***The Official MSI GT72 Dominator Pro (GTX-980M) Owner?s Lounge***

***The MSI GT72 Dominator Pro (GTX-980M)..... the premier flagship and next great SUPER POWER..... and it's awesomely SEXY too!***

Welcome to the MSI GT72 Dominator Pro (GTX-980M) Owner's Lounge! Available Now..... Order Yours Today, and Prepare to Dominate!





MSI GT72 Dominator Pro (GTX-980M) Flagship Models, Specifications, and Product Links:

Specifications

GT72 2QE Dominator Pro-211 | MSRP: $2,399., Now $2,299. (i7-4710HQ)

GT72 2QE Dominator Pro-210 | MSRP: $2,649., Now $2,549. (i7-4710HQ)

GT72 2QE Dominator Pro-208 | MSRP: $2,999., Now $2,899. (i7-4710HQ)

GT72 2QE Dominator Pro-445 (was -098) | MSRP: $3,399., Now $3,299. (i7-4980HQ & IPS screen)

GT72 2QE Dominator Pro-444 (was -243) | MSRP: $3,899., Now $3,799. (i7-4980HQ & IPS screen)


GT72 Dominator Pro Product Pages:

MSI GT72 - Born To Upgrade

MSI U.S.

MSI Global





Where To Buy Your New MSI GT72 Dominator Pro Notebook:

Friendly, reputable, and highly respected resellers, who freely volunteer their support to forum members:

1.) GenTech PC | Website | MSI 17" notebook site page | Tel#: 1-800-990-7945 | email: [email protected] | Contact: Ken Lee

2.) Xotic PC | Website | MSI notebook site page | Tel#: 1-877-289-9684 | email: [email protected] | Contact: Justin Nolte

3.) RK Computers | Website | MSI notebook site page | Tel#: 1-866-760-4998 | email: [email protected] | Contact: Rob M

Where To Buy MSI Notebooks (U.S. & Canada) | Global





MSI Helpful Links:

MSI U.S. Gaming

MSI Dragon Army

MSI AfterBurner

MSI Dragon Army Forum

MSI HQ User Support Forum

MSI Customer Service | Global

MSI Notebook Warranty Information

MSI Notebook Product Registration | Global





Official MSI GT72 Dominator Pro (GTX-980M) Product News

07 Oct. 2014: MSI Revamps Armory of Gaming Laptops with Latest NVIDIA GTX 970M & 980M Graphics

07 Oct. 2014: MSI GT72 Dominator/Pro Gaming NBs Latest NVIDIA GTX 900M with unique gaming features

17 Oct 2014: MSI GT72 2QE DOMINATOR PRO wins the Performance award at HEXUS





Official MSI GT72 Dominator Pro (GTX-980M) Downloads:

Bios

Drivers

Firmware

Utilities

Manual

GT72 GTX-900 Series MXM Upgrade Manual





Other Downloads:

"Silent Option" Fan Control Application For MSI Laptops

Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU)

NVIDIA GeForce WHQL Drivers

NVIDIA GeForce Beta Release Drivers

NVIDIA Control Panel User's Guide

Latest NVFLASH for Windows & DOS

MEMTEST86 Free Download

MSI AfterBurner

CPU-Z

GPU-Z

NVidia Inspector

HWMonitor

HWInfo

FutureMark's 3DMark & PCMark8

Unigine Benchmarks

AIDA64 - System auditing, diagnostics, monitoring, and benchmarks too!

Atto Disk Benchmark

HD Tune

Svet's Fermi / Kepler VBIOS/EC Tuner Version (2.86e) and now supports the GTX-880M! The Maxwell GTX-980M Soon!

