MSI Skylake Laptop predictions

Thought I'd liven the place up with the Skylake processors coming out in the next couple weeks. I just read this morning that the Skylake-H specs have been leaked. See here.

Intel also showed off an MSI Skylake prototype at IDF last week. From the pics I saw, it looks like a GS60/GS70 refresh is in the works. From Hexus.net



The main thing we don't know about is what Nvidia's doing at this point. Will we also see a fall Maxwell refresh since Pascal appears to be delayed? DDR4 in laptops seems up for debate at the moment as well.

My predictions for models:

GS30: Using a 6820HQ or 6920HQ - perhaps an Iris graphics variant if one comes out. 16 GB RAM.

GS60/70: Using a 6700HQ or 6820HQ. 16 GB of RAM. Nvidia 970m or equivalent refresh, if available.

GT60/70: Using a socketed version - of a 6700 or 6820 - if it becomes available. If not, this line may die out. 16GB RAM minimum, with up to 32GB in beefier configs. Nvidia 970m or equivalent refresh, if available.

GT72 - Using a 6820HK. If there's a socketed version, I see MSI using that. Min 16GB of RAM, Nvidia 980m or 970m or equivalent refreshes, if available.

GT80 - Using a 6820HK or 6920HQ (again, preference to socketed versions for upgradability). 32GB RAM, 2x 980m or equivalent refresh, if available.

I'd also like to see 128GB SSDs scrapped in favor of 256MB minimum. I'd also like to see Thunderbolt ports with USB-C connectors.

What are your thoughts?

 

For GS70 there's already some leaked benchmark/info that using 6700HQ, 2133Mhz RAM, Killer E2400 Ethernet.

Code:

http://www.sisoftware.eu/rank2011d/show_system.php?q=cea598aa9da89ca595b3d4e9c4f5d3a19cac8ae3deefc9a19ca98ff7cafbddb8dde0d0f685b888&l=en

And this one could the 15inch version (could be from GE line)

Code:

http://www.sisoftware.eu/rank2011d/show_system.php?q=cea598aa9da99dac9abcdbe6cbfadcae93a385ecd1e1c7af92a284fcc1f1d7b2d7eadafc8fb282&l=en

 

I predict that i5 gaming laptops are going be the base models, not i7's. Especially for the ge line.

All rumors seem to point to mobile i5 now being quad core, no HT. I5-6440hq is supposedly a 2.6 ghz base, 3.5 ghz boost, no HT part. Seems like it would make for a nice budget processor to go with a mid-high gpu like the 965m and 970m, and i can see very affordable entry level gaming model coming out with an i5-6300hq and 960m gddr5.

 

As far as I know, there won't be any socketed version of intel mobile CPUs. At best, there will be the "unlocked" K variant. I predict that only GT72 and maybe GT80 will have that as an option. Everything else will use the regular HQ processors.

 

Wow,predictions thread without use of a crystal ball or Ouija Board

 

Hey, I'm not clairvoyant.

Didn't know there weren't going to be socketed versions. That makes other pages talking about using desktop processors make more sense. Did Broadwells have a socketed version?

I expect there will probably be more SKUs for the chips.

 

What they started putting Boardwell in a few days ago


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There hasn't been any socketed Broadwell chips that I am aware of. That list of the skylake ones posted only showed HQ models, which aren't socketed either. It was the MQ version in Haswell that are socketed.

 

That makes sense. I think that's been true at least back as far as the Ivies.

 

So, according to this the Skylake-H Mobile Processors has 45W TDP

 

45W seems to be Intel's target for the laptop market. Most chips seemed to be right around that (45-47W), with the Extremes pushing 55 sometimes, and a few 35-37W chips as well.

I hope we see some sort of refresh from Nvidia. Word is we'll see Nvidia put out a 990m ( link) in Q4. Hopefully it'll be announced with other Skylake chips and laptops. I hope we also see like a 975m, or a 985m, or something along those lines.

