ASUS G51VX-X1A versus MSI GT268

So I've been keeping tabs on both Asus and MSI laptops for a couple months, and was fairly sure I was going to get the MSI GT628 until I started seeing the new Asus G51 pop up on a few news sites.

For reference, here are the two models that I am considering/comparing:

Asus G51VX-X1A
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220576

MSI GT628
http://www.xoticpc.com/gt628-gaming-laptop-order-p-2631.html

Please note that these sites do not necessarily represent the place where I will be purchasing the laptop. I'm using them for a tech spec comparison.

At first I was wary of a 15.6" widescreen laptop, but the dimensions of the Asus and MSI are quite similar. The Asus is a pound or so heavier, but I don't think that is a 'make or break' spec. The MSI also comes with a 9-cell battery, which is a plus for me since i'm going to be relatively mobile (but a power source should usually be in sight).

I'm going to be using the laptop for both gaming (CoD4, TF2, WoW, etc.) and some number crunching. The blu-ray player is not a necessity for me (which is standard on the MSI model). The Asus does have a more powerful GPU (260 compared to the 160), but overall, is it a more well-rounded / solid laptop? After some MSI reviews about cracking frames, a flimsy keyboard (which is attributed to use preference), narrow keys, etc., i'm doubting the choice!

Any input would be appreciated to help me make a decision!

 

Well....the MSI is a bit cheaper than the G51 you're looking at but the G51 is more powerful.

It really depends on your priority. If you want to sacrifice a little power for mobility go for the MSI or else go with the Asus.

Aesthetics would be another factor depending whether you have a strong like or hatred of one of the models or another.

The build quality on the G51, though, is pretty good. There is some minor flexing near the F# keys but it isn't bad and the rest of the keyboard is great. Other than that, there really isn't any build quality complaints for it.

 

couldn't put it any better. also the msi g series is notorious for having horrible keyboard flexing, sorta like a trampoline (not exaggerating). for aesthetics, the msi has a brush aluminum body instead of being all plastic and it also has a cramped keyboard.

 

I believe the MSI only offers a one year warranty and no accidental damage coverage, compared to Asus two year warranty and one year accidental damage policy.

Edit: Never mind. It looks like MSI is offering their own 3 year warranty for U.S. systems or 2 year global, with one year of accidental damage coverage. Is that correct?

 

MSI has a 3 year limited and a 1 year accidental coverage, while Asus has a 2 year limited and a 1 year accidental coverage.

I would normally sacrifice some mobility for power, which would place me with the Asus... however, i'm not too fond of the large thick plastic frame around the screen of the Asus, but the rest of the laptop (keyboard and artwork on the cover) is fairly aesthetically pleasing

I'm also disappointed that the Asus doesn't come with a 9-cell battery, but I guess they had to cut some cost somewhere to make the model i'm looking at affordable.

 

Yeah.....the G5# series are 15.6" laptops with a 15.4" screen so they have about a 0.2" wide bezel than most 15.4" ones.

 

Like I said, i'm not a big fan of the larger bezel on the Asus, but it's still a pretty slick looking laptop...

I'm still not sure! I have the feeling that the Asus will give me less problems (i'm not sure why)... should I wait until more people get their hands on the new Asus to see if there are some other things, aside from the keyboard flex around the F# keys, that may be an issue?

 

I would say stick with the Asus. The keyboard is so damned sexy.

 

I was in the same boat you are. I narrowed my choices between the Asus and MSI.

I ordered the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220576 from newegg the day it came out.

I've used the keyboard on the Rx05 version of the laptop and actually taken apart the Rx05 BB version already so I can say the build quality is what I expect from ASUS (solid and easy to work with), which is better than most of the laptops I work on.

I personally don't like a battery that hangs out the back of a laptop, so that was a negative on the MSI's part for me.

The main advantages of the MSI to me is the blu-ray player, chasis thickness and aluminum body.

The main advantages of the ASUS are power, screen, and keyboard layout.

I went with the ASUS X1A because it's available NOW and cheaper than configuring a MSI whitebook to have the same specs as the MSI 628.

I think they're both a great choice. I'll try to post some non-blurry came shots of the ASUS when I get it.

