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

My friend and I were testing his GT72 out with a 4710HQ and 980M config. We ran fire strike extreme 1.1, sky diver, heaven unigine, unigine valley, and played some CSGO and SC2 together. We couldn't get anything past 69C in either the CPU or GPU. We did some more of the same benchmarks except this time we had the laptop right against the wall to block the cooling. 71C was the highest I've ever seen on the GT72 and I think that was on the CPU.

We did not turn on turbo boost 3 the entire time.

That said, my GT60-2OD with a 4800MQ and 780M frequently hits mid 90s on both CPU and GPU every night and performance hasn't dropped at all since I got it in Feb. Ran 3D Mark 11 a few weeks ago and got a better score than previously lol (probably due to driver updates).

 

Hi community,

even subscribed here and this is my 1st post, i read something in the past replies, really interesting and a bunch of information. So at first i wanna say thanks for that. Please apologize if my English is not the best i´m from oversea. And sorry if I´m in the incorrect thread here but i dont think so (cause no 970M in the device).

I received a GT72 Dominator yesterday ( non IPS panel, 4710, 8GB, 970M ... ) which will get the following updates this weekend (additional 8GB memory, Crucial 550 m2 SATA 512GB, Crucial M4 2.5" drive 512GB from my old laptop)

I´m right with this?:
- the 2.5" slot for HDD and the optical drive is SATA II only (there´s no way to get full SATA III speed?)
- the m2 Raid @ NGFF Adaptor for Samsung PGX941 something does not make sense cause this NGFF SSD did not get full speed (someone on page fifty something posted images about to use this combination)
- the m2 SSD Slots also support AHCI (means non RAID) too?



and got some questions about:
- can i setup 2x m2 SSD´s for RAID and 2x m2 SSDs for AHCI? If so, how?
- does any BIOS update make any sense for the GT72 / what are the benefit´s for that?
- where i can find the best actual stable ( non beta) drivers for the 970M, the MSI ones ? maybe looks like i has to wait until nVidia pick it up in the repositorys ?
- is there any "replacemend optical drive bay with 2.5" something" available ? If so can anyone provide a link?
- can i lower FAN Speed in "intel graphics only mode" and "green/eco" max energysafe mode when i use this or did the fan always run?
- is there anyone out running a linux (with intel mode only) and does it run ok (performance, fanspeed etc.)

Thanks and regards,
aVa

 

I'd like to know as well. I read somewhere that the HDD slot is SATA 3.

When I eventually replace the default SSDs with my own x4 M2s, I'll have to reinstall. So is there an MSi installation guide? Can we install nVidia drivers or do we always stick with MSi?

 

To answer the nvidia or msi drivers. I've been installing nvidia drivers since I got mine. Gonna update to latest version soon. Just been too busy to do so. I also put in a crucial 960gb ssd into the hdd slot. I'll test the speed out and post them asap.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I need some quick help with this guys. Please can someone say something about it? I don't have much time left in US.

Thanks in advance.

 

Has anyone used the Windows 10 Technical Preview with the GT72? Considering giving it go and seeing what it feels like. I am upgrading my mSATA drives so I have to re install windows anyways. I'm guessing there is a least some stability issues. It isn't my only laptop, and I understand the risks, just wondering what others have experienced and if it is worth it at this stage?

 

210 comes with 2 128gb ssd and 24gb ram raided
211 comes with 1 128gb ssd and 16gb ram non raided

thats where the price difference comes from.

here is a comparison via newegg:
Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more - Newegg.com


frysie as far as new 512gb ssd or adapters to a 2.5" ssd...

either way you will need to clone os....as soon as you take one of the raided m.2 drives out, the raid will completely stop working there wont be an auto rebuild-- rebuild functionality does not apply to our raid type (type 0). you can probably get a 30 day trial of Acronis or another drive imaging tool to make an OS image which will allow you to clone the drive.

i dont think m.2 to Msata converter is preferable in this particular laptop--- msata adapter is wider than a m.2. as soon as you add 1 msata converter you sacrifice the adjacent m.2 slot. imho if you are gona convert convert to regular sata to support 2.5" drive, similar to what i did. look at this dude's setup back on page 62- http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi...o-gtx-980m-owner-s-lounge-62.html#post9831288 adjacent m.2 slot is blocked due to msata.

as far as deciding which choice is "better", this somewhat depends on whats important to you and if you have any parts to reuse.

If you have a large 2.5" ssd, then buy the converters and clone OS to it.

