The Official MSI GT70-2OD Owner's Lounge

Couple of questions:

1) Any general advice/feedback on this build from XoticPC (editing to just show the main stuff):

- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 72% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) (SKU - X1R551)
- 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4700MQ (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache) (SKU – X2X914)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds) (XPC Service)
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 780M 4,096MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 w/ Optimus™ Technology
- No Copper Cooling Upgrade
- 24GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU-834P] (Dual Channel Memory (3x8GB SODIMMS)) - Default
- mSATA Option: Operating System Installed [Default] w/ mSATA(s) selected below
- 128GB Solid State Drive (Super RAID) mSATA - [ In Primary Hard Drive Bay ]
- 128GB Solid State Drive (Super RAID) mSATA - [ In Primary Hard Drive Bay ]
- 1,000GB (1TB) 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - Default (SKU - X5R353)
- 6X Blu-Ray Writer/Reader + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive (SKU - X7R551)
- WINDOWS 8 - 64-Bit (Pre-Installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk)

2) Does this config offer any options for swapping in a larger SSD a year or two from now? Perhaps in place of the optical drive? Would love to have a 512MB SSD if/when the prices drop.

3) What's my best bang for the buck? The default 128GB SSD RAID as shown here or a single "brand name" mSATA such as the Samsung PM841? Any other general suggestions in terms of storage? It's a bit overwhelming.

4) Can anyone speak to this particular screen for not-to-serious graphics work in Photoshop and Illustrator, mostly web stuff which isn't too demanding? I'm not doing photo editing or color matching for print. My original intent was to go with the 95% gamut screen on the 15", but I just think my 47-year-old eyes are going to appreciate the larger (and more immersive) display of the 17".

Thanks very much in advance.

 

If you haven't ordered yet....do all your homework first.

The stock mSATA SSDs are SanDisk X100 and nowhere near the top performers.Intel 180GB 525 series mSATA SSDs would be my choice but they add to the price.

If you're going to use the 5400rpm 1TB hard drive for storage it's OK but as a boot drive with an OS installed the performance will be low.

Some dealers reduce the overall price if you don't include the 1TB hard drive and the ODD.

I never use my DVD or BD player recorders and put another SSD in the optical bay.

Don't rush your configuration

You should talk to Xotic,Power Notebooks and GentechPC in person before you buy so you're sure of getting the best deal on the best configuration for your needs and have all the information directly to your ears from the resellers.

They all have toll free numbers so use them.

 

My laptop should be arriving in 1-3 hours. Any advice on what I should do first? I mean running tests, or benchmarks? Have never done that :/

 

That done the trick!

Thanks for the tip. As it happens, I am having some difficulties getting all the bundled W8 drivers that came preinstalled on the laptop, to work with W7.

Forcing consumres to suck on W8 certainly is not to our benefit. With hindsight, I would have paid 100GBP extra to have the laptop come with W7 because all this has already been very time consuming and is going to be even more so.

Yes, wipe W8 and install W7 should be the very first thing you do. Will save a lot of grief in the long run. Sorry to put an dampner on your enthiusiasm and excitement but its the truth.

 

My initial benchmark runs are as follows....

Windows Power Options set to : High Performance
Everything else left as is (default) .... just removed most of the bloatware



3DMARK Vantage:
3DMARK SCORE = 25752
GPU SCORE = 26752
CPU SCORE = 23155


3DMARK 11:
3DMARK SCORE = P7355
GRAPHICS SCORE = 7451
PHYSICS SCORE = 7896
COMBINED SCORE = 6138


CrystalDiskMark:
1 pass @ 1000MB , Drive C:/

SEQ = 975.9 READ , 959.9 WRITE
512K = 534.7 READ , 770.9 WRITE
4K = 26.28 READ , 71.25 WRITE
4K QD32 = 470.1 READ , 427.9 WRITE



Unfortunately I'm on a VERY crappy wi-fi connection here at work, otherwise I would have uploaded the screen captures.

 

Okay I just received my machine. Was super annoyed at first at the fact that I had to pay huge import tax, which i haven't been told about by anybody, but at least I will know from now on - still a lesson after all.

The laptop itself is absolutely beautiful, performance wise and design wise. After my plastic Vaio it feels so unusual, the material, the quality, screen and keyboard, and awesome audio of course.
I don't know how to benchmark anything, so I just sticked to my usual testing program - put Crysis 3 and Battlefield on max = no lag. I'm extremely happy !

