Ryzeki's MSI GX660R Review

I have the same it is right next to the hard drive activity light, and it is always on.

 

Ah, the LED on the touchpad. Silly me, I thought it was some sort of sticker.

Hmm, yeah it's always on, and I don't even know what it is supposed to mean.

 

Well maybe we should read the manual more often:

Sleep State:
Š Blinking amber when the system is in Sleep state.
Š LED goes out when the system is turned off.

they definitely need something to turn this off it is kind of annoying me.

 

Hi

I ordered the 1920 x 1080 res one, but what's bothering me is the need to lower the resolution on it for games, they will look fuzzy if i want lower res for better performance.

I looked for the 1360 x 768 version for this reason and couldn't find it, seems it's only in america and not here.

any opinions?

 

1920x1080 will struggle with some games. I think the GX660 (not R) has the 1366x768.

 

yep that's why i wanted the lower resolution one, but i cant find anywhere in the uk that sells it.. only the higher res version.

Looks like i'm stuck with the 1920 x 1080.. real shame that LCD's start to look like crap when you go below native

 

You could consider the GX640.

 

Maybe but even though the resolution is a bit less, the graphics card is also not quite as good.

is there any solutions to getting it look better at less than native resolution? i read somewhere that running exactly half the resolution makes it look a bit better, not sure though.

 

No matter what you do it will look blurry.

GX640's 5850 can be overclocked to 5870 levels easily.

 

seems it actually costs more which is odd, can you see any on either of these sites which would be worth changing for around the same price, £900-£950? lower than 1680 x 1050 if possible.

Overclockers UK and Scan.co.uk: Computer Hardware

no gx640's on those either, only gt640's.

 

lol they have a pitiful selection of notebooks... If you're willing to go with a 17" get the GX740 instead, that's the only option there.

 

now i don't know what to do.

how much of a difference to fps would it make lowering details, rather than the resolution?

 

my other option is the gx740 but larger screen, or ill just stick with the gx660 if lowering game quality options would be good enough to speed up the games.

i am really not sure.. what would you people do? it's a downgrade in one way but good in another

 

GX740 has 1680x1050 which will make the games run smoother. If you're willing to carry the extra bit of screen size then get that.

Also, don't underestimate the 5870. It's not going to make any game unplayable at FHD, just not as smooth in some situations. In most games it will still tear right through them.

 

Can you tell me if lowering the details to medium etc, is just as effective as lowering the resolution?

if i am going to change my order i need to do it by tomorrow. is the 740 louder than the 660? in a review it says it is pretty loud..

everything else is practically the same as the 660 right?

 

660 has USB3.0 and better cooling but is louder. If you don't choose to use the turbo fan it's about same loudness same temps.

660 is 15.6 and GX740 is 17".

As for lowering the details, it depends on what you lower. Some details like anti-aliasing will have a bigger performance impact than anisotropic filtering.

The 5870 should be able to play most games max at FHD.

 

and the air vented out is in the same places on both machines? or does it go right over your hand?

I don't suppose the USB3 and Full hd missing really bother me, it's just about full hd anyway probably not very noticable.

Still got to decide soon

 

GX740 has two vents but one of them is still on the right side.

 

The only way to get 700 Mhz to show up in GPU-Z for me is to Disable PowerPlay in the ATI CCC. Even if I set both plug in and battery to max perform, it will only show 405 Mhz. Does PowerPlay even work?

 

Welsh if you are concerned about the cooling of the laptop, I would definitely consider getting the 660. I have a 660 non-R version and I have to say that the cooling is far from loud. My temps right now typing this message and listening to music on youtube without the turbo fan (which by the way is an awesome feature if you plan to game) are 47C GPU and 35C CPU. That is really impressive. My ambient temp is 67F in my apt though. I doubt you'll get those temps on the GX740. Also the heat (the little that there is) is vented from only the left side, so it won't hit your hands. The 740 has vents on both sides, and will most likely heat up your hand. That's going to get annoying if u game.

The USB won't matter much now, but might be something to consider down the road it might be something to consider.

If you game, the lower res screen on the GX740 is a plus, the FHD isn't necessary, and will only shorten the life of the 5870m. But I heard the screen on the 740 is not so great, but I haven't seen it, so to each his own I guess. There are some posts about that.

Also, I'd have to say that the great audio system you get on the 660 should be considered if you watch movies or listen to music. These speakers on the 660 are great.

Lastly, I can't speak for the 740, but the touchpad in IMO sucks on the 660. Its the single most annoying thing on the laptop, and even after a month of using it, I still hate it. This won't matter much though if you use a mouse most of the time.

My 8 cents.

