The Official MSI GT73VR Owners and Discussions Lounge

Thanks mobious. Various ways, but easiest is hook an hdmi cable into a 4k tv and run the test here: http://www.testufo.com/#test=framerates

 

Hope this helps answer your question.

http://imgur.com/xPOS80z

Correct me if I am wrong, but 60hz 4k requires HDMI 2.0 and thats what I am able to output to my UHDTV.

 

I didn't erase the SSD, I think that's where the recovery files are, I just pulled it out and put the new drive in and installed Windows 10 form a USB. Can I still make that recovery drive from there?

 

Yeah, that's actually ideal, to pull the original drive and preserve it's contents.

It's more convenient to also have the bootable flash drive.

You can put that original drive back in and boot from it to create the flash drive, so you are still ok.

Then you can swap drives again and restore to the new drive from the bootable flash recovery drive.

Sometimes vendors put the recovery partition on the secondary drive, so make sure that is in there too when making the flash recovery drive.

 

I also left the secondary drive as it is so I'll check that one too. I'll put an order for a USB drive to follow you suggestion. .

 

It's a good idea for everyone to do this, make a recovery flash drive as the first thing you do when first powering on the laptop.

I have had people come into the forums complaining that they didn't do this and their boot drive just failed - after a couple of weeks of ownership, sigh.

You want a good fast 32GB USB 3.0 drive as it's the drive speed that makes the restore's go so much faster.

Here is the one I used for my GT80:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...re=patriot_stellar-_-9SIA3AR40E1245-_-Product

I did my flash recovery drive creation while I was still at the retailers site, and initially I tried a 16GB drive, but the software came up and said I needed a 32GB drive, so I got up and went to the shelf and bought the 32GB and 64GB versions while in the store

Sometimes some drives won't boot even though they pass the create phase, FYI.

That's why you never do a test restore to your original drive, if the restore fails your drive will have already been reformatted by the restore program,and you then can't try to create another flash recovery drive - the recovery partition and original OS are *gone*, another ouch situation.

 

Correct, it has hdmi 2.0 based on your results. Ty for confirming! I have the GT62VR with 1070 coming today but I am probably going to return to get this one for the 1080 and 120hz screen.

 

Made an account for this.

I just got done repasting only my GPU with Aeronaut. I am seeing very slight decreases in temperatures.

The only game I ever play that overburdens the 1080 on this thing is Ark (not because its oh so pretty, but its poorly optimized, even then I'm almost always over 60FPS anyways)

Before the repaste my GPU would always (I mean always) sit at 85C at which point I believe it throttled (not 100% sure on this, but fairly certain). After the repaste my GPU sits at 82C - 84C when OC'd in Ark, 79C - 82C in Sport, and 79C - 81C in Comfort. I have never once seen the GPU hit 85C since applying the paste. But that is probably to minimal benefit.

If you're not playing something that runs hard like Ark it's probably not worth the repaste. Heck even if you are it's probably not worth it, I do get a bit more FPS thanks to it not throttling anymore, but it is a pretty small increase that I don't have the exact numbers for..

If you want to do it just cause though, its not bad, I return to idle temps obnoxiously fast now and have absolutely no worries when OC'd. And the cost of the Thermal Paste is pretty negligible. For peace of mind I'm happy with the decision.

Getting into the case is pretty easy, 4 screws in the corners, 1 in the center. Pop off the bottom (careful, I snapped a clip on mine). From there unscrew the GPU Fan's 3 outer screws, then unscrew the heatsink in the order it says, make sure you got all the screws along the pipes and then just ease it off with some controlled pressure. Once off you'll just have to thread the fan through the pipes and bam, all ready.

 

Got my GT73VR-017. When I booted it up and saw ZERO light bleed, I was all smiles. The screen is beautiful. I immediately made a USB Restore flash drive. Took a little over 18gb on a 32gb stick. Uninstalled some bloat and then did some tests.

1st run, default sport setting.
3D Mark - http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10174461
Temps - https://s10.postimg.org/fvlr4f5jd/Temps.jpg

2nd run, Turbo mode
3D Mark - http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10174530
Temps - https://s13.postimg.org/5j8bpej5j/Temps_2.jpg

I can barely hear the fans running Fire Strike. I love this laptop! I just have two complaints. The front is too high. The edge digs into my forearms when I'm trying to type. I'm going to try and put some shims under the rear feet to try and tilt the front down some. Also, the keyboard lights don't come on until after windows boots up. I would rather it was like my old Dell and came on when the laptop was powered on.

btw .. @GenTechPC put IC Diamond on the CPU and GPU. Thanks Ken!