Really loved everything so far. Even liked Windows 8, which is odd since I read many bad reviews.
Credit to XoticPC for fast shipping.

 

Breyl, Welcome To The Party!

Yeah, WIN 8 is not bad once folks take the time to familiarize themselves with it. There is a slight learning curve, and I think some get a little impatient with this. Though I feel Microsoft could have done some things better with the OS, there are improvements, and I see no real reason for folks to rush back to WIN 7.

Any, enjoy your new BEAST, and keep us posted.

 

One thing - my battery stays on 95% charge. Is that normal?

 

Hello,

I am eagerly awaiting my order of the GT70 2OD (few more weeks -.-) here in Sweden and in preparation I have been looking around for instructions on how to disassemble the unit to change thermal paste.
There is a link in the first post of this thread to http://forum-en.msi.com/faq/uploads/156/MS-1762_Disassembly_guide.pdf but that seems to depict an old model, since it does not have the "bridge" over the CPU and GPU coolers.
Is it the same otherwise, with screws etc?

Thanks.

 

This is not common with new system batteries, and you will most likely see this change with a little time and usage. Sometimes the battery needs to be cycled a bit. If you are concerned, unplug the PA temporarily, and allow the system to discharge the battery down to 70-80 percent or so, then re-plug the PA. You can also use MSI's battery utility, which is recommended anyhow to improve the battery's longevity. If you choose this option, expect this to take several hours, as it fully discharges the battery. This utility should be installed on your system, and also on your driver DVD. Also, I do not recommend you 'game' when the PA is unplugged.

Yes, the older disassembly guide should be fine for the moment..... just adapt accordingly. I posted this because a newer guide is yet to be released. Stay Tuned!

 

Ok, let's start a fresh discussion on what are upgrade options worth to be choosen and really improve system or component performance.
For a typical user... okey-okey - for typical gamer...

For example for this model Gaming Laptops - GenTech PC - Gaming Notebooks - Custom Laptops - Custom Notebooks - Customize System

1. CPU upgrade
To 4900MQ for extra 425$ or to 4930MX for 965$.
Even in benchmarks (based on Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist - NotebookCheck.net Tech) there will be from +7 to +12% improvement. In reality, in day to day activities you won't see any difference.
Worth it paying extra 20% or 40% of a laptop? Decide youself.

2. RAM upgrade to higher frequency RAM
To 32GB DDR3 1600/PC3 Kingston HyperX CL9 Dual-Channel for extra 293$ or
To 32GB DDR3 1866/PC3-15000 Corsair Vengeance CL10 Dual-Channel for 258$
It was proved by lots of tests and reviews that you won't notice any difference with "high-speed" RAM.
Like ~0.5-1% improvement or less.
Worth it paying extra 10% of a laptop? Decide youself.

3. Upgrade SSD/HDD storage (I guess the most debatable upgrade option)
To 384GB Super RAID 2 (3X 128GB mSATA SSD RAID-0) for 99$ or
To 720GB (240G x3 Super-RAID) Intel 525 Series mSATA SATA III for 859$
Personally, I would suggest to max out capability of Super RAID 2.
You probably won't see any difference in your daily activities, doesn't matter how many drives are in RAID or what models you choose (stock are pretty fine), unless you constantly copying large files...but...
Why do I personally prefer RAID0 to single SSD? In case your SSD fails you loose all your stuff, doesn't matter it's a single drive or RAID array.
But in case of RAID array, you can simpy remove failed mSATA SSD and reconstruct RAID0 with two drives.
You shouldn't bother if you rely on your warranty and can wait for exchange.

4. Wi-Fi upgrade
To Intel Wireless-AC 7260 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n 2.4Ghz/5.0Ghz Dual-Band 300/867 Mbps + Bluetooth 4.0 / WiDi for just 15$
Personally, I'd suggest to hold on a bit and wait for Killer Wireless-AC solution, unless you already have a 802.11ac router.

5. What else?
Glossy screen? Your choice, based on your personal preferences.
IC Diamond 24 Carat Thermal Compound on both CPU/GPU? For Free or not, doesn't matter. Get it!
Optical drive? Leave it as is if you still use it, if not - expand your disk storage.
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit Full Version DVD for extra 183$? That's your choice if you hate Windows 8.
Secondary disk drive is also disputable. SDD for speed or HDD for extra storage. Decide yourself.

In conclusion: Everything maxed out will cost ~5K with max 15% gain. Worth it?