Treexy Driver Fusion ( .....replaces the ever popular, Phyxion 'Driver Sweeper')

Piriform 'CCleaner'

Magical Jelly Bean (product key finder)





GT72 Dominator Pro Factory 'Stock' Hardware Info ***May vary and subject to change***

CPU: The 4th Generation Intel® Core i7-4710HQ | Intel® Core i7-4980HQ

GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M (Maxwell GM204M) | Intel® HD Graphics 4600 | Intel® Iris Pro Graphics 5200

Chipset: Mobile Intel® HM87 Express Chipset

Wireless: Qualcomm Killer N1525 Wireless-AC | Killer DoubleShot™ PRO | driver download

Ethernet: Qualcomm Killer E2200 Game Networking | Killer DoubleShot™ PRO | driver download

Bluetooth: Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4 Bluetooth 4.0

Screen Panel: Innolux Corporation | Chi Mei, ID: CMN1735 | Model: N173HGE-E11, Matte | Product Specification

HDD: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, HTS721010A9E6300 = 1TB | Travelstar 7K1000, 7200 RPM, SATA III

SSD: Toshiba, THNSNJ128G8NU, x1, x2, or x4 128 GB M.2 | Firmware





Optical Drive: LG Electronics, HL-DT-ST-BD-RE-BU20N

Memory Modules: Kingston, DDR3L 1600MHz, MSI16D3LS1KFG/8G

Webcam: Suyin Corporation, USB 2.0, 1080p

Touchpad: Synaptics | MSI : Which touchpad is in my notebook & drivers?

Keyboard: SteelSeries

Speakers: Dynaudio | Dynaudio and MSI

Card Reader: Realtek RT55249

USB 3.0 Host Controller: Intel (HM87 Express Chipset) | USB 3.0 Specification

Thermal Paste: MX-2

AC Power Adapter: Delta Electronics Inc., Model: ADP-230EB T, Output: 19.5V DC, 230W Input: 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal





Videos:





MSI GT72 Dominator (Pro) GTX 900M series MXM graphics upgrade

GT72 Disassembly





How To's:

Graphics Driver Installation Order (For GT72 & GT80)

Are 'start-up' screens too fast to enter bios? This is how to enter the Legacy / UEFI BIOS.

Unsatisfied with audio sound quality? Try THIS!

Windows 8 Tutorials, Quick Reference Index

Guide on how to install the NVIDIA Display Driver under Windows 7/Windows Vista

NVIDIA Driver Rollback/Removal Instructions

Clean install of Nvidia drivers, NVIDIA Forums> Graphics Technology> GeForce GTX & ION Drivers

MSI GT72 Disassembly





User Benchmark Test Results:





Other GT72 Thoughts: (please PM if you have other suggestions.)

Suggested Backpacks or Cases:

1.) The Everki Beacon Backpack..... a perfect fit! | At NewEgg | NewEgg Product Tour | At Amazon |

2.) The Targus 17 XL Backpack | At NewEgg | At Amazon |

3.) The Everki Lunar Laptop Bag | Everki Lunar Video | At NewEgg | At Amazon |

4.) The Wenger 17" SwissGear Ibex Backpack | At NewEgg | At Amazon |

5.) The eBags TLS Professional Slim Laptop Backpack

Other Cool Tools or Helpful Additions:

1.) The Steelseries Sensei Wireless Laser Mouse | At Newegg | At Amazon

2.) The Steelseries H Wireless Gaming Headset | At Newegg | At Amazon





Considerably improved over the GT70, purchased from Ken at GenTech PC, I am one of the first official MSI GT72 (GTX-980M) owners on the planet.

So, what improvements does the MSI GT72 bring to the table?

01. Improved chassis design.
02. Larger touchpad, smooth and seamless with the palm rest.
03. A large, cool to the touch, glass-like polymer palm rest.
04. More USB 3.0 ports.
05. A 230W PA.
06. A 1080p webcam
07. Revised Steelseries keyboard, flex-free, with brighter back-lighting.
08. Dual fan cooling solution, with improved chassis vent design, a better fan control profile, ergo.....
09. Better overall temps, with quieter operation.
10. Re-designed chassis, and finally a new model designation.
11. Gone is the problematic capacitance touch bar, replaced with positive touch switches.
12. Gone is finicky Optimus switching, replaced with a simple dedicated GPU switch.
13. mSATA SuperRAID 2, is replaced with M.2 SuperRAID 3, increasing speed, and the capacity of the RAID set.
14. Killer Doubleshot Pro, wherein Ethernet and Wireless can be used independently, or simultaneously for improved bandwidth.
15. Due to the overall re-design, a more intuitive gaming experience.
16. And finally, the AWESOME NVidia GTX-980M w/ 8GB GDDR5!

