*** The Official MSI GE60 Apache/Apache Pro (850M/860M) Owner's Lounge ***

Thanks for this, just got my BIOS / gpu overclock unlocked and fn + win keys switched. Svet is really awesome.

 

Can you explain what's the difference between the 4 profiles?

 

Well, it´s all about the few settings ColorMunki Display´s software allows you to choose:

Let´s take, for example SAMSUNG_ 156HL01_102_Photo_Native_80cdm2_2.2_White Led_Video LUT_February_2015. Photo Native is the type of profiling I chose between the 2 photo and 3 video types. 80 cdm2 is the backlight luminance, 2.2 is the gamma, White Led means the type of backlight, and Video LUT is an option available in the software. These are actual settings that you have to pick before calibrating, just wrote them down as a reminder. More details here:

https://www.xrite.com/colormunki-display/support/kb5828

Anyways, I couldn´t tell any difference between them, except for the "..._D65_...", which seems to be more accurate for photo editing.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: To properly load the .icm profiles in Windows, please read these articles:

http://www.laszlopusztai.net/2009/08/23/stop-losing-display-calibration-with-windows-7/
http://www.laszlopusztai.net/2011/03/12/intels-video-drivers-kill-display-calibration/

 

Does anyone know which hard drive this laptop comes with as standard? The one i'm looking at is the 2PE version with the 1TB 7200RPM HDD and 128GB SSD. Ideally i need to know the make and model number for the HDD and preferably the SSD also, the reason being so i can compare them against other drives. Many thanks!

 

Mine is a 2PE (Apache Pro), and it came solely with a mechanical HDD (WD10JPVX-22JC3T0), which was advertised as a 7200 RPM drive, but apparently is just 5400:

 

Thanks for your response. That's a bit strange and somewhat worrying how it was advertised as a 7200RPM but only a 5400RPM. Before purchasing i'll have to send the seller an email and ask them to confirm which drive it's using to make certain what i'll be getting!

 

Keep in mind that I´ve purchased it from a german reseller (Cyberport.de), chances are it belonged to a one-time batch, hence the huge discount it came with.

 

Hmm, is yours the Apache or Apache Pro? Just wondering because i was reading up about this and it says that the Apache comes with a 5400RPm 1TB drive and the Apache Pro comes with the quicker 7200RPM drive.

 

Mine is definitely a Apache Pro, specifically GE60-2PEi781FD, featuring 2 msata ports, and the Nvidia GTX 860M:

 

MY GE60 Apache pc2 came with 1 TB Toshiba 5400RPM, no big deal, since it has 1 msata slot, so you can get 250GB msata for about $100 and 500GB for little over $150. The Toshiba HDD is one of faster laptop mechanical drives according to benchmarks, but regardless this was the slowest booting computer I've ever had: 1min 20 sec to show desktop and another 40-50 sec before it would respond to mouse inputs (I have hibernation disabled). I put 250GB msata with Win 7 on it the first day I got it and it runs as it should now.
BTW, you can put HDD caddy in DVD slot, if you don't need DVD and put another HDD or SSD in there if you need extra storage.

 

Hi guys! Ken here from Japan! Nice to meet you all and i also have the Apache Pro GE60-2PE with:

Intel Core i7-4720HQ

Nvidia GTX 860M 2gb

G.Skill F3-1600C9D-16GRSL

Crucial_CT250MX200SSD3 250GB

HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5" 1TB

MSI MS-16GF

and so far the temps are my biggest enemy as I bought this on winter, now it's almost summer and it's not that hot yet though but the temps reaches 90c with 5500rpm both gpu cpu temps while playing lol! Not even a hardcore game. I just hope it doesnt slow down on summer.

How do you deal with the MSi GE60 2PE Apache Pro sticker on the bottom left? I have mine with its plastic cover peeling away already. I wonder what adhesive to use. I had an old laptop that this also happened, i peeled the cover and leaving the sticker with the laptop specs and brand, but the print faded away too soon after making me peel everything! I dont want that to happen here to as it would look dull and plain.