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I worked with Xotic to optimize my storage options a bit. Derek was very responsive through a long chain of emails over the past few days and they were an easy choice.

I ended up with a 256gb PM841 mSATA as my boot drive and a 750gb 7200rpm for data storage. The empty mSATA slot will give me room to grow if/when prices come down on larger sizes.

So excited. Now the waiting begins.

 

100%, absolutely normal. Once it gets below 95%, it'll charge back up to 100% but then won't recharge until it reaches down to 94% charge again.
This has been a standard charging practice on all laptops for years and years and years. I believe it's to help keep stress off the battery so it isn't topped off all the time.

 

Im getting a bit down at the moment, seems when trying to run Grid 2 anywhere near ultra im struggling to get any decent frame rates.
My machine is the GT70 20D with 16g ram and the 780M GTX card so looking at the reviews posted with benchmarks I should be getting a lot better rates but to be honest its hardly playable. I am missing something whereby the machine is running in power saver or something. I have turned ECO mode off and ensured windows is running in performance mode. I have checked the drivers are installed ok via the pre installed NVidia software.

 

Cheers

 

All you guys that just got new notebooks with SSDs don't forget that you can gain back about 13GB of space on your drive by turning off hibernation.

From an Administrator command prompt type

powercfg -h off

Windows 8 is missing the F8 Safe Mode boot
To get the Safe Mode by Pressing F8 on bootup feature in W8 run as Administrator the command

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

 

Sounds like your machine is utilising the Intel HD4600 iGPU for that game. It can be manually changed in the Nvidia control panel.....providing it wants to work that is.

 

I cant get my USB 3.0 ports to recognise USB 3.0 devices at all. It is rather annoying. Especially since I cant find any examples of people having the same problem anywhere across the internet.

It didn't work in its factory default Windows 8 state, and it doesn't work now that I have put windows 7 on it.

 

If you haven't already....may I suggest you try reinstalling the Intel chipset installation software v9.4.0.1017 and the Intel USB 3.0 driver

Both can be found at this link
intel drivers pour chipsets

Everyone using Windows 8 x64 should make a USB installation disk

Unpack the ISO onto a 4GB or larger USB flash drive using Microsofts USB/DVD Tool

English W8 x64 ISO:
http://dl1.c9.sendfile.vip.xunlei.c...42BCFD79895670A85B8708CD73A3D&srcid=7&verno=1

MS USB/DVD Tool:
http://images2.store.microsoft.com/prod/clustera/framework/w7udt/1.0/en-us/Windows7-USB-DVD-tool.exe

 

There is one thing I cannot wrap my head around. The NOS Hybrid Power implementation. It says that it draws extra power from the battery when going over 180W, which is what the AC adapter can handle.
Why don't they use a more powerful adapter that will handle whatever the laptop will require instead of going through all that fuzz?
Is there some kind of regulation at play here or is it just a way of saving money on the AC adapter?

If gaming for an extensive period of time, the battery will probably go under 30% constantly (and turn off the power boost), so if all benchmarks include that extra power it's cheating really.

Also, that would mean that if you have been gaming and then want to take your laptop with you, the battery won't be fully charged.

This makes absolutely no sense to me, am I missing something?

 

No joy installing the the V9.4.0.1017 nor the Intel USB 3.0 driver with windows 7.

I am guessing the USB installation flash drive option is just for Windows 8?

 

Okay, i think i read somewhere before that the system will switch to intel integrated under battery mode, can we change this setting somehow using the nvidia control panel?,, u know jus taking care of battery's life,, i like to switch of ac supply when the battery's full but im gaming at the same time >.>

 

It's worth noting that the MX variant does have an unlocked multiplier for overclocking, although I have never tried to overclock a cpu personally and don't know how effective it can be with the limited cooling available in a laptop. Also worth considering is the MX variant operates at 57 TDP whereas all the other options are 47 TDP, and I imagine that has to similarly impact battery life.

