GS30 Shadow

This gif explains my thoughts perfectly.



No, you do NOT make a docking station vertical like that!
NO.


This is what MSI planned for this laptop:



Putting the docking station UNDER the laptop, that's a NO. N.O.
How is that supposed to fit on a desk?
You'd sit like a chipmunk trying to use it


You could put it behind the laptop, you could put it external to the laptop, but NOT under it.

Official announcement site:
MSI Global - Computer, Laptop, Notebook, Desktop, Motherboard, Graphics and more

Please change it, please!!

Here's a detailed plan on what it should look like:



I really hope it changes :L

 

Hmmm... Come to think of it that is pretty inconvenient.

 

You do realize the laptop isn't usable while hooked up to the external dock right? The screen won't be working. I am not sure of the laptop keyboard, but if the screen isn't usa or why would you use the keyboard anyways?

Also I plan to place the dock under my desk and have a clean desktop with just my external monitors, keyboard and mouse. Can't wait for this thing. I think this or an actual desktop is my next purchase.

 

Yes the keyboard and touchpad are disabled. You will need a screen, keyboard and mouse when docking.

 

So you'd have to buy a keyboard + mouse

Then you'd technically want to buy a screen since a 13 inch screen at that distance is pretty useless

let's say 300$ would be the cost of a good screen + bad keyboard + bad mouse (or just exclude the keyboard/mouse)

The whole thing would probably cost 1000$ for the laptop + GPU

For that price you could buy a good desktop (GTX770 + AMD CPU + a decent Mobo)
AND a chromebook.

The hard disk space on the laptop alone would be insufficient (Cloud computing maybe?)
so you might as well get a desktop + chromebook to be honest

I was thinking it would be a usable laptop + eGPU
Then it would be worth it since you get a usable screen + keyboard - touchpads would be replaced with a mouse regardless.

 

Lol this product is not only bad but it's strange. Why wouldst anyone think this is a good idea?

 

MSI have targetted the practical use for this machine.

A) Users who are on the move want mobility.
B) Users who dock it will have an entire station like a desktop.
C) The CPU is the combined link and needs to be decent.

 

I understand that but there must have been better ways to achieve that surely.

 

Personally I would just go with an Asus G20 mini dekstop + Asus Zenbook. Would probably be more expensive though.

I like MSi since I have a GT60 and a GS60 so I'm a little confused why they would make a small notebook with integrated graphics (making it hard to play games on it) and a docking station that's pretty much the size of a mini desktop but without the power of a full desktop CPU. Personally I never liked the idea of using a docking station anyways since the laptops I have really have no need for one (I carry around my GS60 fairly often so thanks to MSi for enough USB and display ports). Most cooling pads come with USB hubs and that's really the only limiting factor for an MSi GS or GT series notebook.

 

I agree. I showed it to a coworker who's a power gamer and that was his first response.

And of course, if it's meant to be used like a desktop anyway, why not just have a desktop system to begin with? You could get a fully upgradeable desktop and a cheaper laptop for portability all for about the price you'd pay for the GS30 + a good graphics card and external monitor.

I mean, I paid about $450 for a decent i5 based laptop for my wife that's good enough for office and web surfing. It's pretty thin and quite portable. The additional $1500 or so can buy a very nice desktop.

I won't call it a fail because I can see how this would be attractive to some people. I see it as more of a niche product though.

 

People that think it is a horrible design and idea just don't understand the target audience. Obviously it does not appeal to people that want to game on the laptop with external GPU. This is for people that have setups like a desktop but also use the laptop for mobility. Obviously it is not targeted to everyone and every single user will have different needs regarding external graphics.

Personally, it works perfect for what I did with my GT60. I essentially used my laptop as a desktop, except instead of hooking it up with a dock, I placed it on a high rise cooling pad and used external monitor, mouse, keyboard and USB hub. While I didn't need to travel or move, my GT60 was my desktop. As soon as I needed to go, I unplugged the cables and went on my way.

