-->*Official GT628 Owners Lounge*<--

MSI GT628 GAMING NOTEBOOK



Display: 15.4" WSXGA (1680 x 1050) TFT display ACV(Amazing Crystal Vision) Display
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
CPU: Intel 45nm Montevina Core 2 Duo Processors P8600 2.4 Ghz - 1066MHz FSB
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 160 M- GTS 1 GIG DDR3 + Turbo Cache-With Support For Microsoft DirectX 10.1
System Memory: 4GB DDR3-1066MHz Dual Channel Memory
Hard Drive: SATA Hardrive support up to 320GB
Optical Drive: DVD Super Multi (DVD+-RW/ CD+-RW)/ Bluray Disc included
Communications:
Intel WiMAX / WiFi Link Ready
Built-in Gigabit Ethernet LAN and Modem Module
Built-in 802.11a/g/N WLAN Card / Bluetooth
Analog Line Out / Digital 5.1 Channel S/PDIF Output Recognized and Approved by the Highest standards of Dolby
E-SATA connector
HDMI connector (1080p supported)
Built In 2.0 Mega Pixel Camera

Configured Model GT628


BTO 1651 ID2 or Barebones


Here's a video of the 1651 ID2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFVi1nkmz_s

Thanks to robm@rkcomputer - You can use the Turbo feature on the notebook also to overclock. If you update the bios and firmware from the MSI site and install the system control manager off the CD this feature will become active. I just verified it is working in XP and Vista, A customer of ours just verified he has it functional under Windows 7 also. Once all is updated the turbo button will be between the ECO and camera keys. The bios and firmware can be found here:

http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=proddesc&maincat_no=135&prod_no=1670

Thanks to robm@rkcomputer here are Some 3DMARK06 scores:

http://www.rkcomputer.net/rkcforum/viewtopic.php?t=1769

http://www.rkcomputer.net/rkcforum/viewtopic.php?t=1771

http://www.rkcomputer.net/rkcforum/viewtopic.php?t=1774

http://www.rkcomputer.net/rkcforum/viewtopic.php?t=1773

http://www.rkcomputer.net/rkcforum/viewtopic.php?t=1772

A few places to buy the GT628:

http://www.rkcomputer.net/rkcnotebooks/index.php?l=product_list&c=58

http://www.xoticpc.com/force-3551-built-msi1651id2-p-2596.html

http://www.powernotebooks.com/viewsystem.php?sysId=2905

http://www.frostycomputers.com/MSI_GT628_gaming_notebook_Nvidia_GTS160_M_Intel_P8_p/gt628-218us.htm

http://www.avadirect.com/product_details_configurator.asp?PRID=14367

http://www.excaliberpc.com/592332/msi-gt628-bd-combo-15.4.html



Here is the spec's for the GTS 160m

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_gts_160m_us.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTS-160M.14561.0.html

Thanks to robm@rkcomputer Below is a short list of some battery life tests we just recently ran with the MS-1651 (GT628). We used two different CPU's and one test playing a DVD the other Internet browsing, word processing, etc. All were with a 9 cell (7200mAh) battery. All were run using the MSI default ECO Turbo Battery Mode setting.

MSI MS-1651 (GT628) With P8700 (2.53Ghz) 25W


Vista Ultimate X64
4GB memory
P8700 (2.53Ghz) 25W
320-7200 WD Black
9-Cell (7200mAh)
ECO Turbo Battery Mode-on
Playing DVD Movie: 2Hrs 58Min




Vista Ultimate X64
4GB memory
P8700 (2.53Ghz) 25W
320-7200 WD Black
9-Cell (7200mAh)
ECO Turbo Battery Mode-on
Internet Browsing, Word, ETC: 3Hrs 17Min





MSI MS-1651 (GT628) With T9600 (2.80Ghz) 35W


Vista Ultimate X64
4GB memory
T9600 (2.80Ghz) 35W
320-7200 WD Black
9-Cell (7200mAh)
ECO Turbo Battery Mode-on
Playing DVD Movie: 2Hrs 43Min.