Another thing that's going to make the market interesting is eVGA jumping into the gaming laptop market. The 17" they showed off looks a lot like the GS70. Supposedly is a new design they built from the ground up though. MSI makes a great laptop and I plan on sticking with them. I hope they do something to continue to stay a step ahead of the competition.

 

The lower wattage standard is why I am waiting for the HK CPU, I am expecting that TDP (power level 1 and 2) can be altered if its unlocked but we won't know until intel releases or testing is done. If the HK versions turns out to be nothing more than the bins unlocked then it won't be worth the money and probably won't upgrade until new GPUs are released.

 

Agreed. I've also read that the K moniker is replacing the M, so there's a chance it could be a socketed CPU. At least to me, it seems silly to have an overclockable processor in there that couldn't be upgraded somewhere along the line. Otherwise, the only real advantage you get over a normal H processor is to force it to run faster for a base speed, or up the turbo boost.

Since there's not going to be a whole lot that can be done with cooling, I don't think overclocks will be huge. Shops like GenTech or Xotic may be able to put something better in and paste it up good, but I don't think we'll see anything like a desktop overclock.

It might be worth a small premium to muck with it, but wouldn't pay much more than say, $50 for a 6820HK over a 6820HQ.

 

I am not sure about the K monkier replacing the M, after all the H replaces the M to indicate if something is soldered (H) or socketed (M). It would be weird to offer both a socketed and soldered option as it would mean having different motherboards. Additionally, having a single socketed option would be meaningless because you would have nothing to upgrade to.

As long as the HK version allows TDP limit tweaking, we will be golden. If it doesn't, then it will be a useless addition compared to the rest of the lineup.

 

There are GT72 and GE72 with 6700hq and 6820hk. Pretty much is the update version of current products

 

If the TDP is unlocked then all is pretty much forgiven on the soldered front, getting unlocked parts at reasonable prices would be a step forward on historical practices.

 

Well Sept 1st is here so hopefully we hear some sort of news.

 

Intel skylake mobile has been released now so hopefully soon (tm).

 

For US the Skylake will be release on September 25th. The problem for manufacturers is that Intel change their information once a week. They were told that the Skylake will be very shortage and suggest manufacturers to producing Broadwell till the end of the year and the next week they were told that the Skylake supply won't be a problem, it's going back and forth for a while now. So don't be surprise that Skylake and Braodwell will be co-exist for a while.

 

Yes there is lag between the launch and availability of course, but you can check the details here:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9582/intel-skylake-mobile-desktop-launch-architecture-analysis

 

MSI Skylake Lineup
GT (4 Models)

Code:

http://gaming.msi.com/products/notebook/gt-series

GE (2 Models)

Code:

http://gaming.msi.com/products/notebook/ge-series

GS (3 Models)

Code:

http://gaming.msi.com/products/notebook/gs-series

*from notebookcheck.com



i7-6820HK = BGA

 

Well that's completely disappointing that there seems to be no skylake GT80 at all in the release lineup.

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Maybe MSI trying to put Desktop CPU into the their next GT80, which will be better.

 

It does make you hope for a revised model such as the gt82 or something possibly. I am just spit balling though, would just like to know their plans to keep a glimmer of excitement.

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News and details about MSI's upcoming beasts based on Skylake.

Engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/02/msi-skylake/
PCWorld:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2978...d-thunderbolt-3-0-for-new-gaming-laptops.html
Hexus:
http://hexus.net/tech/news/laptop/86036-gigabyte-msi-announce-new-skylake-powered-gaming-laptops/

 

i7-6820HK Benchmark

Code:

http://www.notebookcheck.com/Intel-Core-i7-6820HK-Notebook-Prozessor.149417.0.html

It could be overclocked to 4GHz

 

I saw this too so someone has one and playing around with it, hopefully we can find out of the PL1 and PL2 power limits can be changed.

 

Good info all. I've been looking it all over. Looks like MSI's laptops will be available in the US starting on Sept 27th, but prices haven't been revealed yet.

