The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
← Previous pageNext page →

    --> The Official BAREBONER's Lounge <---

    Discussion in 'MSI Reviews & Owners' Lounges' started by eelkered, Mar 11, 2012.

  1. Captmario

    Captmario Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    50
    Messages:
    200
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    31
    lol yeah, its almost 4th time i've posted this issue here but no one seems to reply at all.
     
  2. Quadzilla

    Quadzilla The eye is watching you

    Reputations:
    7,074
    Messages:
    8,376
    Likes Received:
    94
    Trophy Points:
    216
    Couple of us on the forum found 326.19 chewing up all avail memory . I only have 8gigs and it would chew through all 8 in a matter of 20 seconds in benchmark for instance and give me low memory warnings.

    Other person on here had the same issue and has 16gigs of RAM.

    Some people did not seem to experience it because i found it had to do with MSI afterburner for myself and Aida64 for them which is another monitoring program.

    When i switched MSI afterburner versions it was still using an abnormally high amount of RAM so lets say 60% of my system RAM benchmarking Vantage vs 29% which every driver aside from that one has to date.

    This new driver is back to 29% .

    Whether this driver is newer so to speak of course is up for grabs considering Nvidia is working on like 20 revisions of drivers at one time. Bigger number as you probably have learned over the years does not necessarily mean newer.
     
  3. apachehavok

    apachehavok Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    419
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Ahh. Yeah, dont use afterburner. I have no desire to OC this thing yet. Im running that driver and have 16gb of ram but dont see that bug so prob has something to do with that.

    But, by the way, have you been able to disable the network bigfoot boot message during post?
     
  4. Quadzilla

    Quadzilla The eye is watching you

    Reputations:
    7,074
    Messages:
    8,376
    Likes Received:
    94
    Trophy Points:
    216

    I use Afterburner to monitor my temps. With this machine i think its not a bad idea to always keep an eye on them.

    As for Bigfoot message unless you are running Legacy Mode in the BIOS like you are running Windows 7 then you should never see that message .

    If you are running Windows 8 then it should be set too UEFI.

    It must be a side effect of Legacy mode but i have never seen it once running UEFI period.
     
  5. MSI_Lover

    MSI_Lover Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    163
    Messages:
    137
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Problem for me on UEFi mode is that you can't boot USB sticks.. It won't recognize them at boot / F11
     
  6. Quadzilla

    Quadzilla The eye is watching you

    Reputations:
    7,074
    Messages:
    8,376
    Likes Received:
    94
    Trophy Points:
    216
    Yeah in that case you change over to LEGACY for the moment you need to boot off of USB which i have done myself half a million times already then switch back to UEFI when you are done with what you need.
     
  7. Captmario

    Captmario Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    50
    Messages:
    200
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    31
    So because im running windows 7 on legacy mode, thats why this message is being shown?
     
  8. jonny900

    jonny900 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    25
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Sorry I know this is a noob question, but what is the difference between a barebone and regular laptop? I checked gentech and their MSI barebone laptops seem to have everything except an OS.
     
  9. GenTechPC

    GenTechPC Company Representative

    Reputations:
    7,361
    Messages:
    4,586
    Likes Received:
    839
    Trophy Points:
    181
    The differences for barebones are:

    - 1 year warranty
    - no accidental damage protection
    - only Blue LED backlit keyboard
    - no OS
    - screen back cover are plastic instead of brushed aluminum

    the rest are pretty much the same.


    I think the UEFI does recognize boot with F11 but you do need to create a EFI bootable USB drive:

    http://www.msi.com/files/pdf/Win8_UEFI_BIOS_Update_auto_en.pdf

    I posted with screenshot a while back and yes, it will keep reset and show the message again.

    Yes, you have MS-1762 but you can still change to UEFI in the BIOS and reinstall your Windows 7 with UEFI boot by press F11 and choose UEFI CD/DVD instead of just CD/DVD.

    for MS-1763 there are options for UEFI with CSM enabled so people don't have to use legacy mode.
     
