MSI notebook order thread: post your orders here

@Phoenix - you are getting the laptop @DukeCLR says had problems with the Anniversary update, so you are now one of "those of us"

 

lower RAM density (size of each stick) and lower number of sticks both introduce extra stability.

Err... does 2666MHz run at 2666MHz? Because 2400MHz is the default Kaby Lake supported RAM speed. If you keep getting locked to 2400MHz, it means that even with that expensive CM238 chipset on the GT73VR, they're not allowing anything above stock RAM speeds. It would SIGNIFICANTLY drop in my eyes as a machine I could recommend if that were the case. And I don't want it to drop, as I won't have anything else to recommend in its class (I will only recommend the P775DM3 from Obsidian-PC to a user who isn't willing to manually replace all the thermal pads and delid the processor with liquid metal).

 

Dude, come'on, really? Dropping a recommendation for a laptop for memory speed OC that doesn't advertise memory speed OC, and you had no idea whether this model or the previous model even worked with faster memory?

That small memory OC is hardly going to show up in gaming performance at all, let alone a significant amount that anyone would notice let alone be able to measure.

This lack of memory OC isn't new, and is of no consequence as to whether or not to recommend the GT73VR.

I even warned @Phoenix that this memory upgrade wasn't worth it in the first place, it could have been as simple as pluggin in 2 more of the same 16GB memory SODIMM's, now it's a problem - where there wasn't a problem in the first place - in fact it was a simple RAM upgrade.

 

Can't use good RAM speed
HDMI 1.4
Need to remove motherboard to change RAM
Blows air out both the left and right sides

I have a tally for everything in my head. As far as I can tell, it looks like MSI have made questionable design choices, but saying only the CPU & GPU matter in such a high end, expensive machine is counter-productive. I could recommend this to someone, or I could recommend them a P775DM3 from a place that will delid it like HID, and give them a guide to replacing the thermal pads, and it will just be a better machine.

I considered the GT73VR to be a higher recommendation than the P775DM3, but I am rethinking this now.

 

Seriously none of those is an issue, not one.

Go tally something useful

 

They're all an issue, to many people. Especially the ease of access to things like RAM slots (I've had to remove/replace and change RAM sticks in my machine more than 5 times in total since I've owned it, even if I was just error-checking... telling me to disassemble the motherboard to access 2 of my 4 sticks is disgusting) and the blowing air out the sides (heating my mouse hand up).

I honestly don't care if YOU have no problems with all of the things I've listed, but I do, and I know many people other than myself more than do, and I haven't even mentioned the fact that it's got a soldered CPU yet for the price of socketed models.

Especially considering how machines like the 16L13 are, and how the upcoming 16L13-esque variant of this model might be, all the things I'm learning here are simply disappointments.

Maybe a Svet mod will fix the RAM, but Phoenix won't use it, and thus I won't be able to find out. When someone wants the best gaming notebook housing a single 1080, this machine appears to WANT to not be it.

 

No those things don't matter to 99% of the people wanting that laptop, really it's just you.

4K @ 60Hz HDMI is already supported / tested on the GT73VR:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...scussions-lounge.794968/page-31#post-10342952
http://imgur.com/xPOS80z

Just because it doesn't say HDMI 2.0 doesn't mean it won't do what you need. Probably not certified due to not wanting to pay the price for listing the logo / version. Pascal GPU's have HDMI 2.0, MSI is likely just passing it through:
https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GT73VR-7RF-Titan-Pro.html#hero-overview

"MSI GT series has innovative design of pure discrete graphics mode. The Matrix Display on GT series therefore supports up to 3 external 4K displays, 4 displays in total simultaneously through one HDMI (4K @ 60Hz) compatible port, one Mini DisplayPort 1.2 and one Thunderbolt 3* (Type-C port) plus the laptop built-in display. Multi-task is made possible even during competitive gameplays. Connect the laptop to HDTV display, Matrix Display supports 4K output with a resolution up to 3840 x 2160 @60Hz."

The rest is silly (not just incorrect):

The laptop blows air out the back and sides, to reduce noise by spreading the pressure output through combined larger outlets. That's one of the reasons it's quieter than Clevo turbine screaming coolers. It's an innovation, not an issue.

The value of swapping out the 1st 2 slots of RAM with 2 x 16GB @ 2400mhz is fruitless, so don't do it, and that takes care of the rest of your pointless tally.

 

no 2666 MHz does run at 2666 MHz

 

Ok, good. I guess you just need tweaking then. Wonder why 2666 is the limit?

Sent from my OnePlus 1 using the force

 

I even asked them, forget about showing that it is running @ 2666 MHz. is it actually stable, did you have any complaints from other users?

Their reply was: "on the GT72 yes but not on this one."