 

That's what I left out

You can't use a 16GB USB 3.0 flash drive any more on the MSI flash recovery backup because it grew 2GB past the end of the 16GB drive, and the next size up is the 32GB!!

At least there is plenty of room for the latest drivers and apps

 

Glad you like it, looks like good scores, but can you also include the link to the run on futuremark? It's easy for comparisons.

It's a good idea to lift up the rear a bit for better airflow too, maybe a wrist rest might help.

 

Thanks, added links for 3D Mark.

 

If I installed a different 120Hz display into a GT73, like the AUO panel that Clevo is using, would it automatically have G-Sync?

 

What are you talking about? The GT73 already has a 120hz G-sync display and accompanying G-sync Pascal GPU.

It's the Clevo that's shipping a non-G-sync 120hz display and a non-G-sync Pascal GPU...

Maybe rephrase the question?

 

Great scores for the 1070, your turbo mode wins against my first out of the box GT80 980m SLI test

http://www.3dmark.com/compare/fs/5697742/fs/5708173/fs/10174461/fs/10174530

After you do some OC tuning for the CPU and GPU, you might match or beat my top score as well

 

Great results! And TY for confirming a repaste job well done.
Your idle temps are 6-10c lower than mine, but your max is about the same.
Your results are sligtly better, but maybe the paste job does it.

We will see! Going to repaste with Grizzly Kryo.

 

Finally got around to ordering mine today, should get it tomorrow!

I went for the GT73VR 6RF-035UK.

So next question are any of you MSI GT73 owners doing any mods to yours, such as SSD or memory upgrades etc?

 

I hadn't planned on it but after installing 60gb Doom last night I think I will be adding another PCIe drive in the near future.

 

I'll ask a more clear way.

Is the G-Sync capability in notebooks tied to the display, the GPU, or both?

One 120Hz equipped laptop (Clevo) doesn't have G-Sync. If I take the 120Hz AUO panel from that machine, and replace the 120Hz Chi Mei panel of the MSI, does the latter lose its G-Sync?

 

This was discussed and resolved weeks ago in the Clevo P870DM2/DM3 thread, let me find the links and edit them in here...found it, summarized back on August 18th, read this post, and the thread before/after for the confusion at the time before it was sorted out.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...oenix-2-is-here.794530/page-198#post-10318907

If you order a 120hz non-G-sync panel you get a non-G-sync (internal display) GPU, and even if that panel gets certified you would need to have an arrangement with your vendor (in writing I would suggest) that says they will swap the GPU and panel for the G-sync versions when available.

 

So I'd have G-Sync, as soon as the screen becomes certified, since the GT73 has a G-Sync 1070. Cool.

I'm just planning ahead, for the GT73VR MSI isn't going to give me in the trade-up program.

 

You are confused, I don't think I can help you, but read what is written about the Clevo as it only applies to the Clevo.

The GT73VR has *already* been shipping with some models including the 120hz G-sync display and GPU.

No non-g-sync display will come with a G-sync GPU, pay attention, you can't ship a non-g-sync display with a G-sync GPU.

If you get a non-G-sync display, it will have a non-Gsync GPU.

A non-G-sync GPU is one that won't do G-sync on the internal display, but will do G-sync on an external display.

If you have a non-G-sync display, and that model has a certification pending, it will ship as a new model number -xxx that won't be what you have.

Your non-G-sync certified display will *always* be a non-G-sync certified display even after the new model panel comes out as a certified G-sync panel.

Does that make sense now?

 

Bruv, I have no idea why you think we're saying different things.

If there's ever a G-Sync certified version of the AUO panel,, it will work in the GT73VR.

We're on the same page already.

 

I gotcha now, you already have G-sync panel and a G-sync GPU, but you want to substitute in a "better" panel if and when it comes out.

That makes sense, but I'd look for an even better panel to come out later, live with what you have and let the panel guys work up something better.

How do you know you'll like the AUO panel better than the one in the GT73VR?

You haven't seen either one, right?

 

I'm still waiting for Notebook Check to get the new Clevo in for review.

The screen I'm actually sweating over, is the 1440p 120Hz screen I'm hearing the new Alienware 17 is going to have. It's already G-Sync too.

But MSI isn't going to give me a GT73, remember that.

 

We don't know that yet, MSI hasn't given us any details for the trade-in yet.

I don't think any/many GT72S owners are going to want to "downgrade" to the GT72VR after MSI gutted it. So a GT73VR 1070 single GPU sounds like a more fair trade-in.

That's what I meant, there are other panels to consider, like the 1440p, that might become available down the road.

 

This laptop is incredible.

