MSI GT780 (Core i7 2630QM Processor 2.0GHz)

Gaming notebooks belong to a niche segment. There are only a handful of brands that we deem serious players, such as Alienware and Asus. MSI has a line of gaming notebooks, too, but so far, it doesn't seem to have met much success. The GT780 isn't likely to change this impression despite having top-notch specs and fairly good battery life.

MSI's collaborations with SteelSeries and Dynaudio on this notebook have resulted in a solid feature set, but the overall design is not as polished as it could be. Nevertheless, a competitive price of S$3,498 means that the GT780 provides plenty of value for those who are looking for a capable, gaming machine.

Design

Thin and svelte the MSI GT780 is not. And there's nothing wrong with that since this 17.3-inch notebook caters to a different crowd. It's a segment where looks are perhaps less important than raw performance. However, even among its peers, the GT780 is unlikely to win any beauty contests. The plain black chassis seems to be awkwardly put together using three different materials, including brushed aluminum and plastic. This is also the case on the inside, with the keyboard area a glossy, fingerprint-prone plastic while the wrist rest uses brushed aluminum.

As mentioned, the GT780 is quite heavy at around 3.9kg (the comparable Toshiba Qosmio X770 weighs 3.34kg) and it is chunky, with sizable air vents at the sides and rear of the unit. Together with a large power brick (680g), this is a notebook that you won't be moving about too often.

The star attraction on the GT780 is undoubtedly its keyboard. MSI has achieved quite the coup by getting premium gaming peripheral company, SteelSeries, to design the GT780's keyboard. This keyboard is a full-sized version with some custom tweaks--the Windows key has been shifted to the right-side where it's less likely to be pressed in the heat of an intense gaming session. The Ctrl and Alt keys have also been enlarged slightly as they are often used by gamers.

The island-style keyboard feels solid with good tactile response and MSI claims that it can register up to 10 simultaneous key presses such that no gaming commands are missed. And for those who are into LED-backlit keyboards, the GT780's comes with five different lighting schemes, including alternating colors. This laptop also has a button to disable the touchpad, which is appropriate, since users are likely to attach a mouse to it anyway.

Specifications	MSI GT780
Price as reviewed	S$3,498
Processor	2.0GHz Core i7 2630QM processor
Memory	16GB, 1,333MHz DDR3
Hard drive	1.5TB (2 x 750GB in RAID 0), 7,200rpm
Chipset	Intel HM67
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M
Operating system	Windows 7 Home Premium
Dimensions (W x D)	428 x 288mm
Height	55mm
Screen size (diagonal)	17.3 inches (1,920 x 1,080)
System weight (with AC adapter)	3.9kg
Category	Desktop replacement

Above the GT780's keyboard, MSI included a row of touch-sensitive shortcut keys and a rather large and unmistakable physical power button. Besides the usual shortcuts for functions such as Wi-Fi, there are also custom ones: A Turbo button for MSI's Turbo Drive Engine technology and another to trigger Cinema Pro, a movie-viewing mode.

There's even a shortcut key that increases the fan speed to the maximum, along with the resulting increase in noise, even though the keyboard barely felt warm when running graphically intensive applications. However, the vent on the left does generate a fair bit of heat so we recommend that you leave this area unobstructed

Features

The 17.3-inch screen comes in a matte coating and is full-HD with its 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. The viewing angles are good enough for others to catch your gaming moments from a comfortable distance.

The other big selling point of the GT780 is the sound system provided by audio specialists Dynaudio. The notebook comes with two speakers and a subwoofer vent at the bottom and supports THX TruStudio Pro. Users can adjust the sound for various scenarios with the installed software; to enhance the dialogue of a movie for instance. The end result is a rather impressive audio system that's one of the better sounding ones we have tested, which makes for a great movie-viewing experience.