Who amongst you dares to Dominate with the next great 'Weapon Of Mass Destruction'? Join me! Gear Up! Git ur' battle-kit squared away, and I'll see ya on the battlefield!

ENJOY!

 

Well, here it is..... the MSI GT72-2QE Dominator Pro-208US! Essentially, this notebook is equally equipped as the previously reviewed, GT72 2PE-007US, with one major exception..... the awesome NVidia GTX-980M. As such, I will be using my thoughts of the previous 880M model..... amending these where appropriate. As to unboxing photos, essentially everything is the same, so please review the photos HERE.

So, here it is.....

It's Bold, it's Bad, it's Fast, it's Powerful, and honestly, there is not much, not to like about this notebook. Also at present, this notebook is fully MXM upgradable, and for a single GPU solution, it really doesn't get much better than this.

This model uses the same Chi Mei CMN1735 screen, which has good brightness, color, and contrast. Previously, I criticized this screen for lack of viewing angles, but interestingly enough, this is not the case with this notebook. The Steelseries keyboard is indeed flex-free, keys are very positive and responsive, and the back-lighting is brighter..... which I attribute to the keyboard's re-design. Looks and feels great!

As to performance, the benchmarks below attest to the GT72's awesomeness, so what about noise, and the redesigned dual-fan cooling solution?

Simply put, it is quieter than the GT70, has a better fan profile, and temps are well managed. Given the hardware, of course you will hear the fans spin up when the system is stressed, but this is not at all disturbing..... and when doing common task, the fans are only noticed if you get close and cozy with the system. Ambient room temperature were again 78F, and the system's idle temps were CPU@36C, and GPU@33C. Without the use of Cooler Booster ('stock' fan profile only), during benchmarks the highest CPU temp reached was 73C, and the GPU only reached a high of 70C. Throughout, the palm rest remains cool to the touch, it's polymer is smooth as glass, and it's surface is seamless across the touchpad. Only a mild warmth rises from the keyboard.

That said, how does the new GTX-980M (Maxwell GM204) stack up in the benchmarks, as compared to the previous GTX-880M (Kepler GK104)?

Significantly improved in both performance and efficiency, the GTX-980M excels over the GTX-880M as follows:

1.) Vantage score improves by 3651, while GPU temp reduced by 10 degrees-C (18F), and the CPU by 5 degrees-C (9F).
2.) 3DMark11 score improves by 2292, while GPU temp reduced by 10 degrees-C (18F), and the CPU by 9 degrees-C (16F).
3.) 3DMark Sky Diver score improves by 4228, while GPU temp reduced by 16 degrees-C (29F), and the CPU by 8 degrees-C (14F).

It should be noted that the factory release 344.00 driver was used for these benchmarks, and the 980M is yet to be recognised in FutureMarks validation process. Performance scores should improve with future NVidia driver release packages. Also, this 2nd-GEN Maxwell was manufactured still using the 28nm process, and efficiency will further improve with future Maxwell's, as this process is reduced.

So what about SuperRAID 3, is it fast? Oh YEAH! Performance exceeds SuperRAID 2, as expected, and system boots to desktop in as little as 6 to 7 seconds. HD Tune Pro reports an average read time for the Toshiba M.2 SSD's, as 1530MB/s..... while the previous SuperRAID 2 Sandisk X100 mSATA SSD's averaged 1411MB/s. On the other hand, SuperRAID 3 really shines in the Crystal Disk Mark scores. To best evaluate the 'Real-World' performance of SuperRAID 3, I again used the PCMark 8 Storage Test. For those unfamiliar with this benchmark, the performance score of 5016 is very respectible. The duration of this benchmark is generally 1 to 3 hours, and the GT72 sped through in just 1 hour and 16 minutes. All in all, I applaud MSI's use of the new M.2 SSD's, but I think performance will most improve with future 9-Series Intel chipsets.

