--->The Official MSI GT780/GT783 Owner's Lounge<---

Right. I figured that's how it would be. Haha. I was considering the GT683R to get a bit more portability, but I /really/ like the backlit SteelSeries keyboard, and the other features that the 780R offered.

 

yeah, I never use them either, although in the event I didn't have a mouse, I'd certainly want to know it works. I'll try a few things on my end first. anyone happen to know the manufacturer of the GT780R touchpad? I hear it isn't Synaptics, but that's all I know on the subject.

 

I know Ken Lee from GenTechPC made a post about the touchpad stating who the maker was in THIS thread somewhere. I can't tell you the actual post or page, though. Sorry. It remember him saying it was supposed to be a top-notch touchpad though. I hope it doesn't give my fingers 3rd degree burns when I try and touch it like my current one does after a little use.

 

I ordered mine from Ken, I suppose I'll just get back to him as something is clearly wrong with it. Has some kind of dead spot-ish areas where it'll either stop tracking or reverse direction, although it isn't consistent. I suppose I'll see if I can open it up and check the connection on it.

 

Yeah, that definitely sounds like something's wrong with it. I dot think MSI would put a touchpad like that on these units and ruin everything. Haha. Good luck though.

 

Check your 'Device Manager', under "Mice and Other Pointing Devices'. Also, don't you have an icon in your 'System Tray' for this?

DARN, I wish mine had arrived! Ken will know.

 

Nope, that's the weird thing. Shows up as a generic PS/2 mouse in the device manager and MSI has nothing listed on the drivers for it. I took off the bottom panel, removed the harddrive that sits underneath the mousepad, and followed what looks like it should have bleen the ribbon cable from the touchpad to the mobo. I disconnected it, gently cleaned it with a dab of rubbing alcohol, connected it again, and hooked her all up again. Seems to work flawlessly now. Looks like I either fixed the issue or the computer gods smile upon me today

although the scrolling motion accessed via the far right side of the touch pad feels a bit odd, but this feels more like a driver issue than a hardware issue now.

P.S. the cursor seems to move as if it were on ice, not too bad, but i'd imagine a good driver could resolve this.

 

Great! Sounds like you fixed it! Good to hear it was only a connector issue. Nonetheless, I would still get with Ken..... if for nothing else, but reporting sake. Funny, I searched the MSI driver downloads, and found nothing either.
For what it's worth, some of the 3rd party driver sites report it as a ' Sentelic Multi Touchpad'.

 

Yeah, definitely makes me happy that this gets to sit on my desk still

AH that's right, Sentelic does ring a bell. I'm going to experiment with some Sentelic and perhaps even Synaptics drivers and see what they do for me. Will report back shortly

 

Okay, so testing concluded. Tried standard synaptics, a modified one, neither worked, but I had to test

Which touchpad is in my notebook? | MSI HQ User-to-User FAQ

You can use the sentelic driver from there, it unfortunately will not allow slide style scrolling, which I'm used to from my old synaptics, but it supports tapping or holding the right side's corners to scroll up and down which is quite nice actually. As far as the multi-touch gestures go, I couldn't get any of them to work so I don't believe this is a multi-touch pad. The cursor does track a lot more smoothly and accurately with the driver installed and it also has a very nice little feature that I already love. It detects a USB mouse and auto-disables the touchpad

 

I see the driver is ver 8.8.3.0...... Since you are experimenting have you tried ver 9.0.4.8? Just for grins! Download HERE! I emailed Ken for more info here.

 

Glad you fixed it, probably it was poor assembly job.

 

Yeah, I definitely wasn't under the assumption it was on your end

Fortunately I have great patience with tiny ribbon cables and similar nonsense. I've had to do a keyboard repair on an old macbook pro and replaced a hard drive in an ipod classic before x_x Least fun jobs I've ever had, haha


Anyway, I'll go and make a detailed post tomorrow morning (as it's 1:30 am now) and list all the models of everything I can find about the peripherals and see if I can find a PLL for those interested.

