° MSI WS60? Owner's Lounge ° Official Thread °

All of the notebooks have Optimus including WS60 & GT72, and GT72 is the only notebook that can do sole-discrete GPU mode.

 

Is anybody else having trouble with the Webcam? Just tried mine for the first time and it's not visible through either Windows or Linux.

 

Toggle on/off by pressing Fn + F6.
This is a H/W switch via EC firmware.

 

Bingo! Cheers, Kevin.

 

You've done well! :thumbsup:

 

Hello all, new owner of an MSI WS60 2OJ 3K-004US. I bought this thing to do mostly Solidworks/ AutoCAD/ Video/ and some light gaming. Originally I specd out a Dell M4800 with a lot more power but after Dell canceled my order 2x I gave up and bought the MSI.

First impression.
Pros: Looks great, defiantly a winner in the style department. Keyboard is awesome, fells really good on the fingers. Fast start-up/file transfer. Screen has great resolution. Sounds fantastic, great little speaker system for a laptop. Fast WiFi.

Cons: Not as powerful as most workstation laptops, but it's a hell of a lot smaller. The screen feels weak and flimsy, It bends if you press it too hard. I am almost sure its going to break. Not very up-gradable and no docking station.

First thing I did when I got the computer was install Solidworks. It runs good and the 3k resolution scaling issue is not as bad as I have read. Solidworks is very much usable. The system bogged down when I was attempting a large assembly render but it never quit. Played a game of counter-strike to get a feel for gaming performance, Played great with no lag. I like the way the power-button indicates the status of the GPU but I wish we could change the color (Must be a bi-color LED?)

Too early to know if I really like this laptop but so far I'm happy and don't have buyers remorse.

 

See my video review of MSI WS60 Mobile Workstation at below link

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rGNbA07nX3E

 

Below link to my video on Unboxing & initial Hands on
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7EtvZGgJMGo

 

MSI WS60 Unboxing & Hands on
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7EtvZGgJMGo

 

Hello

Disclaimer: first post, non-owner (so far), but seriously considering purchasing one soon.

I have been looking for a high value mobile workstation to run SolidWorks on in addition to a few other non-demanding business applications. I expect that 95% of my work will be done from my office, but I need portability while running SW etc.

As everyone here knows there are not a lot of options in this category, frankly I've only found MSI WT60 and Dell M3800 as possible alternatives for what I want in terms of performance and value.

My primary stumbling block is that the local supplier in Alberta (Memory Express) only offers these laptops as "Special Order" which means they take your money, then order the computer, and you are stuck with it. I've been leaning towards the non 3K version because I plan to use external monitors for most of my work.

Are you people happy running SW on this machine? Is anyone running simulation with this computer too? Is the battery life really 2 hrs or less if you are working the machine? Does the chassis quality match your expectations for what is a relatively expensive laptop?

Thanks in advance.

 

I purchased my WS60 from Memory Express here in Alberta and I have zero regrets.

I use mine mainly for SolidWorks simulations and design as I am studying Mechanical Engineering and my design courses require it. I am happy I got this instead of using the school computers as they have really old nvidia cards in them so my laptop is much faster. I'm actually running an assembly motion analysis with force simulation right now and it completed it in 1.5 hours; I'm scared to see what it would be like at school haha.

The external monitors will help you as I struggle with the screen real estate on the FHD model.

The laptop is a beautiful machine that runs very quiet, especially when rendering and it is cool to the touch; no overheating issues at all. Since it is a very thin laptop, the screen does feel flimsy at times, but I exercise extra caution whenever moving it.

Battery life sadly is 1.5-2 hours under heavy use, but I always have my charger with me and a place to plug in so it's never an issue.

 

Korporal

Thanks very much for the quick reply.

I had a look at a GS60 machine in the store. They definitely are thin and I'd move the the display carefully too.

