MSI GT628 Barebones

I also need a laptop for college, and wanted one these, may I ask where you ordered it?

 

Curious too. I've only found the MSI GT628 barebones (MS-1651) at xoticpc and rkc:

http://www.xoticpc.com/msi1651-barebone-laptop-p-2478.html?wconfigure=yes
http://www.rkcomputer.net/rkcnotebooks/index.php?l=product_detail&p=153

 

I ordered from AVADirect but they don't have them in stock right now fyi.
powernotebooks has them as well for about the same price as xoticpc

 

Quite expensive. At $1500, I'd go with the clevo 860. I hope the price will drop the "old" model's price.

 

It shouldn't be 1500 unless your including all high end parts or an OS built in. The 8660 is still heavier and thicker and does not have a full keyboard. Not absolving the 628 price but I get irked when reviewers look in tunnel vision GPU mode with laptop recommendations.

 

I got mine for about $1300 + shipping (and sans Blu-Ray, 9-cell battery and an OS)... it's supposedly arriving on Friday, so once I get everything set up I'll try to throw some sort of review up. What sort of stuff would people want to see besides battery life (on the 6-cell) and 3dmark score (with a p8700)

 

Gaming bechmarks are a must...

 

Hey, if you do write a review, i would appreciate it if you can talk about the general build quality, the problems with the gt627 (keyboard flex),

but more than anything, I would like it if you could post pictures, especially a picture with a ruler showing the thickness.

 

where did you get yours??? please do tell

 

I ordered mine from rkcomputer a few days after Rob posted that they would have some available. I believe he still has some of the lower-res screen models in stock, but the higher-res ones are still on their way everywhere it seems

 

Is there a difference between barebone and reseller version, I mean build quality?

 

No its all the same...

 

Ah, so the resellers did not have the WSXGA version in stock July 6th?

 

MSI released the product for shipment to resellers on July 6th..............

 

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

I want to order this barebone, from who should I order, because i am off to university on aug 18 and want the laptop some asap, any recomandtions on which site has the best service and is reliable, and to just make sure I want to order the barebone not gaming series ( i like silver trim alot)

 

Resellers are getting the WSXGA in stock at the end of July. That's really cutting it close for any order unless you pay for rush service. RKC is supposed to be pretty quick though AVADirect is cheaper. For about the same specs I paid $1380 w/shipping at AVA while if I remember correctly at RKC it was $1455 w/shipping. AVADirect ships in 7-10 days while RKC ships in 3-4 days. I've heard both sites are reliable.

 

i just might what do you guys think of xoticpc

 

My turnaround was ridiculously quick with RKC... They were shipped the computers on the 6th, arrived I'm guessing on the 10th (a Friday), built and packaged on the 13th (a Monday), sent out on the 14th, and set to arrive on the 17th.

The real trick will be the part where they still need to get them in stock... can't hurt to email each of the companies to check on when their stock is arriving

 

I ordered a Barebones GT628 from RK as well. Similar experience as the poster above, order placed 7/6, parts recieved 7/10, Shipped 7/13. I Should have it sometime this afternoon, waiting for UPS is excruciating . RK's service has been exemplary so far. I will post some pictures/impressions of it later today, so you all can see what this notebook looks like in the wild.

If you don't mind the lower resolution screen (1280x800) RK still has 2 in stock.

 

please do, but I REALLY want the higher res it is a selling point to me

 

Ixstala and ckdubois I guess were the people that stole the only 2 WSXGA versions from me XD

 

Ok, I've got the computer. P8700, 4GB DDR3 ram, 320GB 7200rpm hdd, GTS160m, WSXGA+ 1680x1050 screen, etc.. Came with a free Intel branded messenger bag, comfy with lots of pockets, much appreciated.


Pretty damn sweet! Looks beautiful, the form factor is smaller than I imagined, I know I saw conflicting dimensions on various websites, but it's not much bigger than my old ASUS A8JS 14" laptop, very thin. The brushed metal backing looks great, and the capacitive touch buttons are really cool!

The keyboard is not too cramped or awkward at all with the num pad, I just have to get used to not having my hands centered. Keyboard is exactly the same as the GT627, except without any red lettering, there does seem to be some flex too, and around the palm rest and mouse as well. Although you would never know it if you weren't trying to push hard and flex it Screen hinges are nice and tight, there's no latch on the screen, a couple of magnets hold it closed. This works pretty well to my amazement, takes some force to pull the screen away once closed.

I bought Vista x64 with the computer and ran 3dMark06 with all stock drivers and no tweaks, Results? ~9300 3D Marks. Windows experience was 5.4, limited by CPU, everything else was maxed at 5.9.

This brings me to the thermals. This laptop seems to run pretty cool:
Ambient 29C
-IDLE-
CPU: 35~37C
GPU: 48~50C
HDD: 37~40C
-After 3DMark06-
CPU: 55C
GPU: 73C
HDD: 42C

The laptop has tall rubber feet, it leaves plenty of clearance for airflow into the cooling system underneath.

Running HW monitor on the ASUS shows that on average the GT628 is cooler by 5C or so for each component. However because the chassis is aluminum it works like one giant heat sink, so the palm rests do feel warm, but that's a good thing it means the components are not insulated, quite the contrary heat is being dissipated properly. I know this is a sticky point when it comes to both the Clevo 860TU and ASUS G51, either the gfx card is too hot, or the hdd is suffering. Even though GT628 has a slower gfx card, I think the cost benefits of this are right for me as a n efficient work computer with more portability than either of those two, plus it can use a 9cell battery.

Touchpad provides a nice large surface and has a slight gritty texture to it, feels nice. The buttons are a bit stiff, but both work!

I wiped the hdd and did a fresh install of windows 7. Yes this came with the free coupon for upgrading when the time comes. Windows 7 is running beautifully, I didn't have to install a single driver from the utilities disk, save for the Gfx card.

I have the intel 5100 wireless card, probably should've opted for the 5300, but since I don't have an N router it's practically moot. The signal strength and bandwidth are more than acceptable.

Time to install all my other software... There goes the night.

 

Thats great news I will start an official GT628 thread so ppl can post..

 

Ixstala, mind running a few battery tests (actual use if you wish)? With the 6-cell and the 9-cell if you end up getting it?

I'm very curious on the power consumption of the GTS 160m.

 

hey Ixstala, thanks for the pictures, exactly how thick is the notebook?

 

I think benchmarks and other info should be in the official thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=400129

Congrats on the new purchase, hopefully we can get a short review of it soon

 

Also would like to know if those temperatures are undervolted or not. Good numbers regardless but those would be great out of the box.

 

The benchmarks are out of the box with no modifications or undervolting. I'm getting around 2~2.3 hours of runtime under medium load (6 cell battery), installing, surfing, ripping cds, matlab, etc...

As for the thickness of the laptop, here's the scoop:
1.25" at the front
1.5" at the back

If I measure from the surface it's resting on then the numbers are
~1.375 at the front
~1.625 at the back

 

What are the official W and L dimensions? They seem to be different each time

EDIT:
just seen the picture! DOH!
Any 3DMARK06 sores or Vantage ?
Congrats on your new laptop