If you dont have a large ssd already...

if Long term Performance is your top concern-- buy converters, use/buy a fast 2.5" ssd like Samsung 850Pro and clone OS to it.
If Long Term Capacity is your top concern-- i would probably buy the M.2 crucial ssd, clone OS to it, and then buy the converters and use them to add a 2.5" 2tb HDD.

if money is no object, then run with 3 512gb m.2 ssd AND then use the converters to add a 1tb 2.5" ssd. then clone your os onto whichever is the fastest ssd

either way you will be left with one or more 128gb m.2 ssds to sell

as far as my own rig-- i am now up to 2 crucial 512 M.2 drives (game sizes have gone up and one 512 was not enough), the converters are still in there running fine. so the hdd are the 2 2tb 2.5" drives, and the original 1tb 2.5"

i also added 16gb ram for total of 32. the ram i originally linked to on amazon works perfect at 1600. timings are exact match to the ones that came with laptop:
Kingston Technology 8GB 1600MHz DDR3L (PC3-12800) 1.35V Non-ECC CL11 SODIMM Intel Laptop Memory KVR16LS11/8 at Amazon.com.

now i have no reason to open the laptop

for those really curious i got BitLocker running on my os on crucial m.2 without TPM (you will need win 8.1 PRO or VL or ENT to run bitlocker). its a bit of a pita without TPM- i have to type a password on every bootup, but other than that small annoyance it seems to work well. the encryption process took 5-10 minutes with the 512gb drive about half full. i will try and update post with crystal benches to quantify how big the performance hit is (in theory the ssd supports hardware encryption).

bitlocker does not seem to reduce performance at all.


compare that with non encrypted:




i also posted these benchmarks and a link to the samsung pm851 sm841 here http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi...o-gtx-980m-owner-s-lounge-16.html#post9799973

 

Does anyone who bought the IPS version can share the brightness test? Since I saw the review that the brightness in TN version is not so good. What about the IPS one, is it improved or not? Thanks.

 

I don't have the tool for the brightness test but man it's amazing screen quality and the angle viewing is close to 85 degrees

 

Here are the speeds for the SSD's
512GB Crucial m.2 SSD


960GB Crucial SSD that was placed into the HDD slot


There is a major speed drop, I know that the 960GB is capable of far faster speeds.

 

Hdd slot is sata2

 

Does anyone here own the GT72 that comes with a higher spec of CPU? Something like the i7 4980HQ?

If so, what are the temps and scores you get for benchmarks?

 

Just got my GT72 with 980M got 12.5k in 3D Mark 11, max temps were 71C and I was amazed how cool the idle temps were for GPU and CPU.

Currently copying over my storage to the "new" 1TB drive that came with it. Looking forward to trying some games.

 

I would love to know exactly what adapters you used. And if you could add a picture or two of your hdd /sdd setup would be great thanks. I was starting to look into it how to get 2 x 2tb 2.5" running without touching the optical drive.

 

adapters:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi...o-gtx-980m-owner-s-lounge-52.html#post9817915

the only change from those pictures i made, was i flipped the "hacked" 2.5" around it's axis, so that the white label on that hdd is facing the laptop inside and not the lid you remove. this allowed easier filling of the last m.2 slot with my other crucial 512 i bought last week. its just that the plugs on the 2.5" drive are not in the middle , so the flipped orientation allows allows for easier clearance for the power and sata cables over top of the the m.2 drive thats now in place. i did not take a new pic , but i edited an old pic to illustrate the concept:



4980:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi...dominator-pro-gtx-980m-owner-s-lounge-59.html

 

So you were able to fit 3 m.2 in and the adapter. Or 2 m.2 plus the ssd?

 

Hi all, I´ve been reading through this post and couldn´t find the info I was looking for so I hope you could answer.

I´m planning on getting a GT72(970m) with no SSD. My plan is to install the SSD after but I´m not sure if it will come with the bracket to mount the m.2 SSD. Any info on this?

I could get a GT70 with same specs and price, except for the fact that it has 256 SSD. Is the difference in performance really noticeable? Bear in mind that I live in a hot country so ambient temperature would be an issue. What other pros (apart from the cooling) would the GT72 have over the GT70?

Thank you all!

 

3 m.2 ssd in the bracket and 3, 2.5" hard drives all fit at the same time. that area with red outline now holds crucial 512 m.2

now the only way to fit more is to replace the 128gb m.2 ssd or the 1tb 2.5" hard drive.

maybe next year they will have 1tb+ m.2 ssds and 3tb+ 2.5" drives?