At this point I conducted an audit of the systems storage capability, and all audits (including Intel's IRST) reports a total of 6 SATA ports, distributed as follows:

Port 0 = M.2 SSD, SATA III @ 6Gbs
Port 1 = M.2 SSD, SATA III @ 6Gbs
Port 2 = ODD, SATA II @ 3Gbs
Port 3 = HDD, SATA II @ 3Gbs (NOTE: MSI has installed a SATA III, 6Gbs HDD on this port)
Port 4 = M.2 SSD, SATA III @ 6Gbs
Port 5 = M.2 SSD, SATA III @ 6Gbs

This will undoubtedly come as somewhat a disappointment, to those desiring faster alternative storage devices to ports #2 & #3.

it is when gaming, that you understand the mastery of it's intuitive design. The re-designed flex-free keyboard, the large smooth & heat-free palm rest, the spatial Dynaudio speakers, and vivid display, all lend to an immersive gaming experience. So much so, I found myself playing my test game far longer than originally intended, and playing on this notebook is simply FUN!

To run the GT72 through it's paces, I again chose the recently released AMD optimized title, Sniper Elite III, by Rebellion. With game settings max'ed to 'Ultra', the GTX-980M smoothly sliced through the frames like a hot knife to butter, with frame-rates from 45 to 94FPS, averaging at 65FPS. Game play was extremely smooth and fluid, and never a hic-cup or artifact. Also, just as benchmark scores should improve in time, I anticipate frame rates will improve, as more mature future drivers are released.

To best represent the 'Out-of-the-Box' experience, I played with the stock fan profile, and Cooler Booster was never used. Like with my benchmark testing, the fan noise was not disturbing, and game audio though the Dynaudio speakers easily comes to the forefront. Fan noise was never a distraction. Temps of the GPU peaked to 75C, and the CPU peaked at 61C. Again, with hardware like this, and without the use of Cooler Booster, these temps are outstanding.... and the new dual fan design is a success!

In conclusion, the look and feel is very stylish, build quality is nice, and the smooth finish is actually somewhat fingerprint resistant. Overall, with these great looks, it's fully loaded system specs, and stellar performance scores, the MSI GT72 Dominator Pro (with 980M) not only entitles bragging rights..... it DEMANDS them!

Enjoy!

















The following screenshots are the benchmark results using NVidia's new 344.24 driver release. Rather than performance, the focus of this release was implementing new Maxwell features, and game optimization..... ergo, these scores were actually slightly lower. Again, the ambient temp was 78F. Future drivers should improve performance levels.





Information on NVidia's new GTX-980M:





To take the 980M through it's paces, I allowed the Unigine benchmarks to loop 5 times, prior to actually running these benchmarks. This stressed the card to 100% for a considerable period, yet max temp never exceeded 75C.





PCMark 8 Storage Test, and Creative benchmark scores are EXCELLENT!






Enjoy!

 

My my, someone has been playing with a 980m bad boy huh?

Are you going to try OCing?

 

Yes Sir! NVidia just release the 3rd driver today..... now it's 344.24...... none have work so far, and I'm about to test this one.... fingers crossed!



EDIT: YEE HAW! NVidia is on the ball this go-round! Just ran NV Experience, and it detects and installs 344.24. The notebook arrived with 344.00..... anyhow, I'm back to benchmarking to see how the new driver improves performance.

 

Congrats Striker! Be sure to take your time and have all the benches you need! I am afraid with the huge influx of posts coming up, some might not even notice this thread haha

 

Man the performance and temps are insane. WOW!
@ -=$tR|k3r=- I'm surprised you didn't get one with a 4980HQ.
Comparing fan noise levels/profiles with the "older" GT72 880M is the 980M powered model quieter or the same?
Is the screen the same, I know the first GT72 had a good screen but viewing could have been better, how are the viewing angles on the 208 PRO model?
I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this thread for sure, keep the benches coming -=$tR|k3r=-
And like Rezyki mentioned did you try OCing yet?
Congrats and I think I just found my next laptop

 

Screen is the same, the 4980hq models are delayed while they are fitted with ips displays.

