*** The Official 2019 MSI GS65 Stealth with RTX GPUs Owners and Discussions Lounge ***

I like how you think! You only live once, right? I'm working on a configuration right now.

 

I'm going to LM + replace pads myself. I enjoy tinkering with things like these to maximise performance

In any case I still have half a tube of conductonaut and some Minus 8 pads lying around.

 

What's the difference between thermal pads? I seem to be recommended Fujipoly everytime but they are rather expensive.

 

Well, the Fujipoly pads are more conductive for sure but they don't compress as well as the Minus 8 pads.

Memory modules, vrms and chokes don't really see much benefit from improved cooling as opposed to say, the gpu or the cpu itself which throttles according to temperature.

I like the minus 8 pads because since they compress easily, i won't have to worry about them interfering with the mounting pressure of the heatsink.

 

Oh I didn't know they were from thermal grizzly, the pricing on these is quite a bit better. Will definitely look into this.

Guys also as a heads up to anyone who purchased the laptop looks like MSI is doing a promotion where for a positive review you get $15 steam gift card. https://www.msi.com/Landing/review-and-recieve/nb
Not that you should shill out for it but if you end up liking the laptop 15 bucks for games can't hurt.

 

Hi, the MSI GS65 has only the 80W version of RTX2080

 

then at 80W it is very close to the GTX1080, now I wonder if the 90W would match it?

 

Don't know, why they have chosen the 80W variant (just like on the older 1070MAXQ) when they have stronger 230W power supply...

Just some first numbers from Unigine Superposition 1080p Extreme:
Stock: 4483
+100MHz core/memory stock: 4642
+150MHz core/memory stock: 4730
+150MHz core/+1GHz memory: 4720
+200MHz core crashed immediately

 

Again, it's not the GS 65, but the bigger brother GS 75 with RTX 2080 onboard.

 

I ordered last night. I went with HIDEvolution for a 2nd year in a row (I currently own a GS65 1070 MQ from them). They have been great to work with.

Upgrades
- LM with Fujipoly (did this last year, worked flawlessly through 90K airline travel miles)
- Upgraded to 32GB RAM since it was cheap ($150 for the "standard" memory) and the mobo is flipped.
- Kept stock 256GB NVME; added "standard" 1TB SATA6 SSD (last year it was annoying to be limited to the stock 512GB NVME, and for $225 for the 1TB that's way worth it).
- Bought 2nd AC adapter set (ended up with 3 for my laptop last year - they're invaluable to have setup in hotspots around the house, luggage, etc.)

I've been told by Donald that I should have it by Saturday, 2/2 (I paid for rush processing and priority overnight shipping). Trying to talk my bro into buying my 2018 GS65.

 

Do you know if other brands are using the 80w variant, too?

 

That's pretty fast shipping! Did you add the rush build or faster shipping?

 

Can't tell, I only have the G65 right now.

 

kudos to you for doing applying LM yourself. I like to take things apart as well but I don't trust myself with doing the LM repaste. Plus I'm on and off planes all year and HID Evolution assured me that their method for application will be fine with travelling. Not sure exactly what that method is but my laptop has been all over the country and is still running strong.

 

Yes, sorry - I edited my post to reflect that. $50 for rush and ~$150 for priority overnight shipping. I have a business trip on Tuesday that I want it for.

 

Nice, that makes sense. I just ordered mine, similar config to yours minus the AC adapter.

 

How much did it cost from HIDevolution? I bought mine from bestbuy but mostly because I had 1700$ in gift cards

 

Total came to just over $3200 because I added LM+Fujipoly install and 500GB Samsung 970.

 

LM is pretty cohesive so as long as you don't put too much it should happily stay at the die.

The guys at HID Evolution are also using foam dams around the die as a second layer of protection to prevent any LM from contacting the motherboard in case any leaks out.

I've tested LM leakage before on an old laptop and I couldn't get it to spill out even after dropping it one floor. (No, it didn't hit the floor, it was tethered)

The foam dams are there just in case too much is applied.

