MSI GE60 Apache Pro-003 Reviews-We have been seeing an trend of new along with updated gaming laptops, thanks to the particular March release on the new 800M-series design cards from Nvidia. Many of these cards are starting massive 17-inch desktop computer replacement systems, but its wonderful that even some of the higher-end GTX greeting cards are making his or her way into more compact, slimmer laptops. One of several first 800-series lap tops weve tested would be the MSI GE60 Apache Pro-003. This 15-inch gaming laptop walks a fine line between value, size, and efficiency, pairing a quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU with all the new Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M GPU, which is a couple steps down in the very top of the line but still really powerful.

MSI GE60 Apache Pro-003

Our configuration can be a very reasonable $1, 349, but for getting there, youll must stick with an old-fashioned 1TB platter harddrive, only 8GB associated with RAM, and a rudimentary DVD burner instead of Blu-ray. However, the build quality is excellent, plus the keyboard (with any multicolored backlight, associated with course), feels great for gaming.

For a midsize gaming notebook, your options are such as this system -- or maybe a similarly hefty 14- or 15-inch model via Alienware, Origin PC, Maingear -- or Razers very offering new 14-inch Knife model, which promises comparable high-end specs in a much smaller, leaner package, along that has a 3, 200x1, 800 touch screen. That Razer Knife, shipping in April, is easily probably the most modern-looking of the current and coming-soon gaming laptops, but furthermore, it starts at $2, 199, a huge premium over the particular GE60, which is very reasonably priced.

Had to have $1, 300, the MSIs design is on the hokey side (if not even close to the worst offender), and I even now think gaming laptops have to push past non-touch 1080p projection screens. Still, I love the feel on the keyboard with the slightly scalloped tips, the screen seems to be great, and its really a low(er)-cost way to be able to step into Nvidias newest generation of design cards.

Just about any gaming laptop we have seen recently follows an attractive standard design short. Black chassis, more likely matte than glossy; brushed-metal keyboard rack, also black; and a minumum of one backlit logo, usually on the back of the particular lid.

The MSI GE60 hits the many parameters, and also adds the gaming laptop cliche associated with multicolored lights, in the form of a rainbowlike keyboard set backlight (its definitely not nearly as negative an offender seeing that Alienwares laptops, though). The top lip rises up about 1 inch from the desktop, and the rise is approximately 1. 25 inches inside rear, making this specific a thick, large, boxy laptop, the complete opposite of the particular tapered, slim designs of nearly every new non-gaming notebook. Thats an industrywide problem, however, not a single specific to MSI.

Ill go even more and say this is just about the sharper-looking boxy gaming laptops that Ive truly ever seen. Thats because it isnt really built on any generic third-party chassis, as boutique companies for example Origin PC along with Maingear are forced to accomplish. Out of the particular recent gaming lap tops weve tried, only cant have the particular amazingly slim custom bodies manufactured by Razer, this MSI version is my subsequent favorite choice.

A major part of that appeal would be the excellent keyboard. Its created by SteelSeries, a manufacturer of high-end gaming keyboards. And the particular thick, island-style tips here have fantastic response, satisfyingly deeply travel, and a terrific, subtle concave essential face that hugs ones fingers, which is especially useful for the particular gamer-centric WASD tips. Its one of the most effective keyboards Ive ever tried with a gaming laptop. Look for one thing, on the other hand: the Windows key has been shifted to the correct side of the particular spacebar, which may be jarring.

The actual large clickpad-style effect pad is workable for everyday World-wide-web and OS routing, but its significantly less responsive as all very reputable Windows laptop effect pads, especially with regards to multitouch gestures. For a laptop without a feeling screen, thats a challenge, but gamers probably will keep an external mouse plugged in most of the time.

Unless you get together an external monitor (which might possibly be how smaller gaming laptops are used), you will be playing on any 15. 6-inch matte screen display that has a native resolution of just one, 920x1, 080 pixels. In a very world dominated by means of overly glossy projection screens, its interesting in which only business lap tops and gaming laptops manage to show that someone realized that the matte screen gives a better overall practical knowledge. Off-axis viewing is fantastic, and better compared to the 17-inch Asus G750 most of us recently tested.

My only some other display requests with a high-end gaming laptop would have been a touch screen, to create non-gaming interaction together with Windows 8 much easier, and the choice for even better screen resolutions, that are becoming ever more popular.

Audio from quad audio speakers was hefty however, not desk-shaking, and any THX app delivers some presets, that are mostly EQ changes.

Connections and Ports

Contacts, Performance, and Battery

One of the particular (few) advantages to presenting a chunkier laptop is that its practically the sole place youll get a full Ethernet jack right now, to say nothing of optical drive. Using dual video results (HDMI, VGA), you may use the new Nvidia GPU to be able to push multiple displays immediately.

Looking online, I spotted a number of different configurations of the particular GE60 from unique resellers. It might be confusing, but our $1, 349 configuration amounts to just an excellent balance of price along with features, with a Intel Core i7-4700HQ PROCESSOR, 8GB of RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY, a 1TB, 7, 200rpm harddrive, and, most important, one of Nvidias new 800M compilation of video cards. In cases like this, its the GeForce GTX 860M, which is a couple steps down from the top of the line but still excellent for the 15-inch laptop.

In your benchmark application tests, the MSI GE60 was the slowest in our representative panel associated with gaming laptops via 2013 and 2014, but the actual differences have been slight; some on the other systems received faster Core i7-4800 or i7-4900 series CPUs, or else massive amounts associated with RAM, from 16GB completely up to 32GB. For practical purposes, this is all the CPU power as you are likely to need for any consumer-level task.

More interesting would be the gaming performance. We compared the particular GTX 860M here with all the faster 880M credit card (in the Asus G750), in addition to previous-gen 780M along with 760M cards. You will not find this terribly shocking, but the MSI GE60 using its GTX 860M turned in a better frame rate compared to a similar system together with last years GTX 760M, in the same way our new 880M beat much the same system with any 780M. However, an Origin PC laptop with a couple 780M cards within an SLI configuration easily topped all. Check our benchmark charts below intended for Metro: Last Light and BioShock Endless frame rates, but Id consider this to be system fine for any new game in medium-to-high settings in 1080p resolution.

The MSI GE60 leaped for 4 a long time, 9 minutes upon our video playback battery drain test, and that is on the low side for the 15-inch laptop associated with any stripe, and also a shorter time compared to the powerful 17-inch Asus G570 managed inside same test. For actual gaming while on electric batteries, you can expect even less. Nvidia, on the other hand, is promoting a fresh feature of the GeForce Experience software package app that assures game settings changes to prolong battery life. Thats definitely not fully functional still, but well take another view it when it is usually.

System configurations

MSI GE60 Apache Pro-003

Home windows 8. 1 (64-bit); 3. 4GHz Intel Core i7-4700HQ; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1, 600MHz; 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M; 1TB 7, 200rpm HGST harddrive

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AUDIO AND MOVIE

INPUT

DEVICES

AC ADAPTER

CONNECTIONS AND GROWTH

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