-->*OFFICIAL: MSI GT627 Owner's Lounge*<--

Well I think its 120watt its sure bigger then my Compals Hel80
AC adapter.
MSI GT627 AC Adapter Delta Electronics model ADP-120ZB BB
Input 19V 6.32A.

 

Is that the info you wanted?

 

Nice review on this site in another subforum
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=4527621#post4527621

 

Yes, thank you.

 

Your welcome TRF-Inferno

 

.... getting hhhaaarrrdddeeerrr to hhhooolllddd out for pokey MSI and their GT725 US release(ATI must be having problems with the 4850 mobile or something...)... old notebook is getting annoying although it does what I need it to mostly...

Anyways thanks for the higher res benchs. I was just curious to see how the 9800M GS would handle higher resolution gaming v. a 4850 (Guys in that thread are only benching at 1680x1050 instead of a range of resolutions, athough the one or two that they did at other resolutions the lower res didn't seem to have much of an impact on FPS oddly enough...)

@Tigergixxer
well, did you get your GT627-218US yesterday?

 

@cutterjohn
Yes I did!!

This thing runs great. I just finished the switch to Vista Ultimate and hope to be able to post some benchmarks late this evening or tomorrow evening. I was surprised to see that this scored better than my E6850 desktop in the Windows Experience with AND without turbo enabled. 5.6 - not too bad. I will be running 3DMark Vantage and will post results of that, and games tonight or tomorrow.

The keyboard does have some flex. I notice it most with the arrow and enter keys. I honestly spend 12+ hours a day in front of a computer - 80% of that on laptops. This keyboard reminds me of my Fatality keyboard on my desktop (some of it's keys are smaller too). For me the keyboard will not be a problem, however it is taking me a little time to get used to not turning off number lock when I try to hit backspace, or right arrow instead of 0 on the 10 key.

My tablet is great, and serves a specific purpose. That said, if this was out when I bought the HP last spring, I would have given up the tablet features and gone with this.

Very happy with this laptop.

 

@Tigergixxer
no complaints regarding the build quality?
this is one really important criteria for me.

eagerly awaiting the benchmarks...
btw, it would be great if you could post some pics of the laptop.

 

i read a review at amazon that the notebook underclocks when it is off the cable, somewhat to about 2000+ id 3d mark

and the gt627 review on this site shows that the back panel can reach a temperature of more than 100 degrees fahreinheit, does it really get that hot?

*edit: ok i got confused 100 degrees Celsius is hot, 100 degrees fahreinheit roughly is about 40++ degrees celsius, sorry for the confusion*

 

100 degrees? Where did you find that? I was reading, that it's actually very good at cooling.

 

One of you 627 owners should have HWMonitor running in the background while you're gaming for at least one hour so you can see how hot the components are getting.

 

@kancer
yes it does underclock and you get serious performance handicap.
but what's the use of gaming on battery backup? it will barely run for an hour before it dies.

but it shouldn't affect other things like DVD playback, DVD burning, etc.

 

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4853&review=msi+gt627

*and oh the review was at newegg and not on amazon, sorry bout that*

 

It's in the review here of the GT627-216US. SOrry I don't have the link handy... I was really worried until I saw that the temps were Fahrenheit.

Also Konstantin, if you had any thoughts about picking up the 17" GT725 instead maybe, according to frostycomputers.com he has them in stock now, and the GT725-074 is $1369 there. (1680x1050, normal optical drive DVD+/-RW, P8600, 4850 512MB GDDR3, 320GB hdd, 4GB DDR2-800, 9cell batt). Or about $50 more than the GT627-217US... getting you the 4850 which seems to be kicking, although the X11 drivers are still supposed to be not all that hot...

He also has the more expensive -075US model with 1920x1200 panel(I'm pretty sure that his specs are still wrong), P9500, BluRay w/normal DVD+/-RW, o.w. same as -074US, for IIRC $1650.

Now! I'm just waiting for them to showup at other e-tailers... Guess I won't break down and but the GT627 now...

 

Just checked in and both the GT627 and my desktop finished the stock 3DMark Vantage 'performance' benchmark.

GT627-218US:
P3814
GPU-3032
CPU-16847

Desktop:
P5447
GPU-4376
CPU-20453

The GT627 is not faster than my desktop - and I didn't expect it to be. Mobile GPUs have fewer stream processors. I was pleased by the CPU score in comparison to the 3.0GHz native at 1333 FSB on my desktop.

More to come later.

 

Can i get an answer please?

 

Yeah, we need more real-life eye-candy of the GT627!!!!

Please!?!?!

 

I already order gt627. I have 17 Dell inch right now and I decided I need smthing more mobile for school/work, gt627 i best choice for me for this price. But if I didn't need mobility, I'd go with gt725, yes.

