-->*OFFICIAL: MSI GT725 Owner's Lounge*<--

Hi,

Having anightmare since upgrading the laptop to Win 7. Can anyone help my questions below:

1. Where can i find the drivers for the touchpanel at the top (one for turbo, eco mode, wifi etc) ?
2. The touchpanel above is broke at the min but will be repaired in a month or so but is there a work around to turn wifi/webcam on ?
3. I also need the webca, software, where can i get that ?

Bit of a noob so apologies.

thanks

J

 

look on msiwhitebook.com, or you can search for many of the other laptop models with the same or similar set of features. msi-1722, gx720, gt735, gt729 etc. Worst comes to worst I can search through my old drivers drive and see what I can come up with. What you are looking for is called SCM. Performance wise, for anyone looking to update their laptop, time is running out or already has. While my laptop can run BF3, you really are pushing things to the limit. I have tried quite a few different drivers, including the later 12.x or 13x iirc and it really doesn't get much better than ~40fps. Especially on maps where there are lots of particles like metro. My honest opinion would be to get a new machine. AMD's apu series is about a generation away from clearing the floor of older dedicated card laptops for a fraction of a traditional gaming laptop's price. My laptop can play the original and karkand maps reasonably well but not bumping or stable at 60.

 

Sup guys? Been a long while since I've posted in here. I recently got the quad this week and I want to OC. I did a deep search in my files and found the EC 1722EG61.429, but I need the BIOS A1722IG6.10S. Does anyone have that they can post a link to? The bios file from the link in the OC thread was deleted -_-. Just going out on a limb here, but hoping for the best. If there is any other bios/ec firmware combos I can use to OC? Please lmk. Thanks.

 

Try this link: Download MSI GT725 Notebook Bios 1.0S for Windows 9X, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2K, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows XP 64 bit, Windows 2008, Windows Vista 64 bit, Windows 7, Windows 7 64 bit, Windows 8, Windows 8 64 bit, Window MSI GT725 Notebook Bios 1.0S

 

Finally found the BIOS. Thanks for the suggestion though. Gonna play with the processor for a bit with Set FSB.

 

Hi, i'm looking for the bios ver011.016.000.020.XXXXX of the ati mobility hd4850 512, i see you have this card, is it possible to upload it? i have flashed this card with another bios version but there is troubles with it, and the original bios saved is corrupted, i cannot open it or flash the card with it. Thank you if you can help me.

 

Hi,
I'm not sure if it can be here, but I'll try.
I've got a problem, my GT725 has black screen of death, screen won't turn on after I start laptop, all diodes are working, touch panel too. I tried to connect it via HDMI port to TV, and it worked partially, I could see booting screen, yet it had vertical stripes and whole image was strange. When it gets to Win7 logging screen, then image turns completely black and that's all, nothing happens later.
Something alike happened few times before, black screen, but then I disconnected all power sources, waited few minutes and turned it on without problem. Tried the same here several times, but it doesn't help at all.
Before it gone to this state as it's now, laptop behaved strange, it got really slow after waking it up, so I decided to turn it off the hard way. After this it stayed like that.

What can it be? My only guess is graphic card and I would like to replace it, but before doing so I want to be pretty sure it's what causes the "blackout", to accidentally not buy a new one for nothing.

Thanks a lot for all help.

 

Hello there.

I'm looking for a spare motherboard (MS-1722), because the northbridge is dying on mine.

Anyone in EU would have a spare one ? Or at least I'll be grateful to know a place where to buy one...
About any incoming question, I don't have money to get a new laptop, or even a used one.

Thanks for reading.

 

Have you tried contacting MSI themselves?

 

MSI France said "it's too old", actually.

 

You could try eBay.com. I saw one or two on there a few months ago for less than US$200. Not sure about the shipping though.

 

I tried ebay.com already. A few GPU, but no mobo.

But it seems that 2 places sells refurbished mobo. However, I don't know if I can trust those places :
Aliexpress.com : Buy For MSI GX720 MS 17221 Laptop Motherboard/Mainboard Intel CPU&100% Tested+Free Shipping from Reliable cpu china suppliers on LYT Technology Co.,Ltd
100% Good Working Laptop Motherboard For MSI GX720 GT727 MS-17221, View GX720 GT727 MS-17221, For MSI Product Details from Shenzhen Worldoor Technology Co., Ltd. on Alibaba.com

 

Yeah those stores can be pretty hit and miss, it's risky.