 

I have to get used to putting it on some sort of lap stand rather than bridged between my knees and stomach! Mainly due to the venting. I had to stop my daughter using her Gateway 17" flat on her bed as the bottom got blocked and it was getting blinky from the heat buildup.

Homer

 

You guys answered my initial questions, I have three more before I call to place the order...

1. I notice there are three screen options. Any perceptible advantages in going with one of the "upgraded" screens?

2. If I order Bigfoot, is there an easy way to re-equip the machine to work with bluetooth devices when I need it (I have a Waco bluetooth drawing tablet and some bluetooth headphones that I occasionally use.)

3. Any particular salespeople you guys want to recommend? If so PM me. As an ex salesperson, I enjoy giving business to those helpful and reliable.

Thanks again,
Bill

 

Are there any other screen options for the GT780R? I thought there is just one... the matte screen? and no 3d option for this notebook.

 

Hey guys, just had one question before I click the place order button. Does anyone know what kind of battery life this thing gets while surfing the web or taking notes. I know its a gaming laptop but the GT683R, which uses very similar parts, gets about 3.5 hours while watching a DVD. Its seems crazy asking this on a machine this powerful, but I'm going to college and I need 2-3 hours for some of my classes and the 683 gets pretty good battery life. Alright, thanks everyone.

 

As far as my earlier comment, hoping to get some better views of the screen, so far I've found one review of a different computer that seems to have the same screen model (CMO N173HGE-L11). It looks very positive -- the screen is beautiful. Unfortunately, it's in German, but you can still get a feel for the light and dark areas, the contrast ratio, and the angles. One thing that is weird, is that this one is glossy, rather than matte. Not sure how that can be the same model number, but be glossy rather than matte.

Here's the link. Posting this isn't against policy, as far as I can tell. Please correct me if I'm wrong, of course.

If anyone speaks German, and wants to summarize, please do. If a reseller could take a look and just verify that it's the correct one, I'm sure we'd all appreciate that, as well!

 

17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Matte Screen (1920x1080)-
17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 72% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) ( + $195 )
17.3" FHD 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Glossy Screen w/ 90% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) ( + $195 )

Bill

 

yes i do ^^

the screen of this fujitsu is glare, not matte, and they say it's the same display of Dell XPS 17 L702x (non-3D).

is it possible that there are 2 versions of a display? glare and matte/non-glare?

 

Yeah, I was just thinking maybe that's what this refers to: N173HGE-L11/L21. Namely, the slash there at the end? Would be a bit weird if they were drastically different from each other, considering they have the same model prefix...

 

there is also a test of the GX780 ( Link, yes in german ^^). there's used the same display like in GT780. they say it's a fantastic display. the average luminance is 252 cd/m² and the contrast is 482:1 ( Picture)

 

Thanks! And, wow, definitely quite different. Not as superior as the glossy version, but still pretty decent. Looks like they complain a bit about the vertical viewing angles (Google Translate, ftw). Might be something that I want to think about upgrading upon order or later....

 

yes, if you look from above, the colors are brighter, if you look from below it's getting darker etc. they describe, if you look from below, you have an extreme contrast loss

 

Different resellers seem to have different options. For example, PowerNotebooks doesn't have a screen upgrade at the moment, but XoticPC does. GenTech's site seems to be having a hiccup right now on my end...

 

Keep in mind, that I bought this lappy for mild gaming, work, music, travel, streaming and surfing...The major draw back on the MSI GT780R-012US is the GTX 560m, I would rather they offered me the choice to bump the GPU to something better...I was on a budget 2.400, but if they were offering GTX 485M or HD6970, I would frak the budget, to get either one would have been awesome..

i7-2720QM, GTX 560M, 16GB, 2 x 500GB, 6X Blu-Ray Writer/Reader + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive, Intel® Advanced-N 6230 and 1 Year "No Dead Pixel" Guarantee

 