 

Actually idle temps on the 740 is about the same, and it's even lower across all 5870's with the new drivers. Mine sits about 44 idle at 23C room temp. Load temps matter more so than idle and the new update helps with that as well. My 740 gets about 72-75 on load depending on the game. 660's turbo fan will make it a bit lower than that but as long as you're not going into the 100's it's not going to matter much.

Again, it goes down to what you want with the laptop. If you're gaming on the go then get the 660 because it's smaller with better vent placement. But I use my 740 with external mouse/keyboard so vent placement isn't an issue if you just plan to leave it on the desk mainly.

 

I had an idea, would it be possible to replace the hd screen with the one of the other model with 1366 x 768 res screen?

only one problem, because they don't sell the lower res laptop over in the uk, i would probably have to import it.. but they do not even sell them yet? i have seen screens for other model laptops but not the gx660

but it would work right? the 2 models are basically the same thing.

i think i'll leave my order in of the 660, i hope it will be possible to replace the screen though.

 

the 1366x768 isnt very good (only average at best in my opinion). maybe you can get a nicer screen (sony?). dont know you can just simply hook it up and be compatible.

 

Don't know, if any screen will work without modding and i can just replace it some time then i will do it, but i thought the whole point of buying the screen for your model is that it would be compatible?

 

Can any of you guys advise me, is the lettering ie: the Characters on the keys themselves made up of 'stickers' on the GX660r's?

Thanks.

 

Props to Overcloker Uk Dan358 & Worthy for the fix


1) Download UNetbootin from here UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads

2) Download the RE2GP Idle Mode Update Utilityfrom here http://support.wdc.com/product/downl...id=113&lang=en

3) Insert a USB flash drive into the laptop and run the UNetbootin utility

4) Change the "Distribution" option to FreeDOS then change the drive letter
at the bottom to your usb drive. Click OK. DON'T RESTART WHEN IT ASKS.

5) Copy the wdidle3.exe (Idle Mode Update Utility) file to the USB drive. Then restart laptop

6) [If using RAID] Restart the laptop and press DELETE to enter bios, change the SATA mode to AHCI before step 7. Save and Exit.

7) Press F11 to show boot menu, boot from USB drive. Choose DEFAULT then select FREEDOS Safe Mode.

8) Type B: then press enter

Type wdidle3.exe /s30 ( /s30 = 30 seconds but you can change the number to however long you would like to pass before the drive head parks, default is 8 seconds)

9) When done restart and remember to change SATA mode back to RAID.

 

Well my MSI lapy is out for a ride.

Has anyone noticed Napoleon total war plays very well with this machine ?

I'm playing the campaign as England and never once had a drop in FPS to a bad rate where the game is not stable.

Thinking twice about taking my M17X to my buddy's for a LAN bash out i may just take my MSI and just pretend i have an alienware they don't take much notice anyway.

Until you start owning them.

 

at what res? im playing Napoleon at the moment, in 1080p everything on high (not ultra) no AA, and grass and shadows medium. fraps showing between 30 and 40fps , i tried maxing everything out at 1080p and was getting about 14fps

 

I'M on 1366 x 768

2X AA 2X AF
Ultra unit Detail
Shadows off
High everything else
No special treatment
Lighting on
V-SYNC OFF
Unit sizes high
Shader Model number 3

NZXT COOLING PAD

Room temps are -4

Laptop temps load 77-88C

With laptop cooler 74-84C

25-39 FPS.

 

Room temps are -4?

Also the 10.11 drivers makes the laptop run very cool.

 

Yeah im at work in an open cabin its freezing.

 

wow that's super high temps for below freezing operation lol.

 

That's Load.

Wile IDLE its around 38-54C

And Napoleon is quite an intensive game to run also.

 

dude. Idle at -4C should be in the 20's.Ambient temperature plays a huge role in temps.

 

Meh dont worry about it .

I dont really care as long as it does what i want + its a gaming laptop so its bound to gain some heat wile playing games.

 

Howdy.
Love this thing. Its a beauty and a beast. Was wondering if anybody could explain or make a guide to overclocking the gpu please. Is it risky, worth it and how? Thanks a lot if somebody's up for it.



MSI GX660R
Core i7 740QM @ 1.73-2.93Ghz
4GB DDR3 1333mhz
2 x 460GB RAID 0
Mobility Radeon HD5870 1 GB GDDR5
15.6" 1920x1080p

 

Use Catalyst control's overdrive to OC. At 1.05V you can expect at least 820/1050 Overclocks. Do that and increase until you get driver crashes.

