GT60 / GT70 bad keyboards thread

It's official. My GT60 has a flaky keyboard. Letters are sometimes skipped, and the "s" key is particularly bad in this regard. Even worse is the fact the "s" will sometimes randomly start repeating endlessly ... sometimes a couple seconds after typing an "s" and sometimes for no reason at all.

I'm bringing this unit in for over-the-counter replacement with my retailer just as soon as they get some units in stock.

Has anybody else had to exchange this laptop for keyboard-related reasons, and if so, was the replacement unit fine?

 

Issues with these laptops are few and very far between.

This is likely a defective keyboard issue and I can guarantee that the next one you get from your retailer won't have the same issues.

I don't think there was a need to create a thread about this as you could have gotten your answers in the official owner's lounge very easily.

 

I am now typing this on the replacement GT60 I picked up a couple days ago. So far, the keyboard seems to work fine, as does the rest of the system.

I didn't create this dedicated thread for the sake of drama, but because I have read a few other accounts on various forums about flaky keyboards on these models. Hopefully it remains an isolated problem, and this thread can wither and die with no further traffic ...

 

My original release day GT60 had a bad keyboard, had to return for refund and buy one somewhere else.

Since then, on my new GT60, the right side of the space bar has started to miss presses. Not as bad as the first unit, but clearly this is an ongoing issue with these laptops.

 

Now that I've spent some quality time with this new laptop, I'm going to say the keyboard isn't really perfect. I find quite a few missed letters when I'm typing, and I really need to hammer on the keys in order for keystrokes to consistently register.

Is this just the way these laptops are, or should I try yet again to get a replacement unit and see if the next one is any better? Any GT60/70 owners do a lot of touch typing?

 

You know, many people have reported "faulty" keyboards and everything, but I honestly think it is simply a design flaw. Yes, some probably had seriously bad ones, though I think that this keyboard is just "the way it is". I have seen some keys not register, not too often, but the spacebar is definitely more of a problem. If you press on the very ends the space bar it will register like 2 out of 5 times? Who knows? Some are likely just bad, but most are prpbably just designed this way. Any thoughts?

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

 

My first one was definitely faulty by any definition of the word.

My current one is frustrating, but probably not actually faulty.

 

does anyone know if the keyboard for the GT60/GT70 is the same for the GE60/GE70?

 

I'm not sure on the specs of the GE series, but if they are using the Steel Series backlit keyboards, then they are likely using the same keyboards.

Design flaw faulty, if it doesn't work in everyday use it's useless. Not being able to use a keyboard is critical. It's a question of, is it worth living with or replacing?

 

Is the keyboard on the GT60 suppose to light up when booting up?

 

Not always, it will light up for sure in Windows but if it lights up before them, it's just kind of a fluke really.

 

Somehow I don't think the problem I'm having is due to having a fluky bad keyboard as much as it's due to the fact that these keyboards just aren't as great as they should be. I'm finding: missed keystrokes, especially the spacebar, and the keyboard itself is quite stiff. Can't seem to type much faster than 85 WPM, whereas my Mac's keyboard will permit me 110 WPM...

Kinda disappointing

 

Some of these units do actually have faulty keyboards (as did the first one I owned before exchanging it) and most/all have a problem consistently registering light (or in my opinion normal) keystroke pressure.

 

The SteeleSeries keyboard has a problem for a lot of people on the 60/70 models and the 780 models. My first keyboard and a replacement keyboard both exhibited the same "missed" key issue. It's frustrating to say the least to have to go back and reinsert missed letters. The problem is not as bad if you are typing looking down on the laptop but if it's in your lap, and especially on a laptop cooler, it's a different story. At that extra height, it's easy to not hit the key dead center but instead strike the edge of the key. A bad design flaw.

 

Wait, what is this. I don't know if I wasn't just browsing enough before I decided to register. People weren't complaining as much back when MSI only had the GT780R, now people are. If you ever used a GT780R, you'd know what real buyer's remorse is. Owners knew their lappy had issues, they just wouldn't make a thread about it, but instead post it in the owners lounge. They'd rather RMA it or wait for MSI to release the DX and DXR models. If the keyboard has issues, you're just unlucky. Don't expect your purchase to be perfect. Even Asus (the most reliable manufacturer) notebooks can be defected.

 

Actually there are two separate issues at play here: first is that some people got unlucky and got a defective keyboard plain and simple - enough people that it becomes highly likely there was at least one "bad" batch of keyboards in the initial shipment(s).

The second issue is that many or most of these keyboards seem to have a design flaw where if you don't hit the letters just right, the keystroke doesn't register. And I'm not the only one who's reporting these kinds of problems.

 

Hey, where's that image that shows what the key switch looks like underneath the keys? I said key switch because I don't know if it's scissor or not. The image shows that underneath a key is a spring. And to rephrase your second sentence, if you don't press the center, the key won't register. It's not many or most, it's all of them. MSI should have just used normal scissor switches, instead of "unique" switches.

