The Official MSI GS73VR Owners' Lounge

Find the icc profile they are using and load it manually. It should stick on reboot.

 

So, is this laptop capable of being run with win7?

Does any reseller in the UK do a good job of selling these laptops, maybe even fitting pcie SSD with a warranty etc?
Or taking it back if it's sold as having pcie but not?


MSI really do come across as a bit shoddy.
Their website is poor to begin with, their resellers offer little clarity, and venturing elsewhere leaves me unsure on what I'll get in the box.


Bit of a shame as the core hardware is great.

I can just see the engineers face palming while the marketers and managers bollocks up all their hard work!

 

Oh hidevolution do a win7 machine with warrantied upgrades etc.

Might have to get a UK quote but I can imagine it'll be cheaper just going DIY and paying up if anything breaks.

 

Everything about MSI is shoddy. From the website and customer support, to the software they provide, to the hardware itself. Never buying an MSI product again.

I just sold my GS73VR for $1000 bucks on craigslist. Felt like I had no other option. What a waste of time, energy, and money this laptop was. I've learned a big lesson about gaming laptops in general: they are gross.

 

I'm baffled by the laptop market full stop.

I've spent weeks reading up but still struggle with the myriad undocumented caveats on what should be flawless top end machines.

I can only assume these big monolithic businesses suffer very badly from the right hand not knowing what the left is doing.

Engineers do X well, marketing think about convoluted names and dragon badges, accounting think about cheap hdds to make it cost less.

 

Besides software and support, what hardware issues did you experience?

I can agree that the base image they load is garbage but that's an easy fix requiring only a couple of hours. Support, well, I've only dealt with MSI support once (~3 years ago) and it was fairly seamless but I'm sure not all requests are handled identically.

So far, the GS73VR has been just as great of a laptop as the GS70 and GS60 I've owned in the past (especially among the other slim gaming laptops available).

 

Ok Scan reseller says pcie SSD, but other resellers with same manufacturer ref number don't say pcie.

The MSI website says pcie super fast SSD etc, so I'm confused still.

I'm happy enough to put Win7 on myself and if it's any pcie SSD im happy enough... But I can't bring myself to pay ~ £2000 for a laptop sold with 'wow pcie 1000mb/+ speeds' that then runs a slow old Sata one, never mind that the *old* gs72 ran a pcie SSD and 7200rpm drives.

I'm baffled.

A shame MSI marketing can't do their core job right and inform me what I'm gonna get as a UK buyer!

 

@aspertionDilbert - It should support both mSATA (SATA protocol) and NVMe (PCIe Gen 3, 4 lanes) as far as the m.2 port goes. Only the SATA port for 2.5" drives is strictly SATA.

 

It supports both interfaces but you would want to maximize your system's potential by going with NVMe.

 

I thought nvme interface was on the pcie ssds, and non-nvme are sata based interface?

What isn't clear is if the SSD provided in this system is using nvme PCI or Sata interfaces.

Netbookcheck said theirs was Sata, and well slower than 1000mb/s, some resellers say OEM is Sata too.

MSI marketing say its pcie and it'll be fast because of it.

Only one UK seller says pcie that I can find.


This is why MSI are poor, they can't say explicitly.
It's inferred, assumed, or misrepresented by their resellers.

Does the OEM SSD do 1000mb/s+ or is its nvme PCIe capability wasted with a low speed Sata drive and locked behind a warranty voiding sticker?


I really want to order one but I'm very weary of being shafted on price vs performance.

Thanks

 

Stock SSD is SATA III, but not PCIe-based NVMe.

 

Gosh it's maddening.

This from OCUK top 4k model:
(direct lift from MSI site iirc)

"PCI-E GEN3 x4 SSD – Ultra Speed Storage
Get in the game before everyone else with the latest PCI-E Gen 3.0 x4 bandwidth utilizing NVMe technology on single M.2 SSD. Harness the full performance potential of the Gen 3.0 SSD through the optimization of the hardware and software outputting extreme read speeds up to 2200MB/s, 5x faster than SATA3 SSDs."