  10. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,194
    Likes Received:
    17,901
    Trophy Points:
    931
    Also that warranty is 1 year local, where as the MSI branded come with 1 year global and 2 year local.
     
  11. apachehavok

    apachehavok Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    419
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    - AHHH. Yeah I had to set mine to legacy in order for the windows 7 disk to even boot without freezing. Meh, maybe when I go to windows 8 once they redesign it to not look like a preschool art project for tablets Ill change it back but for now its just an annoyance for booting. Is the Gt70 barebones the same as the MS-1763? Im guessing as of right now, there is no way to switch it from legacy without re-installing? With windows 7 is there any disadvantage to having it on legacy?

    Here is an interesting tidbit with the unlocked BIOS. I installed an SSD as my new primary on the secondary port (the one NOT next to the gpu) Everything working great except one thing. In the BIOS, you can go into SATA options and see all the sata ports listed. On SATA port 1, where the first HDD is, it lists an option called HDD type. You can set it to mechanical or SSD. On SATA port 5 (the only other HDD slot) where I have my SSD, there is no such option.

    Anyone know what that option does and why it doesnt show up on the second HDD port?

    **side note. I got my barebones through powernotebooks and got a 3 year warrantee with it. So far support has been AMAZING.

    **Ive also been monitering temps with EVGA precision :) Not to bad. Will hit mid 80's when gaming without turbo boost enabled.
     
  12. vector7

    vector7 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    121
    Messages:
    58
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Last night I found a way in XTU to stabilize all the multipliers to the max settings at 4.4Ghz with no heat issues at all. :)

    I've left these settings on and see no stability difference from stock speeds.

    The only drawback I found is taking a severe hit on your physics score as opposed to my previous settings at 4.2Ghz.

    4.4 3dmk.jpg

    http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/6912730

    I went back and re-tested to confirm this.
     
  13. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,194
    Likes Received:
    17,901
    Trophy Points:
    931
    If your physics score is going down you are hitting throttle.
     
  14. vector7

    vector7 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    121
    Messages:
    58
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Yep, that is what I'm seeing.

    I went back through all my settings to make sure they were not some how restricting performance.

    Can you think of anything else it could be?
     
  15. Talon

    Talon Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    1,482
    Messages:
    3,519
    Likes Received:
    4,695
    Trophy Points:
    331
    NOS. I am sure that is going to be our achilles. I wish there was a way around NOS so I could fully use my Dell 240W PSU. O well...
     
  16. vector7

    vector7 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    121
    Messages:
    58
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    I immediately got rid of NOS along with SCM as Quadzillia outlined as it is not needed in win7.

    I also did a restore point well before installing these creatures in an attempt to inoculate any possible infectious behavior to the registries.

    Not sure what could be happening now, is there a checklist to go through and to make sure throttling is not occurring in an obscure area or areas in win7?

     
  17. ryzeki

    ryzeki Super Moderator Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    6,547
    Messages:
    6,410
    Likes Received:
    4,084
    Trophy Points:
    431
    Even without NOS there is a power limit I believe. I hope they change that!
     
  18. vector7

    vector7 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    121
    Messages:
    58
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Also after boosting the performance to the CPU, it could be clipping the limits of the PSU and the system lowering the GPU output.

    I just noticed in the scores screen shot it's no longer running at 2,983MHz but at 2,500MHz.

    Could this have happened if the 180w PSU was clipped and it went to battery mode? Something like this happens every time you turn on the laptop running off the battery.
     
  19. Quadzilla

    Quadzilla The eye is watching you

    Reputations:
    7,074
    Messages:
    8,376
    Likes Received:
    94
    Trophy Points:
    216
    I did a lot of testing with Windows 7 before heading back to Windows 8. What i found on Win 7 was very inconsistent performance across many reboots and the the same benchmarks.

    My Vantage scores,3dmark 11 scores and Crysis 1 benchmarks all varied quite abit. I did not post that info because when someone is determined to run Windows 7 they are may or may not argue they dont see the inconsistent performance themselves or they just dont frankly care both which are valid to me but again it was my findings and lots of testing. I tend to test many many scenarios on my hardware.


