MSI GS40 Phantom-001

I don't see (may have missed) much discussion on the MSI GS40 Phantom-001, 14" display, Skylake system.

Anyone have any experience with this model?

It looks cool, but how cool does it run?

 

Not sure it is out yet. It was an interesting surprise that it appeared.

 

Both Gentech and XoticPC show it, so maybe it is close?

Sure would like to read a review on it.

Well, actually, I'd like to touch one.

 

I posted about it in the SkyLake thread & I've already placed an order @ Xotic. It'll probably fall somewhere in line with the P34w, but hopefully MSI did enough with cooling so we don't see a lot of throttling.

 

Thanks for taking the plunge, doublepint.

I'll be watching for any hands-on info you care to share.

 

I also have one on order from Xotic. Did thermal paste, 2666 RAM and the 512GB 950 Pro. I'll give some hands on info as well. I have a P34Wv3 that I can compare it to, but those will be very seat of my pants comparisons.

 

Looking forward to your information as well, dgreen9.

Maybe this thread will still be around.

 

I too ordered through xotic. Had a P34W V4 on order, but switched when the MSI was added last week. Couldn't pass up the 6th gen CPU and other specs that were (at least subjectively) a step above the Gigabyte for basically the same price. Also went with the IC Diamond thermal paste, but noted it wasn't technically available in the tech specs sheet. Hopefully xotic will be able to carry out the procedure without any problems.

 

Dang. If you guys keep buying them,

if I decide I want one,

there won't be any left!

 

Thanks for placing your orders with us! If you have any questions on your order at any time, just reach out to me.

I'll check in to getting IC Diamond added on that model. Not sure why it isn't there. Maybe was just a missed box on the config page on our side. But if you want to add it to the order, just let me know.

 

I'll be placing a preorder as well. Would you mind tossing us a quick update if you get a more specific arrival time?

 

Still haven't gotten an exact date on that yet, just "Mid October." So hopefully it isn't too much longer though, but just no date on it, and I don't think they have shipped to us as of yet.

 

The IC Diamond is on there - I added it when I first did the pre-order.

As for a date - when I called and got someone, they told me Oct 15th, so literally the middle of the month.

 

I'm wondering why the GS40 has the older 1st generation N1525 wireless card and not the 2nd generation N1535 that's in most other new MSI models?

No Intel AC-8260 + Bluetooth 4.2 option?

 

Eh, we can always just upgrade them ourselves.

 

I can't believe someone would actually post that!

or.....you can order it with the options you want

 

But if you can't order it with that option, do it later on your own.

 

The IC Diamond option is in the customize menu, which I selected. However, I noticed on the tech specs tab on the description page it says "TBD" under optional cooling. Figured you just hadn't verified it yet with this model.

 

Do we know if this will have USB-C/Thunderbolt?

 

Yes, it has a super-port on the back which is most manufacturers way of saying Thunderbolt 3, since Intel hasn't released the official specs yet.

 

​

MSI Product Page

Official Specs:

• Windows 10 Home/Windows 10 Pro
• Latest 6th Gen. Intel® Core™ i7 processor
• NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 970M graphics with ultra performance
• 14" THIN STEALTH TECHNOLOGY
• 14” Full HD (1920x1080), Wide-viewing angle
• NVMe M.2 SSD by PCIe Gen3 X4 up to 2200MB/s speed(Optional)
• Exclusive Super Port (USB3.1 Type-C interface) for dual 4K external monitors, and portable charging power up to 5V/3A
• USB Type-C reversible plug
• Exclusive ESS SABRE HiFi DAC for lossless, high-quality audio
• Nahimic Sound Technology delivering 360⁰ immersive audio experience
• Sound by Dynaudio system
• True Color Technology for increased color contrast and greater image detail
• SteelSeries Engine 3 to personalize your play style
• Keyboard by Steelseries with single color backlighting (red)
• Killer DoubleShot Pro (Killer Gb LAN + Killer 802.11 a/c WiFi) with Smart Teaming
• Xsplit Gamcaster free premium license for 1 year
• Exclusive SHIFT technology boosts performance under controlled noise & temperature
• Exclusive Cooler Boost 3 Technology
• Matrix Display supporting 4K output up to 3 external monitors
• New Diamond Cut design on the side with brushed aluminum chassis adds a stylish and chic impression

Xotic PC Product Listing
GenTech PC Product Listing

 

The GS60 also has the N1525. Asked Pat @ XoticPC if they could upgrade a GS60 to that, but they don't have N1535's to go around for upgrades to other units.

 

I buy my notebooks from Gentech

I'll have an Intel AC-8260NGW in a few days to put in a GS60 unit I already have that's also been used with an AC-7260NGW.AC-7265NGW and a Killer N1525 which are all nearly a year old.

I use my wireless more than 12 hours a day so to me it's probably the most important piece of hardware

The N1535 with Bluetooth 4.1 and Intel AC-8260NGW with Bluetooth 4.2 are the new comers

Each will perform a bit differently depending on the OS and driver version used

The hardest part for me changing M2 type wireless cards are connecting those awfully small MHF4 antenna wire connectors to the wireless card.

