Is This a Good Computer?

Hey everyone,

I'm seriously considering purchasing the MSI GT60 0NC-004US for going back to college. I will be using it for screen recording (videos), rendering, high resource using programs, serious multitasking, some gaming, etc. etc. The specs on that computer all meet or surpass the specifications published on my university's tech site. So I'm not too worried that it isn't good enough.

I've talked to a few techy friends of mine though, and they said that there is one thing that worries them. They say that MSI is not a very well known company for laptops, and that they are fairly new in the market. Because of this, they say that the computer might not be as high quality as a more "name brand" laptop. They say that companies like this often pop up and die out quickly and offer "so-so" products just to make some profit. They also say that if anything happens to the computer, it will be very expensive and difficult to replace the parts.

So, I've come here looking for opinions. Is MSI a good company? Is it really that difficult and expensive to replace parts? Is this a really good laptop? (It seems to pack a lot of really great hardware for its price. I'll be able to purchase it for about $1,250 after rebates and savings.)

And lastly, are there any other laptops that are just as good that I could purchase for cheaper?

Thanks!

 

MSI has been on the market for quite a while now (not only laptop market, but first and foremost, motherboards and graphics cards), it is a well known and recognizable brand. Their gaming laptops are fully customizable, so actually if anything happens to the computer, it will be cheaper and easier to replace parts.

I own a GX740 gaming laptop from MSI. The laptop is almost 3 years old now. I have replaced the CPU, RAM, LCD, HDD, optical drive, wireless card, and the GPU - twice already, all by myself. With MSI gaming laptops, parts replacement is no more difficult than with a desktop type computer.

I don't think so.

 

SORRY, double post. Mod please delete it.

 

Thank you Marecki_clf. The fact that you've replaced so many parts by yourself certainly makes this laptop and brand more appealing. Still looking for any other opinions that might be out there. I'll probably be buying the laptop tomorrow unless anyone convinces me not to go with MSI.

 

From a brand new MSI customer, I would say definitely go with MSI. I looked at Asus( G75, republic of gamers), Alienware ( m14x) and ( previously owned an m15x) Sager and even Lenovo (y580) and the MSI GT60 0NC stood out to me as the highest quality and one of, if not, the best looking. The reasons I went with MSI primarily have to do with its superiority towards the rivals in its class. The Asus had a lackluster GPU compared to the GT60, the Alienware was extremely over-priced, the Sager was plagued with keyboard ghosting and atrocious audio via headphones and the built-in speakers. The Lenovo was definitely a finalist for me, but I figured if I'm going to already spend $1300 on a maxed out Lenovo, I might as well wait a little and invest more because I can get a better bang for my buck. Also, the Lenovo just didn't have the graphical output the GT60 did. ( got mine with a 680m =D) But as I've said earlier, definitely go with the GT60!

 

SDRS,
Please do not post your thread twice in two forums.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/what-notebook-should-i-buy/682825-good-computer.html

 

Kazalor, thank you. There seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for MSI around here, which is making me more confident in purchasing this laptop.

Extide, sorry. I felt it to be appropriate because each subforum caters to a different demographic. As such, I'm able to obtain a more well-rounded overall response to my question by posting in both subforums.

 

I recently went with MSI barebone notebook 16F2 and 1762. I have to say that, if you are looking to keep your gaming laptop, MSI is definitely way to go. I was contemplating between MSI 16F2 and Clevo 9150. I am so glad that I went with MSI. Clevo's design is much more adult look. So it does fit me better. However, 9170 and 9150 both has cooling issue depending on the GPU. I think MSI has much better heatsink than Clevo even though Clevo has two fans. If you compare both heatsink, you can see that MSI add extra texture to it so that heat dissipates better. Clevo's has flat back and does not fit tightly from what I hear.
The ability to swap CPU, GPU, and wireless card makes this laptop much more future proof than XPS, lenovo, and HP.
If you are looking for non-gaming laptop for portability, then go with major brands. Otherwise, MSI is definitely it. I have Lenovo X220 and 1762, and am very happy with combination!

 

Let's not forget that the Sager np9150 weighs less and has a brighter display, better viewing angles, more ports, an mSata slot, cheaper SSD and screen upgrades with many resellers, and a more professional look. I assume that there are not as many complaints about MSI because the MSI community on this site is smaller than the Sager community, or because most people who buy desktop replacements consider "poor" audio more of a dealbreaker than "poor" display quality.

That said, I'm not sure how noticeable the differences in audio and display quality are, and the Sager's keyboard ghosting is a real problem.

 

my ten characters

 

I've had two MSI notebooks before (GX620 and GT683R) and they're the most trouble-free of all the notebooks I've owned. I wish they sell smaller gaming notebooks, but I guess losing the ability to have a modular GPU would not be worth it. I'm contemplating to go back to MSI with the GT60, as the only thing I could complain about with the GT683 was the lack of a backlit keyboard.

 

MSI is a motherboard manufacture for years. They begin to sell gaming laptops about 2-3 years. The unit you select can do light duty rendering. If you need a heavy duty one, I recommend you MSI GT60 0NE-220US or Clevo P150EM with 680M GTX VGA card.

 

Thank you so much everyone! After days of looking through reviews and forum posts, the almost unanimous support and praise for MSI and their gaming laptops have me set on this model. Unless my father somehow finds a better laptop for cheaper, I'll be purchasing this model tonight. I'm quite excited.

 

That is extremely biased

 

MSI GT60 0NC-004US with Nvidia 670M GTX can barely handle rendering on 3D programs. If you are in school, it shall be fine. If you are a professionals, I reocmmend at least Nvidia 675M GTX and 680M GTX.

 

Thank you for the advice Prostar. I'll just be using this laptop in school; I'm certainly not at a professional level. Either way, the 670m should perform better than the nvidia quadro fx 1600m I'm currently using. I'm looking forward to using a better system.

If anyone is curious, I'm currently using a Dell Precision M6300.
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, Nvidia Quadro fx 1600m, 32 bit windows 7 professional, so it's definitely time I upgrade.

 

@ Prostar: Can I come into your store and see one of these? I'm either going with the MSI GT60 or the GT70.