 

Do you mean that the sellers are untrustworthy or that there isn't enough security for buyers?
Or maybe both?

 

It can be either, or both.

 

Hello Guys,
i repaired a GT725 for my friend by heating the graphics card. It works on the VGA port, I can fully use the Windows System with an external display. But the Notebook LCD is black, it seems that the display has no signal. The LCD background lights up.
I already checked all cables inside the notebook and every jack seems to be plugged.

Has anyone any Tipps what to do?
Which ports are used on the MS1722 for display transfer?
The lcd was working fine until i heated the graphics card, so I don't think it's broken.

Thanks in advance.

 

Hey back there.

I managed to swap my motherboard with same model coming from a GT727. The good news is it comes with DDR3 slots which means I can resell my DDR2 memory with a well profit. The bad news is that the motherboard was actually fine, since the problems are still there. The ATI 4850m chip is probably dying.
So I'm now looking for a replacement card.

 

If the screen worked previously, then check the back of screen connection.
It's possible that when you heated the MXM module the heat caused some components on the card to became disconnected.
How did you heat the card?

 

Hey everyone, I am in the UK and I just got an MSI GT725 2nd hand. It's in 9/10 condition, however I am having problems with it on my 2nd day of ownership.

I am only using it for gaming but it looks like I can't even do that. I have installed Windows 7 Ultimate in it yesterday, and downloaded Defiance this morning. I initialized the game, played for less than 5 mins, and the laptop just shut off completely. I looked up common problems on Youtube and tried vacuuming out the vents. I took off the big cover from underneath to vacuum it properly, put back together, and retried the game. This time, I managed past 5 mins, but then the screen started to freeze now and then, or go grey horizontal stripes for a few secs, then continue on. This lasted about 20 mins before I got a total black screen but with the sound still audible, just no picture.

Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, what was the solution? When I installed Win 7 Ult, I went to the AMD site to get the latest Catalyst driver.

P.S. how do I start a new thread??

 

Hey British guy.

It could be different failures.
How does the laptop work on non-gaming use?

It sounds like a tired PSU which prevents the GPU from taking enough juice. You could try borrowing one from someone to perform a cross-check. Asus and Dell gaming laptops share the same form factor cable.
A replacement PSU is both cheap and easy to get. Moreover, most of them are being sold from UK, gaining you some pounds on the shipping fees. Example for a 150W PSU : AC Adapter Compatible With MSI GT725 GT780 GT780DXR GT780R GX660 GX780 Cord | eBay

It may be others, less pleasant things, however, like a dying motherboard or tired GPU solderings...
Motherboards are now very rare and may be found around 70€ + shipping.
It's possible to perform a reflow on faulting GPU, but it's rather hard to find someone capable of doing it properly and cheaply. A replacement VGA card costs around 120€ + shipping, if only one could be found...
majster MSI is known to be able to find replacement parts for old MSI laptops.

But first, try to check the PSU.

And you can't start a new thread as a newbie.

 

Hi there, ok, I installed the atitool someone here suggested in a previous post. Is running at the moment. Currently at 8 mins with NO errors. I installed the Windows 7 Ultimate yesterday with the lid open and that was for over an hour with the auto downloads going aswell, so I think under idle and normal usage, the laptop is ok, just when I play games it will freeze and/or black screen.

The atitool has just finished at 10:45.98 secs with no errors.

I had a look on youtube again for possible causes, and a few videos say the RAM cards could be bad.

I don't know anyone with a laptop/power supply of the other makes. I've looked on ebay just now for Asus power supply, are all Asus power supplies the same connector or have they got a few different connectors?

Looking at the power adaptor for the 725 that came with it, the adaptor is a LITE ON. Model PA-1121-04. Output 19V 6.3A.

 

Hi,
10 min is definitely no long enough to know anything.

To test your RAM modules, nothing is easier. Just boot with only 1 plugged module, test, and retry with the other one.
To be really sure, you can always perform a Memtest.

For a compatible PSU, I gave you a link on my precedent post. You need to be sure it's a 120W, 150W being better.