 

1 Tb ssd 1x 512 m.2 and 2x 128gb m.2 should last me a while.... Stock 1tb SATA 2 hdd....

Thanks mate... Appreciate it

 

The cooling difference between the GT72 and the GT70 is around 15-20Cs so it's a significant difference. Apart from that, the GT72 has a dedicated GPU button (this bypasses Nvidia Optimus which can sometimes be frustrating to sort out if your system randomly decides to force integrated GPU), a different keyboard, and more lights.

 

I just got muh MSI GT72 2QD and can't find the official thread for it, so i apologize first for askin here

Does anyone have a guide on how to overclock the GTX970M GPU? Not too Extreme but high enough to be at least close to the GTX980M

Thankies o/

 

At the moment use msi afterburner to increase the clocks +135mhz on the core and around +400mhz on the ram (final 1450mhz actual or a data rate of 5800mhz) and that's it.

There are no vbios mods at the moment to unlock more sophisticated options.

 

Thank you very much, this has been quite helpful. Now, regarding the choice of SSD, I know that the bracket to support the M.2 drives is removable and I am concerned that it won´t be included in my laptop. Is there any case of that happening?

If it is the case maybe I would consider replacing the HDD instead. Any other solutions?

Thank you again for your help.

 

There are 2 model of that: one with the bracket, one without. Someone in this thread bought it in UK got the bracket, while some others are convinced that it is not included.

Regards

 

Thanks for your answer mate, I suppose that I´ll go for the GT72 and wait to see whether it comes with the m.2 bracket or not.

In the meantime, does having an SSD really have an impact on gaming performance? Apart from reducing time on load screens, is there another major impact?

 

I bought my Dominator Pro-211 from Newegg about a month ago and already have 3 dead, black pixels???????

 

Nope. SSDs in general improve speeds when reading/writing. Gaming performance should be very similar to identical using a mechanical hardrive. Depending on the game, you might load it up much faster, and on others, you will be basically the same.

SSDs greatly improve the user experience of the laptop, but not necessarily gaming.

 

Check the policy regarding dead pixel warranty and contact newegg about it. Personally I don't know the dead pixel policy of the GT72.

 

Thankies so much o/

 

Not really, mostly just the loading time. But it does produce less heat and noise compare to HDD, and if the laptop got knocked over somehow, SSD is less likely to be damaged than the HDD.

Regards

 

@ m2 bracket,
i bought the smallest MSI GT72 / 970M / 8GB Memory / FreeDOS / 1TB no SSD and no OS in germany, i asked MSI before if the m2 4 x Bracked is included, MSI claims it´s in all GT72 available so thats my stand about the adaptor.

So the mount is inside the item, i placed a Crucial 550 512GB into it (best price for GB and good performance) and it works well. Later i will raise up some further 512GB SSD´s if required. Not yet sure if I set up a RAID in cause of data-health over performance and ~ 500MB read/write is enough for me.

Also i would prefer the GT72 over the GT70 in every single point (got a GT70 from a other manufacturer too) somebody asked about this, there´s just no expressCard Slot in the GT72 but - for what...

@ Performance, with HDD only (HGST 1TB) so i had a lot of slow downs in Battlefield 3 and other 3D stuff where a bunch of textures are required "in time" (you appear in a scene with "very wide view" such things), since the SSD is installed and the HDD is out, i do not have anything like that again.

But I heard about you can deactivate any mechanical HDD spindown which may be the reason for slowdowns like this, i did not tested this cause HDD went out, but i will definitely prefer a SSD over a HDD in every case (but not for saving data, just for performance, OS Apps and games, but saving data redundant to external HDD or server).

Overclocking the 970M is from my perspective not yet required, i guess in future driver releases and maybe any newer BIOS or stuff there may be a performance boost too. But if you wanna overclock it (maybe any voltage regulations possible in future) from physical side i think it´s more than engough room, i hope also on the 970M and the memory dont know about TDP but mine not went over 75°C

About the display issues on non-glossy Screen, in nVidia mode and BLACK video/game there stripes over the display, but you can fix this by using nvidia color calibration (and also you can verify there are non "stripes in black scenes" in the intel GPU mode), so that´s not up on the display itself but up on the drivers or calibration of nVidia. Weird that nobody recognized or fixed this before release from MSI or nVidia side.

Overall, i would definitely give the GT72 9 out of 10 points, why just 9 ? -0.5 point for the pricing in direct compare to the ASUS GJ751 which includes for 100 bugs more a OS and a small SSD and IPS Display (not sure but i think so), -0.5 points as there 2 SATA II ports only. In all other aspects the GT72 is such a nice device, really silent, very nice touchpad and keyboard, very good port stuff (not on right side) nice haptic, good performance, i really like this thing.