 

Was just about to buy an Alienware 13 before I saw this.... any idea what battery life will look like? I want a gaming laptop that also doubles as a portable workhorse...hard to come by for less than $1500.

 

How is this beast only 3.75 lbs?

 

It's the current "known" specs - what's been given by Xotic and GenTech. I'll update when MSI releases anything officially.

 

Likely somewhere between 4 to 6 hours - the 4720HQ-based P34W has a Wifi runtime of 4:45, can't find anything for the 5700HQ version.

 

Do you mean 4-6 real world? As in, Wifi enabled, medium brightness and web browsing? If so, that isn't bad. I'm currently thinking about preordering...I assume I can always return it if I'm not satisfied.

 

Yes, that would be my assumption.

 

The GS30 is only 2.65 pounds, same concept just scaled up

 

Every new model I check to see if they have removed/revised the hideous Gaming G Series logo and every new model I am let down.

 

Nice, I think I'm going to bite... So hard deciding though.

Here's MSI's official listing
http://www.msi.com/product/notebook/GS40-6QE-Phantom.html#hero-overview

Now xotic lists the laptop as having "2+ hours" in the product overview:



14.0" FHD Matte

Intel® i7-6700HQ

NVIDIA® GTX 970M [3GB]

Up to 32GB RAM

128GB PCIe SSD + 1TB HDD

2+ Hours / 3.75 lbs

3D Score: 30,252 [Vantage]

Wonder if that's speculative or what.

 

The GS30 did not have a dedicated graphics card though right? Do you think the Gs40 will have any cooling issues?

 

No, it did not have a dedicated card. As for cooling issues on the GS40, it could - depends on how well the 6700HQ stays cool. I haven't been able to find many thermal details about it, though.

 

Considering how 6700HQ reaches 100% usage at only 31ish watts, it won't have issues at all. It runs cooler than GS30's CPU. And 970m is a great choice because it is one of the coolest running high end GPUs in history.

 

Okay awesome, thanks for all of your responses...I haven't kept up to date with laptop tech but I've heard really good things about skylake and I want this laptop to last at least 3 years. Do any of you have experience with MSI durability wise? I'm going to be living in a country with high humidity for the next couple of years...and I'll be traveling with it fairly often.

By the way, here's MSI's official listing
http://www.msi.com/product/notebook/GS40-6QE-Phantom.html#hero-overview

 

Durability will depend on a lot of factors, and will vary between models. But I think the GS series are generally good.

I sold my old MSI GX660R which is 5 years old now, and its still going strong. Nothing is broken and it mostly has wear over plastic and palm rests. That model was all plastic, and since newer models tend to have aluminum palmrest, I suspect they will remain in better condition with time.

With proper care, it should definitely last you a while.

 

Great, that's good to hear. I'm generally pretty careful with my devices...

However, I will admit I've been pretty lucky. I've spilled coffee / tea on my current laptop at least 3-4 times but managed to turn it off and rip out the battery in time. This is with a 600 dollar laptop though, I expect to treat a 1600 dollar laptop with a bit more respect . Really wish waterproof laptops were more common, my phone is waterproof afterall.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

 

Good to see the official MSI page finally list this thing!

 

This video shows the GS40 paired with a redesigned gaming dock. Anyone know when the dock will be released and whether or not the GS40 that was recently announced is compatible with it?

 

Perhaps we should merge this thread with the other one, here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/msi-gs40-phantom-001.782310/

????

 

Kit guru has one and is working on a preview!

http://www.kitguru.net/laptops/note...aunches-gs40-phantom-series-gaming-notebooks/

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

 

My XoticPC order moved into payment processing, so perhaps that means they have them on hand now. That said I have a 950 Pro in my config.. not sure if that SSD is even out yet.

 

Mine is in Phase 1 (Payment Processed & Inventory Gathering) - that just means that it cleared your CC. The ETA is still Mid Oct - which means that they don't even have a tracking number from the supplier. @pat@XOTICPC or someone else from Xotic will have to provide more insight.

 

Just found out about the GS40 while wondering about an updated GS30. This laptop looks incredibly close to what a Skylake Gigabyte P34W v5(?) would look like, great to see more competition in this class.

 

Any idea if this will get G-Sync?

 

NIce choice, I've been thinking about one of these bad boys as well!

We have to list with max usage, so 2 hours assuming you are playing a game, so you should see what was talked about previously for battery life with moderate usage

 

Extremely doubtful since 14" isn't a common gaming screen size whereas 15.6" and 17" are.

 

Sure, but does that even matter since mobile G-Sync is a software implementation? Despite being 14" it's still a gaming laptop.

 

Oh okay gotcha, thanks for the clarification Alex! My current Lenovo laptop gets about 4-5 hours on a charge, so long as it matches that it should be sufficient.