The battery life is one area I wish it were a bit better although I too will mainly be using it while it's plugged in. Is the power adapter as clunky as it appears in some of the online videos?

One more question: how long did it take for you to receive your computer after you ordered it?

Thanks again.

 

I placed my order on August 21 and received it on August 29. So about 8 days. I believe it came in on the 28th but I couldn't pick it up that night.

The power adapter is quite large compared to what I have seen, approximately the size of a Ti-84 calculator (maybe a bit shorter).

 

Thanks for the information. I ordered one tonight which is effectively recorded as this coming Monday.

 

I'm officially an owner now.

Early days, but other than the clunky power adapter I'm happy so far.

 

Bam !

 

Hi

I'm looking to pick up a second power adapter especially if it is more compact than the stock MSI unit. Is anyone aware of an aftermarket or alternate OEM adapter that will power this laptop with the stipulation that it is smaller, but also doesn't get excessively hot. (Given my wants I'd be willing to accept a compromise solution that wouldn't be able to keep up to the power draw at full load.)

Thanks in advance.

 

SW runs great considering the performance and size of this laptop. Much better then my old Dell M6500 Extreme and about 75% lighter. The battery is not bad at all, I was surprised. Obviously when your running CAD your going to have to plug in, but on a flight across the country, I was able to watch 2 full length movies. (3k screen) Sims and renders are to be expected on a mobile workstation. For class projects the sims and renders will preform well, for pro use, your better off with a traditional PC. Still the MSI WS60 fills the gap of power user who needs to CAD on the go. I love mine, just wish the screen was sturdier. But no problems so far.

 

Is anyone having issues with their wireless network adapter? It only happens every now and then, but it is really frustrating. I restarted my computer and the wireless would work for a few minutes and then just crash. Last time it happened I downloaded Intel's Update Utility and it seemed to be fixed...up until today. Any help would be great. Thanks.

 

Hello

I have no problems to report.

 

Haven't had any issues thus far. I'd recommend downloading their LiveUpdate software (strangely omitted from my build on Win7) and running a scan to download the latest drivers with automatic installation.

Also, for those interested, here's Part 1 of my vid review (might still be processing so please check back if not ready yet):

 

Live Update is strictly not for notebooks. Period.

 

Does the WS60 not count as one? Didn't stop me from installing it though... :thumbsup:

 

Hi all!

I'm a design student and light gamer (I'm a gamer with maybe 15 minutes a month to play... unfortunately) Really looking into this computer for adobe CS6, but primarily Autodesk Revit 15, 3ds max 15 (mostly for modeling- see below), and maybe some autoCAD 15.

Any similar users with these needs?

I'd like to render on the laptop if possible.. but this isn't required because I have access to a computer lab at school and take up room there need be.

Also, new to buying professional GPU. Will this be able to handle my games okay? Mainly Civ5 (and maybe CIV:BE), Starcraft, Sims 4, I'm not sure what else... I will still have another computer (my macbook pro that is starting to show its age) that can handle some games if this computer can't handle them well.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

 

Can anyone direct me to an image of the WS60 mainboard with notations? I've bought a Samsung XP941 m.2 PCIe 512 GB SSD that I want to install but would like to have a picture or schematic showing where the m.2 SSD slots are.

 

Unfortunately the GS60 supports SATA based M.2 slots only so your drive will not work.

 

It can do it but it's only good for mediocre tasks, and majority of games will run okay with it.

 

Hello,

New to the forum and I'm looking for a new laptop to do video editing. I'm a film student so primary use for this laptop would be used with Adobe Premiere CS6 as well as After Effects. This will be replacing my Macbook Pro mid-2010 which died suddenly. I'm not a fan of apple, but my school offers all the software I need for free (but the keys stop working after you graduate, and I only have one year left).

How would the WS60 compare to the newer MBP for video editing? Is the 4k screen worth the difference in price? I do a bit of gaming from time to time (league of Legends mostly), how does the GS60 compare in terms of video editing vs the WS60?