	MSI GT780	Average for category (desktop replacement)
Video	VGA-out, HDMI	VGA plus HDMI or DisplayPort
Audio	Stereo speakers with subwoofer, headphone/microphone jacks	Stereo speakers with subwoofer, headphone/microphone jacks
Data	Two USB 3.0, three USB 2.0, eSATA port, SD card reader	Four USB 2.0, eSATA, SD card reader
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth	Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive	Blu-ray combo drive	DVD burner, optional Blu-ray player
Other features	Webcam	Webcam

Besides HDMI and VGA outputs, the GT780 comes with a pair of USB 3.0 ports and an eSATA port for speedy file transfers. A Blu-ray combo drive together with an installed copy of Corel WinDVD ensures that one gets the best out of its full-HD, LED-backlit display.

MSI has equipped this gaming notebook with one of Nvidia's top mobile graphics chips, the GeForce GTX 560M. The GT780 also comes with a quad-core Core i7 processor at 2.0GHz, 16GB of DDR3 RAM and a pair of 7,200rpm hard drives. Frankly, the amount of RAM here is excessive, and you can do with less (8GB for instance) without any significant effect on performance. That may also help shave a bit off the notebook's price. More demanding users will be pleased to know that MSI offers a 120GB Intel SSD paired with a 7,200rpm hard drive option for even better performance.

The MSI GT780 comes with a number of the company's custom applications, including a charger utility that pushes more power through the USB ports for faster charging, a backup tool that copies an image of your hard drive to DVD media and a Webcam software. Compared with other PC manufacturers that have a consistent look and feel for their proprietary applications, MSI's software offerings seem messy and disorganized. However, we did like the S-Bar, which is akin to a quick launch bar at the top of the screen that adds to the notebook's touch-sensitive shortcut keys. Although there is some duplication between the two, it's also a convenient way to access common programs and settings such as the calculator or the Webcam.

	MSI GT780	Alienware M17x	Toshiba Qosmio X770
Processor	2.0GHz, Core i7 processor	2.0GHz, Core i7 processor	2.0GHz, Core i7 processor
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M	AMD Radeon HD 6870M	Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M
Video	VGA-out, HDMI	VGA-out, HDMI	VGA-out, HDMI
Audio	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data	Two USB 3.0, three USB 2.0, eSATA port, SD card reader	Two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, eSATA/USB combo, SD card reader	One USB 3.0, three USB 2.0, SD card reader
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi	Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi	Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
Optical drive	Blu-ray combo drive	DVD burner	Blu-ray combo drive
Price	S$3,498	S$3,499	S$3,799

Compared with fellow 17-inchers like the Toshiba Qosmio X770 or the Alienware M17x, the specifications of the GT780 are very competitive for its price. In fact, the Toshiba Qosmio X770 has an almost-identical configuration, but costs S$300 more. The Alienware M17x matches the MSI on price but it only has a DVD burner.

Performance and Battery Life

With its high-end specs, the GT780 managed a PCMark score of 2901, which is slightly higher than the 2810 on the Alienware M17x 3D (a 3D-capable version of the M17x). In 3DMark11, the MSI notebook scored 2033, which is almost twice that of a mainstream notebook such as the HP Pavilion dv4. You should have no issues playing the latest games with all the eye-candy enabled at its native 1,920 x 1,080 resolution.

Despite a nine-cell battery, the uptime for a 17.3-inch notebook such as the GT780 was never going to match that of smaller laptops, especially with a powerful discrete graphics chip onboard that doesn't support switchable graphics. In our standard battery life test, where we looped a standard definition video with both audio and wireless connectivity disabled, the GT780 lasted 2 hours and 29 minutes. That's enough for a regular-length movie and about eight minutes longer than the M17x 3D.

Service and Support

The MSI GT780 comes with a two-year local warranty and a first-year international warranty. At the support Web site, laptop owners can download the latest drivers and manuals. The company offers an online FAQ database for troubleshooting. Further diagnosis or repair can be made at the service center, though in some regions the warranty coverage is handled by distributors.