Differences between GT627 and GT725

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to add a question mark to the title. I hope it's not misleading people to think I'm offering the differences.

Hi, everyone. New member here and I'm slowly going crazy trying to decide on which computer to purchase. The thing is that once I get the computer, I'll be heading back to Japan and that makes any kind of replacement/service/etc. a little on the challenging side. So I want to make sure I get what's right for me before I leave.

My question is between the two models listed in the title. Aside from the obvious screen size, video card and what have you, is there any other benefit of getting a GT725 over a 627? Are there any issues with the design that have been rectified in later models? Is there anything non-superficial that makes one a better purchase than the other?

I really don't mind a 15in screen size. My current laptop is that size and, should I need to take the new one to work, it will still fit nicely on my cluttered desk. So a larger screen isn't a necessity for me. As for the video card, Nvidia or Ati... I honestly don't know what would make one better than the other. All my video cards have been ATI so far and I like them, but I've never tried an Nvidia. Should I stay away from one or the other?

Stuff like that. I'm sorry if these questions are too vague but I hope some of you experts around here can help give me a more clear picture of these two machines before I make my purchase. Thanks in advance.

 

i think the gt627 has a crap buil quality

 

??? What you mean? GT725 is more solid just because its 17" vs 15.4"?

 

The only build issue that the GT627 has that the GT725 doesn't is the cracks on the back of the screen, which are a hit & miss situation.

Other than that, the keyboard is a bit less cramped on the GT725, but the differences you noted are about it.
- screen size
- GPU

 

Keyboard is the same size on both... 725 just has more wasted space. The 627 sacrifices some size on the left side of the keyboard (capslock, left shift, tab, etc.), while the 725 squeezes some on the right side (period, question mark, right shift, arrows)

 

Thanks for the info so far.

Any opinions on the two video cards? Is either one good enough? The Radeon 4850 and Nvidia 9800.

 

Good enough for...?

Both of them are good GPUs in the higher end part of the market. The HD4850 is faster and better, but the 9800M GS is no slouch either. Both will run just about any game in today's market given tweaks for the power monsters like Crysis and GTA4.

 

don't forget that you can apparently oc the 9800gs to 9800gts

 

Sorry. By "good enough" I meant that they're both reliable. One doesn't have a higher record of failures compared to the other, right? You already answered that they can both handle what's out there now, so thanks for that. I don't do a lot of gaming on the PC, but I haven't been able to play my older MMOs (City of Heroes, Planetside, etc.) because my current laptop isn't powerful enough. That's why I want my new machine to be able to play these games since I'll be far from home for a little while longer. Hence all my (probably) stupid questions.

 

Both are reliable, the GT725 is more reliable.

The 627 has reported issues of
Fast Mouse Pad Wear
Palm rest wear? (Cant remember)
Screen micro cracks occasionally come up
Hot palm wrest (HDD)

The GT725 has
Fast Mouse Pad Wear
Occasional screen bleed on models (the majority of UK models haven't had this problem, at all)

Both are extremely good and powerful.
The 627 can be flashed to gts card if you want some more kick (Although its not a small performer already, its really good for a 15")
Both feature in warrenty overclocking.
The MSI is more an overclockers machine though (if your into all of that hehe the ATI 4850 along with Processor can be streched alot, although its unneccesary really )
Your Questions Aren't stupid.

GT725 is the powerfuller gamer and more reliable (comparing the two from peoples experiences)
GT627 is the portable gamer which you should have no problem if its looked after properly

Hope this has cleared some things up.

 

Thanks, cataclysm. Those are some very informative points put succinctly.

I still have a lot to consider and if anyone else wants to add their own vies, I'd appreciate it. I'd say at the moment, my gut is saying to go for the 725 but the size of the 627 seems more convenient (and it should fit in my Targus backpack).

EDIT: One more question. I see a lot of people complaining that the HDD is partitioned with the OS. I really don't understand why that is a problem. I read how people claim to have deleted the other partition (is it really as easy as they make it sound?) but why is it bad to have Vista arrive in its own partition?

 

Well its easily to collapse a partition, i dont know why people complain but its doable, also take note that these are 32 bit os which is quite silly i know, you will only be able to utilise 3gb of ram unless you upgrade to 64 bit.

They are both great machines

Its a very small job to rejoin partitions so if you do decide and need help with that, just yell

 

You certainly are kind and helpful, cataclysm. Can I ask exactly why having that partition that it comes with is bad? Why are a lot of people so bothered by it that they seek to delete the partition?

EDIT: And 1 more question, too: I did read a few reviews of the 627 mentioning something about needing a cushion on the keyboard when you close the lid. Something about a poor design and it's done to protect the screen. Is this true that you need some sort of buffer between the screen and keyboard? If so, does the 725 also have this flaw?

 

Gt725 does not have any of these flaws, but i do sit a soft protector in with the screen to be safe.

Some extra partitions are for the recovery partition, others is like a c: or a d: i dont have problems with it to be honest.

 

Catacylsm almost made my mind. The Newegg Canada 216US is very appealing for 1200$ + taxes/shipping = 1450$

 

Thats great news prep.
They are awesome machines although make sure you get the res you want, i think the 216 has 1280x800 (although im a fan of the lower native because that means much better gaming performance)

Price to performance ratio is great
And overclocking on the spot, believe me is handy







As i mentioned though, go easy with it, dont sling it around, i would prehaps say get a mouse pad cut out because of the wear down but you can just live with it i guess.

You may need to apply the flex fix with double sided tape though, i can find you the video tutorial for that too and it wont void your warrenty.