 

Imo, the ASUS will blow the MSI out of the water in gamer computing power. The 260m topples the 160m by a pretty large margin. If you want a laptop that will last you with better quality parts (from past experience), then go with the ASUS. But don't just take my word for it; I use www.videocardbenchmark.net for whenever i want to compare computer parts (both mobile and desktop).

 

You wouldnt notice the power diffrence between the Asus and the GT628. Thats my opinion.. As said before, The GT628 has keyboard flex and cramped keys. The Asus has a much better build..

 

Alright, well i'm leaning towards the Asus at the moment... all very valid points While the MSI is a bit thinner and has the brushed aluminum, I think the Asus keyboard and the feeling that the laptop is all-around "well built" is swaying me away from the MSI.

Thanks for the input thus far, if anyone else has anything else to add, i'd be happy to read it!!

 

MSI has fixed the keyboard flex because when the gt627 was still on newegg, complaints about the flex disappeared after some time and people were commenting on it in the MSI forum too.

The Asus is almost the size of a 17" notebook. So I would say if you need more portability with power go with MSI (according to some reviews, gt628 gets about 3-3.5 hours with its 9-cell) but if you do not, just go with the greater power in the Asus

 

I'm going with the MSI only because I'm taking this to college with me and I need some mobility, the casing looks better to me than the white gamerish of the asus and from the benchmarks I've seen the 160 seems on par with the 260 maybe just a hint below it. Besides the 160 consumes less power which means better battery life with the msi. Then again you might be buying this for purely gaming purposes and if that's the case by all means go with the asus. Good luck with your purchase!

 

260M GTX versus the 160 isn't even a competition.

 

I use my Asus for college, works fine. And if I don't have anything to do for lunch I'll just play a video game.

 

While the MSI is great, the keys are to small and cramped. If you can live with you may want to go that way instead. It also has a more professional look then the Asus. It will come down to priority as well. The MSi is quite a bit lighter. So ask yourself these questions then make your choice, good luck

 

To the underclocked 260 of the BB edition G51 the 160 gts actually has faster clocks. I've also heard in the MSI forum that the heat of the laptop is very well maintained so temps are usually low. However I definately like the keyboard layout of the g51 by far. Both have their advantages, i just find myself being more attracted to the MSI's.

Also to the OP if you do happen to switch your mind I recommend you buy the barebones ms-1651 and customize it yourself when youre buying it. You might find you can save some money than buying the prebuilt model.

 

But the 260 will still beat out the 160 because it has so much more shaders. Clocks are only comparable in the same videocard or very close ones.

 

Just remember the barebones GT628 is silver and black, the factory prebuilt is red and black. I also know that they stay nice and cool and are very portable also..

 

I also just realized (at least according to xoticpc), that the MSI GT628 has 4 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz ram, while the Asus has 4 GB of DDR2 800 MHz ram... noticeable difference???

 

not much difference performance wise from what i hear. the only difference is in the name and price.

 

does that apply to the x1a? i only see a1

 

i think its just for the a1

 

I've been seeing a lot of posts / concerns about the relatively high temps the Asus G51VX hits when gaming (between 80 and 90 degrees C), is this a legitimate concern for comfort? Will it shorten component life??

 

Asus have said that the laptop was designed for those temperatures.

There is no problem with comfort since the fan is on the upper-left and shouldn't interfere with anything.

Component wise, we don't really know for sure since everyone just got their laptops but I wouldn't think so.

 

One other thing I noticed: The MSI GT268 has the fan exhaust on the right side (where one's mouse would be), whereas the Asus G51VX has the exhaust on the left side. So as long as the top surface of the laptop (i.e. keyboard and wrist rest) doesn't heat up too much, then I would believe that you are correct and it wouldn't be an issue as far as comfort is concerned.

 

MSI has it on the right side?

Hah. They're trying to market to southpaw gamers. "Use your left hand or we'll roast it off."


As for Willard's question, if the computer is designed for high heat, it would follow that component life would be similar, i.e. have comparable life for that kind of heat. But, of course, life isn't always logical.

Like I say, a cooler is always a worthwhile investment.

 

I think one should also compare the G51vx with the MSI GT729.

The GT729 is only slightly wider and deeper, yet it's thinner and slightly lighter than the G51Vx.