GT72 looks pretty good. At least from the initial specs, MSI seems to be going to cheap on most of the VRAM for these, going with the 3/4GB versions of the 970 and 980. Some 980s have 8GB, but I haven't seen a 970 mentioned yet with 6GB. Interesting to note the choice is either between either the 6820HK or the 6700HQ. Given that the package says all of these are BGA, I'm not sure if they're actually socketed or not - especially when considering most H procs are soldered. So I'm wondering if they're all just soldered. Also interesting that you don't see a 4K graphics option. At least the GFX card is upgradeable with MXM, but what's with MSI saying they have to do it?

The GS70 gets some minor upgrades, but once again is the bastard child of line. It gets an IPS panel but no SuperPort and no 4K display. GS60 gets all of those. I don't understand why MSI shafts the GS70 so much. It's not a crappy laptop by any means, but it seems like they purposely try to make it look less attractive.

Other thoughts: I'm liking the GT72 and the GS60. If I'm going to replace my GT60 sometime in the near future, I'm not sure which way I'm going to go. I like the upgrade path with the GT72, especially because this still has current gen Nvidia chips in them. With the SuperPort, if an external graphics card of some sort can be used over it, then this is less of a concern, but it's a turn off to the GS60 as it stands.

With my travels, the GS60 is definitely more portable and more fitting for my life, but I'm not crazy about being stuck with a 970m and no way to upgrade it. It'd be less of an issue with a Pascal in it. The GT72 fits my longer term needs better, but the thing is a beast in size and weight. I could get away gaming on a plane with a GS60 and AC power. I'm not seeing that on the GT72.

Any suggestions between the two there?

I'm also a bit surprised MSI chose the 6700HQ over the 6820HQ for the base processor. Given that Intel sells the 6820HK, 6820HQ, and 6700HQ for all the same price, I don't understand that. Granted, there's not a huge performance difference between the 6820HQ and 6700HQ, but it's free MHz, and I don't think 100MHz would break the thermal bank.

 

do you have any idea when it will be available in the stores ?

 

Looks interesting.

Glad to see at least some upgrades to the GS70 - agree that its like a stepchild or something. Finally its in the nice black and not the grey color from earlier models, and finally the IPS panel (why they had TN was beyond me). I had actually wanted the GS70 last year but TN and the uglier color made me pass and ultimately decide on the GS60.

I wonder if Skylake architecture finally allows for the additional drive bays to be SATAIII? Or is the super-raid using all available lanes for that still?

I am skeptical only in that I wonder if we will see the (leaked) NVIDIA refresh soon, making these obsolete just a few months out the gate (kind of like that 880 to 980 phase).

 

I like the GS60 its very portable but I'm not sure you could game on it in the air...unless you were in first/business class. I tried pretty much all the models until I settled on the GS60. Amazon wasn't very happy with me, heh. I really liked the GT72 but the value wasn't there for me at the time and i thought the GS60 would be better for me since I knew I would be traveling a lot this year. In retrospect I find that I don't game in motion (plane/car) and that I would much have rather had the GT72 and just toted it in a backpack. In Nov/Dec I'll probably ebay my GS60 and use the proceeds to upgrade to GT72. Hopefully we see the 990m or whatever it is then. Personally I never consider upgradability in a laptop. By the time there is an upgrade for a new card you are better off selling and buying a new model given the cost to buy it (on the grey market) or send it in for servicing. I look at it like a lease now a days, just upgrading every year or two by selling old and buying new.

 

I tend to ride up front a good bit, either thru upgrades or buying my fare up on the long hauls. On most shorter flights, I'd sooner just chill or sleep a little. But when on a 12+ hour flight - yeah, I'd like a little bit more to do.