 

As far as heat goes, the easiest way is to use XTU from Intel to undervolt CPU, you could probably do -50mV, more with extensive testing to make sure it doesn't crash and you should see few degrees improvement. If this is not good enough, then maybe repasting CPU and GPU, but you better know what you're doing since you could damage something and you may need to remove warranty sticker on the bottom, which could in theory void your warranty.
If you want to keep the logo, put some plastic shield on top, something like cheap phone screen protector, just make sure it has some glue on it, or even clear plastic packing tape. You could also make your own stickers, if you have good photo printer and replace with new one once it wears out. Not sure about Japan, but in USA they even have services where pros can custom wrap the laptop, something like this: http://www.xoticpc.com/customization_services.php
Just to give you some ideas.
BTW Welcome to the Forum.

 

oh yeah i saw that website before i purchased here. MSI or generally all laptops are a lot cheaper from the US, but have to deal with import tax and shipping, so i end up buying locally. I'll try the screen protector first, if it fails, ill packing tape this!

undervolt and underclocking may help when i game, but when i render videos or convert music though have to overclock. Okay, i'll get back to you when the heat of summer comes!

About Warranty, I already opened it to change memory and add ssd. I was supposed to get the MSI Ghost Pro with 870m for dual fan but heck i got this already! No turning back! hehe

yoroshiku onegaishimasu! Senpai!

 

Actually I always under volt and then overclock, makes throttling less of an issue, just do little more testing to make sure it doesn't crash. I set mine at 3.7GHz on all cores and under volt -75mV, doesn't crash at all, but sometimes throttles due to current limiter, so under really heavy loads sometimes I down clock it to 3.2-3.3 GHz to stop current throttling and it's faster that way. XTU can have multiple profiles, so it's easy to change.

 

Hi guys, i bought an MSI GE60 in October 2014, recently i had monitored the temperatures and i think they where not normal, so, i put a new thermal paste on my CPU and GPU (Artic Silver 5).
The big problem is, i had put the thermal paste and the temperatures seem not to change that much..
I used burnin test and prime 95, the cpu reaches 94/95º max.
My question is: is it normal that i turn on the PC and 15 minutes later, using Chrome , the temperature of CPU reaches 65º to 75º..
I don't do anything that big on my PC and i when i left it "quiet" it stays on 65-70º. I use Real Temp to monitor.
Playing GTA V CPU-90º GPU 85º.
Seems to me that this is some big temperatures...
(Sorry for bad english, im Portuguese).

Thank you.

 

If you repasted it, then you should've noticed the heatsink is made of aluminum or some other non copper metal, which is almost criminal, since copper is much better heat conductor and frankly I don't remember ever seeing cpu/gpu heatsink not made of copper until now, huge disappointment. So I'm not sure you can do much. Your temp at full load are similar to mine, however, your temp at light load/idle are too high (for example as I type this I'm at 45C), maybe you have made some mistake during repasting, I would double check it. I was searching for compatible heatsink (maybe for GE60 pro) made of copper, couldn't find any.
Also, since you already have XTU, undervolt your CPU, if not done yet. That should lower your temp, but not fix the problem of non copper heatsink.

 

Thanks for the reply Pete. Well i noticed that too, the heat sink loks like something made by a Child, it is just a Block of aluminum that dont even fits right on the CPU core.. I already looked for Another too.. But i couldnt find any.. My last pc was a Asus G50V and i had the same problem with temperatures... Guess i am really a unlucky guy haha
I checked again the thermal paste, it sejas good to me.. Hope my CPU dont die :/

Thanks!!

