*** The Official MSI WS65 Owners Lounge ***

Where to Buy:

HIDevolution
MSI WS65 Drivers








Specs:

Display
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, NTSC 72% with Thin-Bezel display

MSI True Color Technology

Video Graphics & Memory

NVIDIA Quadro® P3200 w/ 6GB GDDR5
Processor Support and

Heat Management

Intel® 8th Generation Coffee Lake Core™ i7-8750H 6 Core - 12 Thread Processor, 2.2 GHz (Max Turbo Frequency 4.1 GHz), 9MB Smart Cache

Optional:

Gelid GC Extreme – 8.5 W/mK Thermal Conductivity, Non-Electrically Conductive

Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut – 73.0 W/mK Thermal Conductivity, Electrically Conductive

Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pad – 11.0 W/mK Thermal Conductivity, Non-Electrically Conductive

Operating System Genuine Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
Chipset Mobile Intel® HM370
System Memory (RAM)
32GB DDR4/2666 MHz System Memory (2 x 16GB) - 2 Memory Slots

Hard Drive
512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD

Optional:

Up to 2x M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe or SATA SSD

Optical Drive
None

Optional:

External USB Combo Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW CD-R/RW Drive
External USB Combo Blu-ray Read/Writer - Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW CD-R/RW Drive

Card Reader N/A
Video Camera Built-in 720p HD Webcam
LAN/WLAN
Intel 9560 Thunder Peak (2x2 802.11 ac) w/ Bluetooth 5.0

Input/Output 3 x USB 3.1
1 x Thunderbolt 3
1 x Microphone-in jack
1 x Microphone-out jack
1 x mini display port v 1.2
Audio
Speakers 2W *2

Keyboard and Touchpad Single white backlight with Anti-Ghost key+ silver lining
Click Pad + fingerprint windows hello certification
Battery 4 cells - 82Wh (Internal)
AC Adapter Output: 19.5 V 16.9 A DC, 180W
Input:100~240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal
Dimension & Weight
14.08"x 9.75"x 0.69" (W x D x H), 378 x 249 x 17.5 mm (W x D x H)
4.15 lbs (1.8 Kg)


Security
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) - Intel ® PTT
Cable lock port

 

Does anyone know when the i9 + Quadro p4200 of this model is released?

Also, any chance this model will have a 4k screen? 1920 x 1080 not good enough for a creative workflow imo.

 

Don't even consider the i9 BGA cancer version. If you're going to pay that much, might as well get a non cripped unit.

If you want to go that high, why not consider the WT75, with the desktop processor (it can take an i7 8700K or 8086K), with various quadros (goes up to the P5200, which is the GTX 1080 variant, but it will cost a pretty penny).

The only question is, since there is no Prema bios available for these models, will it -ever- support an i9 9900K?

http://www.hidevolution.com/msi-wt75-8sm-018.html

 

The WT75 is great, but, as you said, very expensive, and incredibly bulky/heavy. I need something powerful that I can throw into my backpack. I thought the WS65 would be ideal but I find it is missing features that are important to me, such as a bright 4k screen. I can't seem to find a machine that has everything I need. I always have to sacrifice 1 or 2 things for something else.

 

What exactly are you going to be using the machine for? You may be able to get a Dell with a 4k screen for a LOT less money than a 'Gamer' branded BGAbook.

Decide exactly what it is that you need to do with the laptop.
If you need maximum computational speed and a professional graphics card, you want the WT75.

If your work is time critical and you need CPU cycles, you want a desktop processor.

You have to decide exactly what your mission is and the best way to get there. The last thing you want is to have a system where you put a load on the system and suddenly it throttles because you put too much load on some (component) and the bios is too locked down to do anything.

You absolutely do not want the BGA chips. You've seen the forums. They're just filled with throttling mechanisms that will cut your performance in all sorts of ways. If you want a high end graphics card and a castrated CPU just barely enough to "get by", surely there are other options?

The ONLY thing "MSI" has going for it is the ability to fully unlock the Bios. If the 4 combo hotkey is changed or different (probably still exists in the WS/WT series), since MSI LOVES to recycle code on their laptops, the "FPTW64" / Bios Lock unlock (UEFITOOL + Universal IFR extractor + RU) / AMIBCP 5.02 menu unlock+flash method should still work. Just make sure you know what you're looking for and you're using the right tools for the job. We simply don't have enough user feedback over here on these "MSI workstation" laptops to see just how cut down and cancerous the bios and firmware are.

 

Primarily for Graphic Design, Illustrator, and 3D Animation / Design. I work as an Art Director across multiple mediums. That being said, I like a lot of screen real estate, and I need a powerful GPU that can handle 3D. The GeForce GTX cards are not built for 3D Applications, they can of course handle them, but you get vastly better performance with Quadro. Also, I use a CPU based render engine, and a GPU based render engine, which would make a i9 + Quadro P4200 the ideal combination for my level of work.