Got around to repasting it with Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut (pea for the GPU, line for the CPU) and here's the result (Turbo mode on to 4ghz, GPU clocks were not changed) : http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10184827

Max temps with the cooler boost on were: CPU: 55C, GPU: 58C. I could push it even higher if I wanted to but I'm perfectly content with that result lol. Dropping the clocks down to 3.8ghz gave me a result of 17043 which is still pretty damn good and I think that's the clock rate I'm going to stick with for daily usage / gaming.

Now let me warn you lol, the thermal paste that MSI uses isn't that great. Same test with stock clocks (no overclock) netted me 65C on the GPU, 58C on the CPU. So quite a nice temperature difference there but the worst part of it was removing that paste. The CPU wasn't too bad but the GPU heatsink was just awful. I tried 70% isopropyl, 91%, 99% and even after a ton of rubbing (and quite a lot of cotton balls, qtips, cotton pads used) there were still remnants of the old paste. That stuff was caked on so hard that I just couldn't get rid of it all. I did the best I could and then just gave up and said **** it this is ridiculous.

---

Full firestrike results for comparison:

Repasted 4ghz CPU (17264): http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10184827
Repasted 3.8ghz CPU (17043): http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10184786
Stock paste 3.8ghz CPU (15674): http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10184579
Best totally stock everything (15133): http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10135373
Worst totally stock everything (14098): http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10087660 <- not sure what happened with this test but oh well.
---
Repasted 3.8ghz CPU - Fans set to auto (16595): http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/14891182
Max CPU temp: 68C, Max GPU temp: 76C.
---
All of these were run with all my normal apps running in the background (steam, b.net, skype, etc, total of 107 processes lol) so no "close everything for max results" testing here lol. I just can't be bothered.

I use the NVidia desktop drivers btw. It makes absolutely no sense since the drivers are 100% identical (and I've tested this 4 times now) I get a decent increase (300-400 points) by downloading the desktop setup file over the laptop setup file. I have absolutely no idea why this is the case but all my testing shows that it is so take that as you will lol.

 

Great numbers! How hard was it to take it apart to repaste?

 

Taking it apart was really easy. I had to use a card for the right side to push in the plastic tabs but that's really not that difficult anyways. The absolute hardest part was cleaning that GPU heatsink, I would take it apart again to show you pictures of the remnants of the old thermal paste but I think that would just make me angrier lol. I have never ever seen something like that even on 4 year old laptops that were still using stock paste and this laptop is a week old. I spent maybe a total of like 30mins just rubbing away and it would still pull up crap...but it doesn't seem to have affected my temperatures at all so it's whatever.

The second hardest thing was just sliding the heatsinks back on because you have to slide the fins below the plastic cover while holding on the heatsink and hope you didn't just smudge your thermal paste everywhere it can go. So a little patience there goes a long way.

 

Great job now throw in a bit of overclock and post the results. Show us what's possible.

Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk

 

You are cursing the very property that makes the MSI paste worth leaving it undisturbed.

Yes, that's right, leave the MSI paste on. Deal with the slightly higher temps than can be gotten by enthusiast paste.

Why? Because the MSI paste is tough, and will last for years - giving the same thermal results. Stable operation for many years, perhaps well past it's useful lifetime.

They design their paste so that the owner *never* needs to attend to the paste, and neither do they. It's meant to withstand time and the elements returning a stable operational and functional performance.

The enthusiast pastes trade off longevity with their thinness and frailty of form.

With enthusiast paste you need to keep reapplying it on a regular schedule. To keep the same performance you need to redo the paste as soon as the temperatures start to rise.

If you gain a lot of experience, you may figure out how to apply the paste sparingly so as not to expose the edge of the paste, and how to apply pressure to the join such that no edge is bare to the air, but with flexure the join will move and open itself up to the air, no matter how good of a job you do.

MSI's tough paste is formulated to be exposed to the air without drying out.

Desktops have it much easier, there is little movement of the case and flexure of the board and CPU / cooler join is rare, so it can last a long time.

Laptops live in a different world, one of constant movement.

Pick a laptop up by the edge with one hand and you can hear and maybe even see the entire chassis flex - along with most everything else inside.

Someone recently asked why major laptop makers use crap past instead of the best paste.

It turns out, they already do just that, they use the best paste for long life without requiring constant re-pasting.

BTW, the scores look really great, keep going with the tuning

 

Slightly OT: Is Sager paste similar or is it worth getting IC Diamond from Xoticpc or GenTech? If I do get ICD, will it last 3-4 years?

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

ICD seems to last at least a year, maybe longer, but I would plan to re-paste every 12-18 months or sooner - watch your temps to see when they start rising.

I haven't used Clevo paste, you might ask someone that has had a Clevo for years without repasting if the temperatures are stable.