 

Any chance you get options to upgrade to a IPS display or is it just for the 4980HQ models?

 

What's the game called in the first picture? Looks intense!

 

Is the 4980 much better than the 4710?

 

About 10+ %

 

What model will keep the 970M cooled the most under heavy load? The GS Ghost Pro or the GT72 Dominator ? Or the new Asus G751?
Big difference in temps?

 

GT72 is KING and has the best cooling
GS60 has no problems at all cooling the 970m (970m is a cool running card)
if you are getting 970m GS60 is 100% fine no throttle/overheat/etc
if you want 980m then GT72 is the best option, also asus cards has less VRAM than GT72

 

Thanks,

Really helpful.

Are u sure the Asus G751 will offer a 980M with less VRAM than the 980M in the GT72?

Also, can anyone compare the noise levels between the Asus G751 and the new GT72 Dominator?

 

MSI selling 900M upgrade kits and giving tutorial on installation.

That's pretty unprecedented.

edit: and at the end of the video, he promises that it will be upgradeable to the next generation of cards.

 

It seems like a 985M might be released in 2015

 

I agree, and it definitely makes the GT72 series very appealing due to official support for GPU change. Considering these CPUs are quite capable, it make sense to have the option for next gen GPUs if possible.

Agreed! Cooling performance in GT72 is exceptional. Watching the video reviews, even GS kept its cooling in place. During GentechPC's noise test without turbo fan you can see the low decibels when testing!

Xotic's and Gentech also show the low temps the machine gets. Not only internally but externally. So far I am getting quite interested in GT72!

 

Depends what you intend to do but I'll be showing just how kuch fun the 4710 will be

 

Anandtech said that the 4710 bottlenecks the 980, and that worries me because a gt72 with the 4980 is very expensive

 

Hi Guys,

For those interested, in post #2 ( HERE) I've added 980M specific info, and new benchmark screenshots with NVidia's new 344.24 driver.

No, no 4980HQ this time, and the 4710HQ is actually a nice performer. I decided to save a few pennies this go-round, and also build a new GTX-980 DT..... plus, a little birdie advised I go all-out with my next MSI flagship, when Intel Gen 5, and Intel Series-9 are released. Noise levels are about the same..... very good..... and even though this screen is the same model, viewing angles are better..... see HERE. No, I have not OC'ed as of yet, preferring to show folks what they can expect in their default 'out-of-the-box' experience. I'm sure OC'ing will be great, due to MSI power management features, the improved 230W PA, and Maxwell's design is sure to provide more headroom over the Kepler design. I'll get to this in time, but for now, I have a lot of work to do supporting the new GT72 threads. I'm sure we'll see much OC data soon.

As far as the Asus models, yes less VRAM, but also as of late, Asus has had a habit of using proprietary non-MXM GPU's. On the other hand, MSI uses the MXM standard, and as of the GT72, MSI provides GPU upgrade kits, and guarantee's future upgradability.... making the choice of MSI, a 'no-brainer' in my opinion. Also, if anyone does an honest 'apples to apples' comparison, MSI will win on other merits, as well.

Yes, this is truly unprecedented, and this is another example demonstrating MSI's commitment to the gaming community. I applaud MSI for this, and I know MSI values our feedback.

 

To me this is a bit misleading, as CPU intensive game code is normally challenging for most PC's. Though I have not benchmarked all games, I believe the 4710HQ is apt to the task. Would I choose the 4710HQ for benchmarking or OC challenges? No, but this does not encompass the field of most users, and most will be very impressed with this set-up, experiencing fluid gameplay in a notebook. You'll Like!