With this GS30 idea, I can simply unplug the docking station and be on my way, while taking a very portable and powerful ultrabook with me, and then just return home to a powerful desktop. This is not for power gaming on the go. This is basically turning the laptop into a desktop itself.

 

I get what you're saying and that's why I think it's more of a niche product. There can be a market for this - I just think it's small.

I think that this is a device that tries to bridge the gap between laptop and desktop and will end up being decent but doing neither particularly well.

Most people don't need a super powerful laptop on the go. They could get away with a half-decent laptop or ultrabook, one that's designed for portability and battery life. Combine that with a mini pc, you get something that's arguably more powerful and upgradeable. Plus, if one of them takes a dump, you still have a back up.

The dock in this case is proprietary. It's also unclear what direction MSI will take with this concept or what laptops will be upgradable in the future. If you want to upgrade your machine, you're stuck upgrading the entire computer. And then, you have to hope that MSI has a model that's compatible and something you want.

I don't know ... if that much power is needed on the go, I think you're better off getting something like a GS60. It's much more of a complete package.

JMO.

 

Because to match the setup you would need a powerful desktop AND a powerful ultrabook. A 450dlrs core i5 based laptop does not perform remotely similar to the GS30 with its current hardware. If you don't need a powerful ultrabook, then a desktop and a cheap notebook will do the trick as you said. Otherwise this idea is for those that want a decent a mount of power on both desktop and laptop mode.

 

Yep, which is why there exist powerful laptops and different sizes and form factors. This is of course a niche product, a new idea. That is why we have such large diversity of models, options etc, each are targeting a specific demographic.

This GS30 is just doing that. For the ones that need ultra portable powerful laptops.

As for upgradeability, due to intel seemingly no longer making socketed laptop CPUs, I don't think we have much of a choice there hahaha.

 

I just think it's quite expensive for what you get and the battery life isn't that great for a portable machine. 13.3 inches is also kind of small for any activities that would use the full power of that CPU. But now that you say it, I do agree that there is nothing else like it. I guess I just believe that it's a bad execution of a decent idea.

 

I'd argue the GS60 is a better all around solution, but we're going to have to agree to disagree on that one.

I think the big problem here is the question of the future. I think the attractive thing here is the potential for longevity - you can, in theory, perpetually upgrade your video card to the latest and greatest. However, if the idea doesn't take off, you're left with a brick by the time you're done with the laptop. Or, more likely, the dock undergoes a big revision to redo the form factor. So the newer version may not be backward compatible.

I think the best outcome is one where you can upgrade laptop as needed while the dock can remain relatively static aside from the graphics card.

We end up with a chicken and egg problem, though. I wouldn't buy a first generation of this kind of product from any manufacturer due to the unknowns I mentioned. On the other hand, the idea will die if there aren't enough people willing to take a chance on it.

Here's what I'd like to see - and maybe we will with time. I'd like to see something like this implemented with a wider range of laptops (even better if we can get an industry standard, but I'd take multiple options within the same line for now). Make it compatible with the GT60/70/72, GS60/70, etc, and implement something with some sort of Optimus technology that can use the dock GPU when docked. That way the onboard graphics card doesn't get obsolete as quickly with as many gpus they keep coming out with.

Take my GT60, for example. It's less than 2 years old and still has a lot of life in it besides the graphics card. There have been 3 new generations of gpus since I bought this. If I could get a dock like this and a graphics card so I could still play newer games - I'd be set.

Downside is that it may impact new laptop sales as it would extend the life of existing laptops rather than going out and buying a new one.

Should be interesting over the next year or two to see where this goes.

There are still plenty of MQ chips for sale out there. Finding a chassis where you can plug one into is another story ...

 

When seeing this pic from Hexus.net, it makes a bit more sense with what MSI is getting at.



Not quite my cup of tea at the moment, but I see the potential if the form factor is changed a bit.

I'd like to see it support a wider variety of laptops. This one specifically seems to be designed for the GS30. I agree that the 13.3" form factor is a bit small and limiting for such a laptop. I'd rather see a 15" variety. However, if at multiple options are supported on the dock, I can see it being more viable.