Regards

 

How many connectors are available? You said 2 sata II, but do you include the optical drive aswell? Basically I want to know if I can get a 2,5" SSD in there, alongside the HDD.
Ty

 

1 x SATA II from optical drive
1 x SATA II from 2.5" (HDD for example)
4 x m2 SSD

It was in focus of the "possibility" to use a HDD caddy instead of the optical drive.

Regards,
aVa

 

Thanks for the reply.
Btw, where did you buy it? I was looking at getting 1 with the same specs, but when I contacted a store in Austria, they replied with "Der M.2 Raid-Adpater ist in diesem Modell nicht verbaut". (not included)

 

The Intel chipset does not actually support any more sata connections so no one can offer more than this without third party controllers.

 

I m from germany and bought it for 1199 EUR in a MediaMarkt (17" freedos version 8GB and 1TB HDD) the price includes a local voucher campange -200EUR and 100EUR (so the real price is 1499 EUR and the item comes fro Holland)

I guess the store does not know if this adaptor is included or not, also they wont open it, also i think they will force higher priced models and would not give any incorrect reply to you and say "not included" (best case then: included, spoken for their side) but in the MSI Forum (german) a guy posted the SKU Numbers and PDF files which contains a bunch of information, but not much sellers did sell their goods providing the SKU number of the item itself so there you also see the 4720 processors partially also have a IPS/WideScreenView display.

Datenblätter zu aktuellen MSI-Notebooks zum Download - Notebooks und Barebone Systeme - MSI Forum

Check this out, i replied there as Silverseraph, there also some further information in german language maybe they will help, also in focus of the adaptor in different threads there. So i guess for 99% this adaptor is included in the non-SSD versions cause make no sense to sell without (if your not a re-seller who customize stuff).

Regards,
aVa

 

Does anyone know a program that can control the laptops fans? "I cant use Msi Afterburner¨s fan control for some reason".
When i¨m in a quiet place like at the library in my school, the fans are constantly somewhat noisy on light usage. I¨m only surfing the web and writing a document, and the temps are around 30C on the cpu and gpu.

 

I checked the the site you linked, and found the model that the store is selling, GT72-2QD81FD_001781-SKU14, but I don't actually see where it says anything about the adapter
I agree that it wouldn't make sense to sell without the adapter, but how often do you see companies use common sense
Sorry if I'm hard to convince, I just don't want to spend 1500euro on a laptop, and then not be able to use it like i want. And if the adapter happened to not be included, I doubt I could just find it anywhere.

Guess I'll just toss a coin...

 

Is there any change of the 2710hq models getting an IPS display?

 

I have the same SKU on the UPC/EAN label on my retail Box of my GT72 (1781-SKU14) -my box came from Holland and was never opened from the re-seller. Also they won´t open the notebook itself cause else they brick the warrantly label. My device contains this 4 x m2-SATA slot and i have absolutely no logical sense why MSI should not include this into this laptop. Also i cannot find any reply in the internet where this part was missing (for a item which comes from MSI @ reseller @ customer directly)

Regards
aVa

 

That is great to hear. Since I haven't found any info for this specific SKU, the fact that you can confirm the adapter is in yours, really pushes me even more into buying one
Thanks

 

Forgive me if this has been addressed already.

Sometimes when I leave my GT72 (970M) on and the screen (and only the screen) turns off after the 10 minute timer that I've set, the fans begin to spin at max RPM. This is the case even when I have no programs open. The moment I use my mouse to trigger the screen to turn back on, the fans stop spinning.

Is there anything I can do to stop this from happening?

 

@ ddhdd okay cool

@ extro i´ll check this when i´m at home if there´s similar action on my fanspeed when "display sleep" is active, do you have same "issue" in the intel GPU mode?

@ Fanspeed in general, mine also did not support via MSI Afterburner to change the fanspeed "manually" but is this really required? So from my side it runs really silent in IntelMode and little louder in nVidia Mode (in Desktop stuff) maybe there´s any other tool outside and/or i guess MSI afterburner support the maxwell generation in any newer releases?

@ all GT72 owners, do you have any alternative software for the MSI Tools, maybe not graphical overloaded ones? I ask because after logging into my system it takes 5 to 20 seconds until all MSI tools are started, the keyboard backlight also starts really late and just then it make sense to use the item. This is weird (same on your systems?)

