Why are MSI laptops so expensive?

I'm looking for a new Photoshop/gaming machine and it's between Asus, MSI, and Sager... I notice MSI's products are a lot more expensive with similar features. What gives? Is it the flashy design?

 

care to list specific models?

 

Specifically I was looking at the Asus G53, Sager NP8130, and... I can't seem to find anything by MSI at the same price point with similar features (i7, gtx, 1080p for ~$1000)... Am I not looking at the right sites? lol Or is there a good reason for the premium? I'm genuinely curious

 

Which MSI model are you looking at? And specifically what specs?

 

different graphic cards come into consideration...also it would be a tad bit more expensive with the upgraded new 2670 cpu.

 

Spend a few days digging through the Asus forums if you're considering any of their performance offerings. Granted, they are decent machines at a nice price point, but the quality/customer service on them is somewhat less than stellar. I'm not saying don't go with them, but make an informed decision.

Sagers are fairly solid. Modular layout, easy to work on [ram, thermal paste, HDD, etc] I can't say for the 8150, but the 6150s keyboard tends towards the mushy side. Touch pad, by comparison, works great. [again, my experience is with the 6150, but I'd think they'd be similar]

As far as the MSi [specifically the 683-DXR I'm typing this on]

Very solid chassis. Very easy to modify/repaste. The front side screen bezel could be attached a little more solidly. Trackpad is absolute crap. Typing this message alone I had to Fn-Disable it, as my cursor kept jumping around. Keyboard is a little on the mushy side, but nothing a little double sided tape can't fix.

As to the price points, it's all relative to the CPU/GPU [and blu ray drive, if you're so inclined]. If you can save money by getting lesser amounts of ram or HDD, go for it [keep in mind, there is a HDD price increase going on due to flooding] Overall though, matching part for part they tend to be very close in end price. It's all about the configuration options. You can try shopping around, never know what kind of a deal you can get, and the great season of sales is fast approaching.

When I bought it was an extra $50 on the price over the 2630QM

 

I've been scouring the ASUS and MSI models and from what I can tell the main reason why the ASUS g53/g74 is cheaper is because it has nearly no portibility, might as well be a underperforming desktop for the cost. Asus has larger dimensions and about a pound more.

They might tell you the screen size is 15.6 or 17.3 but look at the design they added 1-2" on the back for the hinges and vents. So your 17.3" screen g74 will very likely not fit in most 17.3" bags. I have doubts as to if the g53 15.6" could fit properly in a 17.3" bag.

I also dislike how they made it look, the vents are ok, the rest should just be rounded out.

I am 99% sure to get gt780 just waiting for a sale.

 

I'm pretty sure the only reason the MSIs you're looking at seem to be more expensive is because they are only offering the GTX 570m right now where all the default config for Sagers is gtx 560m, and they don't even have an option for something like the gtx 570m only the ridiculous 100w stuff.

 

price/performance low to high IMO:
Sager/MSI barebone < ASUS/MSI/Toshiba << Alienware

design is not considered here as it's more or less a personal preference thing.

 

At the 15" level, ASUS and Sager are $90-130 less with similar configurations (ASUS G53SX-DH71 vs Sager NP8150 vs MSI GT683DXXR-S1).

What the MSI has that the others don't are:
570M GPU (significant increase over 560M).
Dynaudio speakers
Support for RAID 0 hard drive configurations
720P Webcam
More available ports than the ASUS.

At the 17" level, its closer. ASUS and Sager only beat MSI by $80 and $55 respectively. ASUS G74SX-A1 vs Sager NP8170 (configured to match) vs MSI GT780DX-406US (configured to match).

And again, the MSI has the advantage of:
570M GPU (significant increase over 560M).
Dynaudio speakers
Support for RAID 0 hard drive configurations
Steelseries programmable backlit keyboard
720P Webcam
More available ports than the ASUS.

IMO, both are worth the increased cost and at the 17" level its a no-brainer.

 

I'm sorry but a notebook with a 560M and one with a 570M are not similar, they are on different levels.

That's like saying a desktop with a 6870 is similar to one with a 6970.

Also if you really want to save some cash look into the barebone versions (16F2 for the 15.6").

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the 15 inch model does not have a programmable backlit right?

 

Sorry, you're right, copy/paste error

Updated my original post so there wouldn't be bad information out there.

 

Op, remember that the Asus G53sx models use a gimped gtx560m. Expect a 20% performance hit over a "normal" gtx560m.

The Sager 8130 is the best bang for the buck lappy with a gtx560m.