Yes, it is pretty good isn't it? You'd think a system with a 3K screen, Geforce GTX 870M and high-end i7 would be more overpriced, particularly a thin and light like this one.
I do agree that it seems pretty good, but I don't understand why people get in when there are fantastic laptops out there (see http://www.consumertop.com/best-laptop-guide/ for example).
"The testing environment for this workload is unfortunately not fully temperature controlled, but that can be good in that the summer months allow for a better "worst case" scenario. For these tests the ambient temperature (in my office that has no AC, ugh...) was between 80-90F."
If you're too cheap to buy one for personal comfort, you really ought to hit Anand up for $120 as a business expense to put a cheap window AC in your office to achieve reasonably consistent thermal benchmarks.
I can't believe they sacrificed so much battery life just so they could put a 1TB HDD in there. Unless you're tethered to a power socket all day, it's hard to recommend this machine just because of that one deficiency.
Honestly it's time to start seeing single drive systems with 1TB SSDs. If they're getting down to .30c/GB then these fancy high end $2k pocket holes should really be all solid state.
Figuring that a 256GB OS drive is included, a 1TB upgrade could be $400 and they would make plenty of profit. Depending on how much it costs them, they could make the upgrade $300 or $350 and still get some margin.
I'm still waiting for 2TB SSDs to get under $500. I think that will spark a major boom in SSD adoption beyond just boot drives. 3-D TLC should get us there.
this is a gaming laptop and don't tell me you want to use play Starcraft while commuting and hope the battery will last the whole day. Lets be reasonable
Also regarding notebook reviews in general I think size/weight measurements for the power brick would be useful information. Some review sites do include this already. Especially in a case like this where you'd in many (if not all cases) have to take that with you as well due to the battery life combined with one the core usage scenarios (gaming).
Just to add something else that would be nice to see commented more on in reviews is wireless connectivity which it seems like quite a few laptops have issues with (and differing performance).
Another common related issue is running off wifi and having a bluetooth device connected.
I did list WiFi throughput in the general performance benchmarks (the last chart before 3DMark). I didn't experience any unusual WiFi issues with the GS60; it lost connectivity a few times but that happens to nearly every laptop I've tested and it wasn't a constant problem. (It could have been my router as well -- the nature of the 802.11ac beast.)
I would much rather have an SSD than the super high res, which I doubt will be much use on a screen that size. And on any laptop over $1K I would expect an SSD. This one is $2K.
I hate stupid keyboard layouts. If the WinKey only on the right wasn't bad enough, there's an extra backslash key to the right of the spacebar. What's the point of two backslash keys?
Remapping is a partial solution. There's also the tactile issue: part of my typing is based around the feel of key edges and where keys are relative to other keys. And there's nothing you can do about the missing left WinKey.
Yet, this is probably not as bad as some layouts like the UK one.
I've harped on MSI's keyboard layout a lot over the years, but they don't want to change it and apparently some users like having the Win key on the right. Having played with a lot of keyboards, what I've found is that if you consistently use any single keyboard (or two keyboards, say home and work systems), you generally adapt to most things. But all things considered, yes, I would like a Windows key on the left -- take that bottom backslash, move the spacebar to the right, and put the key to the left. This has the added effect of moving the spacebar a bit more towards the center, which in turn can move the touchpad towards the center.
Why are you guys complaining about the price? This is a premium laptop with premium hardware. It is low priced for a premium laptop. Apple is like BMW and Mercedes Benz. MSI is like Hyundai. Dell and HP are like Volkswagen.
Sorry -- I apparently left a fragment in the "Left Side" portion of the HTML tablet. You can see on the pictures, but there's only one HDMI and it's on the right side. There's also no USB 2.0 port on the left (another fragment in the table), but I have fixed the data in the table now.
Why in the holy mother of engineering do they keep putting the hottest parts of the cooling system on the LEFT side? Do they not realize that for a gaming PC that the left side is where important controls live?
This system exhausts out both the back and sides, and I suspect it would run much hotter if they omitted the side vents. Thin designs are not cooling friendly, sadly.
One small remark. In your conclusion you compared it to the Lenovo Y50 which links to Amazon. That is a unit with 4K display for $1500 (not $1300) but please also note that is has a 256GB SSHD (=Hard disk drive + Nand flash cache) not an SSD (scroll down on the amazon page). It also has a GTX860M instead of a GTX870M (if you compare it to the MSI's or Razer).
Something to keep in mind regarding the Y50 4k display is that it is supposedly a TN display that is locked to 48hz. Also the other characteristics are supposedly poor.
