MSI GX740 vs GX660r

Is it just me or is this a case of putting the same machine into a flashier looking box and charging 50% more? Because I fail to see any major difference in specs which would justify the price difference

 

gx740 @ xoticpc $1460

720qm
4gb 1066 ddr3
500gb 7200rpm 16mb cache
1680x1050
ati 5870

gx660r - $1635

740qm
6gb ddr3 1333
320gb 7200rpm x2
1920x1080p
blu-ray
ati 5870

 

660 will have solid thermals and premium extras etc too, i believe the price gain is indeed worth the money, as compared above, the difference is quite nice.

 

I think your math is off.
You get a fantastic set of speakers and USB 3.0 also.

 

Saw some benchmark of the GT660 with the nvidia card, but what I don't get is that the benchmarks are higher than the one of the HD5850/5870 despite the DDR3 of the nvidia... how come? Is it due to differences in the CPU? (the Bench for GT660 I saw was with an i7)

 

GT660 screen res 1366x768 that's why, more than likely the other benchmarks were run at I higher res.
The 5870 is a better performer by about 10%-15%.

 

The GX660r that is being talked about here isn't out yet. You can preorder it only. I've yet to see benchmarks on this machine, can you provide a source?

 

nvidia kills ati in dirt 2/far cry 2, that's the only can i can think of.

ati wins in stalker CoP, mass effect 2 and left for dead 2

 

Where can I find info on the thermal of this notebook? Is it possible to have better thermals in a smaller package?

 

There are some pictures on our website of the cooling system for the GT660, the GX660 will be similar.

 

Checking them out right now, thanks.

 

I personally dont really like the new look of the msi g series chassis

 

yeah, looks ugly to me too. BUT seems like a great laptop.

 

Don't buy the GX740, the screen is awful. I have it and regret getting it.

 

I'm quite happy with the GX740 screen actually. I would have appreciated a higher resolution, but I needed a cheap gaming machine and I knew there had to be compromises. Besides lower resolution, higher fps. :-D

 

Screen is fine for me. Only complaint is upper left of the screen is a little grainy... only noticeable on some colour tones, and even then only barely.

 

I as such believe the cost bump is the cost of an additional fan, and I guess it was much needed. I think msi should fit 2 fans as a rule in 16" and 3 fans in 17". Those will make gr8 OC machines.
Usb 3.0 ? Are ya nuts? The current level of external hdd's cant even utilise 450mb/s limit, what is the benefit of 3.0 except the increased power output?
System speakes? Naa, surround sound headphones are better than anything msi will come close to offer(until the plan on putting in Bose)

 

Definetly the g x/t 660 r/non-r.
You get usb 3.0 which is good to have, because it's the future.
Never before seen in a laptop sound system.
TWO hard drives bay in 15" chasis coexisting with an Optical Drive. That's a first. as far as i have seen. ou can go for a fast ssd for speed and a large hdd for storage.
1080p screen in 15" chasis compared to 1680x1050 screen in 17"
And 3 dimms for 12gb maximum ram, and i have yet to comprehend how populating 3 dimms creates dual chanell, which i think it doesn't so it might be 12gb single chanell ddr3.
That would be the only downside i see to this laptop.

Whould have been better of making it with 4 dimms, so one could go all the way to 16gb of ram.

Basicaly the GX660R is a 17" laptops in a 15" chasis with new technologies, like the usb 3.0 and premium audio system you won't find anywhere else.
And on top of that i bet it has a decent sound card too.

 

I bought 64bit AMD processor 5 years ago, because it "was" the future. However, only now 64bit OSes are really useful because of 4GB memory limit of 32bit OS.

Asus G51VX-A1 which is 1 year old already.

Tripple channel architecture
But I'm afraid it's not possible with this processor.

In my view, GX660R is a bit overpriced for the specs when comparing with other MSI gaming notebooks, but standing firm among other brands (asus, dell (alienware)).

 

To me, it seems like an updated clevo W860CU with USB 3.0, and possibly a better sound system (everything is really marketing gimmick until you actually hear it). It's essentially the same form factor as W860CU and Asus G53. No surprise though, considering that Asus, MSI and Clevo are all taiwanese companies, they could all be using the same OEM for all we know.

 

Well, having read your comments I suppose I can see where the money goes.. I will probably go for the GX740 anyway, since I'm planning to buy a desktop monitor/keyboard/sound system + notebook cooling pad; imo that sort of gets rid of all the disadvantages of the GX740

 

Yup, however, we have now stuff that works on usb 3.0, external racks, hard drives, memory sticks. And this is just the begining.

Exactly. Outdated hardware. Old core quad non true quad core cpu, with gtx 260, which is dx10 only. Old hardware. Not to mention the lack of usb 3.0

I know the only triple chanell memory arhitecture is the lga 1366 platform. All others are dual chanell if 2 or 4 dimms are used, or single chanell if 1 or 3 dimms are used. Since this is no lga 1366, that means we are talking about single chanell memory.
That's why i said it would have been wise to use 4 dimms instead of 3. I'm sure they could have fitted another dimm somewhere inside.

To me it seems like pure bargain, as configured. If you add ssd and capacitous hdd, price goes up.

But you do get usb 3.0, 1080p screen, and "premium" sound speaker, which i'm sure they will be pretty premium. Dynaudio is does good job, and i have "seen: a youtube video with the speakers. They "sounded" promising.

Basicaly, what msi offers alltoghether, you don't get in any other 15" notebook.
That's what i was saying, and in my opinion, it is worth it, not to mention price is not even high in the first place.