 

Maybe something like this

 

Well, I have my own theory about it. It looks like you updated to a newer BIOS version, like myself. The stock version kept the fan working at higher speeds whenever the CPU reached 55 or 60 degrees, which resulted in more noise. Due to customers complaints, MSI decided a few months back to release a BIOS with a changed fan table, which basically keeps the fan running at minimum speed if the CPU temps are below 70 degrees. So I guess, either you want a cooler, but much noisier notebook, or a silent, but warmer one, even though 70 degrees should not be something to worry about.

 

Was that a BIOS update or firmware update 16gfems1.5b that said it is changing fan control table? Because I updated BIOS but not updated that firmware, I got very suspicious after reading this comment
1. Update fan control table to R02. If CPU temperature up to 90'C, disable CPU turbo
I have Dell Latitude like this, the fan doesn't spin at all until cpu is over 70c, so the whole inside of laptop soaks heat and after few hours the HDD goes above it's operating temp of 60C and that HDD failed in less than a year. There should be a lawsuit to stop this nonsense, running computer at such high temp. will make a lot of components to fail very quickly

 

I did upgrade the BIOS, and now that you said that it have a certain logic. Now i am playing gta v all on high settings and my temps are CPU 88-90° GPU 85-90°.. This laptop cooling system is so ****ty. I have a cooling pad, so i took off the back plastic cover of the pc and i placed it opened above the cooler and the temps on game lowered to CPU 78-85° and gpu 67-75°.. Can i leave it like this?! It will Not damage it?

 

AS5 is a very old paste now, I would try with IC diamond, also avoid bending the heatpipe like you showed in the picture, you can damage the internal wick and reduce performance.

Make sure your application is as thin as possible, the factory uses a lot to ensure a connection, but if your picture is of your own application you are using at least triple the amount you should be.

 

Thank you for your reply! Unfortunatly here in Portugal its really really Hard to find that thermal compound...
For my processor i used the line method to apply the thermal compound.. I will try to find IC Diamond.. Should i use the line method again?
Thanks.

 

Line method but only put enough on so that when you lift the heatsink it is just covering the edges of the core and only seeping over the core slightly.



(An old image of mine)

See how the core is covered but very little is left on the sides? That's what it should look like when removed.

 

Yes it looks good on your core, but the thing is, when i remove, there is always a part that dont have thermal compound..

At left you can see that it doesn't have paste on it.. Why does this happen?

 

Uneven pressure, with a thin core like that then your whole core should pretty much look like that the whole way, try using less and see if that helps, excessive paste can make it less even.

 

How can i equal the pressure the correct way? Thank you!

 

It seems your heat sink is not parallel to cpu die, it touches on the left (so it pushed paste to the side), but it's lifted up on right, so plenty of paste to fill the empty space. Did you follow the numbers when tighten the screws from 1-8? or you may have faulty sink. What I would do is clear all the paste and mount it dry, then try to fit piece of paper in between cpu and sink from all sides to see how bad is it, then carefully bend the pipe to line up and try again until it's flat on all corners and sides. But as Meaker already pointed out, you can easily break it or make it worse, so maybe warranty service if it's an option, but you did open it up, change paste etc so they may blame you.

 

actually, maybe you should start from beginning: take straight edge (blade or something), put flat against sink and look against light to see if it's straight and flat in all directions. Double check when mounting, that it doesn't hang on something. Put on flat glass and try to see if both sinks are level, follow the numbers when tightening screws etc. Just take your time and make sure all is line up properly in position. Try not to scratch cpu/gpu too much.