Thank you in advance!

 

You are probably right abut the GS60 not supporting PCIe m.2 drives, (I'm totally unfamiliar with a GS60) however, I'm referring to the WS60 workstation model.

Really would appreciate a schematic layout of the mainboard before I go in and install the new m.2 sticks. Anyone?

 

I can't help you in re: gaming, and while I haven't done any post work at the present, I have expectations of working with High Resolution 6k R3D RAW files in Adobe Creative Cloud 2014.

My hope is to get playback at 1/2 resolution but I'm more realistically expecting 1/4 rez playback, especially at high frame rates. But I think the real strength of this WS setup will be in debayering the RAW files and also rendering the footage after applying effects.

Just waiting to install fast PCIe m.2 drives in their slots (their speed and size will hopefully help in handling very large RAW files for edit and post work) before testing it out.

 

hi all!
i have been looking at this machine for a while and would like the opinions of some owners before i take the final plunge.
i am looking towards this for moderate gaming and reasonably high level graphics work and programming with a variety of programs including packages which would benefit from the quadro as well as some that would probably be better served with a geforce. i do most heavy work and gaming at home (no desktop,home office) but would like at least usable levels of performance when on the move.

as such i am considering three main modes for this machine. wire swapping monitors is not a significant problem. i am aware i will take a performance loss on the egpu of about 5 - 10%.
i) work mode - three independent monitors, one cintiq, laptop screen unnecessary (egpu quadro k5200)
ii) gaming mode - three independent monitors, one primary, laptop screen unnecessary (egpu geforce gtx980 or titan z)
iii) mobile - hopefully run everything to some sort of capacity

as such i am curious to a few details and would be grateful for any input on the following things.

i) can i upgrade ram to 32gb.? as msi site has it listed as 16 gb on spec page, but comparison page lists it as max 32gb , and usually the relevent board can go up to 32gb

ii) has anyone got any experience with using a egpu with this model, i have no experience with egpu in general and would welcome any input, especially what cards are compatible and any information about recommended installations, psu and encasing systems. although i am fairly confident with the research so far, it seems majorly from mac sources and i would like someone with experience with windows systems as well as this system in particular.

iii) i would like everyones opinion on these in comparison
a) macbook pro retina 15" in similar configuration but only in windows
(i really hate mac gtx750m a bit weak),
b) alienware 13 with amplifier (pcie x4)
(gtx860m seems a good option but machine is thick and i have had incredibly bad experiences with alienware.)
c) msi gs30 with dock (pcie x16)
(intel iris seems weak for mobile mode, only 16gb ram, pcie 16x better than thunderbolt 2)

Thank you everyone in advance for their opinions, help and advice.

 

Having used laptops for video production, I hope I can help answer some of your questions.

1. Apple products will be severely limited and overly expensive for the functionality it provides.

2. RAM is one of the biggest weaknesses with laptops. Go for laptops with 4 RAM slots (any laptops with quad core i7's should have 4 ram slots, but please double check for the wS60. If you can afford it, go for 4 x 8 for 32gb config. A 4 x 4gb for 16 gb will be doable for editing but you need 32 gb if you plan on using After Effects comfortably.

3. HDD speed. RAID arrays are helpful and these days SSD's are helpful but their costs are too high when working with large media files. If you can afford to keep files on SSDs, sure, but you dont really need to. You can get RAID boxes that allow you to RAID drives (or cheaper SSD's) and connect through eSATA or Thunderbolt.

4. Laptops such as the Dell Precision M6800, HP Zbook 17 (or the older yet totally usable 8770 workstations), the Alienware M18x R2, or Clevo P570wm's, 377sm all are laptops that support around 3-5 HDD's allowing you to have a small M.2 SSD or mSATA for boot drive and then RAID other drives for working.