 

This is helpful info - do you have a source? I know HIDEvolution advertises a “proprietary” method for their LM - haven’t ever heard that this is it...

 

It's occasionally mentioned here and there on this forum. I'll see if I can find an example.

You can even see part of it on Bob Of All Trades' teardown at 9.21

 

That's foam gasket is pretty sweet. Definitely makes me feel better about moving my laptop around a lot. HIDEvolutions customer service has been top notch with both of my purchases.

 

Yes, I can see that their customer service certainly has been stellar just by browsing through this forum.

 

Wow I didn't know they went above and beyond like that, will definitely have to consider them for my next purchase.

 

"For the most part, it is the same chassis. We added a few supports, but the form factor and design didn't really allow us to make major improvements in time for this RTX refresh."
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/MSI_Gaming...wered_laptops_have_arrived_check_with/efdlk93

No huge improvements in rigidity in the 2019 GS65. I have an early model 2018 GS65 so I'm sure it will be improved from that. Not a huge problem, but somewhat disappointing.

 

Certainly. Both times I’ve ordered, Donald has helped me make good decisions based off my needs and doesn’t push upgrades just to up the price. I probably won’t ever buy a laptop from another company. Not to say that the other companies are bad, but my experience with HIDEvolution has been exceptional and I don’t feel the need to shop around.

 

I wasn’t aware that they added some supports to the 2018 GS65. I’d also say this isn’t that big of a problem since my laptop sits on a desk and is very rarely on my lap. The only time I ever noticed the flex was during the unboxing and seeing others comment about it.

 

Yeah, flex wasn't extremely bothersome to me, but I almost bought a 2019 RB Blade Advanced because the 2018 model that I checked in store (Microsoft Store) was so damn nice. The unibody design is so sexy and high quality-feeling. Just had to remind myself that it is Razer behind all of that - horrible service and QC.

 

Yeah I ended up returning my Razer Blade 15 just due to the lack of support, the device itself is fantastic but the shoddy driver support, on top of rtx coming out for laptops so soon it was a no brainer to return it.

 

Regarding flex...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y1QO5KK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I purchased this to prevent bending in my backpack during transport. It is the PERFECT dimensions for our GS65. Basically, put the laptop on top of it, then put the pad side against the back of the backpack (this pad is against my back in my backpack). There's a metal core to it keeps the laptop straight.
Haven't had bending issues since.

Oh yea, you can use this on your lap with your GS65 =) LOL

 

You did good in getting the 1TB sata SSD. Just as before we had an SSD+HDD combo, I currently believe a fast small NVME + sata SSD is the best to use, both in performance and battery life.

It's not propietary in the sense that you can't use/apply the same method (People on this forum also use it themselves) but they mean it's not a generic take out/put paste and slap together. Using foam is an added layer of protection that gives more peace of mind that anything. Mostly because a properly pasted machine doesn't need it.

LM gives great performance but the longest period of time I have seen it work is about a year, then the extra performance is just average. That's why I don't use it anymore, specially with machines that are hard to open like the GS series. I am going to repaste but I will most likely use IC Diamond that is better than stock paste, and while not as great as LM, lasts considerably more if the heatsink is properly touching the die. My modded GX660R lasted about 4 years at excellent performance with it.

 

That's smart. I use a 15" Amazon Basics sleeve plus a Tumi TSA-approved case (and a 13" MacBook Pro in a 13" Amazon Basics sleeve - so that's it for rigidity, lol). The flex I am concerned about is related to just using it. It's not too bad, just annoying.

That's what I have heard. I usually keep my laptops less than 1 year, so that is not as much of a concern of mine.

 

Think of the children! I mean, the next user! hahaha. Whenever I sell my machines I usually repaste them anyways, but I no longer keep my laptop "less" than a year, because technology has stagnated a bit. U used to change yearly up until the 4th gen intel CPUs which lasted forever, and then laptop GPUs took their time as well.

Hell my two yeard old GT73 is still high end gaming despite its age, and this won't change for another year or two ;p which is one of the reasons it took me so long to bother changing laptops. Now I get my GT73 performance on a slim case.