 

@pete962 @Meaker First of all thank you for your time and help!
So, i did what you said, @pete962 , i managed to fix a little bit the heatsink and now it seems all ok! After that, i did some tests with and without the plastic bottom and with a coolingbase (CoolerMaster Notepal U2) under my pc.. So here are the results:


Idle, when i just started the pc, without the plastic bottom:



Idle, when i just started the pc, with plastic bottom:

--Using Chrome, with plastic bottom: --Using Chrome, without plastic bottom:
Core1:59 Core1:60
Core2:62 Core2:60
Core3:65 Core3:58
Core4:61 Core4:55


--BurnIn Test with plastic bottom: --BurnIn Test without plastic bottom (At certain time the 3rd core hitted 90º.):
Core1:82 Core1:77
Core2:82 Core2:79
Core3:93 Core3:82
Core4:84 Core4:78


--Idle for 2 minutes after BurnIn test with Plastic bottom: --Idle for 2 minutes after BurnIn test without Plastic bottom:
Core1:59 Core1:55
Core2:63 Core2:57
Core3:65 Core3:60
Core4:64 Core4:59

Playing GTA V For 30 Minutes:
Without Plastic Bottom-- GPU: 71 CPU 83
With Plastic Bottom -- GPU 87 CPU 93

And resuming, on normal use, based on Dragon Gaming Center and without cooling base: CPU-68º GPU-43º

So what you guys say about this?! It is normal?! Should i use the PC for Gaming at home without the plastic bottom?
Thank you!!

 

Anybody knows the trick to take screen bezel off from GE60 Apache without taking the whole computer completely apart? I replaced that horrible original Chi Mei TN screen with new AUO B156han01.2 IPS screen (no one in US had Samsung screen that comes with Apache pro, but AUO is almost as good IMO), but it took half a day and it seems to me like the laptop was designed specifically to be very difficult to replace the screen. It was miracle I didn't break anything. I changed few laptop screens in the past, but nothing comes even close to this. I did finish the job, but I want to do some modifications and without knowing the trick to take off the bezel completely I won't even attempt it again.
The bottom part of bezel has 2 pieces of plastic that wrap around hinges and because of that the bezel won't come off completely without taking the whole computer apart, there has to be easier way.

 

Usually tipping the display back as far as possible lets those bits come out.

 

Thanks for the tip, Meaker
I'll try it again.

 

So, for anybody else replacing the screen on ge 60 Apache, the trick is first you close the laptop and split hinge covers at back with knife, just put the knife in between top and bottom hinges cover and twist. Once they pop up, open screen and separate bezel from frame starting in top corners, then top, sides and then bottom. There are many youtube videos showing how to do this part, but it's a child play, once you unclip the hinges. Original screen had that rubbery, sticky goo attached all around to hold bezel in place. I was going to put double sided tape in there but decided against it: many other computers don't use any glue, bezel stays in place on it's own with clips and the screen is very sensitive to any kind of pressure applied to it, showing up as backlight bleed, if I put double sided tape I was afraid it may increase the light bleed. It seems many Lenovo y50 owners had originally received the same Inolux screen as MSI Apache and replaced it with the same AUO panel as I did (some used LG panel, but that one has slower response time, 35ms against 25ms), so that got me thinking: since y50 comes with 4k screen option, does this require different connector? I know there are 30 pin and 40 pin eDP connectors (ours is 30), but looking at schematics there are 4 video signal lines, few power and auxilarry lines and the rest is ground or no connect, so 30 pin should be good enough for any resolution. I'm very happy with my new screen, but it's good to know options for the future.

 

where did you buy the AUO screen? Was it AUO or compatible?

I'm looking for some decent screen for my Clevo and I have to choose between that LG and the AUO. But I don't know where to buy a real AUO.

 

it is exact, b156han01.1 is glossy, han01.2 which I got is non glossy.
search Amazon and then call them to verify, one place had "exact" next to the model number so I ordered from them, but it was more expensive, but I was frustrated by then, since I was looking for Samsung first, no one had it in US, then ordered AUO and they cancelled after 2 days, run out of stack, then another place advertised AUO, but shipping LG.
http://www.amazon.com/B156HAN01-2-Replacement-shipping-Warranty-1920x1080/dp/B00MR9K3IG says exact, otherwise call them. I think all the Lenovo y50 owners bought them up lol. But I think it's a shame $1000 or more laptops have such a bad screens, I've seen better screens on $100 tablets for crying out loud.