 

I really really doubt that the i7 4710hq bottlenecks the 980m. Using Intel XTU and running at 3.5ghz, the best you can hope to gain with a higher end CPU is what.. 10% extra fps? I don't think Anandtech's current preview is indicative of the performance this new GT72 can bring to the table. Updating drivers and adding extra 200mhz to the CPU will show it's true power!

 

LOL! Agreed, I am also doubtful, and to me it's trivial. I wasn't going to challenge Anandtech..... don't have the time, nor is it worth it. Most would say "XTU What?", and most will not need it. No doubt performance levels will improve in time, and this is MSI's best offering yet. I'm satisfied and happy! But I always appreciate your input, and I think you hit the nail on the head. Thanks Ryzeki!

 

I think merely 5% is the truth, the difference on the CPUs is quite small after all and the GPU is the dominating factor.

 

Can tell me how tdp use 980m?

 

Striker, it would be nice if you tell us about the noise level under heavy load; maybe while running a visually rich 2014 AAA game at ultra settings?

If you can benchmark it against the Asus G750 that would be ideal. I will buy the one that cools better than the other, and produces less noise.

Many Thanks
Ron

 

Any word on if the 980 will work with the older GT70's (the dragon 2 style?) or is the 980 just for these newer MSI's only?

 

Without proper BIOS support it will be highly unlikely it would work.

 

I have ordered the new GT72. Should get it soon, my supplier has ordered it apparently.

I would like to see what the Battery performance is like when using the Intel integrated graphics card. screen brightness and keyboard lighting turned off etc. See how much we can get out of the laptop doing non-gaming stuff.

Does anyone know where one can buy another 128GB Toshiba SSD to go with the one it already somes with? I can't seem to find them to buy online.

 

There is no official support for the 900 series in the previous Dominator/Pro laptops that originally came with the 800 series. Not saying its impossible but you won't see MSI supporting it.

 

with the new gt72 you think i need a cooling pad?

 

No, but it doesn't hurt and maybe with a cooling pad you might be able to OC if you decide to.

 

i got mine yesterday i got the ghetto 211 version with 16g ram and 1 128 ssd...
before this laptop i had a 16f3 with a 3940xm and 680m, before that a 16f2 with 580m, before that the legendary gx640 with 5850.

picked up at newegg will-call in southern california. just took her apart to drop in moar storage. previously i bought whitebooks via provantage or from xotic (who always treated me well), but i moved to socal recently and have been shopping at newegg since 2001 and figured this was a good excuse to go see the magic warehouse. service was as expected- prompt, efficient and friendly. if u wana laugh my first purchase at newegg was radeon Le 32mb ddr with tv out for 100$.

i had an msi rep confirm you can open the retail bought laptop without voiding warranty (there is a warranty sticker in the way, covering a screw, which may puzzle some people) , but if you break something physically in there due to fat-fingering etc, the warranty won't cover that physical damage.

gt 72 is is way better aesthetic design than the gt60 and 16f2/f3/f4 line. design wise i feel they went back to an aesthetic resembling gx640 --- smoother, more subdued, more metal, less plastic etc. all you gota do is stickerize the back to cover the dragon

17" is way better than 15". watching stuff is just easier on the eyes on this screen. for those that complain about TN - unless viewing angles are really that big of a deal , or you like to haul your laptop to play games outdoors; get a colorimeter and you might stop complaining. i was a skeptic, but now i have seen the light. imho 1 colorimeter is a way better investment than 1 good monitor. unless viewing angles are that big of a deal, calibrated tn looks as good or better than an uncalibrated ips, and you can reuse your colorimeter on as many computers/monitors as you want. not trying to sway people, but consider your options for the $.

