MSI GX640 v. Force 1656

Ok, so hopefully this will be the end of a barrage of posts from me.
As some of you may know I was settled in on a MSI GX640. Then I went to Xoticpc to look and do some configurations and it appeared that I could get a get a Force 1656 with maybe a better GPU for a nearly identical price.
Here is what the price/configuration of these two, which would you choose:

MSI GX640- 260
15.4" WSXGA 1680x1050
i5-450m 2.4-2.67ghz
Artic Silver Compound
ATI Radeon 5850 w/1G DDR3
4mb DDR3 1066mhz RAM
6x BlueRay/8x DVD
500gb x 7200 rpm w/16mb cache HD
PRICE: $1,252.59

FORCE 1656
15.4" WSXGA 1680x1050
i5-520m 2.4-2.93ghz
Artic Silver Compound
ATI 5850 Radeon w/1G DDR3
4mb DDR3 1333mhz
6x BlueRay/ 8x DVD
500gb x7200 rpm w/8mb cache HD
PRICE: $1,315.61

*all other components no listed appeared identical

It seems that the main differences are that the Force would have a better GPU (i5-520m vs. i5-450m) and ram (1333 mhz vs. 1066 mhz) but the MSI would have possibly a better hard drive, becuase it says it has a 16mb cache on the MSI vs. the 8mb cache on the Force.

I realize the Force is made with MSI bones, does anyone know if the Force has the same keyboard "flex" issues?

I guess i'm wondering is it worth $60 more to get the Force over the MSI? Which will perform better or is the performance difference negligible. I will only be using this force business applications and for playing WoW -no 3D rendering or anything like that.

Thanks.

 

Based on what most people have been saying, you won't notice much difference in CPU speeds between the i5-450m and i5-520m, especially since you said you aren't doing any calc heavy tasks (rendering, etc...). The CPU isn't going to be a bottleneck for WOW.

Frankly, I wouldn't consider any CPU upgrades for the GX640 unless it was to a quad core, and then only as a future proofing move (unless you have apps that you know can take advantage of the four cores).

Also, from what I've seen, I think people's GX640's are coming with 1333mhz RAM anyway, which means you could upgrade the CPU down the road yourself (and re-sell the i5) and have the right ram to go along with it anyway.

Also, you haven't factored the warranty into your equation (if that's a concern). the GX640 has a 3-year warranty PLUS a year of accidental damage protection. The barebones will have 1-year of warranty unless you spends hundreds more on a warranty upgrade. Also, did you factor in the cost of buying an OS for barebones if you don't have it?

Last but not least, consider the appearance of the two models if that's a factor for you.

If you search ebay for an MS-1656 ID4 you'll find some barebones models for $1200 that come with an i7-720qm and Win7, fully loaded. It looks like a really good deal, but I don't know about the resellers or what type of warranty you'll get.

 

Hahaha! By Zeus, what a rip-off!

Get the stock GX640, those "upgrades" are unjustified and will make zero difference in overall performance.

 

unless you're ungrading a lot stick with the GX640, 2 years of extra warranty

 

I dont know if you know this but you wont benefit the slightest with 1333 mhz unless you're using a quad core (i7-720QM). The dual core processors max out at 1066 mhz.

 

640. you get the 2 year warranty, 1 year comprehensive coverage too.

The 1656 is just the whitebook 640 with a cheaper more generic case, then built from the ground up by the place you're getting it from.

 

black and silver looks cooler though

 

cool, thx for the input, sounds like the 640 is the clear winner.

 

Same thing. I would go with XoticPC since their customer service is way better than MSI's. So if something happens with your laptop, you can count on XoticPC to fix your issue ASAP.

 

1. In the specs above, the Radeons have GDDR3 RAM. Make sure it's GDDR5 before purchase. GDDR3 has half the throughput of GDDR5 at the same clockspeed, so it will cripple the card considerably. GX640 should have GDDR5 RAM for the GPU.
2. I don't think there are ANY laptop 500GB 7200rpm HDDs with 8MB cache out there.

 

Got to XOTICPC and get the 640. GDDR5 great warranty and great prices. Now if they ever decided to offer WUXGA for the GX640 it would make it perfect.

 

liquid, you still fretting over what to get?

 

I used xoticpc.com to get this info, select a Force 1656-ID4 and go to the hard drive section for the upgrade to the 500g hard drive it says the following:

- 500GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) ( + 59 )

 

Also, it should be noted that right now on Xotic to upgrade the 1656's CPU to an i7-720QM for $119 more (instead of the usual $200+ or whatever it is). Is this a worthwhile upgrade?

Also, my mind is kind of boggled by the fact that nobody seems to have this system here on NBR. It's only $99 for the Xotic 3-year warranty, so I set up identical systems (gx640 vs. 1656 with warranty) and came out with almost $100 savings. Sure, it's not much, but hell every little bit helps.

The only thing that's making me question myself is the 8mb vs. 16mb cache on the 500gb HD. Is this a big deal? To be honest I'm not really sure what this even means...

 

the proc upgrade is cheaper because they're building off a barebones chassis and providing the cpu themselves so you just pay the incremental costs. It could be worth it depending on you're planning to do with it.

 

Well, also there's a $150 off special on upgrading to the i7 720QM, but only that specific CPU.

The most intensive thing I'll be doing is gaming. I don't program or do graphic art or w/e other stuff I see people talking about on here. I just do normal PC stuff and play games. The reason I'm considering it is because that 430m just scares me, I don't want the epic graphics card to be bottled by the CPU. The only upgrade below the i7 720 is the i5 520 for $95. If I'm going to spend another $95 then it might as well just be $119 for the quad core. Then again, would the higher speed dual core i5 be better for gaming? So confusing.

I'm just about ready to order the Force, but I want to make sure I'm not making a dumb decision in the i7 720 (or the 8mb cache of the hard drive).

 

Meh nevermind, stock GX640 for $1099 (only $15.95 shipping) at newegg, so around $1115 total... yeah, that's getting ordered right now. Screw the quad cores.

 

The default Core i5 is a quad core.

 

2 real and two fake = 4

 

No, I went with a m17x and had a GPU failure right out of the box and after a call to dell I got everything instantly refunded and a super great deal on an Studio XPS 1645 (specs in sig). I reall wish the gx640 had an WUGA option or at least some 1080p variant as it would have been my laptop over a SXPS, but being stuck with a 1680x1050 display with what i do would just be unbearable. I can go as low as a FHD+ or 1080p display and I did not want to risk voiding the warranty or messing something up by finding an overpriced 15.4 WUXGA screen and installing it.

The SXPS is a great rig and has all the power the gx640 has where I need it, but I must admit I wish I had the numpad and the 5850. How is yours going so far?

 

I read the MSI warranty info and they're pretty strict. If I upgrade the processor and ram, would it void my warranty in any way since it's not considered 'stock'? Also, if I don't choose to get the i7 until next year, I can board switch at any time, right? (without warranty issues) ..I just want the custom parts to fall under the 3 year umbrella