 

You are spot on. Because they've put in Hybrid Power, I don't think there is any way to let the laptop input more power than 180 watts, even if you buy a larger capacity 19V ac adapter. I'm not saying it's impossible but thus far nobody has discovered a workaround. This is the 1 downside of this laptop IMO (love it otherwise). Some say that you don't need Hybrid Power unless you overclock, but then again I haven't seen anybody try anything other than slightly increasing the clockspeed of the GPU. No Voltages increases yet. So this tells me it is already near or at the 180w power level when utilizing all cores&processors and at best you certainly can't expect the battery to charge very fast while gaming, at worst you eventually run out of power. If you are gaming it's no big deal, you just take a break, but what if the laptop is doing serious work on the GPU & CPU and it would be a real hassle if that got interrupted?
Asus has upped the spec for their laptop model with the 780m GPU to 230 watts, up from 180 watts and I hope MSI does the same (with a Hybrid Power update to allow this). Both laptops should have nearly the same power consumption in identical benchmarks and scenarios.

Battery life would only be affected under load. In light tasks the CPU should be as or nearly as economical as the 4700MQ. Depends on whether it can clock down and get to as low a voltage as the 4700MQ.

 

It's worth noting that this feature was introduced as a means to overclock the laptop without using a larger PSU. The laptop works as intended with stock PSU without overclocking or boosting hard.

As someone mentioned before, the most likely reality is that they had a large supply of PSUs for their current existing models and it's much cheaper to manufacture when you reuse designs and parts from previous models. To this dates, 3 years later, the GT series still use the same battery model, type and spec, same PSUs from the 120, 150 and 180w variants etc. Maybe it was cheaper for them to make the system work for 180w psu and make NOS a solution for overclockers.

 

I'm not 100% sure, but I tend to get some very quiet, sort of squeaky noise, from the left speaker, when I play on max volume. It is very unnoticeable, but sometimes it appears during loud moments in movies or game conversation. Im not sure if it will go away, but it just feels like its not as the right speaker :/
Any suggestions?

 

Random question, is there any way to get an IPS panel on this thing?

EDIT: I'm giving myself until friday to decide whether I want the GT70 (Dragon or otherwise) GT60 or another manufacturer with dual 780m's in sli.

From what I can see though the only notebook options with dual 780m's are just too hideous for me to purchase, except potentially the new Alienware m18x. Tis a bit fat and pricey though.

 

Many thanks for the hybrid power info!

 

Resolved my issues with gaming on Grid 2 it was my settings, all now set to ultra and working really well. One question and hoping this hasn't already been covered but what size is your winsxs folder you guys with the standard Windows 8 build from MSI. Mine is just shy of 20gig from a fresh install which isn't good. Nothing to clean from a disk cleanup from previous updates etc.

 

In the past a great many people have complained about the size and weight of the 180W power brick and how hot it got while under load

I can only imagine the complaints if they introduced a 230W that was larger and heavier.

It will be interesting to see the 230W PSU weight and size for the Asus model with a GTX780M.

 

Well, I have news for you. The USB 3 bug means that the USB 3 simply doesn't work, at least not with USB 3 devices. Never mind about sleep state etc etc.

That is what I am finding with the GT70 2OD 4700MQ + GTX780M version. Scoured the internet looking for a solution and to no avail. Also cant contact MSI support because there website wont let me register my laptop.

 

Intel has released Official drivers,v16.0.5 for their new wireless cards.

Dual Band AC-7260
Dual Band N-7260
N-7260

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/De...ations&OSFullname=Windows+8,+64-bit*&lang=eng

This download is valid for the product(s) listed

EDIT:Gentech has the AC-7260 available as wireless card upgrade option.

 

One more thing to try that requires registry edits.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> ControlSet001 -> services -> iusb3hub

and

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> ControlSet001 -> services -> iusb3xhc

for both of those entries, change "Start" to "0" and "Group" to "Boot Bus Extender"

 

So just to be clear, if I order this notebook with an msata drive, it's come with the 2 empty msata ports that I can add to later? Is there a difference between super raid 1 and 2?

 

The Super Raid 1 adapter holds up to 2 mSATA SSDs while the Super Raid 2 adapter holds up to 3 mSATA SSDs.

The Super Raid 1 adapter is known to be compatible with the MSI GX60/70,new GE60/70 and last generation notebooks with the 1762 and 16F3 motherboards.

The Super Raid 2 adapter is known to be compatible with the new GT60/GT70 models and probably the barebones Whitebooks with the same motherboards as the GT60 and GT70 when they're released.

The GT70-20D 001US model has the Super Raid 2 adapter and 1 x 128GB SanDisk X100 mSATA SSD as stock hardware.You can add 1 or 2 more mSATA SSDs at your leisure.The mSATA SSDs should all be of the same make,size and model for best raid0 arrays so choose your 1st mSATA SSD wisely since performance will vary greatly on the mSATA SSDs of your choosing.