I have recently owned a Dell XPS 15 9560 which I returned due to the following reasons:

1. Display had backlight issues. Dell was gracious enough to change the panel 4 times, but each other, the bleed would occur in another area of the screen which would change the colour profile of the entire display. Half or a 3rd of the screen would have a red tint to it, the brightness was uneven, and I even had a few dead pixels.
2. Screen flicker. Screen would flicker to black for no reason sporadically.
3. Fans started rattling after a week of use.
4. The GPU was not powerful enough to handle 3D.

I returned the machine and will never go with Dell again.

I found 2 other options: The new Lenovo ThinkPada P1, however, this model only offers a Quadro P2000. Same thing for HP Studio Zbook G5. All great features but weak Quadro card. I'm not familiar with the quality of HP machines as well..

I looked at the Aero 15X V8, and the Razer Blade 15, but, these are gaming machines, and the amount of tweaking needed for acceptable performance is simply not worth the hassle or money. I am willing to Repaste and Undervolt, but those machines come with a slew of other issues which are just not worth the hassle and are not really applicable to what I need.

So, this brings me to MSI. MSI has some great options, but, I'm not really a fan of their flimsier build quality, but I am willing to live with it. I basically need;

1. 4k Display at 400 Nits or more.
2. Powerful CPU
3. Powerful Quadro, at least P3200.

I am finding that I can usually find 2 out of my 3 needs but not the 3rd.

The following machine is the closest to what I need although I am not sure about the brightness of the screen, refresh rate, or the build quality. The design also looks a little bit dated which does matter if you're willing to spend so much money imo. Part of the reason I was excited about the WS65 is that it has an updated look.

http://www.hidevolution.com/msi-ws63-8sl-015.html

 

A P3200 is NOT a powerful quadro. It's a weak card.

The cheapest quadro you should be looking at is the P5000.
This is the GTX 1070 equivalent.

the P5200 is the GTX 1080 version. Equal to the MSI 1080 150W card (used in the MSI 16L13 basically, rather than the 200W card used in the GT75VR).

You're going to have to make sacrifices here. And i know they don't feel good. But basically you seem to be wanting your cake AND to eat it too. You want a powerful card, a huge screen, yet you don't want it to weigh very much.

Something needs to give.

If this work is important to you, you need to pay the dues. Think carefully about this.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-Quadro-P5000.191073.0.html

https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-Quadro-P5200-Workstation-GPU.239818.0.html

These are the cards you should be looking at, based on what you are telling me.

I can't find a 4k screen option however.
Contact @Donald@HIDevolution and see if they have a 4K screen upgrade available for the WT75. That is if you decide you want to go that route. I don't know what their configurations allow.

I'm not trying to waste your money btw. I'm only adopting a mission ->target approach based on what you say your needs are.

 

Thanks so much for your suggestions and info. Do you feel a Quadro P4200 will be sufficient? My main source of income is Adobe Suite, I do use 3D, but its not as gravely important. The model I linked has a P4200. I would definitely pick a P5200 over it, but I do have a budget to consider as well.

How does this model look in your opinion?

http://www.hidevolution.com/msi-ws63-8sl-015.html

MSI WS63 8SL-015 Gaming Laptop - 15.6" UHD (3840*2160) IPS-Level w/ NVIDIA Quadro® P4200 w/ 8GB GDDR5 - 8th generation Core™ "Coffee Lake" i7-8750H 2.2-4.1GHz Six core processor, 32GB DDR4/2400MHz upgradeable to 32GB DDR4/2666MHz - 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD + 2TB 5400RPM Hard Drive or up to 1x M.2 2TB SATA or PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe + up to 1x 2.5" 2TB HDD or 4TB SATA III SSD - Windows 10 Pro

 

I have no experience with professional cards. You might be better off asking some of the users in the Clevo section, oddly enough, as there are more experienced people there rather than on the MSI section. Remember MSI tends to cater to gamers more than anything else. Everything I gave you came from google searching

I just want you to make sure you made the right purchase.

 

Cool thanks, I'll do that. MSI makes gaming and workstation models and the one I linked is a Workstation model, not meant for gaming.

 

Yes, MSI actually specializes in gaming, and professional workstation laptops.

Please feel free to email me at [email protected] or email me your phone number and I can call you between 4:00 PM and 1:00 AM GMT (9 AM and 6 PM PDT) - Monday through Friday - to discuss any other questions you might have.

 

Thank you Donald, I will email you later tonight. Appreciate your help !

 

MSI WS65 Drivers link added to the OP

 

New images added to the OP

 

The 4k screen on the GS63/WS63 is trash. it uses a panel that is considered "fake 4k". it uses the RGBW arrangement, where each pixel is only made of 2 subpixels (either RG or BW) I would not recommend that panel at all, especially considering your line of work.

Also, to give you an idea for the power of the P3200, it is a tad bit faster than a non-maxq 1060... at least mine is. You should consider the Lenovo P52. In my opinion, it isn't that fat at all, its reasonable. the 4k display is very nice and its weight is average too. It's sad that it is literally the only 15.6" laptop with a Quadro p3200 and a bright, 100% ARGB 4k screen. I really wish MSI would just take the same AUO 4k panel Gigabyte is using on their aero 15x and slap it into the WS65/GS65. Would even better if they put the Sharp 4k panel >.> but would they?