Great, I'll get in the game faster. 5x faster!

But I won't because it doesn't have an nvme SSD.

And I can't fit one without voiding the warranty!


This has to be false advertising or something. Or misleading at the least. ASA surely would have problems with this?!

Or it's wrong?

Or scan.co.uk have their details wrong?

Also OCUK has it as a 7200rpm hdd, not 5400rpm.


Lame.

I officially call MSI marketing and management dimwits of the highest order!

I kinda don't want to buy one as it's just rewarding their stupidity.

 

Why not? Don't MSI reps regularly inform people here - and outside of NBR - that opening a laptop for the sake of upgrading does not void the warranty (as long as no accidental - or otherwise - damage is incurred)?

 

Definitely can understand your anger that's why we do our best to verify specification on our website with as much details as possible.
However, different region may carry different spec so in UK's case perhaps those spec are true.
Also, marketing material may not always sync with latest info since they probably wanted to fit with M.2 PCI-e SSD in the beginning, but possibly revised later due to cost concerns.
The HDD is 1TB 5400rpm 2.5-inch 7mm 128MB SATA III 6Gb/s in the USA SKUs.
So your best bet is to verify it with your vendor, and have everything confirmed in writing (email).

 

I've no idea Prostar, I just see that sticker and assume I'm losing my warranty for a £2000 product if I tamper with it.

Why put the sticker there if it's not relevant?

It's just misleading confused consumers even more.


On the face of their advertising you're expecting to get a 2000MBP/s SSD.
You don't, and if you accept that as not misleading and upgrade yourself, you're then presented with a misleading sticker.

Just how confusing can you get?

 

Cheers Kevin.

I've been considering a modded import model for this reason, but then get glimmers of hope UK models have a pcie ssd.

It's really tough to work out what to do.


I'll email OCUK tomorrow to clarify and just keep going from there.

Right now I'm still in decision making phase but needing to ask such questions when this should be basic data sheet stuff is a little frustrating... I feel like a pestering time waster.

And it's MSI wasting my and the resellers time!

 

I agree. I suppose it's meant to dissuade, but not exactly prohibit. Maybe it's worth checking in with an MSI rep just for reassurance.

 

Yup, take a break now.
Tomorrow, you will get the answers you are looking for and finally you can order the stuff you wanted with satisfaction.

 

Ok OCUK conveyed the data thusly, which they were given by MSI.

Nvme SSD, and 7200rpm hdd.


So for OCUK's models that's:

006UK - 2tb + 256gb + 16gb + UHD

007UK - 2tb + 256gb + 16gb + 120hz

067UK - 2tb + 128gb + 8gb + 120hz

I'm assuming UK buyers get better spec at a higher price, being as though they probably have to suffer with a more enforced warranty?!

Either way I'm gonna buy from OCUK I think.


Thanks for help and advice everyone.

Maybe all these regional IDs and specs could be put in a sticky or the head of the post?!

 

Hopefully I'll be an owner this time tomorrow!
I liked the idea of a 120hz but the 4k and high argb screen are just too desirable for my main use (2d/3d gfx work)


Ordered from eBuyer as everywhere else was out of stock.
Also it's £100 cheaper which will get me a retail copy of Win7 pro to go on too hopefully!

 

Well the Mini Block dragon kept my wife entertained for an hour.

Jeez bloatware though!

Trying to lock down win10 firewall and these apps go crazy, especially the Steel Series one.
10,000 system log failures per minute haha.

The MSI ones seem to
battle the win10 default methods on brightness and colours too, the screen is wonderful but looks different every time I do something, and the keyboard was changing colours randomly too, I probably pressed a mode change?! Who knows?

What a mess. How they bollocks up fundamentals like this is beyond me.



Fresh win10 going on now. I'll be avoiding the MSI s/w.