    Lets face the facts here whether we like it or not and that is these machines and BIOS were designed around Windows 8 and why some companies write BIOS's based on which OS you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8 for whatever small differences there might be .

    I am not saying do not run Windows 7 but you can always backup your Windows with acronis and install Windows 8 and start your testing again just too see if you notice any behavior differences which you may or may not.

    I struggled myself with wanting to stick with Windows 8 but with Classic Shell installed frankly there is such little difference between the 2 OS for me i just do not care any more and i thought i would be a Win7 purist and hold out as long as i could .

    You can take what i said with a grain of salt though and of course just decide for yourself but if you have access to Windows 8 you may want to try it along with Classic Shell and see.


    Just my 2 cents :D.
     
  20. -=$tR|k3r=-

    -=$tR|k3r=- Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    4,340
    Messages:
    3,583
    Likes Received:
    698
    Trophy Points:
    181
    LOL! I felt much the same regarding WIN 7...... but, "You cannot resist the Borg, you WILL be assimilated"! I suspect when WIN 8.1 final comes with our Windows Updates, we'll see some relief.

    :D :D :D
     
  21. apachehavok

    apachehavok Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    419
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Hmmm.. I ran some benches and tests and all that. Many reboots, many driver switches. Nothing ever varied at all. It was pretty consistent across the board. This is on windows 7 pro 64bit.

    Cant use windows 8 cause some software I use (Im a professional animator in feature film) doesn't work with windows 8 at all.
     
  22. vector7

    vector7 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    121
    Messages:
    58
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Did that 240w PSU increase anything for you?

    I have one but waiting on the connector to get back in stock.

    PS: Check your email. :)
     
  23. vector7

    vector7 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    121
    Messages:
    58
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    I think we may really need a modded bios for the motherboard to recognize and allow more wattage available for a larger capacity PSU's to make full use of this.

    Anyone interested in trying the settings in XTU that opened up 4.4Ghz PM and I'll send them.

    Related posts:




     
  24. Captmario

    Captmario Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    50
    Messages:
    200
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    31

    Do you mean a fresh install or repairing my current windows will work? because i dont want to download all the updates and setup another windows from scratch

    and by the way, are there any advantages of using UEFI over legacy ( other then that bigfoot agent message )
     
  25. apachehavok

    apachehavok Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    419
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Yeah exactly! In windows 7 is there any advantage of using UEFI?

    Also, does anyone know how much video ram (taken from main ram) the 4600 IGP uses?
     
  26. kolias

    kolias Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    251
    Messages:
    629
    Likes Received:
    88
    Trophy Points:
    41
    well im running too on legasy on win 8 pro.
    are there any differences??
     
  27. MSI_Lover

    MSI_Lover Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    163
    Messages:
    137
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Other than security (UEFI Secure Boot) / which I haven't configured, nor know how to :D

    All boot related tasks are much faster. If you're on SSD, and thought boot, reboot, sleep, wake was fast on legacy, when you install on pure UEFI mode, you'll be amazed as to how much faster it is. Also the bigfoot network message / wait goes away.

    I have all my acronis windows images redone on (windows 8 and 8.1 preview) UEFI. not going back to legacy unless I absolutely have to. Haven't tried Windows 7, but will do that today..

    I'm also using Acronis boot media (which I've imaged off of the USB stick, and layered it to a seperate partition) also boots very fast (UEFI)

    Edit: Be aware... UEFI differ install is different than legacy. And it impacts most of us in 2 ways:

    1. Advanced boot-time tools (not all support UEFI boot
    Solution: switch back to legacy and mode in bios, boot your media, do what you need to do (advanced disk tools, etc..,) i.e: Disk Director, or Paragon Hard Disk Manager, etc.., will not boot under UEFI.

    2. The disks must be GPT format, and not basic. NTFS file system is still used, but the the disk itself will be converted to (or you have to do it using diskpart (Shift + F10 at language selection screen during install).

    When doing a fresh install on UEFI, 3 partitions are created by default. include the OS partition, you'll end up with 4 by default.

    1. System (fat32) used by UEFI (can't get around this)
    2. MSR (Microsoft System Reserve) can't get around this
    3. extra reserve partition by windows (300MB +)
    you can get around this, but you will supposedly lose "Secure Boot"
    ---> http://www.eightforums.com/installa...ery-partition-gpt-disk-uefi-installation.html

    Back to Item 1 (boot media issues). If you're using the lastest Acronis build (Acronis 2013) Build 6514, you will not be able to see your OS disk (GPT) There is a bug which Acronis still has not released a fix for publicly.

    Last known build to work correctly is Build# 5551. Use this build to create a USB boot stick. But here's the problem. It won't boot under UEFI.

    Workaround: Create a boot media / usb stick using the lastest (6514) build, once built, under /efi/boot/ copy the boot64.efi file and save it some place.

    Then wipe the usb stick, uninstall Acronis build 6514 complete. Re-install build 5551 (do not update, acronis will try to upgrade you to 6514), and create a usb boot media. Once the boot media is created, replace the boot64.efi file which you saved onto the new usb stick directory.

    Done. Acronis boot media now boots up nicely and works great! It takes some time to figure these things out, but once you have everything setup the way you want it ( took me nearly whole day ) then you're in UEFI mode and many great benefits! It's just that, the initial setup and learning takes a while, but once you're there, I doubt you'll back. UEFI is much more optimzed. Especially noticible duirng boot (lightning fast)

    My next mission: tinker around with Hackintosh. Supposedly, my wireless card works within Mac OSX. With my UEFI setup all done, it should be a lot less painful then my last laptop (asus g73)
     
  28. apachehavok

    apachehavok Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    419
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    MSI lover that was a FANTASTIC response!! Thank you for that!

    I think ill just stick with my SSD and legacy windows 7 for now. Its plenty fast. When I make the jump to windows 8 Ill enable it and do a clean install with a format.

    I also am coming from a G73! Although there are some things I miss about the G73 (all blue lights made it look slicker then the ugly orange) im much happier with both the battery life and performance of this new MSI!

    **also, isnt there a way to run OSX entirely in a VMware shell?
     
  29. MSI_Lover

    MSI_Lover Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    163
    Messages:
    137
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Not a big fan of hypervisor. Unless it's a bare metal solution. I used to use ESXi (running on 3rd pc in the basement) Still not impressed. Nothing beats direct install. I was able to make it work with G73, but was road-blocked at Wifi issues (no centrino based chipsets are supproted). I'm hopeful with this laptop though :) I understand that Anandtech has tested Intel 7620-AC card. I am hopeful this time will be a full blown macbook (without the fancy-pancy ports) :)
     
  30. apachehavok

    apachehavok Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    419
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    So your looking to dual boot then? Or turn it into a complete OSX environment?
     
  31. MSI_Lover

    MSI_Lover Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    163
    Messages:
    137
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Dual boot. But not a software driven selection. I have 3 hdds.

    Main slot: Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB (Windows OS (44GB + Data partition (Games :D)

    Second slot: WD 750GB 7200RPM (2 partitions)

    Partition 1: (380 MB Fat32) (Acronis Boot Media)
    Partition 2: Data (Archives) + all of my Acronis OS backup images (win8, 8.1, win7 etc)


    Third HDD (Optical Bay HDD Caddy) WD 750GB 7200RPM
    Soon to be MAC OSX

    Boot Priority (in bios)
    Drive 1
    USB
    All else, disabled.

    Boot selection chosen at power on w/ F11 button

    When boot from drive 1: Windows OS
    When boot from drive 2: Boots directly into Acronis Boot Media
    (when boot to drive 2 under 'Legacy', Acronis AND DiskDirector 11 are selectible). from here, I re-image the backup os images onto the main drive, partition 1. Under UEFI scenario, the back-up files recover the main OS and the Fat32 UEFI system automatically.

    Recovery procedure takes less than 1 minute from power on, to "Proceed" button to recover and the whole process (I'm a fast clicker :))


    When boot from drive 3: (near future state) Boot up Mac-OSX

    When installing MAC OSX, I plan on removing both drive 1 and drive 2. I do not want any UEFI related entries anywhere else. Once installed, then replace the drives 1 and 2.

    This is going to be fun :)
     
  32. apachehavok

    apachehavok Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    419
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Good luck! I dont really have any use for OSX and really do enjoy having an optical drive but I say you go ahead and get a linux distro on that bad boy to to cover ALL the bases!

    One laptop....every OS.... :)
     
  33. MSI_Lover

    MSI_Lover Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    163
    Messages:
    137
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    31

    That's the idea. Just for fun!

    Lord of the Rings (Lord of the OSes) :D :D :D

    I'd install WinXP if intel would release the F6 floppy drivers for the chipset (AHCI) for WinXP. No luck :(
    As for linux, looking at Gentoo or Ubunto :D
     
  34. apachehavok

    apachehavok Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    419
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    You could do the xp mode in windows 7. That worked really well when i did it way back.
     
  35. kolias

    kolias Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    251
    Messages:
    629
    Likes Received:
    88
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Does anybody know if our systems are compatible with memory 2133mhz??
    The 1866mhz are compatible as I can see from brother MSI_LOVER... :)
    Is it right to buy 8GB of (2133mhz or 1866mhz)or 16GB?
     
  36. MSI_Lover

    MSI_Lover Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    163
    Messages:
    137
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Questing regarding Windows 7:

    I know many here are using Windows 7 on these machines. Has anyone successfully install / or even attempted to install Windows 7 under FULL UEFI mode? I've tried to install, and even modded the /efi/boot/ directory and placed bootx64.efi file there, but the install fails. I've tried this with both DVD and USB stick.

    Initial startup is OK "Loading files...." then comes the Windows 7 logo / flag. Then hangs. So if someone here had actually succeeded in installing win7, please enlighten me.

    Thanks.

    You can only install it under UEFI with CSM mode. Which is moot point, for the actual OS itself. At least in the scenario of Win7 OS, with CSM enabled, you're basically installing it under 'legacy'. The difference is, the bios detects the OS, and allows you to boot either full UEFI or Legacy without you having to switch back and forth from UEFI to Legacy within the Bios menu.

    But as for the win-7 install itself, this is not a UEFI mode, but 'Legacy' mode. There are many write-up on the net regarding this subject. Some actually mention the need for CSM, other don't. For those that don't, I do not believe they're correct. I've tried every variation known.

    UEFI win7 install simply does NOT work, no matter which ISO you use. At least it's the case with this laptop (MS-1763 / GT70-2OD base)

    If you modify the ISO image to contain /efi/boot/bootx64.efi you'll get stuck at boot up at Windows 7 logo (5 - 10 seconds into media boot-up)

    If you don't modify the ISO image to contain the bootx64.efi, then you'll get no where. It won't boot. It go directly to the bios setup screen, or boot the other drives, depending on how you've set your bios boot order.

    So, if you've done it, enlighten us. If you haven't, and planning to attempt it, don't waste your time. I have a hunch there may be a way if you know your way around WinPE 4.0 environment. If you are able to trace the UEFI boot process and modify the the install.wim appropriately, then maybe, but this is beyond my skill level.

    Again, if you know how to do this, please share with us.

    Thank you.
     
  37. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,194
    Likes Received:
    17,901
    Trophy Points:
    931
    You would need 1.35V 2133mhz to try.
     
  38. MSI_Lover

    MSI_Lover Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    163
    Messages:
    137
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Are you absolutely certain? The same was said about my memory modules (1866mhz) requiring 1.35V. Mine's rated at 1.5v.

    Also, if that was the case, then why is XOTIC PC offering them on their force (ms-1763) laptops?
     
  39. kolias

    kolias Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    251
    Messages:
    629
    Likes Received:
    88
    Trophy Points:
    41
  40. MSI_Lover

    MSI_Lover Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    163
    Messages:
    137
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    31
    If you're like me, using MSI GT70-20D bios / firmware on MS-1763 whitebook, MSI has updated the EC firmware. Description states that fan speed tables have been updated. Haven't tried it, and not planning to.. Just fyi...
     
  41. kolias

    kolias Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    251
    Messages:
    629
    Likes Received:
    88
    Trophy Points:
    41
    they also told me that kind of memorys(2133mhz) are oced so it means that the mem are basically 1866mhz.
    so you can oc your mem to 2133mhz mate.....try it :)
    now I have to find a nice price to buy them(1866mhz Kingston hyper-x)
     
  42. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,194
    Likes Received:
    17,901
    Trophy Points:
    931
    It's pot luck if the 1.5V modules will run at their rated speeds at 1.35V and the 2133mhz are run pretty close to spec.
     
  43. slayer2333

    slayer2333 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    48
    Messages:
    115
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Guys i'm also interrested in the OSX side, had a lot of success with my previous G53JW from Asus then was pretty disappointed from the G75VW hackintoshing. Now waiting for a 1763 from Gentech and wondering if anyone gave it a shot so far.
    What i'm expecting from my hackintosh experience so far:
    -Intel wireless = No-go.
    -Optimus /w Nvidia = Only intel HD will work, except if we can disable the intel HD from Bios (maybe by plugging HDMI ?)
    -Haswell CPU = Need at least 10.8.5 or Maverick DP to avoid kernel panic OR NullCPUPowerManagement= i will need to format my UEFI clover USB installer and go with 10.8.5 if final then.
    Your updates will be welcome !
     
  44. icrot

    icrot Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    hi guys,

    i have questions to retailer(s) or barebone owner of 16F4 or 1763 about difference of :

    1. keyboard : how is the stock barebone (with only blue LED) compares to MSI branded with steelseries ? if you are in a (really) dark room, will you get difficulty to look for a key using the stock barebone keyboard ? i don't have any laptop with backlight keyboard yet.

    2. wireless card : will you guys consider wireless "ac" networking (a new future networking standart) over Killer Wireless-N series for daily drive, form campus to cafes ?

    thank you,
     
  45. apachehavok

    apachehavok Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    419
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Some answers:

    1 - Why would you want to use OSX? Always blows my mind. I work at an academy award winning animation studio (worked in VFX before that) and NO ONE is Mac based. Not even Pixar uses Macs cause OSX is such a pos. What application do you NEED to have that is worth going through all the trouble that you cant just run it in a VM shell?

    2 - The keyboard in the barebone is the EXACT same one as the MSI dragon. Its the exact same steelseries but just without the logo and blue is the only light. Its the same blue as if you were to set to set the dragon to all blue. Very bright and nice looking.
     
  46. ryzeki

    ryzeki Super Moderator Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    6,547
    Messages:
    6,410
    Likes Received:
    4,084
    Trophy Points:
    431
    1. The keyboard works well and it's also a Steelseries I believe, just not "branded" with a logo around. The backlight works well and I had no problems with my GT70 barebone. In a really dark room, it will stand out :) But you can change intensity somewhat with FN+keys.

    2.I would say go for the AC network card. It is indeed the future but more than that, it should have less issues than current Killer wireless card with bluetooth.
     
  47. Support.1@XOTIC PC

    Support.1@XOTIC PC Company Representative

    Reputations:
    203
    Messages:
    4,355
    Likes Received:
    1,099
    Trophy Points:
    231
    Yeah it's still SteelSeries, just not a customizable backlit one and you won't find their name on it anywhere.
     
  48. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,194
    Likes Received:
    17,901
    Trophy Points:
    931
    Yes, it's just a licensing thing for advertising etc.
     
  49. kolias

    kolias Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    251
    Messages:
    629
    Likes Received:
    88
    Trophy Points:
    41
  50. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,194
    Likes Received:
    17,901
    Trophy Points:
    931
    Yes the new low voltage ones should be PNP on haswell :)
     
← Previous pageNext page →