 

Hi, when the laptop was doing the atitool check, I had my hand on a mouse approx. 5 inches away on the right side, just in front of the heat exhaust vent, and boy was it uncomfortabley hot air blowing. I could not leave my hand there, 5 inches away for more than 10 secs. I think it is running too hot and it wasn't even doing anything 'hard'. I think this may be the problem.

I messaged the previous owner last night telling him of it cutting out/black screen etc, and he said he only used it for his CAD and kitchen design work, never used it for gaming.

Have just fired it up again to install cupid temp meter. Is currently doing a Windows update so will let that finish first.

 

Ok, installed cpuid and fired up the game to see how long I could go before freezing up. Took 7 mins today. Here are the readings from the thermo readout.

Value Min Max
THRM 68C 47C 75C

ATI Mobility Radeon HD4850

63C 61C 82C

These readings are from 30 seconds after the screen froze up. As soon as it froze, I pressed the Windows button to check what reading I had. From what I have read online, temps for laptops with these readings are within normal parameters. So you reckong the power pack is faulty? The pack is really hot. I have a laser thermometer and the pack is 53.5C. That normal??Is't not too hot to pick up but is hot enough to not want to hold it for too long. I have also found online some people have reapplied new thermo grease to their gpu and cpu and it dropped their temps down a few degs. Should I try that also?

 

Hi Hayes,

when you first said you bought it 2nd hand, I jumped to the conclusion that before anything you performed a full cleanup of the beast. i.e. removed the CPU and GPU headpipes to change the thermal paste and clean the blower, airblocks and vents to remove dust.
This is absolutely the first thing to do, because I'm pretty sure the thermal grease would be to dry to perform its job if it has never been changed.

By the way, you need some proper tool to log temperatures (like speedfan), because your way to monitor temperatures doesn't let know if it's the peak or already on the lowering side.
80°C is pretty hot and should be lower, but as you said, not alarming for such a laptop GPU and souldn't be the cause of freezing. It would start freezing around 95°C.

So do that:
i) perform a full cleanup: change thermal grease and remove dust
ii) check your RAM modules

If nothing changes after that, we'll see.

 

Ok, the previous did suggest the thermal grease could do with renewing, seeing as it is nearly 10 years old now, so would probably look like tin foil!! Anyway, have ordered a tube of Shin Etsu paste, did a search for best paste, quite a few came up with the Shin Etsu and Silver Arctic. Have ordered bottles of the cleaning fluid and a blow torch to burn off any excess residue that doesn't scrub off.

When I do the paste renewal, will do the RAM check while it's open then, thanks.

 

Searching by those numbers that you found is the most sure fire way to get a power brick for your laptop. Alternatively if you want to look for a universal power supply you will need one that is at least 120 watts. You can try local computer shops but it is unlikely that you will find one that can offer as many amps as you need

I've never heard of anyone using a blowtorch usually are to clean or even rubbing alcohol with cotton swabs plenty to clean off thermal paste. If the receipt fails there a couple other options if we can limit it to a heat problem. You might try running orthos once you get the paste reapplied to both CPU and GPU.

 

The ebay link I gave is for a 150W compatible PSU, sold by a UK merchant, for £20... i already said everything needed to know for a replacement PSU. Am I writing French, or what?

Anyway, I personnally use acetone to clean up old thermal grease with cotton swabs. Acetone needs to be used with caution to not damage the coating of the printed circuit.
I'm a bit suspicious about using a blowtorch, too.

 

MSI's AC adapter is compatible with most of older Toshiba notebook as their tips are identical.

For thermal grease, use WD-40 (less stronger than Acetone) and spray some onto a paper towel, then use the paper towel to wipe the surface until it is fully cleaned.
WD-40 can cause thermal grease to dissolve/melt so it will come off easily.

 

Hi, the thermal grease has come, but still waiting on the cleaning fluid and purifier yet. As for a power brick, I found THIS >>> on ebay. >>>

AC Adapter Power Cord Supply For MSI GT725 GT780 GT780DXR GT780R GX660 GX780 UK | eBay

A 150w unit and it says it's to fit the MSI GT725.