Build quality seems nice enough. The sharp edge is weird though, seems a bad design choice to me, and that base panel feels flimsy lifting the base where fingers press underneath towards the back when lifting.
I expected solidness from reviews, but it feels a bit iffy.

I'd prefer another 300g of metal to make it solid as a rock but hey.

Also no choice for right click via taps? Seems like a weird thing to miss.
Clicks are loud in bed next to my sleeping partner.

Seems quiet to me too. Maybe under load it'll get loud but just tinkering around without sustained load and it's nice and quiet.

Also I like the size and thinness but with the big screen.

Just those bendy feeling parts under my fingers when lifting... it feels ok at the front half of the sides, but the back half is lacking!

 

I have double tap for right click turned on.

 

So much for the clean install fixing the stuttering. Just this week the stuttering has returned, specifically while I am streaming content online like YouTube. I've set the dedicated Nvidia GPU to be the main graphics processor for most applications including browsers, so I'm not sure it it's stuttering from switching back and forth between integrated and dedicated GPUs or if there is something causing a memory leak. I got rid of the Nahimic 2 drivers and the only bloat I've downloaded again was Dragon Centre, which even when I completely close the application the stuttering still occurs. Any ideas?

 

Uninstall MSI Dragon Gaming Center - DGC installs and runs background services.

 

Done, however the stuttering still occurs. I'm testing now to see if the stuttering only occurs on edge or if it occurs when downloading content on any browser or in general. Most of the time the stuttering occurs it's when I'm streaming content on edge specifically.

 

Are you running on Wifi? Do you have the 1535 wireless card?

Uninstall the Killer Suite and install the drivers only package:

http://www.killernetworking.com/support/driver-downloads/category/other-downloads

If you want to go back to the Killer Suite, get the latest version and set the Upload/Download values - so the software can correctly balance the traffic.
http://www.killernetworking.com/support/driver-downloads/category/killer-suite

And, don't forget to update their BT driver too:
http://www.killernetworking.com/support/driver-downloads/category/bluetooth

This problem can also be the iGPU / dGPU change, look back in the thread for techniques to keep the dGPU loaded, and set the global preferred GPU to dGPU.

 

I'd imagine the power light would flicker if GPUs are swapping?
A bit annoying that it's orangey red or reddy orange, but it might be visible?!

 

How decent are the speakers on the GS73? I'm testing a GS63 and I'm really not happy about how they sound, they're not even good enough for random youtube videos even after uninstalling Nahimic or even playing with the settings.

Has anyone compared both systems' speakers and can say if the 73s 4+1 sound noticeably better? I'm kind of thinking about going for it, as the sound is my only real complaint with the 15" model.

 

I've had both and the gs73 is much better. It's still not great with nahimic but if you turn it off and install drivers that allow you to use realtek's sound properties, you can make the speakers sound pretty good. It comes at a cost though because you'll have to manually switch to headphones since there won't be a prompt anymore.

Even with nahimic installed, it's still better than the gs63vr.

 

Thank you, this is enough to really push me to the 73VR. I'm looking at the 4k model and between the extra resolution and the better sound I think I can get over the slight size increase and the worse looking design (those diagonal lines around the keyboard, ugh).

Thermals and noise should also be a bit better, right? Even though I'm pretty happy with the 63VR as it is.

 

I chose the gs73 for those reasons as well and am very happy with it. I really wanted the gs63 to work out but the screen choices really bugged me. Don't get your hopes up about the thermals though, because they are pretty much identical

 

Thats fine, I like using the 63VR on my lap while playing and it does get very hot on some spots in the back but I kind of found certain leg positions to avoid those spots. Hopefully the 73 with the larger area has more tolerance for that.

How's the battery though? I've read its about the same or even worse on the 4k screen, although I probably won't be taking it out much.

Thanks for the help!

