Msi 1013 (s270)

Does anybody have this laptop or the S260 model? I am looking from some personally experiences with it.
Thanks
Scott

 

I know several personal accounts on German forums. They are mostly positive.
I already wrote about it here. I could collect some links or answer your questions.
I am not an owner mysleft, but I have seen it in the shop.

 

i have read some reviews and some mentioned that the keyboard had a lot of flex. also i haven't been able to see a 12.1 wxga screen in person. i was wonder how useable is it? also the fan noise. i can't deal with a laptop that the fan is on/off every few seconds. if you can help i would appreciate it.
thanks
scott

 

i have one. just bought it last week from pc club here in phoenix for 1199, popped in 1gb of pc3200 and a 5400 hd, as the machine comes stocked with 256mb and 4200 hd. Battery life with stock battery is easily over 3 hrs, system never seems to run hot and is so light its amazing. everyone has commented on it, of course they all ask how one can read anything on a 12" screen. i would say the msi270 is a direct competitor to the sony thin and light segment, but for half the price.

 

i should add that i would recommend one have pc club or whomever do the assembly. everything in this machine is so tiny and fragile, that a klutz like me is bound to destroy it. i had to use tweezers to dis-assemble and then re-assemble after swapping out the two mods.

 

S270/MSI 1013 is probably the first avaible Turion-based laptop PCs with MT chips in the market. Most other vendors only have ML, higher enery-cost, CPUs such as thos in HP/Compaq and Acer.

 

Im also looking at the msi s270, unfortunately i havent been able to find a shop that sells them close to me, after reading a few reveiws the only unanswered question i have is the noise - which would largely influence my deciding to buy this notebook or not.

 

the fan noise is there, but it is so quiet that it really isnt an issue. i've had 2 other athlon 64 laptops and both of them sounded like jets taking off once they started getting hot.

 

http://www.xmeld.com/html/msi1013.html

But I want one of these:

http://www.xmeld.com/html/msi1029.html

 

I just picked up one of the 1013's and I am very impressed with the display and the build of the machine its self.. I am very picky with displays ooh so picky. This was my biggest concern with purchasing the notebook and not being able to see it first. I just so happen to live in SLC UT so I called up XMELD and talked to Dave for a while. After talking to Dave for a while he offered to bring a 1013 down for me to play with (ofcourse I was more than willing to execpt).
I have been playing with the machine for a couple days now so heres a couple pros and cons:

PROS:
Display: A++++ (go look at a sony s460 display this is better)
Build quality: A++ very sturdy no flexing even the display as thin as it is.
Keyboard: typing feel is good takes a little getting use to the the key positioning.
Track Pad: Good senitivity not overly active.

CONS:
Track Pad: Buttons are odd and hard to push..
Speakers: Well there worthless but what can you expect for the size.
Keyboard: There is a little flex to it but you can take the palm rest off and fix it.

Well thats all the bad I can find. I wouldnt say bad but not the best all is functional.

I highly suggest this notebook for the traveling IT Professionals or anyone on the go..

Let me know if you want any pictures for detail and Ill see what I can do..

One last thing give XMELD a call I have never had such good customer service they have my business.
WWW.XMELD.COM


Frank

 

It’s good to hear from someone who has purchased an msi S2x series notebook. I am seriously considering buying an s260 however as the s260 and s270 differ only in hardware I would really appreciate it if you could give me some info regarding the design and build, screen quality (any dead pixels?), do you think the keyboard is cramped? Also even though this will not really apply to the s260 what sort of battery life are you getting out of it, and does it generate a lot of heat/fan noise?

Much appreciated!

James

Btw I managed to find an barebones msi s260 at www.digitalstar.com.au and customize it with the following specs:

1.73 P-M Sonoma cpu
1gig ddr333
60gig 7200rpm hd
2 year extended warrenty

for about AU $1900

 

The display is flawless no dead pixels. Its just taking some time to get use to the size but I was playing Area 51 on it and after a few minutes it I didnt notice the size at all.
The keyboard is good while typing. There are some quarks where they have shrunk some keys but that will go away once I get to know the keyboard.
The machine is silent even when the fan is on its hard to hear however it moves some air I was shocked. While playing Area 51 it was on my lap and the heat never bothered me.

Over all this machine is great for anything other than gaming obviously. Even playing games is ok but the video card is no power house.

Battery life is around 3+ hours while playing on the net and normal use. I havent watched a full dvd yet (no time).

Frank

 

Great, you've convinced me, just one other thing though, I heard that with the 8 cell battery, the back of the notebook is raised a bit as the battery doesn’t sit flush with the bottom of the notebook, Is this true and is it noticeable or annoying?

Thanks again

 

It does extend out the back of the notebook but only .5 .75 of an inch. its not bad at all I never notice it. plus it helps the ventilation while on a flat surface.
if you want the notebook to never get warm put a 4200 rpm drive in it and up your memory to help with paging/swaping. i prefer the 4200 rpm drive for this reason. the heat is doubled it seems with the 5400/7200 drives. just my opinion.


Youll enjoy this notebook and if you purchase it through XMELD it will be a good experience (its been nothing but positive for me).

Frank

 

Been reading this forum for a while now and researching my first laptop. Been interested on the MSI 270 and ordered it through XMELD last Friday, Aug 12, and still haven't heard from XMELD on its status. Hopefully it will be shipped soon so I can receive it by Saturday. Also ordered a Corsair 2x512 PC3200 SODIMM (VS512SDS400) and Hitachi 60GB from ZZF.

exawatt, how long did it take for your MSI 270 to arrived from XMELD?

 

Just finished building my MSI 1013 and so far its great. Installed corsair 2x512 DDR400 but they are only running at 266Mhz. Is there an advance settings in the BIOS to set memory timings? I also updated to the latest 3.30 BIOS but still that same problem.

 

Let me just recall to those who are considering the purchase that the typical problem with MSI S260/270 discussed on German forums are the fan noise (which hits almost everybody) and the keyboard quality (which hits only some and depends on the taste and demands, I personally found it OK when testing in the shop).

 

An alternate view.

http://www.computerbuyer.co.uk/buyer/labs/72010/msi-mega-book-s260.html

Is a bit harsh, considering the S250/260/270 are pretty cheap.

Anyone checked out the averatec notebooks? They look O.K

 

DDR400 Problem fixed with bios 3.6!

 

Hello ./*
Just found this site, searching because I have memory for the S270 in one hand and an S270 in other and can't see the obvious way to join them. I was figuring it would be simple and bought both at the same time.

Seeing that some of you may have also upgraded your own memory, and given that I already know the lawyer talk about no liability to anyone who helps, what's the best way?

Thanks in advance,
C-

 

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/notebook/MS-1013IG.pdf

That should get you started

 

Thanks VK, that did the trick and I now have the memory installed. And, word to the wise, if you are only installing the memory you don't need to bother with removing the keyboard ribbon. I did before looking under the foil next to it and could have saved myself a bit of time and aggrevation (broke the ribbon clip and had to superglue it back together before reinstall)...

Just have to say that it is refreshing to find notebook manufacturer that encourages you to crack the case. I have been doing that to desktops for years but have rarely been inside a notebook. Very cool...

 

Is it hard to do? I'm a total noob when it comes to hardwara installation..

 

for the 12" msi yeah its a little harder to do.. but they have pictures of how to do it.. the msi 15" one was pretty easy to do.