In general it seems Lenovo's gaming oriented Ideapad series all have rather poor displays. Also to be honest in general for the entire Lenovo notebook line there doesn't seem to be a strong emphasis on display quality.
The configuration he linked to though should be one with a 256gb SSD and not the configuration with a 1tb HD with 8gb nand cache.
The Lenovo Y50 is $1300 with a 4K screen and 256GB SSD.
It's a mistake to use Amazon as a source for validating information. Not only do the frequently get their specs wrong, they also blend reviews of similar models together and the pricing can change within hours due to allowing purchases through other vendors.
Hold on... where are you getting that Lenovo discontinued the 4K Y50? I can't seem to find anything on that matter. As for the Amazon pricing, it changes regularly, just like Newegg. There's a reasonable chance the model I linked went out of stock between yesterday and now, leaving places that charge more.
I just read last week, but when I go to official Y50 UHD website, it says "temporarily unavailable". I'm either totally full of crap or just misread it.
Yeah, that "temporarily unavailable" is what I saw. I thought it was new enough that maintaining stock was the issue, but who knows -- and a lot of people were complaining about backlight bleed on the 4K panel. If they're using a TN panel, though, that's the first I've heard of any 3K/4K LCD going the TN route; it would make me very sad if that's true.
The stress testing graphs are missing labels for the duration of time along the x axis. Possible to add this in so we can get an idea of time elapsed in the test against temps?
The stress test charts are for one hour -- I had to hand-make the charts in Excel, and the data is actually at ~2.5 second intervals, so I figured it was best to just leave off units. I'll see if I can clarify this in the text.
Matte or glossy? all other reviews I have read of the 3k version state that it has a glossy display but now Anandtech say that it is matte? Which is it?
What a shame. I was really hoping that it was matte. Why would anyone want a glossy screen? Sure its colors are more "vibrant" but you can't see them anyway if the room is a little bright.
PC Pro did a survey in 2011 where they asked if their users wanted matte or glossy screens. Unfortunately the did not write how many that did respond, but a majority wanted matte screens. At the same time, none of the ultra-value laptops came with matte screens. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2011/05/23/glossy-vs-... There are HD matte screens available, but all UHD/QHD+ I could find are with glossy screens.
I had the 1080p version of this laptop for a week (returned it because moving the Windows key meant I kept hitting space instead of alt when I tried to use alt-key combos).
- Are you sure it's 2x mSATA SSDs? The disassembly videos I've seen of the 1080p version of this laptop shows two M.2 ports. Unfortunately they are the SATA type M.2, not the PCIe type, so no speed advantage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raFVNWVkDbE#t=12m1...
- You didn't comment on the size. While it's thin, its length and width are almost as big as a 17" notebook. This was my secondary reason for returning it - it didn't fit in my bag designed for 15.6" notebooks. For such a large case, you'd think they could've squeezed in a bigger battery, which makes the poor battery life all the more painful.
Right now, I am waiting to see how the Asus GX500 does in the reviews. It's expected out in late September, 4k display, 100% NTSC color space, Maxwell 860M GPU, and 96 Wh battery.
You're right -- SATA-based M.2. That's my main gripe: PCIe-based M.2 offers substantially more throughput potential. I've updated the text to clarify this.
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47 Comments
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blackmagnum - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Holy Ghost! Look at the price for a 4-1=3K gaming notebook. Please chime in...Flunk - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Yes, it is pretty good isn't it? You'd think a system with a 3K screen, Geforce GTX 870M and high-end i7 would be more overpriced, particularly a thin and light like this one.odell_wills - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
I do agree that it seems pretty good, but I don't understand why people get in when there are fantastic laptops out there (see http://www.consumertop.com/best-laptop-guide/ for example).Dug - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
It is good considering the components. 870m, high end i7, 2x SSD's, 3k screen, at 4.3lbs and .78" thick is amazing.LauRoman - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
No jokes about the price of the unit as configured?boozed - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
There are jokes?StickyIcky - Monday, August 25, 2014 - link
I see what you did there...DanNeely - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
"The testing environment for this workload is unfortunately not fully temperature controlled, but that can be good in that the summer months allow for a better "worst case" scenario. For these tests the ambient temperature (in my office that has no AC, ugh...) was between 80-90F."If you're too cheap to buy one for personal comfort, you really ought to hit Anand up for $120 as a business expense to put a cheap window AC in your office to achieve reasonably consistent thermal benchmarks.
