070 Online
MSI doesn't skip out on any of the major features or connections with the GX640. Besides the usual USB 2.0, HDMI, and VGA ports, they provide FireWire, eSATA, Bluetooth, and an ExpressCard/54 expansion slot. The only things you might miss are DVI (you can use an HDMI-to-DVI adapter/cable) and DisplayPort outputs and USB 3.0—and it would have been nice if the eSATA port was a combo port, as we're left with just two USB ports. Even with those minor complaints, there's plenty on tap here. MSI also has a 3-year limited warranty on the GX640, something we really like to see with laptops.
In terms of components, the dual-core i5-430M with HD 5850 will be more than enough to power through most tasks, and gaming performance is butter smooth at the native 1680x1050 LCD resolution. Speaking of the LCD, it's an older CCFL backlit model, but it does provide a good contrast ratio and is reasonably bright. This is one of those areas where a two-year-old LCD actually beats many of the current crop of panels—16:10 aspect ratio fans rejoice!
The remaining components consist of a 500GB 7200RPM hard drive—it's not as fast as an SSD but with a current price of $85, the capacity is much better. Since there's only one HDD bay and the goal appears to be affordable mobile gaming, skipping the SSD (for now) is a good choice. You can always add an SSD down the road to speed up general performance. Other features include a standard DVDRW drive, Bluetooth support, and MSI stuffs in a large 9-cell battery to try to keep mobility options reasonable. We're still looking at under three hours (best-case), but for short trips that should be sufficient. So let's dig in and see what the GX640 has to offer.
The Clevo W860CU starts at $1550 from AVADirect, while the new W880CU with GTX 480M starts at $2400 with 4GB RAM. If you're willing to take a step back in performance, MSI's GX640 cuts the GPU down to an HD 5850 and uses a dual-core i5-430M, all at a price point that's $500 lower than the quad-core equipped W860CU. The result is a potent combination of features and performance at a stellar price.
MSI GX640 Specifications
Processor Intel Core i5-430M
(2x2.26GHz, 32nm, 3MB L3, Turbo to 2.53GHz, 35W)
Chipset Intel PM55
Memory 2x2GB DDR3-1333 (Max 2x4GB)
DDR3-1333 @ 9-9-9-24 Timings
Graphics ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
(800 Stream Processors, 625MHz/4GHz Core/RAM clocks)
Display 15.4" LED Glossy 16:10 WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
(Samsung 154MT02-H01)
Hard Drive(s) 500GB 7200RPM
(Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB 16MB)
Optical Drive DVD+/-RW (TSSTcorp TS-L633C)
Networking Gigabit Ethernet (RTL8168/8111)
Intel WiFi Link 5100 (a/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (Motorola)
V.92 56K Modem
Audio HD Audio
2 stereo speakers with line-in, mic, optical, and headphone jacks
Capable of 5.1
Battery 9-Cell, 10.8V, 7800mAh, 85Wh battery
Front Side N/A
Left Side Mic, Line-In, Headphone, Optical (5.1 capable)
1 x USB 2.0
Optical Drive
Modem
Kensington Lock
Right Side Flash Reader (MMC/MS/SD/xD)
ExpressCard/54 Slot
4-pin FireWire
1 x USB 2.0
eSATA
Cooling Exhaust
Ethernet
Back Side HDMI
VGA
AC Jack
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Dimensions 14.1" x 10.24" x 1.22" (WxDxH)
Weight 6.3 lbs (with 9-cell battery)
Extras 2MP Webcam
103-Key keyboard with 10-key
Flash reader (MMC/MS Pro/SD/xD)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
10 multimedia keys
Warranty 3-year limited warranty
1-year global warranty
Pricing Starting at $1070 Online
MSI doesn't skip out on any of the major features or connections with the GX640. Besides the usual USB 2.0, HDMI, and VGA ports, they provide FireWire, eSATA, Bluetooth, and an ExpressCard/54 expansion slot. The only things you might miss are DVI (you can use an HDMI-to-DVI adapter/cable) and DisplayPort outputs and USB 3.0—and it would have been nice if the eSATA port was a combo port, as we're left with just two USB ports. Even with those minor complaints, there's plenty on tap here. MSI also has a 3-year limited warranty on the GX640, something we really like to see with laptops.
In terms of components, the dual-core i5-430M with HD 5850 will be more than enough to power through most tasks, and gaming performance is butter smooth at the native 1680x1050 LCD resolution. Speaking of the LCD, it's an older CCFL backlit model, but it does provide a good contrast ratio and is reasonably bright. This is one of those areas where a two-year-old LCD actually beats many of the current crop of panels—16:10 aspect ratio fans rejoice!
The remaining components consist of a 500GB 7200RPM hard drive—it's not as fast as an SSD but with a current price of $85, the capacity is much better. Since there's only one HDD bay and the goal appears to be affordable mobile gaming, skipping the SSD (for now) is a good choice. You can always add an SSD down the road to speed up general performance. Other features include a standard DVDRW drive, Bluetooth support, and MSI stuffs in a large 9-cell battery to try to keep mobility options reasonable. We're still looking at under three hours (best-case), but for short trips that should be sufficient. So let's dig in and see what the GX640 has to offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment