--->The Official MSI GT780/GT783 Owner's Lounge<---

Tried it and they work fine. They work well in the bit of gaming I've done as well, doesn't feel as though any keystrokes have be dropped. I've heard of some GT780Rs having a problem with the keys you mentioned, so testing the keyboard was one of the first things I did. Some have said the keys don't work if you press them lightly, but I have no trouble with even slight pressure. So I believe the above problems are indicative of defective keyboard.

 

Congrats! I'm certainly enjoying mine, hope all goes well.

 

Nope, no visible horizontal lines with Cinema Pro on a black background. The screen is really good for me. No visual defects so far.

 

I decided to keep the 2720QM. There is enough performance gain above the 2630QM that the increased cost makes sense for me.
Also keeping the OCZ SSD.
I did upgrade the memory from 12GB-DDR3/1600 to /1866.
Now I get to start saving my pennies for the 2920XM. It might be my Christmas present to myself.

My youngest son (who is in the US Navy) purchased a GT780R/GTX560M from PNB. He is thoroughly enjoying the computer. Can't say how many times I've heard, "this is so awesome."

I'm looking forward to re-playing Metro2033 with a graphics card that can handle it. Last time through I was using my nV7950GTX/512MB in my Sager NP-5760; it totally choked on a few scenes. (I think I own about 10 games that I can't play right now. I was just waiting for the right computer. Now it's on order. Sweet!)

 

Congratulations and have fun. did you do the "happy dance" like Striker when the laptop arrived?

 

Does this mean that I have to install an NVidia software/driver to make the Turbo mode work ?
Because for now, (after reinstalling my windows) I cannot get this P1 button work.
It shows me the nice "Turbo mode ON" image and a few seconds later "Turbo mode OFF".
So, do I have to install the Nvidia overclock tool for this feature ?

Ty

 

I don't think 1866 vs 1600 is going to make much of a difference. If possible lok at the timings of the RAM. You can still beat 1866 in performance if 1600 has better timing values than what 1800 has.
Look here for example DDR3 1600 will have timing in order of performance
Also look at the command rate of your memory.
like
(These determine latency of Memory)
CL7-7-7-18 or
CL7-8-7-20 or
CL7-8-7-24 or
CL8-8-8-24 or
CL9-9-9-24 or

While DDR3 1866 timings are (again in order of latency best to worst)
CL8-8-8-24 or
CL9-9-9-24 or
CL9-10-9-27 or
CL9-11-9-27 or
CL10-10-10-28 or even
CL11-AA-BB-CC

I would recommend going for 1600 with best timings as then latency fr various tasks running in parallel would be less. With 1866 maybe you can get better throughput in one big application which needs huge memory like real time video editing.
Cheers

 

Hi, could anyone with GT780DXR write the dimensions of the outer box (brown cardboard one) and weight of the whole package. Would be very grateful.

 

Just want to throw this out there! I have had my GT for at least two weeks now, this incredible beast so awesome. I have no problems with my keyboard even with all the hand smashing my son does on my keyboard!Gaming on this baby has me loving life, i always put on cinema pro. Everything just becomes so much more vibrant! Only problem is, after going back to my MS-1722 I felt disgusted with it! I gave it away to my brother, i felt like it was just thing weighing me down this entire time! I have been spoiled! Thanks again Ken for the great service! I reccomend Gentech PC!

 

I have no problems with mine but you have to have S-bar running and connected to the mains. It will not run off the battery. I don't recall it switching off, it does this double-graphic S-Bar thing though which makes me cross-eyed and I don't always see it.

I think it uses the nVidia Overclock facility, so it should be visible in the tool bar

I set S-bar not to run by default because I hate the star at the top of my screen but I run it manually. Some of the the other buttons need S-bar too but the Bluetooth and WiFi buttons done't need S-bar, I forget which else.

 

Ok thanks for your anwser, i'll try it asap.
I also hate this S-bar but it's needed to open the optical drive without going in the explore so I run it at startup...

If it uses the nvidia overclock facility, what's the real name of the app, is it called "nvidia overclock facility" or what ? i cannot find it :S

If you have a 560M installed, could you run GPU-Z and give me your shader/mem freqs so that I can compare with mines.

Ty,

 

Yes.... in a manner of speaking I did.... when I realized I waited too long to take a bio break because I wanted to complete one more quick tweak to the system!

A person forgets how much time it takes to make a new system your own.

 

NewEgg is having a deal right now on the OCZ Vertex in 60GB for 49.99 (after $10 rebate). Normally $89.99 if anyone wants to add after the fact.