 

If it says compatible replacement then you can be sure it's not the panel you want and will be the cheapest they can get their hands on.

 

Hello, I have to ask you couple of questions.
I do own this laptop (i5 4210h, GTX 860m and 8GB RAM) and I have cooling pad Cooler Master NotePal v3 with 3 placeable fans ( picture), I'm using this and I wanted to ask, what parts should be cooled the most, where should I put the fans?
Another, what about overclocking? I found this video on youtube, and I think it's bad to overclock because the higher temperatures. Should I be afraid of it or I can overclock a bit? I don't need it actually, but when new games will come out, I might use it.
Thank you for your answers
Addition: This is not question about the laptop, but does anyone knows what program is the thing that shows with purple letters in upper left corner temperatures etc.? Thank you.
Also, I'd like to ask about GTX 860m, does it support max. DirectX 11.2, or will it support also DirectX 12? Thank you agin.

 

to be most effective you want cooling pad fans push the air inside the laptop, so align them with vents, with cpu/gpu being main source of heat, this is where your biggest effort should go. If your laptop runs cool and doesn't throttle, then I don't see big harm in overclocking, on the other hand if it's running hot already overclocking won't make it run much faster, but maybe run hotter, not good.
Nvidia claims GTX860m will support some of DX12 functions, but maybe not all, as a matter of fact I'm not sure DX12 is finalized yet, since so far people got to use betta Win 10, so maybe no one knows exactly what functions will be supported.

 

Thank you very much. I asked official NVIDIA, hope they will give me ultimate answer. About fans, thank you. And overclocking, well, playing some really hard game like AC: Unity makes it hot even with turbo fans, but I don't know exact temperatures. Thank you for answer

 

Anybody else has this tiny issue? When I close the lid putting computer to sleep, sometimes it comes back as it should, when the lid is reopen, but sometimes it comes back but screen is dark. I need to put it back to sleep using FN F12 and press power so then screen comes back. It's not a screen itself since it was doing it with original Chi Mei and now with new AUO. It seems random, but maybe there is simple fix.

 

The program is called Riva Tuner Statistics Server, and it comes inside the MSI Afterburner install package you can download from here:

http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/msi-afterburner-beta-download.html

For it to work, you need both apps anyway.

Make sure you have installed the DirectX, otherwise the digits won´t show up. Even though you have the latest version, you might encounter some compatibility problems, as newer DirectX versions might lack some features of previous ones, so you should instead download and install the whole distributable package:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109

One great thing that Riva Tuner does is frame limitation. I´ve limited at 60 fps, as it´s the maximum fps I can get from my display anyway. I don´t need 180 fps if my laptop will consequentely run scorching hot.

 

Hello everyone.

I´ve done some little upgrades lately, so I thought it could be useful to share to the community.

First, I´ve bougth a transparent TPU keyboard cover from a chinese manufacturer :

http://es.aliexpress.com/item/Ultra...Z70-1771-1757-GE60-GE70-GT780/1971043663.html

This seems to be one of the few options we have here in Europe, as Amazon won´t ship this sort of items to us. It took around 40 days to get here, but it was free of charge after all. It came wrapped in some black plastic sheet, a little too big for the mailbox, so I had to go to the post office to get it in person, as I wasn´t at home that day. After a couple of months of use, it got a bit dirty, and a simple washing in the sink didn´t do the trick, so I had to use some soap, and rub every single key area, until it was spotless. It looks like new again, very happy with the purchase.



I recently found another supplier for half that price, but I cannot give any info other than what´s posted on the webpage, although it looks the same to me:

http://es.aliexpress.com/item/Clear...0-GT60-GX60-GP60-CX61-Laptop/32242331561.html

Then, I´ve followed Pete962´s advice, purchased some matte phone screen protectors, and applied them over the notebook´s stickers. This was a bit tricky, to say the least, as I had to match their shape to the labels´. They´re far from perfect, but I´m quite pleased with the results, and they stick to the surfaces pretty strongly. So a big thank you to Pete on this one. I got carried away a bit here, and applied one on the touchpad, as well, cause it started to show some wearing (smoother surface) in the middle after only 4 months.