Vista Ultimate X64
4GB memory
T9600 (2.80Ghz) 35W
320-7200 WD Black
9-Cell (7200mAh)
ECO Turbo Battery Mode-on
Internet Browsing, Word, ETC: 3Hrs 08Min

Here are some Gaming Benchmarks and 3dmark06 scores Thanks to Justin @ Xotic:

http://www.xoticpcforums.com/showthread.php?p=17526#post17526

Powernotebooks benchmarks:

http://www.powernotebooks.com/specs/images/p15-2/benchmark/

I figured I'd make a thread for the GT628 owners to post there Benchmarks and Pictures. Feel free and post!!

 

Hmm its looking good, i think they should have gone for a gtx 260m though, to compete with the sager machine.

 

I just received my GT628Silver (what I'm gonna call my 1651-ID2 since it's basically a GT628 with silver instead of red) from RKC... so far I love it. Specs:
P8700
320gb WD Scorpio Black 7200rpm
4gb DDR3 RAM
WSXGA+ screen (what a beauty)
Arctic silver and an upgraded heatsink from RKC
Everything else stock

A few gut impressions since I haven't really used it a whole lot yet (I'll update this post as I go):

-It's really LIGHT! It's solid as a rock but just seems like it'd be heavier than it is. It looks great too, very stealthy

-I haven't noticed any keyboard flex at all. Couldn't be happier about that!

-The keyboard itself will take some adjusting... not only the Fn/Ctrl issue but the way the arrow keys are wedged like a Tetris piece next to the keypad. That said, I need a keypad for business school to save myself the headache, and I feel confident I'll get used to it.

-The one issue I have noticed that may bug me is the vent on the right side. I'm a righty and I can definitely tell that that vent is warm. Good for cooling, bad for avoiding a sweaty hand. I'll survive though

-Speaking of cooling, idle temps look great... GPU is 55-58 (in the midst of the hottest Texas summer in years), CPU is 35-38, HDD is 32-35. I'll definitely be undervolting though.

-Haven't played a game or anything yet but I did run 3dmark06 with stock drivers in XP and got 9481. Not too shabby!

More later, including a batter test, once I finish installing Win7...

 

Nah, I like the fact that it is smaller in every dimension and nearly 2 pounds lighter. =)
I do wish they waited to put a 40nm GTS 260M. That would make this laptop nearly perfect.

 

Hehe, sounds really good from what i can see, and no keyboard issues? great!

But yeah, the new 2** serie nvidia cards seem very impressive, especially in a machine like this, we can probably upgrade but only time will tell

 

The new 160m, also has NVIDIA Hybrid Power right?, how has that affected battery life?

 

What about touchpad wear? You might want to put a screen protector on them just in case.

 

If i'm not mistaken, hybrid power requires the notebook to have 2 GPUs. Usually one integrated to handle 2d tasks then, a discrete GPU to handle more intensive tasks.

 

Ok, so I've been using the 1651-ID2 (GT628, or whatever we're calling it) for a couple of days now (see my post in the barebones thread) and it's living up to expectations. I'm getting around 2~2.3 hours of battery life under medium load, surfing, disc burning, installing, etc.

Yesterday at work the computer was downright cold to the touch, it's cool in the Lab where I work, but I've never had that impact the surface temperature of my computer so dramatically before.

A couple of odd things I've noticed. The laptops feet, which are rather tall and pointy, tend to stick into your thighs a bit when using on the lap. Not a huge issue, but something I've never experienced before.

Also the DVD drive, practically every dvd I've tried in it so far while installing has been super quiet, however last night I installed Tron 2.0, holy nuts it sounded like a lawn mower the CD was spinning so fast. I had to damp the vibrations by squeezing the chassis around the dvd drive. I don't know why, but for older optical media this may happen.

How would I go about undevolting/Ocing this laptop? I tried RM-Clock utility, but it seems to have issues with Win 7.

 

Ah, Ok, the problem with RmClock is that it needs digitally signed drivers. Here's the 64 bit signed driver for anyone else who wants to try undervolting in Win 7 x64. Just unzip into the RmClock directory and it should work.

 

You can use the Turbo feature on the notebook also to overclock. If you update the bios and firmware from the MSI site and install the system control manager off the CD this feature will become active. I just verified it is working in XP and Vista, A customer of ours just verified he has it functional under Windows 7 also. Once all is updated the turbo button will be between the ECO and camera keys. The bios and firmware can be found here:

http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=proddesc&maincat_no=135&prod_no=1670

 

Thanks Rob I will post this on the front page..

