MSI E7405 Owners?

How is the build quality of this laptop? Gaming performance? How hot does it run with only one fan? I'm thinking about this laptop or the Asus G73 bestbuy version, but there have been so many problems with it apparently I will probably just get the MSI.

 

I bought it at $1199.99 Canadian with $50 MIR and it's probably best deal for a 5870 in Canada.

just finished a 3dmark06 run with the latest drivers from ATI but I think the performance is less than stock drivers.

11917 points, 5241 SM2.0 score, 5900 SM3.0 score and 2622 CPU score.

All games tested at 1680x1050 res:
Resident evil 5: All max 8xAA dx10 average 55 FPS with lowest dipping about 35.

Borderlands: All max/enabled about 40FPS average, dipping to 30 in some areas with heavy load.

Just Cause 2: 2xAA with SSAO disabled all others max/on. About 40 FPS average. Varies a lot, in concrete jungle benchmark it really takes a hit. Average gameplay performance is very good.

Batman AA: All max/on 50-60 FPS average.

Dirt2: Dx11 all on 4xAA ultra settings 42 FPS average.

Dunia engine with Avatar gives about 35 FPS average with Dx10 all max.

AC2 averages 35 FPS all max 2xAA.

I have a Zalman NC2000 and it idles at around 58C. Max I've seen it top out at 88C, usually somewhere between 80-85. 30% fan speed (this is without any vBios updates).

The speakers and sound system on this laptop is amazing. Build quality is pretty good, feels very solid but light. Monitor is a weak point but not noticeable for me in games.

I've had it for about 4 days so far, nothing's crashed or out of the ordinary.

One thing to note though, even though it has 1 fan(g73 also has 1 fan), it has 2 vent outlets.

 

The build quality was great. I bought mine from newegg, but had a faulty GPU. It would run a benchmark fine, but no mater what drivers you used it had terrible artifacts.
I bought it a month ago and have yet to use it other than installing some games and drivers. I sent it back to newegg and finally got a replacement approved. will be another 5 days before I get it still.

 

Thanks guys.
@Bearclaw: How is the monitor a weak point? I must use this laptop for Photoshop editing and screen quality is oh-so-important.

 

I'm not sure if it's the same for every machine but this screen looks grainy on white pages(colored pages are fine). The brightness could also be higher.

However, colors are fine, contrast is good, and viewing angles are above average.

 

How's the battery life when you're just doing minor tasks like surfing the internet or typing on word? Also, is the graphics card switchable from the 5870 to an integrated graphic card?

 

9-cell battery, but with a 17" screen you shouldn't rely on its mobility. I'd say 2.5 hours with minor tasks.

No switchable graphics.

 

Well, compared to my other choice, the sager 8690, that's twice as much battery life. Thanks!

 

i'm thinking to purchase this. does anyone know if it can be modded with a blu-ray? i can't find the service manual anywhere to determine it for myself.

thanks!

 

Most likely yes, since I have swapped out my optical disk drive for a 2nd HDD.