 

This is interesting as I didn't know LM has a shorter life span. What is the difference in temp performance between IC Diamond and LM?

 

When properly applied, it did give me 3-5 celsius less temps during stress testing. Keep in mind that your mileage will vary because all laptops are different when comparing models. The GT73/75 has fantastic cooling.

those degrees celsius are very very noticeable when overclocking, and often can also be the difference between a less dramatic fan profile and a super loud one to keep temps under control. Basically LM is the "best" when properly applied, and at worse, its still a great thermal paste, but its life duration is less than what I like. People that often repaste won't mind it at all, but I prefer long lasting.

If the whole graphite pads would have worked, that would have been awesome... but for laptops it was akin to a bad paste job.

 

Keep in mind that if you opt for LM and see performance degradation, I am sure you can work with your reseller to get it re-pasted. Sure, you have to ship back/forth and probably pay a nominal fee to have it re-done - but if you want the best performance it may be worth it to you. Also, of course, you can do it yourself.

It's a good topic to really spend a lot of time thinking about based on your needs.

I personally was not all that impressed by the LM/Fujipoly combo on my 2018 GS65 (HIDEvolution) - the overall numbers were about 8-10C less than most others. However, after have about 10-12 months of flawless performance throughout extensive travel and lugging around, I went for it again, especially since this is the RTX 2080 Max-Q we are talking about. I want every edge that I can get. Plus, flipped mobo - ain't nobody got time for that (in terms of doing it myself). I have no issues getting into the weeds (my two desktop PCs I custom built myself) but it's just not worth it to me.

Don't forget too - stock is fine as well! Undervolting (for any setup) is an amazing way to cut temps..

 

1 year of good LM use isn't bad I guess. Worst case, after a year, I can open up and repaste. Shouldn't be too hard since the foam barrier would already be there. I also don't really have the time to mess around with the internals. I'd rather just get the machine, apply a few tweaks/undervolt and get going.

 

Most users will only repaste when their undervolted machine underperforms or temps creep back up to over 90 C.

 

Guess what just showed up...

I’ll have 2 things ready late Saturday/early Sunday.

1- Review of the new GS65
2- Comparison to last years model

I may be MIA until then so... yea lol. Talk to you all soon!



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Very nice! Any initial comments on the structural rigidity of the case?

 

I too am interested if there are any glaring obvious things

 

The laptop feels SLIGHTLY more solid. The keyboard portion of the frame is a different design because of the power button placement and larger touchpad. I dont wanna move it around too much because I’m using TB3 to move all my files over from my old laptop.


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I didn’t even realize the power button was moved a bit. I wonder what the point of that was. I guess slightly more solid is better than the opposite.

 

The power button is above the grill instead of between the grill holes.
Less chance of bending when pressing the power button? I think so...



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Well that’s a decent improvement. Looking forward to your full review.

 

Alright, good news then! Looking forward to your review and impressions man!

 

Ok, so I need some opinions.

I had the 1070 Max-q model. However, it just died. They are replacing it for free, but they only have the same model (I get $150 back as its an older model), the 2060 version (break even), or I can go with a 75 2070 Max-q but it’ll cost me a fair amount to upgrade (about $400 more.. ugh).

I decided to go with the 2060 - based on what I’m seeing, it should be better than the 1070 max-q, and considering a higher frequency ram, plus the cooler upgrades, I’m hoping it’ll be the right move. If I need high resolution gaming I still have a desktop with a 1070 TI ftw.

I’m also comfortable doing LM and whatnot. The laptop is actually not THAT difficult to work on. Just gotta be really careful.

Thoughts?

 

Me personally I'd go with the RTX 2060 one, it's only slightly better than what you had BUT it wouldn't cost you any better you get more heat pipes = potentially better cooling, larger trackpad, and eventually DLSS support which IMO is the best thing about the turing series of cards.

 

Breaking even for the newer model sounds like a great choice unless there was a reason you’d need that much more gpu power.

 

https://m.twitch.tv/ownordisown

Reviewing one of the other MSI Laptops live on twitch right now.

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