I didn't think much of upgrading my laptops until the 970m/980m upgrade on the GT60/GT70 threads. I liked my GT60 a lot - it was the graphics that were holding it back and had me wanting a new laptop. Thing was, aside from the better GFX, there wasn't anything else I was dying to have in a laptop. So I saved some money and bought the 970m and a 3920XM and it breathed a whole new life into it. Now, I had screwed up the card a bit unfortunately with getting some capacitors knocked off. I had the card repaired, but it doesn't look like it lasted as it's now dead.

I'm less concerned about upgrading the processors as while there have been improvements, there hasn't been anything earth shattering over the last few years. At least something that'd make me want to toss my Ivy Bridge aside. Skylake's changing that with its platform shift. Thunderbolt, PCI-E x4 SSDs, and the like? Yes, please.

If Thunderbolt ends up working well and can handle external GFX cards, the whole thing becomes moot.

I have some time to decide as I don't have cash immediately to buy a new laptop. We'll see what fleshes out as the holidays approach.

 

GTVEVO, the GT80 has been mentioned in passing, but no photo's or specs, this is the only quote I could find quickly:

"The big GT80 Titan and GT72 won’t have USB-C. "

From:

MSI embraces Skylake and Thunderbolt 3.0 for new gaming laptops
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2978...d-thunderbolt-3-0-for-new-gaming-laptops.html

There were others as well, which said about the same, there was one article with a photo gallery of all the MSI laptops on display, but the GT80 was notably missing.

 

Ya I read into the same sentence so hopefully they will be out at some point with the 6820hk. THX

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PC World got it wrong. All announced Skylake GT72's have the USB-C SuperPorts.

http://www.msi.com/gaming-iframe/nb/GT72S-6QE-Dominator-Pro-G.html#hero-specification

The GS70 doesn't have the USB-C SuperPort for some strange reason, but the GS60 does.

 

superguy25, thanks for digging that up

Have you found any info on the GT80 Skylake model(s)?

 

Nothing yet, unfortunately. I'd keep an eye out on their website though as they put up the Skylake laptop info out fairly quietly. Just checked and there's no press releases and nothing said on their official forums. Haven't seen anything on Facebook either.

Seems like the only announcement was at IFA after Intel's embargo was lifted.

Word is the laptops are supposed to be available in the US on Sept 27, so maybe there will be more of an announcement when they finally start shipping.

 

What are the chances that the battery life will improve on the GS60 this time around? The new model would be perfect for me if it could do better than the current 2-3 hours of battery life when just web browsing.

 

I would not trust PC world with any tech information lol.

 

Lol touche.

 

Hey, I noticed done GT72s have the CM236 chipset while others have the HM170. Anyone know what the differences in features is?

I'm guessing the CM236 will be the more desirable of the two.

 

CM236 has stuff like vPro, HM170 don't. You can check the ark.intel


Boring boring Chelsea

 

I've been checking that site. Aside from vPro and VT-d, I'm not sure what other differences, if any, are. I was hoping to dig up more of the fancy diagrams explaining all the capabilities that Intel likes to put out.

 

TDP is 1.07 W higher , vPro, RST, Trusted execution, and Virtualization. Also the number of SATA 6.0 Gb lanes is 8 instead of 4.

 

Cool. Thanks. I saw the VT-d in the CM236 is supported but not on the HM170 (even if the procs themselves support it). As I use my laptops a lot for work and use VMs, that's an important factor.

 

So hopefully with more SATA lanes in the newer chipset then that means the spare 2.5" will finally be SATA3. Cool. To me its kinda moot anyhow since the you can only get the 8bg vram 980m in that model, which is what I would want.

 

Which is interesting as the K series tend to not support those features.

 

Even it has 8x SATA connectivity, it is up to MSI to make it happen.
Creating such connectivity may not cost much but to MSI as a manufacturer they may not use all of them. This has been demonstrated in practice on motherboard products in the past to modify cost and premium feature levels.

 

We will see, before it was a limit of the number of SATA III lanes available, it is at least a possibility to use it this time.

 

Yup, all of us would love to see every performance are exploited but not left out.