as far as cpu's ---i was VERY surprised to find it welded on. this gave me immediate concern since i bought the "slower" 4710 and not the 4890. especially coming from a 3940xm. well i was wrong. due to the better cooling in this chassis, the 4710 is about as fast. while i dont have an apples to apples for you guys, on 3dmark the 4710 scores 29.42 fps while the 3940xm scored 31.12 fps in the physics test which is cpu bound. this isn't even 10% less frame rate, just 10% slower performance in a completely cpu bound scenario. IMHO i dont think the 4710 will hold back the gpu in 90% of the games (there is always that really crappy game port every few years which seems to need 4ghz to run at 30fps, but in that case even the 4980 might not be enough). the difference seems to be the cooling-- in the gt72 the cpu basically always runs at a top turbo frequencies, while in the 16f3 the cpu ran at stock or low turbo frequencies in bursts. anandtech may update their findings when we read the full review of the machine. their game performance preview did not touch upon throttling which is all the difference in the world, for people who play games for hours at a time, instead of people who benchmark games for shorter periods of time.

here are links to the above results- check under advanced results for the physics tests
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-4710HQ,Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. MS-1781
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3940XM,Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. MS-16F3

Noise and temp-- after the 16f3, the gt72 is very quiet. i'll say its 1/2 as loud as 16f3 under load..i dont have a way to measure so thats a "perception" stat. i definitely have to try and hear the gt72 as opposed to knowing the 16f3 heat seems to be way better. i dont have objective measurement, but i live in Socal where it has been 81-95 F ambient during the last week here in Venice Beach area. my 16f3 used to hit 100c on cpu all the time, but the gt72 cpu never hit 100c. . i dont have AC, so this is an empirical observation rather than a controlled lab test.

pleasant surprise- the RAM slots which are used (16gb) are under the keyboard, so the remaining 2 slots are easily accessible for upgrade, right under the cover, without having to disassemble down to the keyboard.

odd surprise- i tried to swap the BD drive for a hdd caddy, only to find out the slot wont take 12.5mm caddys, it must need a 9.5mm or similar. got one ordered for tomorrow.

ugly surprise-- when i set mine to high performance power profile via the msi app, it went to sleep sometime laterafter i went afk and never came back. this happened several times. it needed a cold start everytime. i fixed the issue by disabling hibernate in power options. was surprised this was enabled out the box.

so far 9/10. this thing rox. totally worth the $ i paid imho

 

Which CPU is better i7-4980HQ or i7- 4940MX?

 

The 4980HQ is embedded, has 2 MB less cache, and is not certified as an Extreme Edition processor..... ergo 1/2 the price.

Compare Intel® Products

 

Any news about these gpu upgrade kits and where to buy them?
And the old GT70 sould be able to support the Maxwell, maybe not officially though, but there are new GT60/70 released with Maxwell gpu : http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00175670.html

Performance test : http://www.anandtech.com/show/8605/msi-gt72-dominator-pro-performance-preview/3
Nice card, as expected, destroys the GTX 880M. Still pretty far from the GTX 970, I expected a closer gap (actually depends on the game, sometime close (Batman), sometime far (Bioshock Infinite)

 

Hi Guys,

It's still a work in progress, but I've added a lot of new GT72 info to the thread's lead post..... HERE!

Enjoy!

 

Thanks. I have not experienced the 16f3 so what is half as loud really like? Are the fans annoying during long hours of heavy games at max settings? How audible are they?

 

Thanks for the review, DILLIGAFF, and thanks for the updated info in the OP, Striker!

 

I see Gentech has the MSI GT72 DominatorPro-444 GTX980M IPS Screen and MSI GT72 DominatorPro-445 GTX980M IPS Screen available for Pre-Ordering

GenTech PC - Systems

If you don't know all the details about the ISP technology here'a a link with some info.
IPS panel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LCD Monitors IPS vs TN Panel difference - YouTube

 

So just so I have this clear, the main difference between the 4700 and the 4710 is the 4710 is soldered on and 100mhz faster? Thats the only difference?

 

The 4700 and 4710 isn't the important part, The MQ and HQ designator shows whether it's socketed or not. MQ means socketed and upgradable. HQ means not socketed and attached to the board.

 

So I saw the upgrade kit...I bought a GT72 a few months ago...ultimately I would like to do the upgrade but I really am not confident in doing it without voiding the warrenty. Any idea...