5. Intel's processors use Turboboost to temporarily boost their speeds higher to give a 'snappier' performance (and manipulate benchmarks). This is all fine but whenever you will start renders, you will run into issues as the processors in ALL slim and/or 15 inch laptops (barring a few) will reach the temps at which they will throttle their speeds and thus you will lose some performance. For long renders this will be even more annoying.

I used a software called 'Throttlestop' to disable 'Turboboost' and manually set my clockspeed lower that would atleast not throttle the laptop continuously and allow it to run at reasonable speeds.



TL;DR:

You can work using laptops for video editing/post production if you are willing to tweak your system and workflow.

Ideally go for a spacious 17 to 18 inch laptop (only 1 gpu versions) if you plan on using the laptop from start to end.
A smaller laptop will also suffice if you are willing to be a little more tolerant with limitations.
Run always on AC power, go for full quads and 32 gb ram.
The greater the number of HDD's supported, the better, or you will need pay a LOT for large sized SSD's and large data sets.

Please feel free to ask me any further questions if you have them.

 

Perhaps they want it to run fast with a RAID 0 set up.

 

I really like the matte screen. I find working with office and CAD applications, especially in environments where I can't control the ambient lighting, that matte screen works well.

 

WS60 does work with Windows 8.1. I believe the drivers are on their website already. Word I have from MSI is that they most likely will skip the whole windows 8.1 and skip to the next gen OS: windows 10. We'll see how that goes...

hope this helps.

 

MSI WS60 has 2 x 128gb M.2 SSD in raid 0. you get much faster read/write speed bump than just using one ssd.
here's Cyrstal Disk Mark on my WS60 (128GB M.2 SSD x 2)

There is also another company BOXX technologies that offer 256gb m.2 ssd x 2 in raid 0 with faster CPU (i7-4980).

 

No doubt the WS60 will be a performer for the 3D applications. But for gaming, you will get descent gaming performance as well. K2100m will probably perform at around GTX 750m range. I have actually ran and still do run Diablo III and have no issues as it runs flawlessly.

Memory is maxed at 16GB as the WS60 only has two slots. Hopefully when manufacturers introduce 16GB DDR3L modules, we'll be able to get the upgrade.
I have not used an eGPU since about 5 years ago, so would not be able to tell you. But, my gut feeling is that the Quadro K2100m will be suffient enough and you will be able to handle both your work and gaming needs.
If you really do need 3 external displays, you can diasychain 2 via thunderbolt 2 port and another via HDMI. You also can use your laptop screen as your 4th monitor.

macbook pro
- gpu is too weak for 3d stuff. If you work with wireframes and such, should be ok.
Alienware 13 with amplifier (pcie x 4) & MSI GS30
- i've seen this one. Would probably prefer the MSI GS30 over Alienware. GS30 is pcie x16 and you can actually put upto Quadro K5000 card in there if needed.

If you really want a workhorse to replace user desktops, consider MSI WT70 workstations with Quadro K4100m GPU. For gaming, K4100m will perform a bit better than GTX 770m. Memory can go upto 32GB and has 3 x mSATA SSD slots + 1 more 2.5". You can do 3 SSD Raid 0 and this will be about 1500mb/s speed. I did price comparison with HP & MSI with equal specs and MSI came out over $1000 cheaper.

 

Hello I'm looking for best color profile for samsung 156HL01-102 pls screen. Did anyone manage to calibrate best of the screen we can get from and can upload the .icm profile?

 

Said profiles can be difficult to find. If you continue having trouble obtaining one, you can look into calibration tools or software. There aren't a lot of free options for software, but there are a few applications that should allow you to make specific adjustments.

 

There was a calibrated profile at notebookcheck review but file seems missing now I've just thought maybe someone has backup or just made better one.

 

That's possible! You may have some luck in poking around file hosting sites for that.