 

Hi guys,
Just ordered a MSI GT780DX-X8 and this forum was a big part of the decision.

You guys are polite, prompt, and knowledgeable. I now know where my MSI peer group is.

cheers

(oh, and the lovesbutter thing is a joke with my girlfriend)

 

Hey guys, thinking of getting a GT780DXR at some point when I can get together some funds (oh the joys of student life!), how do people find it for gaming? One of the main reasons I'm looking at this laptop is the game performance, and also how's the sound when blaring songs in itunes etc?

Is the laptop easy to upgrade also? Would I be able to swap out the graphics card down the line for a better model with similar temperatures easily enough?

Anyone tried playing the witcher 2 or metro 2033 on it? The witcher 2 brought my laptop to it's knees getting a bare 5 fps which prompted me to consider upgrading

Thanks guys, this forum really does has a lot of info on these badboys!

 

Awsome!!! Great news indeed! Time to retire my Gateway FX

 

Agreed I would really love to know if it is easy to upgrade and how it performs with more intense gaming. I'm in love with this laptop can't wait to order it I've been reading this forum every day and I kee getting more and more excited!

 

All components are easy to upgrade and can be access from the bottom panel and 2X RAM slot is under the keyboard:

MSI GT780R 17" Gaming Laptop First Look & Review- Part 1 - YouTube

Except the video card only if you can find a card that'll have same VRAM/GPU layout with the heatsink to make proper contact.

 

Do you think that nvidia will be releasing more graphics card in the future that will be compatible with the VRAM/GPU?

 

As long as nVidia and ATI continue to release new GPUs then yes, MSI will release new graphics card, however, the new model usually will have different heatskink so it may not have exact same layout as the old one.

 

Could that pose a problem when it comes to upgrading the GPU years down the line? Or would MSI release something compatible with the 780DX(R)?

 

Yes as you will have to change the heat sink as well, and years down the line the MXM standard may change as well?

 

Does the DXR have different wireless card than the older R model? I remember my friend's laptop wouldn't connect 5 ghz Wireless-N. I hope MSI fixed this problem...

 

Or was it the other way around? 2.4ghz? I just remembered that it had an inferior wirelss card that would not connect all wireless N networks...

 

Meh, it's easy to swap out, and cheap.

 

@Meaker no doubt. But that wasn't the question. If I know it has the same card, I would get the laptop and the new wireless simultaneously...

 

Well the boutiques usually offer their own options anyway.

 

Witcher 2 is playable on the DXR, I'm getting around a solid 30fps on my preferred settings. But if you lower it a bit you could get even better. I'll include it in the benchmarks I'm finishing tonight.

 

Well damn that's kinda crappy but I guess you would run into that with any laptop when it comes to GPU upgrading. On a side note any DXR users have the R keyboard issues or have those problems been solved? I guess I have nothing left to do but pull the trigger on the DXR

 

That's awesome to hear I would love to see a benchmark video when you get the chance.

 

At long last!

Benchmarks:
All benchmarks were run with the pictured OC on afterburner and turbo on, turbo fan off. I tried to use in game benchmarks when possible, but used the fraps benchmarking tool otherwise. The resolution is 1080p for all.

Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed
All settings maxed,
Min 21, Max 42, Average 32.735, Temp max 83C

GTAIV: All settings high (not max) max draw distance and detail *fraps used as in game is unreliable
Min 22, Max 56, Average 35.856, Temp: 85C

FFXIV: All settings max: not playable! Only 4fps
All settings high, no DoF, no Ambient Occlusion:
Min 18, Max 58, Average 27.729, Temp: 83C

Super Street fighter IV: Arcade Edition: all settings max
With in game bench (screens wouldn’t take) Average: 98

Just Cause 2: See screens, 2 different areas

Witcher 2: See screenshot
Min (?) 1, Max 45, Average 32.628, Temp: 77C

Uniengine Heaven 2.1: (kept crashing on max settings, sorry) See screenshot, Temp: 84C

I’m working on some more such as Shogun 2 (in game bench keeps crashing, game runs fine may do a fraps benchmark) and DX11 Crysis 2 but I have to install them first. If you have any requests for settings or games (if I have them or they are cheap) let me know I may try them.

 

A video? I could try but all I have is fraps and a cell phone. But I could see what I could do.

 

Oh I forgot to mention this but, I tried various games on dolphin and PCSX2 and they all ran great! Even wii games like Smash Bros Brawl (solid 60fps with upscale).

 

Thank you and pictures, video whatever ha prefer pictures or just data either way I'm a happy camper how is playing the games on it? Also, how is the keyboard lighting?

