Keyboard skipping, GT780DXR -- looking for a confirmation

Hello,

Basically in jist I've recently ended up deciding on and getting a GT780 MSI notebook (for xmas). Just went through the first day of use of the machine, and I'm having some MAJOR problems here with the keyboard.

----Looking for a confirmation if this is 'normal behavior' and if this machine just isn't right for me, or if this is a defect. (If I should get the keyboard replaced or return the entire machine)


On the first day of usage I was noticing that I was frequently missing keystrokes whenever typing ... when entering product keys for software during installation, going to websites, etc. I attributed this to just not being used to a chiclet keyboard and concluded that I simply needed more practice.

Over the course of the day in playing games on the machine ... after completing a reformat of the system to wipe it clean ... I started noticing that the keyboard was missing keypresses in games as well. I'd attempt to run in hitting shift, finding it sometime wouldn't toggle, or hit 'g' and not toss that grenade .. or 'e', and not use an item.

So ... I started looking for the problem, being 100% certain that I was infact hitting the keys each time. [Pressing harder wasn't working]



In going around the keyboard and pressing each key on different angles, not just dead center, I found something rather disturbing... A large chunk of ( *NOT ALL*) keys will NOT respond when hit anywhere other than smack dead-center. That is, I can press down full force on any edge (left, right, top, bottom, corner) and the key won't register the press at all (held or not).


----Unfortunately, I can't get used to the keyboard as it's performing and don't believe the problem is myself or my typing style (I checked earlier at a local BestBuy on other laptops and found that I can type error free on virtually all other chiclet laptop-keyboards).


So the question:

I've been hearing that there's two reversions of keyboards for the MSI GT780, and that older versions of the notebook keyboards exhibited a problem like the aforementioned.

Is my keyboard issue a fluke / defect? Should keypresses on the edges of keys be responsive?


Tried to call MSI and GentechPC today, yet unfortunately couldn't get through (being the holidays and all). This is a big concern to me however, in the limited time that I have remaining to make any decision on keeping the machine or not.

If some other MSI 780 owners could chime in and reassure me (or not), that'd be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
-Justin

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EDIT:

-To make sure that I'm completely clear on this. The keyboard key-skipping problem isn't software / driver related, as it occurs consistently with certain keys. I've come to the realization that the reason keys aren't registering when I hit them is because of the orientation that I'm depressing a key at. However, the keys are being hit to the point of providing a tactile click and bottoming out, yet not producing any registered press.

This happens at the bios level as well (without being in an OS).

Friends of mine are telling me that this is the intended behavior of a chiclet keyboard, yet I somehow highly doubt that considering that the 6 laptops I tried at BestBuy did not show this behavior.



It may also help to add that keys in the general area of those exhibiting the issue seem to show the same problem. Yet it's not just one specific side of the keyboard. The '7' and '8' numpad keys have the same issue.

 

The very first batches of GT780 were facing the same issue. You should contact your reseller for keyboard replacement.

 

Suppose that it's always possible that I got unlucky and got some of the parts from the first batch of keyboards.

From the sound of things (in reading around on the forums), replacing the keyboard is pretty painless. The biggest concern is really just the whole having used up 10 days prior to the holidays in the machine being ordered before it.


Love the machine, except the keyboard. Only other problem that I've been having is heat.

 

Got a prompt reply from Ken at GenTech to my email.


Will post back how things go whenever the keyboard is swapped out.

That is, give a quick review of my experience far as keyboard responsiveness / if the replacement keys function being depressed from all angles.


Given the number of posts of people concerned about the SteelSeries keyboards, I'm sure other prospective notebook buyers have to be concerned of this too.

Honestly I'm not that picky in terms of keyboards. I've been using 1-5$ desktop keyboards for years until ultimately making the switch to a mechanical, yet have had no problems with prior notebook keyboards at all.

 

I kind of have this same problem. My keyboard seems more like it is not connected to the bezel, so it bounces up and down (mostly space bar area). Is there a guide on how to remove the keyboard? I want to replace the double sided tape underneath.

 

I am experiencing identical problems - any key I don't press dead on does not respond. Let me know if a new keyboard fixes this. Thanks.

 

I'd come across this post on the forums -- http://forum.notebookreview.com/7851396-post2290.html

However, I personally haven't messed around under the keyboard (yet) as I figure I'll just wait and get a replacement / swap it out at that point. Regardless, it looks pretty simple to remove the keyboard.

 

Will do.

Soon as I get the replacement keyboard I intend to press each and every key individually (from all angles) to look for fault. See if this was a fluke case or not.


--If there's faulty keys on the replacement board, there'll be a key-map (of the problem keys) and video of it in this thread to illustrate.

 

Did you ever fix your faulty keyboard?

 

I've the same. It also registers different characters when I'm not pressing them.

My local store told me there was nothing wrong with the keyboard.

One hour after I received my laptop back from the repair shop, the issue was present.

Dunno what to do really....

 

Sorry for bumping an old thread. I just got my barebones unit with the steelseries backlit keyboard option and it seems I have the same problems too. Some keys are not registering and the space bar has to pressed directly on the middle or it won't register.

Or some times the space bar will add a few extra spaces in. I'm pretty disappointed in the keyboard 'upgrade'.

 

Hi there,
I had similar problems with my gt780R, it's probably a connection problem with the keyboard, if you look at the vid on Disassembly of the gt780 in the owners lounge, you basically just remove the top power bar and reconnect the keyboard line. should work just fine afterwards. (btw there's only about 6 screws you need to remove 2 underneath the chassis 4 after taking out the power bar for the keyboard). If you don't want to do this yourself, contact your seller

 

It's not a connection problem! I've had this same problem, even with a replacement keyboard. Some keys, over time, will not register if they are not struck dead center. If you happen to press the corner of the key it won't register. I've found that gently lifting the key solves the problem but only temporarily. It's a bad design, not a connection issue.

 

Contact your resellers and they should ship you a replacement.

 

My reseller (Xoticpc) wouldn't do that because I already had opened a RMA with MSI about the issue. I didn't want to send back the whole laptop for two weeks. After several emails, MSI graciously shipped me a keyboard which I replaced myself and I shipped the old one back to them. The new keyboard worked fine for about a week and now exhibits the exact same issues as the first keyboard. That being, if the key is not hit dead center it sometimes won't register. Hitting the corner of the key fails. Gently lifting the key solves the problem for a little while. It's a keyboard design problem, which is unfortunate on a $1700+ laptop.

 

I think you should recontact them. There is a large batch of defective keyboards out there, but there are also laptops with good keyboards.

 

Recontact who? XOTICPC or MSI? I've contacted MSI (via an email thread we had previously). I don't expect them to resolve this issue otherwise they (and SteelSeries) would have already done so and the replacement keyboard I received would have worked. This problem has been around since the laptop was released a year ago. I'm very tempted to install the keyboard from my junked MSI GT735. I won't have the pretty lights, but I'll have a dandy keyboard which works as it should. I think it'll fit..Haven't checked yet.

 

Make them send you another keyboard.