1) How much the kit will cost, and
2) Where I could get the upgrade done so that the warrenty is not voided....


Thanks in advance

 

I was just trying to figure out if the performance of the 4710 was actually a tad better then the 4700 or if its too close to call. My 4700 seems to run everything just fine. Even games like Bf4 where it touches all 8 threads from time to time seems to not even put a dent in the 4700 and was wondering if on the CPU side of things, going from the 4700 to the 4710 was worth is. I know going from a 780m to the 980m is a pretty nice hop but I might just skip this gen seeing as the 780m seems to still be a nice card.

 

the 16f3 and gt60/gt70 -- these machines have 1 fan for cpu and gpu. under "game" load, during quieter parts of games i can hear the fan with my earbuds in my ears. other people across the room ask what the noise is and why its there and if it can be lowered. the noise was somewhat "whiny" as well making it easy to perceive. some website reported constant noise under load of 55+ DB


with gt72, i cannot hear any fan noise with earbuds in my ears, and people across the room do not say anything about the noise, and commented how its way better than my older laptop. when i take off earbuds i can definitely hear the "whirl" of fans but its not "whiny"...i would say it is similar to a desktop card under "game" load for the gt72. ( from what i can remember of a desktop card----my last being a amd 5870 1gb a few years back with the "blower" style cooler). so the noise is way better, but it's not 100% silent under game load.

one big "positive" caveat emptor (FIY)-- noise changes and usually improves with BIOS updates. back when i just got my 16f3, noise was terrible with the laptop hitting 100% fan speed all the time, but 6 months worth of BIOS updates made it tolerable. while the "100% load" noise was still huge, gaming noise was much improved due to refined fan curves being updated. i suspect the gt72 will have similar future, being a very new chassis only a few months old, I expect to see noise improve over time in various situations as we get new bioses.

check the full review at anandtech or similar when they post it for the exact numbers.


also since tdp of 980m is similar to 880m, reviews like these should be relatively indicative (I.E: similar) of what to expect:
MSI GT72 Notebook Review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews
those people have a temp/noise section at the bottom with numbers.

one thing that really struck me last night- i was watching hockey via nhl gamecenter and the puck was so much easier to see on the 17" screen, rather than a 15", i was amazed. i mean i actually saw the puck cross the goal-line as it happened when vrbata of vancouver scored. with my old 15" i always had to watch the replay to see the exact goal, but with the bigger screen it was easy to see it the first time without really trying or squinting. even tho it's only 2" on paper the difference in real life feels like you are getting an extra 1/2 square foot of screen. they should advertise these screen sizes in other ways besides the one number to get this point across. eye opening experience- pun intended

 

The CPU difference would be negligible and not noticeable in gaming, especially when you consider any games that don't tax the 4700 to its fullest as it is. The 980M has considerable advantages over the 780M, but yes, the 780M is still a very competent and capable chip. You're fine with it for quite some time!

 

The estimated timeframe on availability and pricing, is December 2014..... and no, you will not void the warranty, provided nothing is damaged, and the job is done competently. If this is a task you are uncomfortable with, I would suggest you have the work done by a specialist, or one of our forum friendly notebook resellers. The MXM upgrade video is available HERE, if you need to watch it again..... and here is the 'Born To Upgrade' site page.

Enjoy!

 

Just ordered my 210 from XoticPC yesterday. Always have built my own desktop PC's but I don't like being back in my office while my wife is sitting on the sofa watching TV. I like to hang out with her. Figured this is the way to do it. Also, she's started to get back into gaming so who knows, maybe I'll be getting another soon. Excited to see it come in and see what it can do. Once it comes in, if enough people haven't beaten me to it, I'll post some thoughts on it.

 

Even if enough people are already owners, it is always good to hear input from new owners

 

So i'm pretty sure i'm going to be selling the two laptops in my sig for a GT72 with the 980M. Now the question is what model of GT72 to go for! I'll definitely post back here when my decision is made and when I receive the new laptop. Can't wait to start seeing some owners impressions!