Because it is so difficult to change the RAM I have to make sure it is stable before them shipping it out. The last thing I want is to have to open up the motherboard and swap RAM

the reason I was even doubting 2666 MHz is because all other resellers like XOTIC PC and GenTech PC and Pro-Star Computers only advertise 2400 MHz RAM for this machine

 

It's because the 2666MHz G.skill is worse than the 2400MHz kingston. 18-18-18-43 vs 14-14-14-36 with only 266MHz more speed, and it might be more expensive. I would personally take the 2400 kingston and overclock to 2666 while maybe slightly bumping timings if you have access to the timings in the BIOS. The 3000MHz RAM is the only one I consider worth it from G.Skill (well and the 3200 but that isn't stable enough in most any machine out right now).



Sent from my OnePlus 1 using the force

 

crap......

I wish you mentioned this earlier

 

Well.. you can still probably tweak down the G.Skill's timings. Probably could manage 15-16-16 for 2666MHz.

 

after my horrible experience in the past from RAM overclocking bro, I am against any RAM tinkering, tweaking, and overclocking.

Reason being:

with my 2133 MHz RAM Samsung RAM before, I overclocked it to 2400 MHz. all was stable in stress tests and benchmarking.

Then when I was playing Need For Speed: Rivals (back at that time), after like 5 mins of gameplay, the FPS will dip down to 1-2 FPS and remain there until I rebooted. I initially though it was Graphics Drivers or something else, never thought it was the RAM. Then I reverted the RAM back to stock and everything was fine. While you may be able to bench and what not with an overclocked RAM, I would rather not have any data corruption, weird system or game play errors. the benefit is not worth the hassle

I will call HIDevolution soon and see if I can swap back to the 2400 MHz RAM and be safer and have better timings

I just gave you a rep because you saved me from getting a slower RAM technically due to the higher timings. no one else noticed this but j00

 

And stock ram is already installed in the hard to reach place from the factory so most users will never need to access it because there are 2 open slots next to the CPU to expand your 16 to 32, or your 32 to 64.

There was a bios update (.10A I think?) that opened up the memory timings for the stock RAM and it now shows running at 2400mhz for me. Don't know about trying to OC up to 2666 but I can't imagine I'd notice a difference in real world applications.

 

Latest BIOS on MSI's site is E17A1IMS.308

That's what the laptop came with HIDevolution told me

 

Well I can't blame you for not wanting to tweak things with respect to RAM. Not at all. It's a painstaking process. It does have good rewards when successful but it isn't a guarantee.

As for the RAM, since they came out I noticed it. I couldn't understand why they existed. The 2666MHz and 2800MHz RAM are both 18-18-18, but the 3000MHz was 16-18-18, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why the slower RAM was worse.

I like to gather lots of information and update them as I get more info from people who have actually tested things, like Prema or Mr. Fox etc. Then I basically become a wikipedia.

 

My whatsapp group with my friends like to make a joke if anybody buys hardware without asking me first. They're like "oh boy, somebody buy something again without consulting the wiki (aka Ultima)"

 

Now I don't blame them

 

I don't care at all about brands. I care about what I can find. There's specs, and effective use. Some things have good specs and crap effective use. I switched from my 1535ac killer card to the 8265ac intel card on the P870DM3 because multiple people reported that after about 20Mb/s download their killer cards flat out crash, and it's unfixable. It takes AGES to get any replacement hardware here, so once again, I have to recommend intel only. Stuff like this I look at.

 

1) What I like about you is that you know all the ins and outs. Like a normal customer, even me, I thought that if they have 2666 MHz, faster is better right? now knowing about the timings and all until you told me

2) The Killer cards are crap bro, when I run multiple simultaneous downloads, the whole card disconnects, see: Just upgraded to an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265

 

Information is everything man. I don't understand why people like those you meet on reddit etc will just parrot whatever half-information they hear around the web and reject more detailed (but conflicting) information, even if you explain why it's conflicting and why the source was wrong. If something makes no logical sense, then there must be a reason why. Just gotta find that reason.

Yeah. See last gen killer cards (7260ac era) were great... if you installed basic drivers and used WLAN Optimizer and enabled "disable background scan". They didn't have any ac cards though, and I have wireless ac in my house now (came standard with the modem from the current ISP I'm on).

But it seems current gen killer cards are... ugh. I know the same thing about using WLAN Optimizer applies for stability and fixing network drops, but like... the card still crashes outright. And nobody knows how to fix it. So I just opted for the 8265ac and it's cheaper too.

 

and it has better range than the previous Intel Ac 8260 AND it has MU-MIMO if your router has that

 

Don't think I have that, it's a pretty bottom-tier wifi modem. But ac keeps the ping a LOT smoother than N in what I notice. If I have the option to use AC wifi I'll never use anything but. I already have enough poopy internet that I need all the help I can get haha.

My sister's 8260ac in her N155RF also does really well, so I can expect more of the good stuff. My 7260ac is slightly worse than her 8260, so I know I'll be happy.