Regards,
aVa

 

I did a little research and found this nice wire
SATA 22 Pin Male to SATA 7 Pin & 2X15 Pin SATA Fem Connectors
my only dount I would have is if the 7pin Data wire in this nice thing is to long and sturdy to bend it into the right way.
What do you think?

 

good find. looks like it should work. heck at 4.25$ for the adapter and 2.57$ for shipping i am gona order one to try it

 

I've had my dedicated (970M) GPU on active mode since I opened the laptop. I switched back to the integrated GPU today, and thus far I haven't had the fan whirl at max RPM with the screen off. But I'll keep a eye on it.

Why might having the dedicated GPU on and the screen off cause the fans to kick up? I should mention that the fans begin to whirl for good reason - when they begin to spin, the rear of the laptop (touching my hand on the speaker grill) has become very warm.
Does the Nvidia GPU just heat up randomly when the screen is off, even if it's not being put to use?

 

Try leaving GPU-Z logging in the background and see what happens.

 

Happy Thanksgiving all.

I just joined gt72 club with a customized pro-211.

Case 1 x MSI GT72 Dominator, 17.3" FHD, Anti-Glare 1920x1080
Processor 1 x Intel® Core™ i7-4710HQ Mobile Processor (4x 2.5GHz/6MB L3 Cache) [GT72 Dominator Pro]
Memory 1 x 16GB [8GB x 2] 2133MHz DDR3 SO-DIMM Laptop Memory - G.Skill Ripjaws
Video Card 1 x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M 8GB GDDR5 [GT72 Dominator Pro 2QE]
Free Stuff 1 x [FREE] - Turtle Beach Z1 Headset - FREE with ALL iBUYPOWER Systems ($29 Value)
Free Stuff 1 x [FREE] - McAfee Antivirus PLUS 2014 - FREE with any System ($49 Value)
Free Stuff 1 x [FREE] - MSI Interceptor DS100 USB Gaming Mouse + MSI Sistorm Gaming Mouse Pad - Limited Quantity! While Supplies Last!
Free Stuff 1 x [FREE Game Download] - NVIDIA Pick Your Path Bundle (The Crew, Assassin's Creed Unity, Far Cry 4) - Free with purchase of GTX 970, 980, 970M, and 980M GPU
Free Stuff 1 x [FREE] - Universal Travel Power Adaptor - FREE with any Laptop
M.2 SSD Drive -
Primary Hard Drive 1 x 1 TB 7200rpm Super Slim Laptop Hard Drive - Single Drive
Optical Drive 1 x 6x Blu-Ray Burner/8x Dual Format DVD±R/±RW Drive + 24x CD-R/RW Drive [GT72]
Media Card Reader / Writer 1 x Built-in SD Memory Card Reader/Writer [Laptop]
Sound Card 1 x HD Audio with Creative Soundblaster Cinema 2
Network Card 1 x Killer E2200 Gaming Networking
Internal Wireless Network Adapter 1 x 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi + Bluetooth Combo [GT72]
Operating System 1 x Windows 8.1 + Office 365 Trial [Free 30-Day !!!] 64-bit
USB Ports 1 x Built-in 6x USB 3.0 Ports [GT72]
Carrying Case -
Webcam 1 x Built-in HD Digital Web Video Camera [MSI]
LCD Pixel Protection -
Warranty 1 x Standard Warranty Service - Optiboost MSI Two Years Limited Warranty + Life Time Technical Support
Rush Service 1 x No Rush Service (Usually Ships in 5-10 business Days)

Costs $2285 including express saver shipping.

Now I'm looking for a ssd for this beauty. My mind is confused because I don't know which sizes and sockets should I be looking for. If i'm correct, sata m.2 types are ok. I couldn't decide the brand-model though. Any help would be appreciated a lot.

I'm open to all suggestions. I'm gonna have raid 0 and $250 budget for that at most but I prefer to go 2 x 120gb and save some money. Transcend m800, Crucuial m550, MyDigitalSSD or Intel 530 seems like main options here. If i miss any good models let me know.

Thank you all for helping.

Edit: Now saw kingston 120gb ssdnow's bench results and pretty impressed actually. What do you guys think about 2x of this one and go raid 0? or even go 3 for more storage and increased performance?

 

Hi !

I just bought a GT72, and i'd like to know what's the best bagpack to buy with it (Wenger, Everki ... ? not the msi bag plz !)

Tx a lot !

 

Have you monitored both CPU and GPU? It is normal that OS services start doing something idle, causing a raise in temp and thus an increase in fan speed. I would suggest monitoring both GPU and CPU activity to see what's up. It has happened to basically every modern laptop I have owned for some years now though, so it does sound possibly normal.