 

Ok well I will bring it with me to the University and most of the time I will use a mouse. Now one question is the resolution, you are right on the 216 1280x800. I just don't know if that is enough. I will use this laptop for web developing and coding apps (Java, C++, C#...). I guess I will need to go to a store, find a 15.4" laptop, set res to 1280x800 and see. For the CPU and GPU, its perfect, and for the price, its too perfect...

 

Well incase the res is too low, try look into the MSI gt627-218.

That should be ressed up

 

The prob is that the 218Us is not (or no more) available in Canada.

 

Good luck finding something better than 1280x800 at a store. That is the standard 15.4" resolution. Anything better is an upgrade and rare to find in Best Buy or similar stores. However, higher res is great.

 

gt627 screen = crap

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3556&p=9

 

That review is for the 1280x800

The 1680x1050 screen has a much better contrast ratio...

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-MSI-Megabook-GT627-Gaming-Notebook.14601.0.html

 

Looking at the screen quality its really good (except contrast) in that case you can fine tune it in NVIEW control pannel

 

Yep i'll probably go for the 216US. 1200$ CND is very cheap for what you get. I'll wait till the end of the month hoping for a 1USD=1CND .

 

Sounds like a plan and if the screen is so uncomfortable, im sure it can be easily swapped out.

 

I'm sure I can live with 1280x800. Anyway, i will buy an external monitor of at least 20" for dual screen.

 

Well i use that res on my sony vaio (just ask for pics if you want) 1280x800, and it looks fine, and quality is very sharp

 

Cool, can you send me some pics, and if possible a VS. I mean your sony 1280x800 vs something else... thanks!

 

Hehe, no problem, when head home i will compare it to a 17" samsung r700 at 1440x900.

 

Back to the graphics cards: Which is the more powerful card, the 1 gig Nvidia 9800 GS in the GT627 or the ATI 4850 in the GT725? It seems from what I read that a large number prefer the ATI, but I thought if they were similar cards then wouldn't the Nvidia be more powerful as it has more VRAM?

Obviously I'm not an expert on these things, that's why I'm here for information.

 

I'd say the ATI 4850 is more powerful. Even though the nVidia has more VRAM, the 4850 has a heck of a lot more transistors thus making it more powerful.

 

The 4850 destroys the 9800m gs garanteed!

 

Thanks again for the info. Looks like my decision is made. Now only a month to go before I go back to the US and can get one of these.

 

More questions about partitions as I've made it pretty obvious I don't know about them:

1. If Vista comes preinstalled on the main partition of the 725 and it is very small, would there be any problems if I installed all my stuff into the secondary larger partition? Will it matter that the only thing I leave in the main partition is the OS?

2. If all I leave in the main partition is the OS, if I choose to upgrade it later (64bit, Windows 7 64bit, etc.) does that mean that all my installed files will not be deleted since they are in a different partition? Would I need to reinstall them anyhow because it's a new OS or will they be able to adapt after the fact?

3. If I only have a single OS and it's NOT installed on the main partition, does it still boot up normally? Or do I have to direct the system to the partition where the OS is located?

This partitioning stuff confuses me...

 

1- No problems at all. You can install your stuff on the other partition.
2- Exact, your stuff will not be deleted if you do not format that partition. You will be able to access your apps BUT, they might not work with a newer version of windows or 32bits vs 64bits. Also, since some apps write stuff in registry, they might not work with another windows.
3- It will boot normally, i've test it myself. Ive put Linux on a logical drive and it worked.


How partition works:

Lets take a 100g HDD

You need:
-Primary drive (normally C:/) of 20g for example
-the rest can be an Extended Drive so 100-20:80g
-You can split the extended drive into ulimited logical drive. Lets say 4 logical drive of 20g each.

Then you have: C:/ 20g, D:/ 20g E:/ 20g F:/ 20g G:/20g.

Hope i'm clear

 

Seems clear enough to me, you can do this with tools like partitionsplitter, you can also format to different filesystems (but i dont mess with that as i am unsure at present about different filesystems and there usages.)

 

Thank you two for the info. I wonder if it'll be worth it to upgrade to Windows 7 later if I keep all my programs separate.

 

If I was you, I'd dual boot on Vista and Win7 or you could build a VMware with Win7. (for now, with Win7 Release Candidate)

 

today i went to a store and I tried the Asus g50vt with 1680x1050. Then I switch res to 1280x780 (its a 15.6 not 15.4) and my conclusion is that I can live with 1200x800 but its too low. I'll wait for the Asus k51AB or the Asus g51 or the MSI 628 or a price drop on the GT627-217CA.

 

In terms of gaming, do both of these laptops have about the same performance gaming wise when playing on their respective native resolutions? I realize the 725 has a better video card but it also has a higher resolution (at least in comparison to the 627-216US) which tends to lower performance at the native res. Just curious if that means I can squeeze out some better framerates on games in the 627-216US despite the 9800M GS being weaker than the mobility 4850.

I've had a 17 inch laptop with a 1440x900 res (Inspiron 9300) for about 4 years so I'm very eager to upgrade. While the 17 inch screen has it perks (always nice to have a little bigger display for playing games and videos), I did find it a bit cumbersome to carry around with me. This makes me lean more towards the 15 in. 627 but at the same time, if the 725 is a much better gaming machine I might just suck it up and go for that. This will be my main comp and I do want to get some decent gaming out of it for at least 3 years.

 

Its not just that vic, its also a lot more firmly built, no keyboard flex, no reports of screen cracks (ive started transporting mine) and the 4850 is very powerful, I have the 1440x900 res on my machine and i enjoy it, but im taking baby steps up the res chain but the performance is great