weiran - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
I can't believe they sacrificed so much battery life just so they could put a 1TB HDD in there. Unless you're tethered to a power socket all day, it's hard to recommend this machine just because of that one deficiency.willis936 - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Honestly it's time to start seeing single drive systems with 1TB SSDs. If they're getting down to .30c/GB then these fancy high end $2k pocket holes should really be all solid state.nathanddrews - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Figuring that a 256GB OS drive is included, a 1TB upgrade could be $400 and they would make plenty of profit. Depending on how much it costs them, they could make the upgrade $300 or $350 and still get some margin.I'm still waiting for 2TB SSDs to get under $500. I think that will spark a major boom in SSD adoption beyond just boot drives. 3-D TLC should get us there.
falc0ne - Saturday, August 23, 2014 - link
this is a gaming laptop and don't tell me you want to use play Starcraft while commuting and hope the battery will last the whole day. Lets be reasonablelimitedaccess - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
No pictures with the back cover off?Also regarding notebook reviews in general I think size/weight measurements for the power brick would be useful information. Some review sites do include this already. Especially in a case like this where you'd in many (if not all cases) have to take that with you as well due to the battery life combined with one the core usage scenarios (gaming).
limitedaccess - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Just to add something else that would be nice to see commented more on in reviews is wireless connectivity which it seems like quite a few laptops have issues with (and differing performance).Another common related issue is running off wifi and having a bluetooth device connected.
JarredWalton - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
I did list WiFi throughput in the general performance benchmarks (the last chart before 3DMark). I didn't experience any unusual WiFi issues with the GS60; it lost connectivity a few times but that happens to nearly every laptop I've tested and it wasn't a constant problem. (It could have been my router as well -- the nature of the 802.11ac beast.)Arbie - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
I would much rather have an SSD than the super high res, which I doubt will be much use on a screen that size. And on any laptop over $1K I would expect an SSD. This one is $2K.ZeDestructor - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
It has two SSDs alongside the harddrive.GreenMeters - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
I was late to the party for the last MSI gaming laptop review, so I'll ask again here: can the tacky badge on the back of the display be removed?JarredWalton - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Nope -- it gets lit by the LCD backlight, so it actually would leave a hole through the metal cover.sheh - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
I hate stupid keyboard layouts. If the WinKey only on the right wasn't bad enough, there's an extra backslash key to the right of the spacebar. What's the point of two backslash keys?JarredWalton - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
You can remap nearly every key... except Fn. :(sheh - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Remapping is a partial solution. There's also the tactile issue: part of my typing is based around the feel of key edges and where keys are relative to other keys. And there's nothing you can do about the missing left WinKey.Yet, this is probably not as bad as some layouts like the UK one.
JarredWalton - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
I've harped on MSI's keyboard layout a lot over the years, but they don't want to change it and apparently some users like having the Win key on the right. Having played with a lot of keyboards, what I've found is that if you consistently use any single keyboard (or two keyboards, say home and work systems), you generally adapt to most things. But all things considered, yes, I would like a Windows key on the left -- take that bottom backslash, move the spacebar to the right, and put the key to the left. This has the added effect of moving the spacebar a bit more towards the center, which in turn can move the touchpad towards the center.sheh - Friday, August 22, 2014 - link
I vote for industry-wide standardized keyboard/faceplate sets for notebooks.jameskatt - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Why are you guys complaining about the price? This is a premium laptop with premium hardware. It is low priced for a premium laptop. Apple is like BMW and Mercedes Benz. MSI is like Hyundai. Dell and HP are like Volkswagen.Legellan - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Did anyone notice there are 2 HDMI ports on this thing. One on each side?is one HDMI in so you could use it as a monitor? Kind of weird to have 2 HDMI out and a mini DP as well no?
limitedaccess - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
It's for multiple external displays including support for multimonitor gaming.JarredWalton - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Sorry -- I apparently left a fragment in the "Left Side" portion of the HTML tablet. You can see on the pictures, but there's only one HDMI and it's on the right side. There's also no USB 2.0 port on the left (another fragment in the table), but I have fixed the data in the table now.xenol - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Why in the holy mother of engineering do they keep putting the hottest parts of the cooling system on the LEFT side? Do they not realize that for a gaming PC that the left side is where important controls live?ZeDestructor - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Your mouse hand is usually on the right when you're using a mouse. Personally, I'd rather the left side of my desk melt than have a burnt mouse hand.What they should really do is solve the problem properly by exhausting out back instead of on the sides.
JarredWalton - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
This system exhausts out both the back and sides, and I suspect it would run much hotter if they omitted the side vents. Thin designs are not cooling friendly, sadly.henkhilti - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Nice notebook review.One small remark.