Specs at XoticPC:
GT729: Q9000, 17" WUXGA, HD4850, 4GB DDR3, 320GB, Bluray - $1551
G51Vx: Q9000, 15.6" WUXGA, GTX260M, 4GB DDR2, 640GB, Bluray - $1774

The 1GB HD4850 will generally outperform the GTX260M.
The GT729 will sound a lot better, too (4.1 speakers vs 2.0 in the G51Vx)

From early indications, MSI have fixed the keyboard flex in the new GT628 and there's no reason to doubt that this is also the case in the GT729.

Then I guess it's just down to brand confidence and aesthetics. For instance, the Asus 360 warranty is a strong selling point, but I personally think the GT729 looks a lot nicer.

 

I was looking at the Asus G51VX-X1A specifically, not the VX with the quad core. The X1A and GT628 are appropriately comparable (at least in my opinion). The Asus is only about half an inch wider, and a tiny bit longer (of course thicker), but I'm leaning towards the Asus at the moment, despite the 6 cell battery

 

There is a GT729 variant on XoticPC with a P8600 and a WSXGA+ display (inc. Bluray) at $1260 - this is actually at the top of my shortlist at the moment.

 

Ya, the 729 does look pretty good, but its also a bit bigger than the GT268 and the X1A I know I am trading off some portability for power by going with a 15.x" laptop over a 14.x" in the first place (let alone going with the X1A over the 268), but I think that is just a little to big for my usage

 

I notice in your highlights of the pluses you note the 4850. I haven't researched it, but I've always thought, all other things being equal, the the hierarchy was 280m > 4870 > 260m > 4850

 

I think it depends which benchmarks you trust and how far you're willing to push the clocks, but the way I read it, the HD4850 will beat the GTX260M most, if not all of the time.

 

I'd trust a 3DMark06 score with the same CPU, or a 3DMark Vantage score.

I suppose it doesn't help that sometimes games are usually optimized for one brand or another. Crysis is everyone's "if I can run it, I can run anything" game, and it advertises itself as an nVidia optimized program.

I would very much like to see a Q9000/260m Asus and a Q9000/4850 MSI benchmark at the same settings (and the 260m at its "real" clocks). That could give us a good comparison.

 

1: Not necessarily; it doesn't overclock as well and from what I've heard, the performance stock is pretty similar.

2. 4.1 speakers that all sit directly in front of you isn't all that amazing. It would be pretty awesome if two of those speakers were... behind you.

 

GT25 never had keyboard flex, it was only and issue with the GT627 so no worries there.

Good point about the size... G50/51 is pretty big and the GT725/729 is light for a 17".

 

Does the MSI line still push out the air on the right side of the laptop? I tend to hold the mouse close the the right side of the laptop when I'm playing. This is more of a preference thing of where to use the mouse, but some do not like their right hand heating up so much.

 

From the pictures of the MST GT268, the vent IS on the right side, which is a huge con for me since I always use an external mouse

 

You can buy the 9 Cell batteries on Ebay for the G51 series. That was my next purchase just after buying the new laptop. Fed Ex says the new G51VX-A1 was delivered this afternoon so I'm in for some fun after work. ..

 

Laptop screen measurements do not include the frame bezel around the LCD panel. The 15.6" will be the diagonal measurement of the viewable part of the screen. That has been this way with every laptop I have owned.

 

Ya, if I go with the Asus I'm definitely ordering the 9-cell battery ... and I'm sure you'll have fun with your A1!

Anyone have suggestions on a nice, yet affordable, laptop case that will fit the Asus G51VX?? Something sturdy with a couple compartments..?

 

I hit up Best Buy for mine. I had to get one with a decent amount of storage for all my class stuff. I bought a messenger bag - I'm not a fan of backpacks.

Don't forget that you need a bag to fir a 17" laptop, not a 15".

 

...which is why I'd suggest looking at the GT729 as a fitting alternative to the G51Vx

Preferring a lower native res, I'd actually be more tempted by the G60Vx - the 16" panel seems a better fit for the chassis - but there's been no sign of it in the US yet.

 

Lol... buying a bigger laptop to fill a bigger laptop bag, cute

 

The GT729 is also like the same weight as the G51vx even though it is bigger in screen size.