 

Yes the new video card always have different layout on GPU and VRAM, I've seen people mod the heat sink to upgrade the video card.

Without proper contact the video card will overheat and die in minutes.

 

The GT780DX(R) has the same wireless as the previous GT780R model, the Intel N 130 W/BT combo card.

 

My keyboard lighting is great, very even and bright. The multicolour is great, I have it on dual red to yellow. The performance is leagues better that my last system (with an AMD 5730M) and that's what I got it for. I can finally play GTAIV again, the patch with the new shader stuff wrecked my old GPU, 22fps max at 720p; I was not a happy camper. Going to play with Crysis 2 before I go to bed. The sandbox 3 is great stuff, I can fit more exploding barrels now! As for how it feels to play games, my keyboard is responsive and the slightly curved keys are much better than standard flat chiclet. With a good gaming mouse (I use a Tt sports Black Element) you should do great!

 

Hello everyone, I have many things to say and hopefully I won't have to use multiple posts. I've been lurking this thread for three days now and have literally read every single post up until mine and all I have to say is: WOW. The level of support from other users, associates from the custom pc companies and even MSI has been absolutely mind blowing and I have pretty much learned the ins and outs of this beast of a laptop.

There are several people in particular I would like to applaud: Striker, for all of his extremely energetic posts, which are also extremely helpful and informative (and his overuse of smileys, exclamation points and bold lettering ), Ken Lee from Gentech, who has gone above and beyond the call of duty and whose actions have exceeded the definition of customer support, Donald from Powernotebooks(?), and the guy from XOTIC (sorry I forgot your name ). I have decided to purchase this laptop from Gentech, as they are within my price range so I have several questions for Ken and Striker in particular but anyone else is welcome to offer their input as well.

1. I will be attending college at Drexel for the next five years. As you may know, this school is well known for engineering and I will be majoring in Comp Sci. Are there any programs that you know of that would require more than 8 GB of RAM? I will be using this laptop primarily for gaming so I know that it will be wasted on that.

2. Here are the modifications I have made from the stock package for the GT780DX-215US:
a. IC Diamond thermal paste
b. 500 GB 7200 rpm primary hard drive and 500 GB 7200 rpm Seagate Hybrid SSD as secondary.
c. 4x Blu ray reader
d. Bigfoot Wireless 1103 with 3 antennae

Several questions stem from this:
1. How much longer would the laptop remain at the factory in order to install the custom components? I need this laptop at least a week before Sept. 15 as I will be moving out that day.
2. I I chose ground shipping, worst case scenario, how long would it take for the laptop to arrive (I live in PA) if I ordered it today or tomorrow?
3. Which wireless card would be the best out of the selections? I have read that the Bigfoot card has pleasantly surprised the people who got it but I have also read the the Intel 6300 Ultimate is amazing. I want to take advantage of Drexel's incredible wireless network (300 GB down, 300 GB up)
4. Is there really that much of a difference between the three Bigfoot cards? i.e. 1102 vs 1103, 1103 with 2 antennae vs 1103 with 3?

Whew, that was a lot but I hope that someone can help me. Once again, I appreciate the level of support from everyone in this thread and I hope to join "The Party" (in Striker's words) very soon

 

Oops, I forgot I had one more question.

4(?). It may seem strange that I chose the hybrid ssd hard drive as my secondary but it was $109 cheaper to do so. My question is is if I reinstalled windows on the hybrid ssd, would I be able to use that as my primary and the other hard drive as my secondary? I've read about switching jumper cables and such and I really don't want to void my warranty so is this doable or should I just sacrifice some of my other options to put the hybrid as my primary?

Thank you

 

Pretty awesome! Looks like the Witcher 2 runs with pretty high settings except for ubersampling and a few others.
Thanks for the benchmarks!

 

VM's, Photoshop and video editing like lots of RAM, other than that you will never use more than 4gb's.

It is customized be the retailer, not the factory. Email Gentech and ask Ken how long until it would ship. If you ordered on Monday I think most all would be able to get it to you by the 15th.

The Intel 6300 and the Bigfoot are similar, the Bigfoot supposedly has a fast ping which is better for online gaming. They are both great.

The hybrid drive is a waste, IMO. Stick with the standard drives or replace one with an ssd.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! The dual 500 GB hard drives set up is actually the cheapest option for that specific configuration so I think I'll keep the hybrid SSD. Which of the three Bigfoot network card choices would you recommend? 1102 or 1103?

 

The 1103 should be better, I'd go with that one.