 

Could you be more precise plz. I simply have the stock hardware no extracooling or so on. Is special software better for it than CCC? Where do i find the voltage? Do you leave the fan on automatic? Do i test with a benchmarking software or the ccc's test or just play right away? Any version of the driver suits? How much do the temperatures increase? What's the worst that could happen? What's the risk free range? And how did Ryzeki get it to 900/1035? Sry for all the questions, but considering the price at hand, im cautious since it's like playin with your balls and a hammer.

MSI GX660R
Core i7 740QM @ 1.73-2.93Ghz
4GB DDR3 1333mhz
2 x 460GB RAID 0
Mobility Radeon HD5870 1 GB GDDR5
15.6" 1920x1080p

 

1.05 is stock, don't need to set it.

You shouldn't need turbo fan, my E7405 only gets 76C with that OC.

 

Hi guys I just recently bought this laptop. GX660 i5 -460m 15.6HD 1920x1080. It was going great untill I got a black screen once but just turned it off and on again no worries. After that I installed steam and some games.

This is where the trouble started....When on the internet sometimes (at the moment) the screen at the bottom for the windows is flickering also when I scroll down the screen has lines going across it. Another thing is when I played mass effect the graphics were great sometimes then it would flicker and pink colours would be in the wrong place? any help please?

 

I hear a slight buzzing noise from the speakers i guess can nyone confirm this when using realtek and + Boost ?

 

Hmmm, it might be a bad GPU, maybe you should test more games, drivers and if problems persist, contact MSI to get it fixed.

Every GPU is different, some can't overclock much, if at all. Mine happens to be able to sustain up to 900/1030 max as "stable" though that's questionable. I normally game at 880/1030.

You have to overclock little by little to find your ceiling, and the risks involve frying your GPU if you are too aggresive.

There is rattling with the speakers due to the bass, its due to vibration. It's usually noticeable at high volume and depending on the song.

 

Hi friends,
I've recently bought the gx660r model and there are some issues I'd like to discuss. First, I've noticed that the webcam can't record video at 30fps rates (MSI claim on their website that this webcam should be capable of recording HD video @ 30fps, and I've tried to record at several different resolutions but in all of them, the highest frame rate I could get was 8fps). Has anybody else also noticed this? I've tried several different recording softwares, including the standard CameraRecorder and virtualdub (on windows) and guvcviewer (on a live CD linux).

Another question: The scrolling function of the touchpad does not work very well: it rarely detects my movements when I try to scroll any page. Also I've noticed that the borders of the touchpad themselves are not functional.


Last question: Is there any way I could download the windows 7 iso to install it with my original serial key? The reason for this is that I'd like to format and partition my HD so that I can install both windows and ubuntu on this notebook, and I think that the recovery disk will not let me partition my disk.

Thank you all guys

 

I was able to install Windows 7 and format/partition the HD's just fine. The serial is located under the battery, by the way. You'll see when you start installing that you can delete the two primary partitions and then have just one or however many you want. There are two minor partitions that you can't really touch, so you don't need to worry much about making a mistake. Those include the native drivers (for the hot keys, etc.) and recovery partition, I believe.

The touchpad is very poorly made. I don't know why they provided such a cheap, outdated one, unless they assumed gamers would primarily be using a mouse (which I do). However, you can adjust the scrolling areas and other things to your liking, which I have found helped quite a bit. You just have to play with it a bit. Just access the Synaptics Pointing Device utility.

As for the webcam, it is a 720p webcam in its resolution, but I haven't tested the frame rate for video.

 

Hi everyone, I am thinking about buying the GX660R but I'm worried about getting a lemon 5870. What kind of vantage mark tests and other software applications could I run when I get the laptop to make sure I didn't get a lemon?

I am not planning on doing any mods or overclocking, I mostly want to play games on high settings and not worry about crashes.

 

Run a couple of 3DMarkVantage or 3DMark06/11 tests. Install your favorite game and have at it for a couple of hours. Maybe Furmark or OCCT GPU test to heat up the card and see if it becomes unstable.

Basically, just use it.

 

I'd like to say I purchased one yesterday and within at most 6 days it will be knocking at my door. My deepest thanks goes to ryzeki, who kindly PM me answering my boring questions.
I think there is no perfect machine, all laptops got their issues, even the most expensive ones. And the same goes for chipsets, you know what I mean?
I wish myself good luck, and it's good to know I always can count on helpful people like you.
Greetz.

 

Welcome aboard. I am glad I was helpful in your choice.

I hope you enjoy your machine as much as I do mine. And of course we will always help other GX660 users out!

 

Ry, do you think he needs lots and lots of holes?

Because I sure do!

 

How has that been working for you? Does it really help?

I can't really say anything of temps right now because at 0F, I have max temps while gaming with Crysis Warhead.... of 58C, overclocked.



But sure, holes are always welcome!