 

If say the lap use is a little worse without the felt, but you can position it a certain way where it's tolerable. I'm actually designing a cutout for my own felt to put on it since I liked it so much.

The battery life is better on the gs73 if you're comparing 4k to 4k. Otherwise, it's worse than any of the FHD options.

 

If anyone who has made the audio 'good' on this laptop could post drivers used/win settings Id be very grateful.

I'm on some Realtek ones now, after uninstalling nahimic (Realtek underneath anyway?) and the audio is pants.

No equaliser options, subwoofer slider seems to balance with left channel, it's all just broken and I've no idea what the 'official' sound config is without the bloatware nahimic stuff... which still sounded crap imo.

Maybe I have too high expectations?


Loving the 4k screen though, my old screens look blurry now haha.
Once you've had 4k over 17.3" you can never go back... oooer!

 

I'm not too familiar with lightbleed issues. However I have noticed lines of light at the sides and bottom of my screen when the screen is black, is this normal? how visible should these lines be?

 

It's been a while but I'm pretty sure I used these: http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads...evel=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false#High Definition Audio Codecs

I ticked on loudness equilization and set the EQ manually to what I want. You lose the slider for the subwoofer, but I don't really think that did anything useful before anyways. At least this way you can make the rest of the speakers somewhat audible.

I think your expectations might be a little high. When I say pretty good, I mean pretty good for a gaming laptop. Most speakers in gaming laptops are terrible. The only one I've been really impressed with is the Alienware 17.

 

Thanks Derek I'll give those drivers a bash!

 

Hmmm, pretty sure the sub is still active despite no slider.

I've turned off all effects/enhancements via Realtek.

I've been using Equalizer APO 1.1.1 till now to try get things nicer.
The eq in Realtek reacts oddly.

But tinkering in APO and when bass is high it somehow clips the rest of the range. Listen to Nero tracks for example.

I'm no audio expert but it's like the sub takes power from the main speakers.

I've a niggling feel the sub is the issue.
It's either running the full audio signal, or not getting low frequencies, or some other weird combo.

On the windows Realtek driver I had the sub slider which worked ok, but not great, but I could clearly separate it out.


I'm gonna try Nahimic again and see what happens!

 

Weird.

I installed nahimic bundled driver by pointing at appropriate folder (no nahimic bloatware)

I have sub slider back.

Sub is clearly there.

BUT if you adjust front l/r mix slider/s at all the sub is turned off.

You have to adjust sub slider last to make it stay on. Quality haha!

But no enhancements accessible (maybe turned off expecting Nahimic to be present?)

So I've set front l/r to 50%, then sub to 100% last (so it stays on)

Then APO with a bit of boost at low end (10db to about 500hz, then to 0 by about 1500hz)

Seems the best it'll get. Nero type stuff at least sounds passable!

 

I wonder if unplugging the sub would help.

 

I'm not a sound enough person to know but I've a feeling the sub just gets the same feed as the speakers, and shares the amplifier max output, but has its own volume.

How you balance that is beyond my understanding, but 100% across all, sub volume touched last, seems best to me now.
With amping of low end done elsewhere.

I still think occasionally the sub takes too much power and makes speakers go down.


Oh don't these laptops have 4.1?
No option for the rear pair?

Seems a recipe for disaster vs 2.0 with decent drivers to begin with?


Tempted to recover to factory to see how it sounds, and is configured, then go back to fresh win10.

 

Hello everyone, I'm new to this post. I hope to purchase the 120Hz 5ms GS73VR Stealth Pro-062

It's the 32 ram version, was wondering if there was anything I should worry about before purchasing and had some questions:


1) Is there any stuttering/dips in fps like the razer blade gtx 1060 version where games feel like they are stuttering?

2) I plan to do a fresh install of windows 10, installing with a usb. I don't want the bloatware on the computer, but I do want the software that changes the keyboard lighting, is the software that changes the keyboard lighting seperate from the bloatware?

3) How bad is the audio and what is the best way to go about installing drivers/software for it?