 

I was considering getting an MSI with the back lit steel series keyboard, can you post a picture of the one you guys are having problems with? Is it the island, or chicklet, or some other strange variation? Do these keyboards work better in other models, or are they bad in every model?

 

I've added a poll to this thread so prospective buyers can get a sense of how prevalent these problems are/aren't

 

I just rma'ed and sent of my gt60 due to a faulty "w" key, if i did not hit it exactly right it would mistype. It would not have mattered but this is my main gaming key. I could not send it back to gentech cause it was over 15 days. Has anyone had any experience with msi rma? I am just wondering how long it will take.

 

FWIW, I've had my replacement unit (first one was completely faulty and had to be exchanged at the store) for around 8 weeks now. I continue to get "missed" keystrokes, but it seems to be a little less bothersome lately. I guess it's probably due to some combination of:

• My adjusting my typing style to hammer on the keys a bit harder
• The keyboard "loosening up" so it registers keystrokes more consistently
• My subconscious mind growing accustomed to having to go back and correct keystroke errors, so I don't notice it as much anymore

I still might decide to RMA this unit. What has the recent experience been with these keyboards. Has anyone had problems with a brand new unit (bought in the last 2-4 weeks) missing keystrokes?

 

Hello, forum members and its anonymous readers.
I recently bought a MSI GE70 (last Friday to be exact). Based on the numerous unfortunate replies, I must say that I feel lucky with the key board I got in my laptop (same Steelseries but without the back light). Although it does require getting used to over your standard desktop keyboard, the SS keyboard seams to be working as intended. There's one "g" key that's being naughty, but only when pressed lightly on the bottom edge of the key. Any other side seams to register the key just fine. I do hope this phenomenon won't spread to the other key overtime (fingers crossed).

P.S. I live in Canada and the GE70 model I have is so called Canadian due to a slight change in the model number (032US instead of 033US) and different HDD configuration (1TB 5400rpm over the 750GB 7200rpm drive). *censored* didn't right the speed of the HDD anywhere, until I used Everest to find it out myself... Point being, it might have been a bad batch keyboards for our US neighbors.

 

I am also in Canada, and have had two problematic keyboards in a row.

 

I haven't had any spacebar problems, but occasionally the w key hickups while I'm gaming, although it works fine for typing. The problem/inconvenience I'm experiencing right now is the quote-marks key wont register on-screen until I've hit another key, it's really annoying when I'm trying to put something in quotes. It also happens with the "^" (shift+6) key for some reason. Is this a problem with the keyboard or is it something else?

 

I don't think my problem is a faulty keyboard, but I think the key matrix is horrid on this keyboard. Other than FPS games, I can't seem to get key bindings that will work. Shift+Z+X doesn't work, so that screws me over on all Touhou games. Then I still haven't found key bindings that will allow me to play Street Fighter 4 on this keyboard.

 

Make sure language layout is US.
Most probably atm you have US - International.

 

My keyboard may be defective.
I ordered from newegg, MSI GT 70 OND-219US
Great machine, I love it so much I wish I could ignore the issue I'm having.

When it boots up, the mouse cursor, or typing cursor constantly shoots to the top of the page, or the windows icons for the mouse. This happens randomly, and I can't seem to pin down why. Pushing num-lock once, then again generally resets it for awhile, but plugging in USB devices also makes it randomly occur.

Any ideas?
Do I need a driver update I'm missing?
Or my unit needs to be RMA'ed?
Thanks!

 

Sounds suspiciously like the phantom keypress problem I had with the unit I RMA'd. The machine would boot up pressing a key ("W" if I recall) repeatedly, which sure caused its share of weirdness.

 

I purchased a GT60 a few weeks back. Had many keys that wouldn't register keystrokes. After many phone calls of "it is the vendor's responsibility" vs. "it is MSI's responsibility" the vendor stepped up and sent a replacement keyboard. I installed it and all the keys are now OK with the exception of the space bar. This key is terrible. Only the center of the space bar seems to register. My typing has gone from 100+ wpm to half that with all the corrections I need to make. In addition, for whatever reason the windows key is only on the right side of the space bar, not the left. Last, there is no dedicated home key - only accessible by pressing the alt. I use this all the time for highlighting text.

Overall I love this laptop as it has the power I need to run 5 VMs in Server 2012. If there is an aftermarket keyboard option, I'd be happy to buy it. Does anyone know of a vendor that would resolve this issue? If not I might have to see what return policies are available.

 

Yea I have the same issue with the space bar and sometimes the S key.
Somehow I keep finding error with this laptop !
mine is GT60 0nd

 

My keyboard seems to go to sleep after bootup sometimes - I successfully type in my password - then when the desktop appears - I cannot type anything. Windows related?