Ryzeki's MSI GX660R Review

I seem to have lost out on the GDDR5 lottery. I can't seem to increase my memoy clock past 1050, even with 1.1 and 1.15 volts. Oh well.

Now I have to find out how far I can push the core.

 

Thanks for the replys. I was a little worried about having to send it back. RMA is miserable!!!!! I wish Sager would make a laptop with great sound. I'm very happy with this lappy. All it needs is a damn back-lit keyboard and a built in fingerprint reader!!!!

 

Yeah those would be nice, I'm am surprised that I miss the fingerprint reader but I do lol.

 

Dude I had a fingerprint reader on my Sager 8120 and I never thought I would miss it as much as I do now. F Readers are real handy tools
I kept all my pornography in a secret folder that only my finger could open. Lol

 

Not the cleanest of fingers I would imagine...

 

This is way to much info.....it makes using I fingerprint reader dirty...,.

 

LMFAO Best post of the day

 

Hey guys! I've finally bought this sweetie, and everything is nice, BUT. Did you guys have any problems with the camera? I can't find a way to make it work. If i try CameraRecorder it just says Camera not detected. Did I just forget to do something, or I have to take it back?

 

with some msi you have to turn the camera on through a hot-key (Fn+f#) first before any program can detect the camera.

 

Oh man I love you!

 

did you enable the fingerprint reader on the keyboard

Wow Too late -.-' lol

 

LMAO. My fingers are plenty clean!

 

You guys that are overclocking, I think you should focus more on GPU clocks. RAM clocks don't make much of a difference in benching or gaming.

 

Memory clocks do help when gaming in high resolutions, like the 1080p native of the GX660R.

 

Hey guys,

When I thought I already made up my mind to buy GX660, I saw the Asus N61JQ. Can you guys help me what to select between the two?

The specs are as follows:

MSI GX660
Intel® Core™ i5 Gaming Notebook
Core™ i5 460M / 2.53GHz Processor
Intel® PM55 Chipset
4.0Gb DDR3 / 500Gb SATA HDD
ATI Radeon™ HD 5870* 1Gb GDDR5 VRAM

Asus N61JQ
Intel Core i7-720QM 1.6GHz
ATI HD 5730
4GB RAM DD3/500 GB HDD

It should have been so easy if there's an MSI GX660 with Core i7 here in our country but we only have the one with Core i5 only. I'm going to use my laptop mostly for NBA2K11, BFBC2, COD:MW2 and COD:Black Ops.

 

GX660...
5870 is almost twice as fast as the 5730.
i7 makes no difference in games.

 

Order an i7 from a 3rd party retailer and sell the i5

 

I bought a gx660r and received it tuesday but I think I'm going to RMA. I ran 3dmark06 (while running gpuz) and it pinstriped-screen-of-death'ed on me 30 seconds in. I then did a clean install of windows 7, and ran 3dmark06 which worked this time (installed 10.8 catalyst drivers), but then 3dmark vantage pinstriped-screen-of-death'ed on me a minute in. Seems to me a new computer should not crash on these things, so I think I'm RMA'ing and waiting for a asus g53jw ....

 

Even for games which are CPU hungry like NBA2K11, BFBC2, etc??

I think that would be a good idea. Though some said laptop parts are really expensive, they said those are half the price of the unit itself.


Thanks, guys for the replies. And sorry for being a noob.

 

It shouldn't. Something is wrong if you are not overclocking you shouldn't be crashing.

Check with your reseller for support.

 

Weirdest thing. So, I have a modded vBIOS with overclocked gaming clocks and undervolted/underclocked everything else. While plugged in, I'm perfectly stable.

However, I unplugged my laptop to walk around and test for wireless strength, and my desktop started to artifact like no tomorrow. Once I plugged back in it was all fine. Hmm. Does unplugging the laptop lower power to the PCI slot or something? That's the only reason I can think of.

 

Ooookay, preliminary testing shows that you cannot change clocks or voltages for any of the other settings except for the gaming clocks, otherwise you get errors while on battery. I'm overclocked at 800/1050, and I can do whatever I want, plugged in or on battery, but if I lower my idle clocks by 1Hz, it messes everything up while on battery.