 

These are load temps after replacing the stock thermal paste which i think is chewing gum with Artic Silver 5.
my GT627 Pretty good if I say so myself.

Will post load temps later.

 

@pickster
I was at work using RDP to check on the computers. IMO the build quality is very nice - aside from the common mention of the keyboard flex. Fit & Finish is quite good (I have yet to see any gaps/odd spaces and feels solid but not overly heavy). BTW I think the keyboard itself is of good quality - it just needs more supports/rigid mounting.

@all
I will post some pictures from multiple angles later tonight.
In terms of heat, I have not started gaming with this yet (I will run HWMonitor when I start), however throughout installing Vista Ultimate from scratch and then running SP1 with virtually no break, heat was not an issue at all. It was also very quick. I currently have no concern of using this on my lap. My HP tx2110us can cook food with the heat coming out of its rear port.

 

About to install Vista 64. After that's all done if anyone needs any info just ask.

In terms of build quality so far so good. Had it with me in a backpack today but that's only 1 day so no idea how it will hold up but it seems pretty sturdy. This is my first laptop so someone else can probably answer this better.

 

Ha ha ha ha ha!!! (let me continue to laugh for a bit longer... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!)...

Ok, I'm done...

The thing is that I just went to Alienware dot com and configured myself an m15x with the closest specs I could find to the MSi GT627-218US and guess what? - It ended up with a total of $2,350 dollars!!! YIKES!!!!!!! And that's minus taxes and shipping!!!!

I really think the GT627 is a real steal!!!!

Oh, and that Alienware ended up with some lower spec'd components, like CPU, VRAM and screen resolution... Go figure!

P.S.- I must confess I made that little experiment to clear up my guilt since I just placed my order on Newegg.com... I hope to have my GT627 by Tuesday/Wednesday next week!

Thank you all for your great insight!!!

Cheers!
RayanMX

 

How do you think the Sager NP5793 holds up against this? It's on sale right now for 1299. I"m just looking at all possible alternatives before I make a jump.

I'm rusty on the specs of all these, but can someone with knowledge compare the GT627-18 with this? http://www.sagernotebook.com/product_customed.php?pid=51114

 

Well, if you want an opinion of an average user, MSI is better in every way, except video card, screen and I'm not sure what's that battery about. It has way too bad CPU, even 100$ upgrade won't match MSI's. Although 250$ will. Although if Sager doesn't have a boost button, MSI will actually beat it, too.

 

Well I swapped out the stock Intel 5100AGN with a Gigabyte GN-WS30N 802.11N mini pci-e card.

With the stock card I could not achieve more then 130 MBPS per second,
know with the new card I get 270MBPS per second.
I think its do to having 3 antennas instead of just two antennas.

 

Is GT627 available in Europe yet?
Does anyone know when it's going to be available in Skandinavia?

 

Here are some images. If you need something you don't see, let me know. I know they are a little grainy - I don't have the best lighting in my kitchen and I won't be in my normal office today.

http://s730.photobucket.com/albums/ww302/tigergixxer/?action=view&current=d44e7745.pbw

 

Happen to have any temps with the stock thermal compound? (Not planning to change anything on mine until the 1y warranty is up... then I'll go w/AS5 ... )

WiFi card, also once my year is up I'll probably pick up an Intel 5300 (3 antenna) and either Dell card or Intel 4965(IIRC).

I still run my new WiFi router in G mode, as turning on N mode seems to kick off my B devices(pretty much all of my nbs only have B capable cars ATM and they're non-standard Apple...).

 

thanks a ton man!
it makes me want to get this even more...
but $#&*(! MSI sells it here (in India) for a good $1890 the exact same config which amazon / newegg sells for $1300.

 

Hey Guys,

I was all set to pick this up, but noticed that the fn and ctrl keys were swapped while looking at screenshots on newegg. Can anyone confirm this is true?

I'm so used to having the ctrl key on the left hand corner and rely on it for fps's. Is it possible to remap the keys or swap the keyboard?

 

All of my Apple nbs have them in this configuration as well as most other brand nbs that I've used, so I don't consider them to be "swapped" esp given that my desktop kbs lack an Fn key altogether... i.e. it seems to be standard for nbs to have this arrangement.

From what I recall of the GX620/1651 discussion, there was another guy there that had the same "complaint", dunno what he did. It also turned out that there appears to be no way to swap the functionality of the 2 keys in question either...

As to swapping the kb: dunno... Apparently you can get the keyboard out as people have talked about using double sided tape or something to help decrease kb flexing, but no idea if the ribbon connector to mb is easily accessible OR of another kb that would fit and have the key configuration that you're looking for.

 

@pickster
You're welcome! Let me know if there is anything else you need on this.