5) How bad is the coil whine and can anything be done about it?

7) Someone mentioned to undervolt the cpu a bit, to lower temps so it doesn't throttle, is this safe? Will it blue screen cause it isn't getting enough power?

8) In the razer blade gtx 1060 forum, many people were comparing the gs63vr ssd with the razer blade one, and the benchmarks for the gs63vr ssd were really fast. Does the ssd that come with the gs73vr suck? Which should I upgrade to?



If there are any other concerns I should have before purchasing this laptop please let me know. So far my options are either buying this or the razer blade gtx 1060, so if anyone can fill me in on comparing the two, please fill me in.

Biggest #1 reason I don't want to get the razer blade gtx 1060 version is that almost everyone in the forum over at razer insider is saying they have stuttering in games where even though they may get a high fps, every so often the game will dip to 20-30 fps which is causing the game to stutter or just bad gaming performance in general because their graphics card or cpu even though it's the same model as competitor isn't performing as well in benchmarks



Also the 2nd biggest reason why I am leaning to getting the msi gs73vr is the 120hz monitor, but does it suck when trying to watch a movie, how bad exactly are the viewing angles? Like if I'm watching a movie and not looking directly at it, will I notice bad fading of the image?


And my 3rd biggest concern from the razer blade 1060 version is that I was reading that some of their gpus were reaching about 85c, how hot typically does the 1060 in the msi gs73vr get?

 

Misread title. Wrong thread.

 

JJP,

I can't notice any coil whine here.
I do notice a whine from the fans at near idle when stood away from the machine in a quiet room.

The loudest thing on it at idle is the Hdd when active.
When that went off after being used I thought my fans had failed it was so quiet!

SSD is very fast, but afaik US SKUs are Sata ssd and 5400rpm hdd.

So double check for drive performance... Mine is within ~15-20% of the fastest pcie drives... three or four times faster than Sata ssd.

Temps are ok here in real world.
Mine runs at 3.1ghz full load on cpu at about 73degC

If you're maxing cpu and gpu then it'll no doubt get hotter and louder but what use case maxes both bar artificial tests?


I've struggled with some bits but overall for £1900 for a 4k one I'm happy enough.

I'd save £££ on a 32gb one unless you NEED 32gb, and spend it on hdd upgrades if you're buying a USA model with Sata ssd!

 

Hi All,

So after about two months of research I finally decided to get the 120hz GS73VR. After an initial scare of trying
to do a fresh install of Win10 (ended up having to get the ISO from my desktop which was up to date) I'm finally a day
in to enjoying this awesome laptop.

What I like:

Keyboard: Before this keyboard, my favorite of all time was the Macbook Pro 2011 ... how far
Apple has fallen in this regard That said, this keyboard is fantastic. I don't like the font at all.
I'm honestly embarrassed a little to bring this to work, but it is a pure joy to type on.

Display: In my experience the viewing angles aren't as perfect as I took them to be from some
reviewers. But the colors and brigthness are excellent. Honestly, I haven't really noticed a drastic
difference between this 120hz and my 60hz desktop moniotr--it just looks clear and I don't have any screen
tear.

Thermals: On idle this latop is very cool to the touch and even during gaming periods it is only warm.
I've been experimenting with undervolting using TechPowerUp. So far, the system is stable with a -125mv change.
The CPU seems to run warm at 40c just doing basic stuff like web browsing, writing this post, listening to music,
and watching YouTube. While gaming it went up to 87C before I undervolted. Since then ... I think it peaked at 83C.

Noise: This is a surprisingly quiet laptop when under load. The fans definitely kick on, but it was never obnoxious. I have heard the coil whine ... yeah, it's annoying.