Also know that the stock 128GB SanDisk X!00 is an OEM type SSD,not a retail type,and resellers like Amazon and Newegg probably won't carry them should you stick with the stock mSATA when making your purchase.

I don't know for sure if the Super Raid 1 adapter will work in the new GT60/GT70.

 

Really? First time I have heard of such situation, I will definitely investigate. I just recently received my GT60 so I will test it with mine. Let's find a solution

 

I am pretty sure 0 USB3 operation would be a recall situation.

 

@MatTheCat

Windows 8 has built in USB 3.0 drivers but Windows 7 does not.

If your Intel USB 3.0 ports are not working in Windows 7 it's understandable because of no included driver but to really know if the USB 3.0 ports are working you need to be using Windows 8.

I suggest you use the W8 recovery partition or a clean Windows 8 installation to test USB 3.0 on.

MSI has downloadable drivers and utilities for Windows 7 on the GT70-0NE downloads that probably will work on a clean Windows 7 installation on a bios set to legacy.
http://www.msi.com/product/nb/GT70-0NE.html#/?div=Driver&os=Win7 64

 

Thanks for all your adivce btw.

I tried the reg edits, but to no avail, I shall now have a look at those GT70 0NE drivers.

Also, the USB 3 never worked with Windows 8. One of the many reasons I decided to get rid of Windows 8 and go for Windows 7, after all, I have USB 3 on my desktop mobo and they work with Windows 7.

 

What devices are you trying to connect? One of the problems with USB 3.0 is the controllers implemented. I had an external Seagate 1TB usb 3.0 drive and a WD 1TB external usb 3.0 drive. The seagate worked flawlessly in usb 3.0 whereas I could never get the WD to work at all in usb 3.0 Turns out the controller was to blame.

 

They might be working on a few modded ones here.

 

This is really odd because no one else seems to have this complaint. My GT70 2OD with WIN 8 seems fine with USB 3.0. Considering this seems an isolated occurrence with your machine, perhaps consider exercising your warranty.

Another thought....... sometimes USB 3.0 issues relate more to the specific USB device being used. I have seen this even with WIN 7 systems. Are your USB 3.0 devices early first-gen models, or lessor known brand devices? Again, just a thought, but I really do not think this is WIN 8 specific.

Good Luck!

 

No, it is not Win 8 specific. I now have Windows 7 installed and getting same problem.

The USB 3 drive is a Samsung M3 1TB model. It works on my desktop which is also Windows 7.

It does seem odd that I seem to be the only 2OD owner around complaining of this issue and perhaps I will exercise my warranty in due course, but for now, I need the laptop, faulty with dodgy drivers and bloatware utilities or not.

 

Device Manager is showing no errors with USB 3.0 ports so you could be right.

I only have the one USB 3 device, bought especially for transferring large amounts of data from my USB 3 compatible desktop to my super new USB 3 compatible Laptop. As I stated in reply above, I have a Samsung M3 1TB USB 3 drive. It works fine on my desktop (although only 3 times faster than USB 2 mode instead of the 10 times that they advertise), but it wont even be recognised on my laptop, unless I stick it in USB 2 port.

 

Does anyone know if the 3x SSD's in this thing supports the trim feature for SSD's?

 

Yes, this and other GT70 2OD info can be found HERE.

SanDisk X100 SSD – Solid State Drive

 

I seem to have some kind of sound problem. Sometimes, on the left side of the keyboard or left speaker, some sort of squeaky noise appears (sort of electric thing, hard to describe). It is most noticeable during movies or conversations in games, where the volume constantly changes, or if I put my ear close to it.

I tried to press different speakers in Realtek HD Auido Manager, but its all the same, no matter what speaker, its something on the left side.

It isnt very noticeable, but its kind of bothering, and I really hope I could get rid of it. I dont think its anything major, but maybe someone had similar problem?

 

Unless other drivers fix it, it sounds like a hardware problem.

 

Let's say I go through a reseller like xoticpc and have them customize the 3x SSD's to a different brand, will TRIM still be enabled? Kinda noob on SSD's so not sure, and was unable to find answer through Google

 

What sort of drivers?

Although it does sound like a hardware issue.. maybe I just dont want to scare myself (well who would, with a new laptop), but I wouldnt even call it a problem, just an issue, the sound itself is marvelous, just during some moments, like an electric tiny buzzing under left side of keyboard (what hardware part is that btw) ?

Would really appreciate any advice