Keep in mind, that I bought this lappy for mild gaming, work, music, travel, streaming and surfing...The major draw back on the MSI GT780R-012US is the GTX 560m, I would rather they offered me the choice to bump the GPU to something better...I was on a budget 2.400, but if they were offering GTX 485M or HD6970, I would frak the budget, to get either one would have been awesome..

i7-2720QM, GTX 560M, 16GB, 2 x 500GB, 6X Blu-Ray Writer/Reader + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive, Intel® Advanced-N 6230 and 1 Year "No Dead Pixel" Guarantee



Now, when I do heavy gaming I use my desktop Alienware Aurora ALX, i7 930 QC, 12GB, GTX 480

 

Hi Bill,

I would stick with the stock screen, save a few pennies, and see how you like it. Later if you decide the 'stock' screen ( Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) | ID: CMO1720 | Model: N173HGE-L11) is unacceptable, you can always swap it out at a later date. That said, I have a hunch you will like the original screen, just fine. I too wrestled with this, and this is the course I have taken.
With regard to color, you would probably find the 90% gamut (percentage of color, as the eye sees it in the natural world) screen the best, but many find reflective glossy surface an annoyance...... thereby opting for a matte finish.

As to the Bigfoot wireless and losing bluetooth functionality, you can always elect an inexpensive USB bluetooth dongle, should the need arise.

As to resellers, review their websites, and look to where forum members and customers seem most inclined. I would have PM'ed you, but you need to fulfill the minimum post requirement, to enable this feature in the forum.

I hope this helps........

 

I see everyone talking about glossy vs matte screens, but what about this screen?
17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 72% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) ( + $195 )
Now, I know very little about screens and such other than the differences between matte screens and glossy screens, so I'm just curious if this would be a worth-while upgrade, what it would do for the user, and so on.

 

Again, IMO, I would stick with the stock screen, save a few pennies, and see how you like it. Later if you decide the 'stock' screen ( Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) | ID: CMO1720 | Model: N173HGE-L11) is unacceptable, you can always upgrade at a later date.

At present, we do not have the full specs of these 'optional' screens, nor reviews, or a means of seeing them for ourselves. Personally, I would not spend another $195, without such information..... or at least hearing from a trusted source with actual hands-on. On the screen you reference, we know it's listed as "72% NTSC Color Gamut", and I am betting the 'stock' screen is at least 70%. With such little info available at the moment...... I'm gonna keep the extra pennies right now.

While some folks quibble & toil over every last spec & feature, I'll be enjoying my new notebook. I have yet to see the 'perfect' notebook, but even stock, I think the GT780R will be an excellent choice in the current market.

Just git ya one!

 

I am getting one! Haha. I still have to wait for money to transfer to my PayPal (it takes foreverrrr). Yeah, I'm sticking with the stock screen. I just wasn't sure if it was worth it or not because I had no idea. Haha. I've got my upgrades settled now, just gotta wait to order. >.>

 

My guess is that it is 60% gamut. I have nothing that back that up, and it doesn't provide the info on the spec sheet, here. Most screens that I've looked at over the past 6 months seem to be either 60%, 72% or 95% gamut. If there is an upgrade to 72%, then chances are that the stock is 60%.

The link to the Dell XPS17 thread that discusses the pros and cons of this same screen is here.

Here are some links to a few more pictures.

Folks biggest complaints seem to be mediocre viewing angles an overabundance of the matte texture creating a "haze". There's definitely going to be some subjectivity, as well, depending on previous screen use and personal preference.

Knowing that I'm picky, it's given me enough pause to put me back on the fence, grr....

 

Good question Kevin (seriously). Now I am really confused. What kind should I order?

 

Picky? LOL, me too! As I stated in my post to Bill Smith7, this issue weighed on me, as well. When I ordered I bounced this back and forth, and then decided to give the matte screen a try. Ken already knows (and I value his professional opinion), if I don't like the matte screen, the notebook will be returned for the 90% color gamut glossy screen. As is, perhaps I'll be able to save a little money here. I just choose not to set on the fence, and one way or the other, I WILL (subjectively) have a nice screen. At least dealing with a reseller (unlike e-tailers or big box stores) we have these screen options.