Also, I have on order a 256 gb SSD. But while I have the laptop in pieces, has anyone uprated their processor yet to the Q9200ES? If so, where'd you get the chip from? I'd been looking online for somewhere that sells it, but have only been able to find a place in India that sells it batches of hanks.10. Can anyone suggest somewhere I can purchase the chip? Just 1 will do. Thanks.

 

You can try WD-40 as it will work magic.

 

Unfortunately, don't have any WD-40 left, used it to light a bbq. Anyway, I ordered some of this >>

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste and Arcticlean Artic Value Pack | eBay

stuff a few days ago so can get my hands dirty with it when it arrives. Anyone had any joy with locating a Q9200ES yet? I been at it for a few hours today but still no joy. I think cos it's so old now, they'll all been ground down to make newer chips or something. Does anyone know which laptop/s they came in? Maybe I could just buy an old regular laptop with one in and pull the cpu out.

 

QS processors didn't come in any laptop, they are working prototypes essentially, with some more stable then others. The mods might get a little antsy in their pantsies with talk of them since NBR promised to not endorse the use of prototypes. It's very possible that their source has run dry since they weren't mass produced by any means. I had to get mine from Hungary. In any case If you are concerned with performance, I was perfectly happy with my t8300 which oced very nicely with good ram and the alt+insert command in the bios.

The only thing I really was glad I had the quad for was rendering video in adobe premier. Even more so since most games are still not multi thread friendly.

 

So do you have the t8300 in your GT725 then? \how does it compare to the Q9000? It's not a QS processor, it's called a Q9200ES. I did some more digging and have found out they are in Advent laptops. The Advent 6555, 7555, 8555. Advent is an own brand company from PC World in the UK. Unfortunately, these Advents haven't been out long enough for them to be put on ebay and still can't find a computer parts supplier that can get them.

 

I currently have the Q9200. I originally had the T8300 and then I bought one of the Advent computers because everything about it was better the Q 9000 processor the 7850 graphics card and frankly the much better looks. I used both for a bit and then I upgraded the processor to the Q 9200. When I look at it now I'm not sure how much performance I actually gained because you can overclock the dual core processors but not the quad cores it's limited in the BIOS that way. I see it as a very good argument that you have an aggressively overclocked dual core with RAM running at DDR 500 speeds compared to a quad core running at a slower speed with ram at ddr400. The benefits of that quad core are negligible for games. Not to mention having one of those dual cores or any other official processor its going to be a lot more stable and much more accepting of overclocks and low voltage mods.

From what I remember there's not much of a difference between Qualification Sample and Engineering Sample processors processors.

 

The difference between QS and ES is very simple: QS is a middle step between ES and release, with lighter quality requirements, so QS chips show a greater failure rate than ES, as Automatikjack said.
As for T8300 vs QX9200, if it's only for gaming, T8300 is definitely the way to go for reasons explained by Automatikjack.
I personnaly use a QX9200 because I use to run programs that make good use of a quad core, like GIS and video encoding software. I jumped on an opportunity on ebay. A guy from Poland sold a bunch of chips for a brief time and a happily got on for 110€.

I never thought to use WD-40 but true, it's a good idea. Mechanics use it for removing small spots of grease.

It seems a bit cheaper. Too much, maybe.
I don't want to seem persistent, but why my suggestion doesn't interest you?

Anyway, check your computer with some new grease before buying anything.

 

Get an official delta brick or other known brand for the safety of you and your system.

 

Agreed, like I mentioned before, targus and several other reputable third parties make those kinds of bricks if you are gonna go non oem. You will want to pay for a good brick. Itll last you a lifetime and not burn your house down. The universal targus was one of the best investments I have ever made, it works with most laptops and has been a good loaner/spare for friends and family.

 

Ok, I'll have a look into the brick you linked to earlier then. I'll see how the reapplication of new thermal compound goes first. I just thought the one I found was a cheap one. For the price, I'll give it a go, if not happy, then I'll get the other one.

Are there any processors I can stick into the 725 from today's market or is the motherboard too old now? The laptop is purely for gaming purposes only, I won't even waste it on online browsing. I have also bought myself a laptop underside cooler with 6 fans in. Wether or not I'll need it after the new paste is applied, we shall see.