Almost forgot: just ordered an extended 6600 mAh battery from (another) chinese supplier, a bit bulkier than the original:

http://es.aliexpress.com/item/9-Cel...-GE620-CX650/2046665525.html?http_swift_null=

I´ll keep you posted, once I get the chance to test it. The price is so low, that makes me think it´s too good to be true, but you know me, I like living on the edge...

 

Hi guys ! I got one apache pro ge60 2pf ( like 8 month ago) , my first MSI notebook and sincerely it seemed very good to me , i have read most of the post on this trend and like most of the people here I can tell this

Setup:

• intel 4710 HQ
• 16gb Ram
• 860gtx
• msata 120ssd - SO
• 1tb HD 7200rpm
• Win 8.1 x64

Like :

• My games run smooth : dota2, gtav, wow,cs.. ( 5-7 hours/day )
• The sound, its sound good and some kind of loud
• Keyboard <3

Dont like:

• My CPU & GPU temps -The portal to hell
• battery time (well i understand that the power consumption on this notebook is heavy so i don't expect that much)

Dont work, Dont care:

• Mic -> External USB headset
• Touchpad - Mouse

I use an external monitor ,keyboard and cooling pad , games run well as i say adobe but the temperatures always on 89-92 C ( CPU & GPU ) while playing , I try to update the bios config because i read about a option call "cpu turbo" and it recommends disable it if the cpu temperature get adobe 90C
I made the update of the bios firmware to the latest version but i cant find the option

Some tip to decrease temperatures ?

Edit: also I use MSI afterburner to see temperatures in-game

 

Hi guys, I have a problem with my msi ge60 apache pro.

I explain: when I want to play with 32 bit games,the gtx860m work correctly, but when I try to play with 64 bit games like gta V or the Evil Within there is No way to start the gtx860m,so the game start with the Intel HD 4600 video card. I tried to set my nvidia card in the control panel but there is No way to start with it. It's strange because I have that problem just with 64 bit games. I have windows 7 64 bit. Someone have an idea what happened to my notebook? Some solution? Someone have the same problem?

Thank you guys

 

Thanks raulcito for posting the monitor calibration profiles, I was searching hoping to find some and was lucky to find them here. Also thanks for the keyboard skin idea, I didn't think they would make them for the G60 but I just ordered 1 on amazon.

Jack I'm playing BF4 64bit just fine but I'm running 8.1 x64.

I have repasted with GC Extreme and at idle run in the high 30's with a cooling pad. I will be adding some copper shims and heatsinks when they arrive to hopefully help cool it down more. I have had this only 2 weeks but I just love it, even the trackpad

 

Hi, thank you for your answer. Do you have some idea what happened to my notebook? Why I can't play 64 bit games on my windows 7 64bit?do u have some advice?
Ps. Gta V is only 64 bit version, same for the Evil Within.

Thanks

 

I'm running the latest NVIDIA driver. Have you tried doing the clean install option before doing a nvidia driver upgrade? I don't know what else to suggest.

 

HI,

Yes I did it. So I don't understand the problem. I mean I play all 32bit games without problems.
If someone have an idea or an advice to resolve the problem, please post it.

Thank you

 

Hello guys,

After lots of testing and diagnosing with drivers and softwares with not recognizing usb peripherals with ext. hdds plugged in supercharger slot on boot with 1 single core on high load and hangup on shutdown. I think ive found the fix! Just disable the LEGACY USB SUPPORT in BIOS, try it guys. But idk the downside by disabling it, but it works for me now. This needs lots of testing yet, and MSI should fix this! Have a nice day!