 

Thanks for the info. Slightly disappointed about the thickness (was expecting 1.2-1.5 to be with rubber stops, not without). Can't be ideal in every way.

 

I'm surprised by the thickness, too, wasn't the gt627 thinner? don't they have the same chassis?

 

Same exact chassis, same rubber feet. Nothing has changed on the chassis.

 

My guess is that MSI listed the thinnest part of the gt627 and listed that alone. A bit deceptive but not too uncommon.

 

I'm currently running mine through the Orthos CPU Loader stress test as we speak as I get ready to do the undervolting... and I haven't topped 70C yet on either CPU core after about 15 minutes of stress. Granted, every ounce of that heat is getting sent onto my mouse hand... but that's more an issue of me having a small desk and having to put my mouse right next to the vent

Oh and I'm the customer who helped RobM test the turbo function in Win 7... got me a nice score of 9781 on 3dmark06 running my p8700 at 2.93ghz

 

I never thought the 160M would be such a good perfomer.
We need pics

 

nVIDIA Hybrid technology requires an nVIDIA chipset based motherboard. The 1651 ID2 motherboard uses the Intel 985PM chipset.

 

With the drivers from the nvidia site the scores/performance is even better. The best numbers so far are out of XP Pro (10967 3DMarks) with a T9600.

 

@robm, you from MASS too?
I'm guessing it handles every game very well.

 

Wow, Thanks for the overclocking tips Robm! I will get right on that and post back here. I did play around with SetFSB a bit yesterday and overclocked to 3.0GHz from 2.53 with my P8700, system was to say the least unstable!

As for the thickness measurements, it's fairly subjective as the laptop is not prismatic in shape, in fact kinda lumpy on the underside. But it does seem thin, I've never seen a GT627, but they are probably similar if not identical.

 

Alright overclocking based on RobM's suggestions are in place. I had to first make a Dos bootable USB key so I could flash the firmware and bios. Indeed after this, as already confirmed, the nonexistent button in between "eco" and camera actually functions, quite strange (Win 7 x64). My P8700 was OCed to 2931.1Hz, 3DMark06 results are 10455! You can see the HWMonitor temps in the attached image.

 

It is a nice bonus that the OC Turbo Button installed on the "Branded" MSI "GT" series notebooks works in the non branded models via the hidden button between ECO and Camera. This worked on the previous generation 1651's also. Here is a guide another user made a while back.

 

I'm guessing this notebook can support quad cores?

 

Yes this model now supports Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme. We tested them all and they are verified working in this chassis.

 

No problem, glad I could help. It's much easier just pressing one button than tinkering around to get a stable setting with the OC tool. You have basically the same result and the turbo feature is extremely stable. As long as your using the current platform CPU's I have never seen it cause any stability problems at all. You should get 15% OC for all the Core 2 CPU's but I think the Core 2 Quads are still at 4% max OC.

 

Have you had any luck with undervolting (and getting the darn thing to stick)? I spent the better part of the day running tests and whatnot, trying to fight through the fact that the P8700 has a half multiplier, which RM Clock doesn't like, then got what I thought were great settings after a 3 hour test, had the CPU down to 63c at full load... only to have the thing blue screen whenever I unplug it (one of the main points of undervolting, to get more battery life!) or really try to do much of anything else with it.

A bit annoyed with that fiasco, but it has nothing to do with the 628 in general... the computer is still great

 

so do you have the 9-cell battery and still only get like 2 hours of battery life?
does anyone know what kind of battery life the 628 gets with a 9 cell and under little stress (like web surfing, word processing, downloading, etc). Actually a list of battery time for the 628 would be fantastic thanks

 

Battery Life run time is very dependent on your hardware configuration, applications, and OS power settings. To maximize your battery life your screen brightness should be turned down as low as you can make it while still being able to read it comfortably, any unnecessary programs running in the background should be exited, your wireless and Bluetooth cards should be off if you are not using them, and your Power Management setting should be set for maximum battery life.

Given that you have your settings at maximum battery life you should expect about 2:10 to 2:20 with the 6 cell battery and about 3:15 to 3:30 with the 9 cell battery.