 

Hi, I just did that:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...60m-owners-lounge.750343/page-17#post-9965438

I used a ColorMunki display colorimeter, changed a few parameters and created a few profiles, but the truth is the they all look alike, so pick either one and install it. I figured out a way to load it on another GE60 Apache Pro running Windows 7, without actually having perfomed the calibration beforehand, just copied the files created after calibrating mine, followed some simple setting steps, so you could do the same.

Run some tests and let me know if you see any improvement.

 

I found a great review of the WS60 by David Cohn of DE Magazine here for anyone whos interested in reading about it

Starts on page 39:

http://bt.e-ditionsbyfry.com/publication/?i=247436

 

After 1 year since posting this thread I have finally purchased an MSI workstation WS60, used, and I was lucky enough to get it like-new for a solid $1200 bucks.

I will make my review short, but to the point and highly beneficial to any potential buyer.

Please note: I am not endorsed by MSI in any way, shape or form. This was just a laptop I had decided on (one year ago) to help pursue my editing endeavors and future projects (hobbies).

Okay, let's first start with the cons.

- Fan noise - it is not too loud and it is not too quiet either; it's consistent. It's important to remember that with a thin laptop like this and a GPU as powerful as a NVIDIA Quadro K2100M, you're going to need a damn good fan. I just wish it was silent on idle and for light internet browsing.
- Trackpad - it is in the worst possible position, simply put. I had to download a plugin just to disable the trackpad. When typing, my thumb would move the curser and it's near impossible to type without that trackpad moving the cursor and making it every laptop user's nightmare a harsh reality. Luckily, a plugin exists that disables the trackpad. And with a quick use of the Fn + F3 key I am able to disable it and stick to my handy deathadder gaming mouse.
- Display - don't get me wrong, this 2880 x 1620 resolution is great and all (I take it for granted), but on a full screen display there is a slight flash and lag and a white border lining the right and bottom sides of the full screen mode. I don't know if this is specific toward my machine, but when I got this WS60 there was no smooth transition from a video file to full screen without those two "ongoing" issues.
- Battery life - It lasts about 2 hours and the battery pack for this thing is huge and probably 3/4 the weight of the laptop itself. So I can see where they did there weight reduction.

As for pros, it's a lightweight laptop, great keyboard/backlit display. I have not put the GPU to the test and the CPU feels no different than a Macbook Pro. It's not exceptionally fast, but for the price I got it for - I'll take it.

Accessories I got for it: SLAPPA Ballistix PTAC Matrix Sleeve 17" for when I commute and need to take the laptop with me.
What I still need: laptop cooler/fan and keyboard cover. I have not found a keyboard cover specific to this model or similar make.

Regards,
Editor

 

I just upgraded to Windows 10, and Bluetooth seems to have stopped working. Anybody else in the same boat? I have the 7260-AC card with Bluetooth 4.0, and downloaded the Win 10 drivers from Intel.

 

Uninstall the driver package completely, reboot, and reinstall, see how it goes.

 

Good call once again, Kevin, thanks. I used the Intel Driver Update Utility to help ensure I got the correct driver. It still gave me a choice of two, version 17.1.1529.1613 and 17.1.1531.1764, and I tried the former which worked. FWIW, on re-running the update utility it (still) shows the "installed version" as "18.21.0.2" so I have no idea what's going on there. But at least it works now.

 

Good, at least we know the new driver doesn't work for you. Perhaps wait for the next release.

 

I picked up a WS60-QJ with the Xeon processor in March 2016. So far it has been an awesome machine, at least to me. Super fast and quiet, it runs everything I use very well. I have Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium, Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office, etc. and everything loads up quickly and runs well. The only downside is that you can't run it very long without being plugged in, but I understand that all that power comes at a price. All in all, I would recommend this computer.

 

Hello everybody.
May someone confirm if there are a MXM video card slot? It's my guess cause there are many video card options on MSI home page.
Please, did somebody knows where to find a video or pictures of a ws60 disassembly?
Tks