The Clevo's, at least lately, haven't come out of the factory with stellar thermal performance, but it seems to not be the paste but the hardware - the heat plates are warped or become warps, the thermal pads aren't top notch, and the fitment suffers for all of this.

Look at @Meaker@Sager 's recent series of posts on re-doing the P870DM3 cooling.

ICD seems to work best for Clevo's looser tolerances as it fills the gaps, whereas the thermally better Liquid Metal can't fill the gap so it's not recommended unless you get the fitment to tighter tolerance.

I don't know what MSI and Asus use for paste or if it's even available outside their operations, but it's worked great for me. I have never needed to repast any of my laptops while getting excellent performance for years.

You could ask the builder to run some benchmarks or burn-in software before re-pasting to see what the staring temperatures are, pick something free and easily downloadable, you may not need to have it re-pasted if it's a good build job from Clevo.

If the temps are too high, then approve repasting (don't let them re-paste without getting your approval) and ask them to re-run the tests and email you the results for comparison - sometimes it takes more than 1 attempt to match or better the original results.

If temps are still too high after the 2nd re-past, it might also indicate some problem other than paste, like thermal pads (see @Meaker@Sager 's posts for details) or a warped thermal plate.

Good luck

 

Thanks a lot man! Very useful info.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

Received mine this morning, looking forward to having a play with it.

Although got one question which I am sure has been answered, what's people's views on the warranty sticker does removing it to add more RAM or a hard disk void the warranty has anyone actually done it and then had to contact MSI support for warranty?

 

Just found out that gt73vr has a TN panel, not a IPS?
I tought this machine had IPS. I mean, the viewing angel on this screen is great, but I do feel the colors are not close to "livly" as a IPS screen!

Does it mean that the AW panels are IPS, and MSI are not?

 

Do you mean the GS73VR? AFAIK all GT73VR models have an IPS-class screen. Might be wrong though.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

This is taken from the product description on Amazon for the GT73VR.

"FEEL THE 120HZ DIFFERENCE
Screen tearing and jitters are a thing of the past with the all new 120Hz IPS level panel with 5ms response time. The ultra fast refresh rate lets you react instantly to your game giving you a true MSI gaming experience."

120hz is for the 1080p display. Not sure what the 4k display is.

 

Its been confirmed many times that removing the sicker doesn't null your warranty, but if you break something your responsible and they will pin you for it. Just a black and white line so understand the terms.

 

For all those who are skeptical about g73vr titan TN panel. I used MG279Q as main monitor once it appeared on the market , and i saw also this 120hz TN+film panel 2 hours ago, and can tell you that is an amazing panel with awesome angles and 8bit colors,it's not like cheap panels on budget laptops.

 

Where are you guys getting TN from? Even MSI's website says IPS under specifications on the GT73VR-6RE TITAN page.

 

It says IPS level :

• 17.3" FHD (1920x1080), IPS-Level 17.3" UHD (3840x2160), IPS-Level 17.3" FHD (1920x1080), 120Hz, 5ms, Wide-View

 

Interesting way of advertising MSI. Could have fooled me to be honest but I just did a test and confirmed that the panel is TN. In any case not really disappointed I didn't buy the the laptop for an ips screen I bought it for gsync and 120hz lol.

 

I'm ref to this review stating TN panel
-http:// www.notebookcheck.net/MSI-GT73VR-6RE-Titan-Notebook-Review.172916.0.html

 

Yep that review is correct. Amazon and Newegg are listing it as an ips display when it isn't. Not their fault considering how msi decided to advertise it on their site. "IPS-LEVEL" is like similar to IPS lol.

 

Well, they managed to fool me. I'm a 100% ips freak. That beeing said, this screen is awesome. Comparing it to the last year clevo 870dm 75hz ips screen, the TN kicks some butts.

Now I'm curious about the AW ips 120 hz g-sync.

 

I agree I've seen some TN panels and excluding viewing angles, the color on this display pops like I've never seen. If I didn't do a proper viewing angle test I would have never known.

 

But still, close to false marketing, pisses me off a bit.
MSI should be happy my frist priority is silent gaming.
I'm a god dam IPS freak, so I'm torn between this and AW.
But AW will be like Clevo, noisy.

 

I agree 100% the wording on their site is bull. That is very close to false advertising.

 

I was fairly sure it was TN when I looked at it from the side and the colors washed out. No one should have said it was IPS. However, I wouldn't send it back because of it. If I'm trying to do something looking at it from the side then I'm too drunk to be using it anyway. It's still a great TN panel.

Only problem I have had is keeping Skyrim from crashing due to Nvidia driver stopped responding. No problem with Doom.

*edit* I changed my setting from Sport to ECO and now Skyrim works fine.