@day0911
Not sure about remapping the keys or swapping the keyboard, but yes, the Fn key is the lowest left key, not Control. I have hit it a few times, but I am getting used to it quickly. After using it just a couple hours a day for two days, I am now seeing very few missed keystrokes. Every once in a while I hit zero instead of arrow right. It's different than the other 5 systems I use daily, but to me it is no worse than when I switched to the MS Natural keyboard years ago - which I liked. My Fatality gaming keyboard is my favorite, and it has some weird key layouts - like no right Control key!

 

Thanks for the eye candy!!!!

I can't wait to get my hands on my GT627... Tuesday seems so far away!!!

Cheers!
Rayanmx

 

Well, I took the plunge and took off the keyboard in order to address the flex issues. Took me all of maybe 5-10 min in total to get the keyboard out, apply the fix and put it all back together. Net result was well worth the effort. Cut down all the flex, almost feels like my Sager now.

All it took was application of 3M Double Sided tape (the thick stuff) in strips on the internal keyboard tray (its a perforated metal panel underneath the keyboard). I took care to just lay down strips about 1/8" x 1/2" on the metal panel so that there would be support across the entire keyboard. The tape provides a direct attachment to the panel beneath where it had just been 'floating' before. Worked like a charm.

As had been mentioned before, all you need to do is carefully pry off the touch panel that sits between the keyboard and the screen, remove the screws that hold the keyboard down, and then snap out the keyboard. Just take care not to dislodge the frail looking ribbon cables that attach each piece to the notebook.

The spongieness of the keyboard had really bothered me, and it was easy to see why it was floating so much. Too bad MSI didn't add a bit more built in support underneath, it would have been a very simple fix.

In any event, for the cost of a few inches of 3M double sided tape, it is indeed very easy to fix the biggest flaw in the notebook.

To finish the rework, just snag a copy of the free 64 bit Win7 beta and you have a very inexpensive way to cure all the main flaws of this bargain powerhouse in a small package.

 

Mmmm... I considering doing it, but without the video guide on youtube I'm a bit scared...

 

glad to hear it was that simple and painless... a video guide would be awesome. is there one up?

 

Hi everyone, I'm very new here and i've never owned a laptop before. But the GT627 looks absolutely perfect for my needs and it's barely within my price range so I'm probably going to get one.

I've got a question though, is there any way to install XP on the GT627 or am I stuck with Vista?

I don't know much about MSI but i'm hoping that XP drivers can be found for at least most of the hardware.

Anyway, if anyone can offer me any help on this I'd be most grateful and i'd be happy to write up a nice guide if I'm the first person to do this.

Thanks.

 

Thank you for updating us! I'm glad to hear that the fix was rather simple. Did applying the double sided tape alone cut down on the flex considerably? I'm hoping to nearly eliminate it and have a super-rigid keyboard (like the current line of HP laptops).

I do have a suggestion (more of a concern) though. One thing you may want to check and see is the maximum temperature rating of the 3M tape. It could potentially get rather hot under the keyboard, and you wouldn't want the tape to melt and get sticky, especially if it sits on top of a heatsink, power MOSFET, or something to that effect. It might be prudent to play a game for a while, pop off the keyboard, and see how hot it is under there. I read somewhere that people have used thermal tape. If it gets really hot, it might be a nice alternative to vanilla double-sided tape. Just looking out for you .

That said, do you think there is enough room to place a thin sheet of properly metal under the keyboard tray? I'm thinking of adding more support to add rigidity to the board itself, then put some double sided tape to mitigate any flex due to a gap under there.

Again, thanks for taking the time to post your experiences.

 

The keyboard itself does not appear to get very warm at all. Even if it got warm to the touch the thermal reading i'd bet was under 100 F, the tape I used certainly will hold up under moderate "warmth". Thermal tape, while certainly sounding all hi-tech and all, would be distinct overkill in this application.

There seems to be plenty of room under the keys if you were to want to place a more robust piece of metal, but I might be a bit reluctant to go too overboard. The keyboard tray is covered with perforations, I am sure mostly done to cut down on weight, but may also allow air circulation under the keyboard. I made certain not to block any of the perforations with my tape just on the off chance that there might be some cooling airflow designed into it. If you added a metal plate underneath for even more rigidity, you might want to have some holes in it . . . I can sense no movement at all in my modded keyboard, you may well be happy with just a fairly aggressive distribution of tape . . .

... as further tweaking, I happen to have an Intel P9500 CPU lying around, I'm gonna explore swapping the CPU, might net about a 10% boost and some cooling help if I apply some Artic Silver.... also considering swapping in an Intel SSD for the HD . . . see how much disassembly I can stand . . .

 

I agree thermal tape could be overkill, but its not like its expensive. If you already have double sided tape laying then sure, use it. If not, I'd buy thermal tape. If for any reason, I'd get it to "wick" away heat rather than insulate heat. Again no biggie as long as you don't go overboard with the regular double sided tape.