 

Great you wrote everything.
I will add to your comment to smokinbeanbean1992.
Just Run a VM and open couple of IDE´s especially Eclipse and New VS 2010 in parallel and open few tabs in IE or Firefox. You will reach Golden 4GB mark.
If you are doing huge code compiling (I mean whole Android or Ubuntu or Angstorm source) then gcc will be happy with lotsa RAM.
If you run a VM In any case try to stick to 8GB or more of RAM. I would recommend 8GB as of now. Later when RAM prices and CPU cost will be less then update to faster CPU and RAM giving your laptop a new lease of life.
Anyway you can ask Ken from Gentech he usually gives best recommendation.
I agree Hybrid drive is a waste. I am using one without any benifits. Even if there are any it is too less to observe. Get the default config and buy a SSD for 120 GB or more on your own.
I haven´t used Bigfoot. Anandtech once did a review of these cards. The result was in favor of Bigfoot but I would still recommend Intel. Personally I need Bluetooth therefore I opt for 6230.
Cheers

 

@Sunbros Ok sounds good. I'll just go with the two antennae, seeing as it costs $30 more to go with 3; I'm fairly certain there can't be much of a difference.

@F0uR1ER So because of my major, do you think I would be better of with 12 GB of RAM? The Drexel website recommended 4-8 GB but I want to be safe. I don't run any VM's and will not be using Photoshop or anything like that. Thanks for your recommendations!

 

I purchased the 780DXR from Newegg and I am very happy with it. I found this forum after I purchased it and I am hoping one of the sellers here can help me. I want to upgrade the wireless card to a Bigfoot 1103 card. Can you sell me one? Does it come with the third antenna. Will it void my warranty?

I wish I had known this before I purchased from Newegg. I would have ordered one with it already installed.

Thank you!

 

Well work and life have been competing for my time with the new system but here is what I have to share so far:

1. Great screen - love the mat finish so I don't have look at myself looking at myself.
2. Keyboard - no problems at all. It will take a little time to adjust to the key layout but very responsive.
3. Keyboard lighting fine and even in my opinion.
4. Touch-pad - Good/bad/then good again. I had a clean install and the pad worked fine at first. Once I started to upgrade Windows files through Windows Updater after one of the many reboots the touch-pad went crazy. Glad I had my trackball ready to take over. Downloaded the latest driver and all has been good since. Suggest you update the driver before you update Windows so you have it handy.
5. Photoshop/Premier Pro - Glad I got the 16g memory. Photoshop grabbed almost 9g on first load. Premier Pro grabbed 11g when loaded and left just 5g so the system could function. Performance is on par with my desktop which has a SSD but only 6g memory. Works for me!
6. EVERKI | EKB417BK18 BT case - Fits the system like a glove. Loaded it with the GT780, Netbook, 2 power bricks (GT780 and netbook ), track ball and work files! My shoulder may never be the same but it handled it in style. Be aware the bag does have protection cushioning but it is not made to drop from the roof of your car. Small price to pay for a case you can take to business meetings.

-=$tr|k3R=- I suggest this case be added as an option on this threads first page.

Well it is back to tweaking the new system and getting some games loaded. imo this is a great system and worth the wait and monetary investment.

 

I'm not familiar with this brand and I wonder if this model GT780DXR-099US is able to beat the basic configuration of the Alienware M17x-R3
I need the laptop mainly to edit videos, make visual effects and post-production and of course gaming... but I need mobility because I do this work in different places so that a desktop it does not work

 

Hey guys, first post. Looking to get this laptop to replace an old gaming desktop due to being kicked from my man-cave preceeding the arrival of my newest child. I was curious if anyone had any regrets or concerns about their purchase of this particular laptop. I was particularly curious if the above post was a common concern/issue regarding the wireless card that the laptop comes with, or if wishing to replace the existing card was due to a usage preference of some sort.

Thanks a lot for all of the information this thread has provided, and any additional information regarding my query.

-Immaridel

 

Welcome. I checked the Dell site for a system like the one in my sig. Looks like it would cost you $2,389.00 and you would only be getting a GTX 560m video card. The GTX 580m would be an additional $500.00

You can get the GT780DXR-099 from Gentech for at least $300 less with a GTX 570m instead of the GTX560m. There are other resellers from this forum thread that you can check with as well. imo these resellers will be much better to deal with than calling into a call center. It also appears M17xR3 is 1lb heavier if I read it correctly.

Do your research.... call vendors if needed to get a feel of how responsive and helpful they will be. Either system will be a good system but my experience has been a great one so far with the GTX780DRX.

Edit: The system in my sig does not have blueray but I did include it in the prices above since the Dell site would not let me downgrade.