Go and configure a similar speced 17" mobile core i series clevo, and make a comparison, you will see what i am talking about.

 

The GT660-003US still seems like a better deal at less than $1500 shipped...

Core i7-740QM 1.73GHz 1333MHz 6MB - Nvidia GTX285M 1 GB DDR5 - 6GB DDR3 RAM - 500 GB 7200RPM Hard Drive - Wireless 802.11 b/g/n - HD Webcam

I don;t see the need for three drives with the USB 3 flash sticks and small drives that will be available. An internal SSD and a 500GB drive should be enough for anyone.

A 1080P screen on a 15" screen is barely noticeable and needlessly chews up precious GPU cycles. However it will look better when lowering the resolution for better frame rates, Don't know of any games or many programs that will use over 4GB of RAM usefully.

One thing I learned about buying notebooks is buy for TODAY not the future. because the future will offer way more than you have today, Think back three years ago of those who spent $3000 on an uber Sager or Alienware. believing they were "covered" for the future.....I think they are replacing those laptops today. $1500 should be enough to get through three years of gaming bliss before one wants to upgrade to another new notebook.

I build my own desktops and do the same thing. I buy the sweet spot and it is far less money and runs everything well todays as it did a few years ago.

The GT660 at $1500 is the sweet spot right now.

 

You are right, of course, but for me, i want a 1080p screen, for the movies. I want to see them pixel by pixel, and the 1366x768 screen can't do that. Besides, it's an akward resolution! If it were 1280x720, that would have been better.

What i want to get is 740qm (as you said 840qm for the extrat 575 isn't worth it), 6gb ram (3 cheap 2gb modules), the crucial real ssd 128gb, the 256 version is to expensive and if i come to think about it 128 seems enough for windows and installed apps and games, and a storage drive, 1TB western digital.

And i don't know wheter or not is it worth it to get the intel link 6200. Maybe you can make a suggestion here. the 6200 intel link versus the integrated wireless.

And everything else is standar. Windows, bluray drive reader. And all tops out at 2200.
However i have to pay 150 more for shipment and MAYBE 24% tax at customs, reaching the high sscore of 2890 with intel link, shipment and country customs VAT

However, if the customs don't employ VAT, all costs 2331, and that saves a lot of money. However, even without the VAT, it's worth it, because in my country there is no way i can get such configuration on a laptop, esspecialy this model. At least for now.

 

The integrated wireless card is mostly seen in net books and the upgrade to the Intel 6200 is cheap, it will provide faster download speeds and better coverage.

 

I pre ordered my GX660R today, I cant wait to see this bad boy in action

 

What config, and how much USD ?

 

1x MSI GX660R-060US - Gaming Laptop - PRE ORDER
- Microsoft Office Software: No Office Software
- System Recovery Backup Disks: No thanks, do not create backup recovery DVD's
- Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Pre-Installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk
- Notebook Cooler: No Notebook Cooler
- Mouse / Keyboard Accessories: No External Keyboard or Mouse
- Fingerprint Reader: No Fingerprint Reader
- Port Replicator / Dock / Adapters: No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Spare AC Adapter: None Standard*
- Car Adapter: No Car Adapter
- Battery: Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- Case: No Carrying Case
- Sound Card: Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- TV Tuner: No TV Tuner
- Camera: Integrated Digital Video Camera
- Wireless Network Accessories: No Network Accessory
- Wireless Network: -Intel® Advanced-N 6200 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module
- Bluetooth: Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Memory Card Reader: Internal 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
- Floppy Drive: No Floppy Drive
- Back Up Software: No Back Up Software
- External Hard Drive (Back Up): No Back Up Hard Drive
- External USB Optical Drive: NO External USB Optical Drive
- Additional Hard Drive in Optical Drive Bay: No Additional Hard Drive in ODD Bay (When adding Hard Drive, Optical Drive Is Removed)
- Second Hard Drive: - 500GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)
- Primary Hard Drive: - 500GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)
- Optical Drive: - 4X Blu-Ray Reader / 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive - Standard
- Exterior Finish: Standard Finish
- Ram: - 6,144MB (6GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2GBx3)
- External Monitor Video Adapter: No Video Adapter
- Graphics Video Card: ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5870 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- Thermal Compound: IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds)
- Processor: - Intel® Core™ i7-740QM, 1.73-2.93GHz, (45nm, 6MB L3 cache) - Standard
- Dead Pixel Policy: Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Display: 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Current Promotion: Student Promotions! Ask us about our Cash Discounts or FREE Promotional Items & Accessory Bundles for Students - Up to 50% OFF! - Student Verification Required for Promotion
- Xotic Gear: No Xotic PC Gear
- Warranty: 2 Year MSI US Parts & Labor 1 Year Global Warranty w/ Lifetime Tech Support
- Software Bundle (Not Installed): No Software Bundle $1,811.00
Also added express shipping and express assembly.. so 2 grand american

 

Nice set up....look forward to early adopter reports.

 

Anyone know what version of catalyst is the ati driver 8.751.0.0?

 

TBH considering that one has the option 2 hard drives for the 660R I'd get one SSD to make things faster and then store movies/music on a 7200 rpm..

 

i dont really see the appeal in a SSD myself, id much rather have storage space than have windows boot up in 10 seconds, if you cant wait 60 seconds for a boot screen you need addiction councelling. Lol!

 

Plus I don't think they are ready for "prime time yet" There are some inconsistencies with them and the prices are still R&D