 

Bottom line, the Intel Wireless cards....... "just work"

I have to warn you though about this issue if you haven't seen or noticed it yet:

Apps not loading on startup in Windows 10 [SOLVED]

PS: please post anything in that thread to bump it to the top

 

Done. I usually only install the drivers alone and I don't use the manager though. I also use WLAN Optimizer to disable background scan and enable streaming mode; it prevents the wifi card from hunting for networks and causing lag spikes for a few seconds every 10-15 minutes. I'll be including that in my review under my optimizations for getting it perfect too. I'll add your statement as an in-case; I'll be reviewing the machine using Windows 10 (though I'm using W8.1 as a primary driver).

 

You're good. The bios updates were for the skylake models. Presumably, the kaby lake already has the things fixed for skylake baked in.

 

can you please guide me hot to do that? as in disable background scan and enable streaming mode?

PS: what is streaming mode anyway

 

I hope you know ram sticks is equal processors regarding the silicon lottery? And as well not every memory controller in the cpu will manage equal good. All depends on the well known silicon lottery

 

All you really need to do is launch WLAN Optimizer, go to the settings page, and simply match this:


hit "save" and then hit the close button.

 

That's why I suggested sticking with the stock 16GB make and model, getting another matching pair to round out the 64GB.

Unless HID (or some trusted source) had pre-tested other make/model faster SODIMM's it's risky to just put in new ones without use testing, as your experience shows.

With Asus / MSI / other high end but closed laptops it's possible to find memory that will run faster, I've done it a number of times, it's a crap shoot until you find a specific reliable solution.

The GT73VR is too new, and the Kaby Lake version is even newer, to have much field data back to know which faster memory to use.

Again, that's why I suggested using known components in the expansion, it's what I always recommend without several owner reports of faster SODIMM's working reliably in the same model(s) / motherboard.

Glad you go it worked out

Did you get them to run a few thermal benchmark tests and get temperature reports from the tests before accepting it for shipment to you?

 

ok so HIDevolution just checked the stock RAM and it's not 14-14-14-36

it's:

Kingston MSI24D4S7D8MB-16

17-17-17-39

So I'm gonna go with that as this RAM thing has been delaying my order for days

@hmscott

 

they are now running AIDA64 with IC Diamond just for testing since they had that pasted upon my initial request, if temps are not good, they will do Liquid Ultra on the CPU / IC Diamond on the GPU as they said LCU is dangerous for the GPU in this taptop

 

Maybe ask them to bench those ram sticks with Aida64 ram test. Compare the results with yours from P870 and from this site https://biosmods.wordpress.com/2015/10/21/sky-x9/5/

 

can't do all that bro, I've been bugging them for days telling them to swap RAM and what not

 

I know bro. But you pay +$8500 Usd for this... And Aida64 ram bench doesn't take long time. Up to you what you get in the BITTER end!! A lot of money out the window if you don't be happy with this *keyboard*.

 

Paying almost $10k for a laptop, no offense, gives you an insane amount of leverage, you should be able to ask for anything to make sure it runs smooth.

Also why only go with IC Diamond thermal paste?

And 64GB of RAM, the hell do you do on your laptop, and all that SSD space.. jesus - are you planning a moon landing using your laptop?

 

The ssd's is the best part of this machine. + probably the keyboard. And of course is maxed ram very nice

 

the main reason I am selling my current P870DM3 is the keyboard and massive SSD storage. I have a huge amount of videos and I don't like using external stuff. Yes the external HDD is there for backup but I like having it all locally

PS: yes I am trying to fly to the moon brah

 

Hang on I am a blind idiot.

I read the 3D as 3 so... I made it out to be 19TB instead of 9TB. Lol

 

Have you searched up what ram other use in this machine? Is there some other who have tested ram benching?

 

19TB videos

 

everyone's using 2400 MHz only and every other reseller offers 2400 MHz only so I better stick to the stock RAM and not get any headaches because I don't want to waste time RMAing if I run into any of those weird RAM issues

 

If you learn how to dismantle the machine, you could go for 2x8GB ram. Test those self. And see if you can use those in your Clevo. If they work better and give better scores you can sell your P870 with the one from your MSI. Don't go BIG on ram now bro Phoenix. Listening on old Papusan!!

 

Also, I haven't read through the whole thread, but on the MSI forums there's a crazy russian modder called Svet, who has been working with MSI EC and BIOS since the creation of man.

He works for donations, small as large, basically a Prema equivalent just for MSI instead of Clevo.

Virtual high five him, he can fix a lot of things that MSI completely missed out on. Also he has some great suggestions at times too. Great guy, I've read hundreds of his posts.

 

Yeah I know. My oldest son used his mod when Msi pushed out socket machines. He has been long in the game

 

With XMP it does run at 2800MHz:

 

And that's 1T as well... Interesting! But no 3000?

Sent from my OnePlus 1 using the force

 

It was tested with 2800Mhz G.Skill.