Gaming: I haven't tried out anything too demanding ... though I did play Dawn of War 2 on Ultra for about 45 minutes.
Was very satisfied with average 90FPS. I'm coming from a r9 290x in my desktop, so I'm glad to see that my numbers are
so far comparable between the two systems. The real test will be DOOM and Total War: Warhammer. Right now, the 290x gets about
100-120FPS on Ultra in DOOM and about 50FPS on Ultra in Total War: Warhammer.

Trackpad: It's spacious and smooth.

Battery Life: I was pretty worried about battery life, but I've actually been mostly happy with it. I have battery saver kick on at 90%
battery life. And I don't know... I feel like I could easily get 4 hours of heavy usage (working in Google Docs, music playing and editing graphic designs.)

Weight and design: This is a very light 5.3 lbs or whatever it is. Seriously. So light and surprisingly compact. I was really worried about the size.
But I'm very glad I went with 17. (Yay! No eye strain!) And the build quality is excellent. Everything fits perfectly--no issue with misaligned edges or sharp corners.



What I don't like:

Cheap screws used to mount the base of the laptop. I stripped one of the screws trying to get the base off so I could change the HHD out for an SSD.

Fingerprint magnet. The laptop has a beautiful finish but I'm going to be spending a lot of time cleaning it.

Trackpad: I can't believe that a $1700 laptop doesn't support three and four finger gestures.
Does anyone know if it's possible to unlock more gestures besides two-finger scrolling and tap to click?

My set-up experience. The bloatware was a real mess. My system was running at 100% CPU, 60% RAM, and 68% Storage when I only had the
Task Manager open. Additionally, the laptop came shipped with a broken version of Win10 that wouldn't update.

And I still experience some mouse lag on occassion. But nothing close to what the laptop shipped with.

 

Hey all, so I bought this 950 pro 256 ssd to replace the m.2 ssd that comes with this laptop

I'm just wondering if it will work correctly in the m.2 slot since I understand that the ssd that comes with the laptop although while it is a m.2 connection is not pcie based, but sata 3 based instead


Also how difficult is it to replace the main m.2 ssd in this laptop? I was hearing from reviews that it require to take off more screws than original?

 

Does anyone else have a clicky loose component sound under the area to the left of the touchpad?
If I press lightly on it while wrist resting and releasing it clicks a bit.
Tonight I realised while closing it up that as I rock it back/forward about the vertical while closed something is obviously tipping inside and clicking as it rocks.
Giving it a gentle shake and it rattles a bit.

Anyone else's do it?

I'm wondering what's under that area?

All screws appear tight and the undertray is solid.

Time to go look at pictures of one in bits to figure out what it could be.

 

Looks like battery and sub/speakers.

Bit surprised that the battery would have any play but I guess a tiny movement of a heavy part would cause some noise but not be noticeable in momentum terms.

Hmmm.

Glad it's got 30 months warranty.

 

It was a little ambiguous earlier in the thread whether or not this laptop has G-sync. First it was no, then it was..maybe. I know the gt73 does support it, but does this model?

 

Until an owner responds, it looks like MSI doesn't list G-sync as a feature on the product page, or specifications:

GS73VR 6RF STEALTH PRO
https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GS73VR-6RF-Stealth-Pro.html#hero-specification

Display 17.3" UHD (3840x2160), IPS-Level
Graphics GeForce® GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5

And, Notebookcheck's review says, no g-sync:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/MSI-GS73VR-6RF-Notebook-Review.172138.0.html

"Optimus is supported for switching to the integrated HD Graphics 530 when desired, but there are no G-Sync options across the series. "

"Some dedicated Macro keys or 4K with G-Sync would have made the system a more "complete" gaming experience."

" Cons
-M.2 SSD and SODIMM access requires additional disassembly
-no individually backlit keys; no Macro or auxiliary keys
-fans are always active; loud fan noise under load
-removing bottom panel will void warranty
-center of outer lid could be more rigid
-high-pitched fan noise when gaming
-spongey feedback on clickpad
- no RAID or G-Sync options
-coil whine on our test unit
-tight port placement
-slow SDXC reader"