 

Nope your socket is pretty outdated, not to jab the wound. If you can pick up a core extreme that might be price worthy for a dual core, the x7900s are like $80, or you can avoid preproduction processors and get a qx9300 for 150 something http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Mobil...78-1066-FSB-Quad-Core-Processor-/291200145367

However, ocing is accomplished by raising the fsb, so your oc potential will vary and I cant vouch for what the dual core will do.

 

So, what's up ?

 

Right guys, this morning, I opened up the 725 to clean up the inside and change out the thermal paste. There was a thermal pad towards the middle lower section which I put a big dollop of paste on, and did all the others and even put a little blob on the 4 little chips on the gpu where there are 2 long pads stuck on the heatsink rail. Sucked out all the trapped dust in the 2 grills attached to the heat rail, put back together and fired it up.

The screen came on, fans for the heatsinks came on. All good. I initiated the game, played for just over 4 mins, and it froze up for 6 secs, then continued. I noticed I could hear something spinning up as soon as it froze. Like when you put a disc in the disc drive, but this was from the right hand side underneath, and the only thing there that moves is the fan., but it didn't sound like the spinning up of a fan sound, more 'weighty', like a cd/dvd drive. And the air blowing out of the side and rear vents are still quite warm too. I have a 6 fan laptop cooler which I turned on as soon as it froze which I think helped a little, I continued playing for another 9 minutes before it froze again, this time the whole screen went light grey for over 10 secs so did a quick manual shutdown by holding down the power button incase some irreparable damage occurred.

I am also using the new power brick I ordered. I have checked the volts and amps, and both figures are correct.

I have been using the laptop to watch Captain America 2 online to see if it freezes or the screen goes grey, and it has been fine. I let the whole film play out for 2+ hours. So it's only playing games it can't handle.

What next?

 

Paste is not a suitable replacement for pads in many cases. What paste did you use? Where exactly did you use it (picture from the Internet edited in paint to show where would do)

 

You shouldn't apply paste on memory chips, the gap is too wide to make an effective thermal bridge.

Anyway, I think your problem come from a faulty GPU. It sounds like it need a proper reflow. :/
Mine showed the exact same symptoms (freezes only in some games) and shortly went for a global failure (no boot at all). I had seen the same issue on others laptops and it was resolved with a reflow (either proper or handmade).

 

Hi NEOCRAY, whats a reflow?

Will open it up tomorrow and take a picture, and arrow where I put paste. There was a tube of Arctic Silver 5 that came with the 2 bottles or cleaning and prep bottles.

I left the laptop on since the last post streaming Spiderman 2, and finished the film no problem.

 

Definitely not recommended to do paste on components that used pads, which can also void your warranty.

 

Hi GENTECH, it's a GT725, from 2006/7 I think, so I reckon the warranty has expired!!! Anyway, have ordered up a sheet of the thermal pad, and will redo everything again when it gets here, and put a pad on where it was before.


Ok, so the SSD arrived this morning, and I looked up on youtube what was involved in reflowing. I installed the SSD, and took out the gpu to reflow it. Covered up with foil and cut out the square to heat up. Now, the youtube vids don't say how long to blast heat onto the gpu for, so I don't know if it has worked yet.

The heatgun was set at max heat, but blasted the heat in a circular motion for about 20 seconds, and stopped. The chip wasn't glowing red, but is it supposed to? Anyway, left it for 10 mins to cool down, then gave it a second blast for another 20 seconds, cooled down for half an hour, and put back in the laptop.

I had my fingers crossed as I turned it on, and yes, it did light up the screen fully, no dead pixels or anything unnormal. Am currently installing Windows 7 onto the new SSD, then have to reDL the game I am having trouble with. When that's done, will try play again and see how long I can last before freezing up.

 

I have "heard" of people using ovens for reflows, but this method seems a lot less scarey. I'll be curious to see how well it works for you

 

That's if it makes any difference at all. Is the ATI HD4850 gpu the ONLY one that will fit in the 725? Is there an alternative like from Nvidia, if I need to replace it?

 

Ok, got the download finished this morning and updated Windows. Fired up the game, played for less than 2 minutes and it froze up. Continued playing for 10 mins, and near enough every minute or so froze up. Looks like the reflow didn't work. So, time for a replacement gpu then?