Definitely glad to hear the double sided tape worked for you.

 

I would also like to know if xp would work. Also, has anyone tried putting more than 4GB ram?

 

There have been reports of it working with more than 4GB of ram. I know if at least 1 report of it working with 6GB.

 

That seems unlikely. As I understand it, XP can use only 2 gigs of ram at most.

Though from what I've read there is some way to get it to use 3 gigs of ram. Apparently to make use of 4 gigs of ram you need vista (and possibly even 64-bit vista).

I'm perfectly willing to take that hit in ram to use XP myself.

 

I'll be posting some FPS results in Call of Duty 4 and World at War. I had a request for World in Conflict and will be running the demo's built in test.

In some light gaming (I used the track pad instead of my Habu so I wasn't being too serious) my FPS using the built in measuring of COD World at War ranged from 49 min to upwards of 100 (when indoors) on the Castle map running at 1680x1050 with only AA turned off. IMO World at War still looks very good with AA off at that resolution, and I ran COD4 with better results, but didn't pay much attention to the numbers as it was even smoother. These were both run on power and with turbo enabled. A note on World at War: Treyarch has an issue with their sound module so you will need to change your sound settings from Studio Quality to CD Quality to hear audio in that game. COD4 worked fine at Studio Quality.

I hope to find the Transformer 2Disc special edition on Blue-ray after work so I can report on that feature set. I can say that the enhancement of the sound quality by turning on the Dolby extensions was immediately heard for music, games, and movies/recorded TV. I watched a portion of an episode of Law and Order SVU that I recorded on my desktop in 1080p (7.53GB) that I streamed from my desktop over the Wireless N and had ZERO hiccups. It was smooth, crisp, and after enabling my preference in the Dolby settings, I was pleased with the audio as well. I have the TurtleBeach AK-R8 (5.1) headphone system and just inquired about their analog plug adaptor so that I can use the built in audio without needed the AudioAdvantage SRM box. I also watched a few 1080p trailers after my night class (full time work and school) with my teacher and friend and we were very impressed by the quality. No less quality than on my friends plasma watching trailers during the Super Bowl. They had nothing but complements for the build quality and appearance. My teacher is also a security engineer at a tier-4 SAS 70 II datacenter and thinks that for the money, they should replace their current Dell XPS units with these as their work laptops because of the overall performance, weight, screen resolution, and 10key. My friend is a high-level State employee that manages... lets say nearly every enterprise and IT contract agreement for the State. He was blown away. Very nice reviews and comments from guys that deal with this stuff every day.

FYI: I am a (prior to 1 year ago) self-taught Application Systems Analyst/Programmer, Intermediate Level, for the State. Don't want to give out my standard title for personal security reasons. This is the best notebook I have used to date. Faster and better quality than the Dell "Showstopper," the big 17" Dell XPS from a year or so ago, and is also better than our dedicated development workstations for development performance. I have not fully loaded all of my development pieces, but I will run the 3DMark Vantage tests again (and likely the COD ones) after I have all of my needed apps installed. I hate having to go in and turn off SQL Server 2005/2008 (Full editions) and all of the IIS 7 bits just to be able to have solid performance. My desktop has enough 'go juice' to not require those actions. I hope this laptop does as well. From what I have seen thus far I don't think it will be an issue.

 

I really appreciate all the input current owners have been providing. I really look forward to more modding results with replacing CPU, keyboard fixing, etc, and I love to see real-world gaming results. I play mostly RTS and it seems there's nothing out currently that can hinder this machine in that genre. It's almost time to purchase I think!

How's the backpack btw? Is it padded well and practical to use or is it just a gimmicky extra?

 

Thank you Tigergixxer, thank you very much!!!

Thanks to your input (and everyone else's) now Tuesday 24th of Feb. seems like a very VEEERY distant future!!!

That's when I expect my GT627 to arrive...

I want it... I WANT IT NOW!...

 

@Tigergixxer
awesome post, once again!

there is another thing i would like to know...
how bad is the underclocking when its running on battery backup?

I hate MSI India. They are selling GT627 here for around $1880.
And on top of that, it will take around 4 weeks to come.
If it wasnt for this blasphemy, I would have already bought it.

If I order from somewhere like xoticpc, the cost price + shipping comes around $1600, but on top of that, I might be charged customs duty.

The other option is to buy another 15.4" laptop but I just cannot find any here which is anywhere near the specs of this MSI.

I guess I'll have to wait till I come to US in April. :cry:

 

For the People asking if Windows XP works on this model it does just use the drivers from the MSI-GX620 and your set even the Turbo function works have fun people

 

Pickster, why not just order it from Newegg or zipzoomfly? They don't ship to India?

 

Why not order from Amazon? With this scale, they should deal woth customs better.