I'm testing to see if there's a weakness in Radeon Bios Editor, so I'm looking at different programs.

 

Good to know. Keep us informed! We are few but we could really use any info you discover

I am currently using your 800/1050 clocks succesfully so far, no crashes of any kind.

 

Started a thread here, since I don't know if it's an MSI specific issue or if it affects all 5870s. On one hand, the 5870 is ATI reference, but then again, I haven't heard anyone mention a problem like this. If you know anyone who's done edits to other clock/voltage states, shoo them over there.


And I swear I'll stop being lazy and actually get up a cooling/optmization guide. One of these days.

Ry if you're comfortable with flashing your vBIOS back and forth, I'd like to know if you have the same issues.

 

I'm returning mine tomorrow
Still getting random crashes. I thought it was stable!
Where should I order from. I'm not using XoticPc this time around. How's RKComputer.net?

 

I highly recommend GenTechPC. If you have problems Ken will definitely treat you well.

 

I normally suggest Xotic, because they usually do a good job. That said, if you do not want to use their services - GenTech or PowerNotebooks would be two people I check into.

It's also available on NewEgg.

 

Wow. This is a really well designed computer. 2x HDDs and great temps on GPU with a laptop barely bigger than a regular 15. I'm still trying to figure out what they took out in order to fit so much stuff into it! :O

Have you done wPrime CPU stability tests and checked CPU temps?

 

The problem with Gentech PC is that I live in CA. GenTech is in CA. I rather not pay sales tax. I think i might try RKComputer.Net. He seems like a cool dude. Anybody ever order from RK in the past? I cant use Newegg cause im customizing it. And Donald at PowerNotebooks is great but they dont carry MSI. I guess I could Buy from NewEgg and customize myself. Is it easy to install a SSD and IC7 Diamond Thermal Paste. Also where would i get a Intel 6200 Wireless?

 

Have you tried BTOTech? I think they're based on the East Coast somewhere. They also I think have MSI... hang on, checking...


Yep.

And they're based in NY

M.S.I. GX660R-060US Intel Core I7-740qm 6gb DDR3 640gb 7200rpm ATI Radeon HD 5870 BLU-RAY 15.6

 

Thanks
Ill check them out. Im thinking of spending the extra $$ and getting the new Sager NP7280. But im not sure yet.

 

Installing an HDD in the vast majority of notebooks is so easy a blind, retarded caveman could do it. Seriously.

Repasting the CPU--and you might as well do the GPU while you're at it--can be daunting if you're not used to the procedure, but the design of the GX660R allows for very easy aftermarket paste jobs and CPU upgrades. Sigh. that reminds me that my cooling/optimization guide is long overdue. Dammit. I need to find my camera.

As for the Intel 6200, you could sniff around the BuySellTrade board of NBR, or hit up eBay. Your choice. Replacing the wifi card is also very easy, but delicate: you have to remove the top board where the buttons and speakers are located.

 

Im unsure on what im going to do.
BTOTech might be the way to go. Good Prices. No Sales Tax and they offer the Intel 6300 Ultimate Wireless in their options. I really like the Sager NP7280 but there arent any reviews out yet. I wonder what is better.... a single HD 5870 or a Nvidia 480M?

 

Stick with the 5870. While the 480m is nominally more powerful, the power drain and heat are ridiculous.

Also, with the wireless card, are you planning on doing a lot of file transfers wirelessly?

 

There's a reason there aren't any reviews out there yet - Few people, if any, even have that monster at the moment.

That said, the good thing about the x7200/NP7280 is the following:

1) Desktop iCore processor
2) Upgradeable/swappable GPUs. I.E. right now it has a 480, but the specs say it will support the new 460s, 470s, and a 485 (whatever that is), along with another 480 when they're released and you can put them into SLi Mode (if that's your thing).
3) Usually no "warranty is void" stickers anywhere in there, if you like to get your hands dirty changing things.


Of course, the thing is expensive, but you can try to find after-market parts and upgrades that can really turn it into a beast. That being said, at 12 pounds +, if mobility is your need, it's not mobile at all.