 

Below is a short list of some battery life tests we just recently ran with the MS-1651 (GT628). We used two different CPU's and one test playing a DVD the other Internet browsing, word processing, etc. All were with a 9 cell (7200mAh) battery. All were run using the MSI default ECO Turbo Battery Mode setting.


MSI MS-1651 (GT628) With P8700 (2.53Ghz) 25W


Vista Ultimate X64
4GB memory
P8700 (2.53Ghz) 25W
320-7200 WD Black
9-Cell (7200mAh)
ECO Turbo Battery Mode-on
Playing DVD Movie: 2Hrs 58Min




Vista Ultimate X64
4GB memory
P8700 (2.53Ghz) 25W
320-7200 WD Black
9-Cell (7200mAh)
ECO Turbo Battery Mode-on
Internet Browsing, Word, ETC: 3Hrs 17Min





MSI MS-1651 (GT628) With T9600 (2.80Ghz) 35W


Vista Ultimate X64
4GB memory
T9600 (2.80Ghz) 35W
320-7200 WD Black
9-Cell (7200mAh)
ECO Turbo Battery Mode-on
Playing DVD Movie: 2Hrs 43Min.


Vista Ultimate X64
4GB memory
T9600 (2.80Ghz) 35W
320-7200 WD Black
9-Cell (7200mAh)
ECO Turbo Battery Mode-on
Internet Browsing, Word, ETC: 3Hrs 08Min

 

thank-you so much i have been looking for these figures for quite some time. do you think that there are any ways to boost these numbers by a significant amount?

also do you think that the msi gt628 (red) preconfigured model will have the same battery life or different battery life?

 

Significant, no. But by customizing the power plan or creating your own i am sure you can tweak a little more run time out of it.

The MSI Brand GT628 is the same chassis except for chassis id (color). The battery life will be the same with similar hardware.

 

which of the two would you recommend getting?........i am currently leaning toward the preconfigured model because it comes with msi's fantastic 1 year accidental and 3 year parts/labor warranty

also does anyone know the actual release date and a location to preorder? i like the one on rk but it doesnt have a preorder option

 

The most recent info we have is late August-September. There is nothing more accurate at this time.

 

One question about the barebones unit (flame away if my ignorance turns out to be from search technique failure)...

I routinely have to stay at hotels with the Air National Guard and they invariably have too few/poorly positioned access points. Is the external antenna connector active if the internal antenna is connected to the wireless card or should I expect to pop the bottom off and switch connectors when I want to use the external?

 

There is no external wireless antenna connector. The connector you are referring to is for an optional internal tv tuner antenna.

 

Ahh that clarifies things Rob, thanks much. I would think it would screw up the antenna properties to have it split because the unterminated end would be subjet to RFI. If it is a simple small gague coax, I could probably order one when you guys receive them and proceed to defeat my warranty by rerouting the connection from the intel card to the tv tuner antenna cable...

I haven't placed a preorder yet as I will be 900 miles from home in 3 weeks.

 

So the maximum battery life with a 9 cell is at most 4 hrs?

What's this Crystal Vision? Who supplies it?

 

I thought crystal vision was an acer thing?

 

hey Arom where are you getting 4 hours from? and what is that crystal vision?

 

read the first post

 

Just for everyone's reference, i took my 1651-silver on the plane with me a few days ago and got just a smidge over 2 hours with it running on turbo battery mode on the 6-cell battery. I finally got it undervolted properly, but using turbo battery mode runs it at his very very lowest settings, so undervolting doesn't make a difference as far as battery life goes, but it does lower the temp a few degrees (not that they're that high to begin with though)

 

So far this looks like a extremely capable machine with the 3DMARK 06 scores
but any game benchmarks?
Can you upgrade the GPU to a 260GTX? ( lets say if you had one lying around )

 

Maybe, but it appears the difference in the performance between the two cards is so minimal it wouldn't be worth the extra money.

 

But it is possible?

 

How would anyone know unless they tested it? It would probably exceed the thermal budget, and that is why MSI doesn't do it.

 

Next week when we get caught up we will run some game benchmarks as we did on the previous model. They should be up next weekend.

 

sorry ARom, i still dont see how 3 hors and 17 minutes changes to 4 hours and where is the ACV available? thanks

 

what's your beef?