A former company I worked for used Dell laptops with docks for employee workstations. The docks were compatible with multiple models so we didn't have to worry about newer and different laptops not working. I don't think it would be terribly hard to implement that across other laptops. I think MSI needs to incorporate that option more widely if it really wants things to take off.

 

dang, I read the polls as Would MSI change instead of Should.

But yeah, I was looking for a light gaming machine but the docking station is beyond idiotic. It requires you have have and connect an eternal monitor, keyboard (well technically, the lappy keyboard still works but you have to pry the lid open everytime you want to use it), mouse. That is pretty much the same setup as a desktop. Except that it shares the same hard drive.

 

Along with CPU, let's face it, gaming on a 13" display with a desktop GPU would be a little silly, a decent keyboard and mouse at that point is hardly expensive and considering what you are paying for the machine is an investment worth making anyway.

 

I thought that the external dock was pretty poorly implemented at first, but looking at the actual size of the GPU in it, they couldn't have made it that much smaller. So the whole "desktop only" thing makes sense, since the dock was never going to be very portable to begin with.

I think it would be interesting for MSI to make another dock that uses an upgradable MXM GPU without all the extra hard drives/speakers, etc. for people that want a smaller dock and to game without using an external monitor

 

Gaming with a dock setup like this works great. I do it all the time with a HP Zbook 17 and its proprietary dock. The external display has better color, response time and is simply larger. External keyboards are a world of difference better than laptop keyboards.

Nice thing about this is I could throw a desktop Quadro card in a dock at work, then put a GTX 980 in a dock at home. Very tempting!

 

I bet a new type of docking station must be in the process of being designed.

 

It would definitely be easier to swap out graphics cards than with a desktop but does that mean that you'll carry it between home and work?

 

I hope so, this could be amazing if executed correctly.

 

That wood be interesting, but the problem is the cost of the MXM card. If you compare three cost of the MXM versions of the 970 and 980, you're paying significantly more and getting a lot less than the desktop version if the same card. An mxm 980 costs over 700 bucks now. A desktop version costs around 550. Bad investment to pay 25 percent more than the desktop to get 25 less performance.

If the performance and/or price difference were smaller, I could see it making more sense.

 

He means he can have two docking stations, one with a quadro at work and one with a GTX at home. He would only need to carry his ultraportable GS30 back home, which isn't a big deal.

 

Keeping in mind what exactly this provides, the design is pretty satisfactory.

This is a function over form win.

My only issue is the price. I think that MSI could have a game changer on their hands if they are willing to put it at a very competitive price at this point rather than later. They need this to take off rather than become a niche product. A huge amount of gamers have moved away from PC's or are restricted by the thought of buying and maintaining a separate gaming system when simple laptop/ultrabooks/tablets cover most of their needs.

Waiting for better prices to drop to get it.

 

Yes, this is what I meant. Provided that Windows doesn't implode from switching between Intel/Quadro/GTX graphics card after reboots, it could be a very powerful setup. A nice thing about this is that with a desktop card its very easy to hook up multiple digital displays. Four with the Quadros and Six with a few AMD cards should be possible from what I can tell. As far as I am concerned, MSI might as well have released this as a WS30 model. The price point is probably beyond what most gamers want to pay anyways.

 

MSI have software they use in the GT72 setup that handles the switching so that windows does not get confused.

 

This is good news. Then as win32asmguy said, having such setup would work between work and home.

 

Sorry, I was very busy last week and sick this week. The screen will be usable in an upcoming bios update. Also I don't think that it will work with x2 docks without a bit of hassle. I would think that it would be doable if you reinstalled drivers when switching to the other dock. I doubt it will be ok with installing Nvidia GTX And Quadro drivers at the same time.

I am so happy with how it turned out with having a bit of hands on time with the GS30. I think that the size is just right for me... Not too big and not too small.

 

Yes between quadro and geforce may cause an issue, worst case is you could dual boot.