Get off the that fence, and git ya one!

 

Bet the reason why people complain about matte screens is because they have been using artificial glossy screens for such a long time they have forgotten how matte looked

 

Yep, that's one thing that is discussed in the thread!

 

Okay, awesome. Thanks for the post with the links and such, Moho. And I'm glad you thought my question was good, Bill. Haha. So I guess I will not be upgrading the screen. I hope it looks as good as the one in those pictures.

 

Just Started playing The Witcher 2 and so far everything looks to be running smooth on high settings. Fraps is showing low fps between 15-30 during gameplay but there's no slowdowns or glicthes. Thought I read somewhere that fraps isn't reporting right fps for this game.

 

does anyone know the battery life for this laptop

 

I haven't test the battery life but I would say around 2 hours.

 

Erg.. I meant to post this on this thread but ended up doing it on another.

Could I get a confirmation on whether the GT780R-012US comes with free game offers like the ones for GT683R-242US (mafia II and some other game along with a trial of starcraft II.) I'm just curious and I like free stuff.

 

I wonder how much better the 90% NTSC Glossy screen is compared to the stock screen. And how is it better. Colours? Able to see from more angles? It is very tempting to finally have a matte screen again. Must be atleast 10 years since the last time I used one. Is that 90% screen worth it? Is it better than the stock screen you find in Alienwares (Not the RGBs) or the Asus G-series?

 

could someone actually test the battery life. The GT683R gets around 3.5-4 hours doing web surfing so I think 2 hours is off.

 

If any of the resellers can provide the model/part numbers for the upgrade screens they are offering, Notebookcheck always has really helpful comments and data regarding the those. Then folks might be able to make a more educated decision on which way they'd rather go. I think I linked a review from their site a page or 2 back...

Always remember, also, to calibrate the screen. There's free software out there and any screen will look better once properly calibrated.

 

Here's another option.. (perhaps)

Get the glossy, then cover with a matte from a place like below..
Official Site of ViewGuard® Products including Privacy Filters & Screen Protectors for Laptop, Notebook & Desktop Computers; LCD Screens; Mobile Phones; PDAs and More

If you don't like the matte - you can rip it off

I have used their stuff before, and honestly, to my eye, it looks as good as a stock matte (or am I deceiving myself?). It's just a b*tch to install w/o bubbles!

 

Yup I`d like to investigate the screens more. However I found a thread in the Sager forums where they compare different screens:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/553185-visual-differences-between-different-screen-options-photos.html

So the question is: Matte with very low gamut, or glossy with 90% gamut and unfortunately reflection. The 90% looks so much better.

Not shure if I want to put some sort of filter on my new screen if I choose the glossy though Bill.

 

Yep, that's a really great thread -- should have remembered to link that one earlier! Here's links to a couple YouTube videos showing the screens on the Clevo P150HM and P151HM, that are discussed in that thread. As a side note, if that's the stock screen on the P151HM/8130, it is matte, only 60% gamut, and has wonderful viewing angles -- it looks gorgeous.

In contrast to the videos above, the video we have right now of the GT780R, could probably showcase the screen a bit better. In the major portion that covers the screen appearance (around 6:10), the screen has small video centered in the middle and surrounded by black bars. To me it appears washed out, grainy, and the viewing angles look substantially inferior to the 2 screens showcased above. Being able to view some video of the GT780R showing similar, full screen animations to the 2 above, might help relay it's screen quality a bit better Anyone that already has one want to volunteer, lol?

Hope all that makes sense!

 

Is there any info on the 1600x900 screen? (I don't want a FullHD screen, it makes everything too small, especially when editing photos and otherwise...it's just not easy on the eyes.)

This laptop is looking really good in the other departments, so if the 1600x900 screen is at least of average quality, then this could be the laptop I've been looking for.

 

The HD+ screen is not available on this model. Take a look at the ASUS N73SV-A1.

 

Yes it is available (although maybe later this summer).

MSI Global ? Notebook - GT780

And the HD+ has been on many other brochures too.