It's basically what you want/need vs. price. In a sense, to get a really nice NP7280 with the SLi mode, you're essentially paying two GX660s

 

Getting a defective GX660R really put a bad taste in my mouth. I have really bad luck and I can't afford to get another defective unit. XOTICPC already screwd me on shipping costs on the original purchase.... (Long Story)
I cant even play BF2 on the damn thing. Crashes constantly.

Sager does 96 hours of continous 3DMark burn in and they test the machine 100% before shipping it. I also live 30 miles from them and have drove there twice already. They are very nice Chinese people. MSI and Asus are just a crap shoot. Plus their laptop's look like Cheese Ballz. Rinky Dinky if you ask me. I perfer the plastic brick look of the Sager.

NP7280 w/80GB SSD - 320GB HDD (2nd) and single 480M for now and BluRay reader $3200 shipped. Much more $$ but way nicer-bigger LCD, more power, and upgradability in the future. Audio is also great so i've heard

 

Excellent review. However I got a question..

How the hell does the battery on your GX660R last that long on a more powerful CPU and GPU when a GX640-260US lasts for around the same time with a less powerful CPU and GPU? Man I'm seriously regretting returning the MSI. Got it for $1000 tax included T_T

 

Is your GX640 also a 9 cell battery? I was surprised I was ablet o get 3 hours once on super battery ECO settings too. I was used to an hour and a half times before.

 

How much did you pay for this unit, just curious? I'm in Canada so it costs something like $1600.

 

CAD or USD? From Gentech it was $1500 USD with tax, so about $1650, give or take.

 

We don't even have the gx660r I think.

Canadian dollars, the gx660 with i5-450m and 5870 with 1366x768 is $1349. NCIX has GT660 with i7, 1TB and GTX 285m for $1650...

Mine E7405 was $1199 Canadian with 5% tax and $20 shipping with -$50 MIR.

Probably the cheapest 5870 equipped laptop in Canada lol

 

I bought mine from Newegg.ca for $1699 +Taxes, S/H. TigerDirect has it for $1999, and will NOT price match as they say Newegg's price is below TD's cost, for some reason I call BS. The last place that has it is PcCanada, for $1713, but they are on backorder.

Still impatiently waiting for mine. The Newegg rep says they are still "confirming addresses", hopefully shipping tomorrow.

 

lol I first ordered my E7405 from Newegg as well.

They took about 3 days to confirm my address, still didn't happen in the end. So I cancelled my order and went to NCIX.

Took 2 days to process, arrived the third day.

 

Hope they can confirm mine, as they are the most reasonable.. Tomorrow will be day 3, crossing my fingers

 

Yours will be fine. I think the only reason mine was delayed was because I didn't put a dash somewhere.

 

Ahh.. The newegg lady now said that due to "the large amount" of this purchase, they take a little longer to confirm things. Still rooting for shipping tomorrow

 

Hi all,

when i was surfing MSI official's website this morning, I liked the MSI GX660 for its great Spec. They claim that a built-in camera comes with HD webcam!!, but what i couldn't realise so far!!! Is it coming with a 3 megapixel or 4 megapixel for being that good?

thank you

 

Well kids, consider me the next member of the GX660 club. After weeks of checking around, reading about everything I could get my hands on, I've decided that this is the machine for me. Hopefully get around to ordering one this weekend - And assemble some aftermarket parts (Seagate Hybrid's in RAID 0) for getting it. But I believe that this will be the machine for me.

Forge, Ryzecki - great work on the thread. Believe it when I say I might be leaning on you more "tech savvy" people when it comes time to practice my OC-ing (as well as driver advice and testing!)

 

Couldn't find that information anywhere, I even downloaded the manual and checked that .... You might just have to call/email MSI and ask them man

 

Me? Tech-savvy?
...
Good God, I just looked outside, and I saw pigs flying.

But on a serious note, you're welcome.


And, ladies and gentlemen, I am reverting back to my Intel G2 160GB SSD instead of using the OCZ Vertex LE 240GB. I wasn't being detected in BIOS again. I'm so annoyed.

EDIT: And while doing my clean install, I just noticed that's apparently a Catalyst 10.9.