In your conclusion you compared it to the Lenovo Y50 which links to Amazon.
That is a unit with 4K display for $1500 (not $1300) but please also note that is has a 256GB SSHD (=Hard disk drive + Nand flash cache) not an SSD (scroll down on the amazon page).
It also has a GTX860M instead of a GTX870M (if you compare it to the MSI's or Razer).
limitedaccess - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Something to keep in mind regarding the Y50 4k display is that it is supposedly a TN display that is locked to 48hz. Also the other characteristics are supposedly poor.In general it seems Lenovo's gaming oriented Ideapad series all have rather poor displays. Also to be honest in general for the entire Lenovo notebook line there doesn't seem to be a strong emphasis on display quality.
The configuration he linked to though should be one with a 256gb SSD and not the configuration with a 1tb HD with 8gb nand cache.
nathanddrews - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
The Lenovo Y50 is $1300 with a 4K screen and 256GB SSD.It's a mistake to use Amazon as a source for validating information. Not only do the frequently get their specs wrong, they also blend reviews of similar models together and the pricing can change within hours due to allowing purchases through other vendors.
Newegg, $1249:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
Either way, it doesn't matter. Lenovo officially discontinued the 4K option Y50.
JarredWalton - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Hold on... where are you getting that Lenovo discontinued the 4K Y50? I can't seem to find anything on that matter. As for the Amazon pricing, it changes regularly, just like Newegg. There's a reasonable chance the model I linked went out of stock between yesterday and now, leaving places that charge more.nathanddrews - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
I just read last week, but when I go to official Y50 UHD website, it says "temporarily unavailable". I'm either totally full of crap or just misread it.http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-seri...
JarredWalton - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Yeah, that "temporarily unavailable" is what I saw. I thought it was new enough that maintaining stock was the issue, but who knows -- and a lot of people were complaining about backlight bleed on the 4K panel. If they're using a TN panel, though, that's the first I've heard of any 3K/4K LCD going the TN route; it would make me very sad if that's true.creed3020 - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
The stress testing graphs are missing labels for the duration of time along the x axis. Possible to add this in so we can get an idea of time elapsed in the test against temps?JarredWalton - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
The stress test charts are for one hour -- I had to hand-make the charts in Excel, and the data is actually at ~2.5 second intervals, so I figured it was best to just leave off units. I'll see if I can clarify this in the text.larspehrsson - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Matte or glossy? all other reviews I have read of the 3k version state that it has a glossy display but now Anandtech say that it is matte? Which is it?JarredWalton - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Sorry -- I reuse the HTML table from article to article, and I apparently missed updating the "matte" label. It's glossy.larspehrsson - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
What a shame. I was really hoping that it was matte. Why would anyone want a glossy screen? Sure its colors are more "vibrant" but you can't see them anyway if the room is a little bright.larspehrsson - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
PC Pro did a survey in 2011 where they asked if their users wanted matte or glossy screens. Unfortunately the did not write how many that did respond, but a majority wanted matte screens. At the same time, none of the ultra-value laptops came with matte screens. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2011/05/23/glossy-vs-...There are HD matte screens available, but all UHD/QHD+ I could find are with glossy screens.
Morawka - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
all apple's Entire product line is glossy LCD. It can be done, you just have to use anti reflective coatings.Solandri - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
I had the 1080p version of this laptop for a week (returned it because moving the Windows key meant I kept hitting space instead of alt when I tried to use alt-key combos).- Are you sure it's 2x mSATA SSDs? The disassembly videos I've seen of the 1080p version of this laptop shows two M.2 ports. Unfortunately they are the SATA type M.2, not the PCIe type, so no speed advantage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raFVNWVkDbE#t=12m1...
- You didn't comment on the size. While it's thin, its length and width are almost as big as a 17" notebook. This was my secondary reason for returning it - it didn't fit in my bag designed for 15.6" notebooks. For such a large case, you'd think they could've squeezed in a bigger battery, which makes the poor battery life all the more painful.
Right now, I am waiting to see how the Asus GX500 does in the reviews. It's expected out in late September, 4k display, 100% NTSC color space, Maxwell 860M GPU, and 96 Wh battery.
JarredWalton - Friday, August 22, 2014 - link
You're right -- SATA-based M.2. That's my main gripe: PCIe-based M.2 offers substantially more throughput potential. I've updated the text to clarify this.Death666Angel - Friday, August 22, 2014 - link
The first picture made me go "dat bezel".... it seems huge!