Bloatware/Any Current Issues?

Looking to finally grab a new laptop in the next couple of days ($1000-$1500) and still debating between either MSI or Asus. As such had a few questions about MSI.

1) If I don't do a clean OS install is there a list of bloatware that's recommended to uninstall? Or bloatware that's not recommended to uninstall? I think I remember hearing for Asus there's one or two bloats that inexplicably screw things up if you uninstall them even if they're nothing important.

2) Are there any persistent issues with a given series out of the box? Such as the issues Asus was/is having with the left side usb ports in the ROG series being wonky.

3) How are things with Win10? I see some laptops are coming preloaded with it but I'm still mildly worried about compatibility issues. Would be half tempted to revert back to Win7 (assuming my key still works) but I'm sure I'd need to upgrade sooner rather than later so why not from the start if its feasible.

4) Also hows the heat? As I understand it Asus tends to have the cooler laptops though MSI might be a close second?

 

Hi,

I have a GE62 since 3 weeks. There is some bloatware like Norton Anti Virus which you can uninstall. I think all the MSI utilities are very useful, dont take much resources and there should be no need to remove them. In short, there is not much bloatware on MSI systems and you don't need to do a fresh install of the operating system - mine is working just fine out of the box.

I have no idea about persistent issues out of the box but my GE62 runs perfectly since three weeks and I have not encountered any issues. This may vary from model to model and batch of manufacture though.

Windows 10 runs real well, I was sceptical myself but after tuning and customizing windows 10 it feels real nice and does everything i need to. I'm not going back to any older windows now.

When it comes to heat it is a well known fact that thicker laptops are cooler than thinner ones. Considering that, the Ghost and stealth will definitely run a little hot, the Apache runs fairly cooler and I have had no heat issues with it yet and the GT series will definitely be the coolest.

Hope all this helps.

 

I was eyeballing the GE72's when it comes to MSI but I presume they'd load similar bloatware on them.

Yea I wasn't aware of any. Reviews on store sites are always kind of a mixed bag since you never really know what the persons situation was and glancing around I wasn't noticing any consistent complaints.

I see most people complaining about Win10 but then most of those I believe were those making use of the upgrading option which has many more potential pitfalls than having it installed right out the box. Well and there's all the invasive data collecting bit but by now there's a bunch of guides for disabling most of it.

Reviews when it came to heat were also either all over the place or non-existent. Not to mention one of the reasons I'm trying to avoid the ultrathin/thin laptops. I also have a cooling pad to supplement though its probably not all that great.

 

Generally MSI doesn't have an incredible amount of added programs in there, but if you don't want to deal with it, a clean install might be the way to go. As long as you put the utilities back on there, you shouldn't have any issues with functionality.

I can't think of any massive re-occurring problems like USB ports that don't work. I suppose there might be some, as any manufacturer might have.

Most of the Win10 issues seem to just be related to getting the right drivers, and the data collection as mentioned. But if you get a model pre-loaded with 10 on it already, then there should be less issues with the drivers to start out with.

The temperatures are going to depend on the models you are comparing. In general, the slimmer the computer, usually the higher the temps will be. You could always use a better thermal compound, as well as a cooling pad, on any model though.

 

Like the others have said, MSI is better than most about putting bloat on the machines. Generally, if a utility is on there, it's to enhance the system somehow. They also had a driver and utility CD that you could pick and choose what you wanted to install if you did a clean install.

Drivers are best gotten from the vendors anyway as they'll be more up-to-date.