MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro Owner's Lounge

You may be right, @Phoenix, but it couldn't hurt to test it out, could it? That is, if such a skin can be bought, and if it isn't something that might damage the unit if I decide to remove it.

If a skin like the one in the picture (which might not look the same "in person") is for sale for this particular MSI model, then at least I could try it to see what I think. If I don't like it, if it looks cheap or cheesy, then I'll remove it--and post my reaction(s) in this forum!

 

Sounds like a good idea.

This was *my* reaction when I saw it but I know this could be subjective.

Phoenix =

 

LOL... wow. Well I can say I think it looks better in person than the quick photo I took under the very bright fluorescent lights. I didnt pick the skin, I would have probably picked something less shiny, more matte. But in regards to the logo, you see MSI, which is fine, and you see the shield shape, no design comes through in terms of the dragon and no light comes through at all.

 

I've never been offended by the MSI / Asus "gamer" logo's and neither has anyone I've ever worked with, not even the non-technical people and the managers.

Sometimes when people buy gaming laptops and bring them to the office for the first time, they want to hide them - you could tell they were being shy about being recognized for it, sliding it in and out of their bag when showing it and quickly putting it back out of view.

But with a little encouragement the managers would go out of their way to voice their approval to put them at ease, so they could leave it out to use and they could stop being distracted being self-conscious, so they could refocus and get back to work.

Most technical people can be generally shy and sensitive in their public self, not wanting to be recognized for things and attracting notice.

It's all really internal, no one else is going to judge you - even the non-technical people these days are on-board with gadgets.

The only laptop brand that stood out as being "annoying" were the LGA laptops with their loud fan noise and pumped up light-house logo's that put out eye piercing beams of light. A piece of black plastic tape was all they needed - and a cubicle far away from everyone else to avoid the noise pollution, and they were just fine.

As far as one on one with other professionals, paying your rates, they aren't looking for a conformist worried more about offending than getting the job done.

Employers and managers are looking for a stand-out talent that gets their tasks done quickly, accurately, and successfully. I've actually heard hiring meetings where being non-odd is pointed out as being a potential factor for "not fitting it", and everyone laughing saying that they'd help them "fit in".

If you can do good work, don't worry about your uniqueness, enjoy it and share it with others, you've worked hard for it!

 

A sensible post--and true.

The irony for me is that no one ever sees my laptop: I work in isolation, either in my home office or sometimes even in my car (if I get a sudden call to c/e something)--or at the library or Starbucks.

The only one I need to satisfy is myself. And like @ir1, I'm drawn to a Quaker-like simplicity in the things I own and/or wear, a lack of adornment. That's just me, though. And since efficiency is the relevant issue, emblems and stickers are sideshows. Do I wish they weren't there? Yes. Are they going to change my mind about MSI? Not at all.

Since the MSI I bought is (IMO) a superior laptop that will work very well for me--especially thanks to @Phoenix (and to @Donald's superior judgment)--I will either find a workaround or live with what I have. It's a minor issue, in the end.

 

Thanks I get the message, very positive, good stuff. You should feel like you can express yourself, and that is what I am trying to do. I am not worried about people identifying me as a gamer at work. I am pretty open about it. But like sona, I like simpler desigsn and I am not a particularly flashy person. I dont like the G4M3R aesthetic at all, it isnt about what other people think. I personally just dont like the angles, sharpness, or bright colors. The GS63VR is pretty toned down, but I definitely would want all red accents and logos gone like the HID version on any laptop.

I would rather have no logo, even if it was even more understated. I even change the RGB lighting on the keyboard to flat white. I really wish more companies made quality gaming gear that was more my aesthetic. I am sure you have seen some of the ridiculous looking accessories, mice, keyboards, chairs, along with some laptop or case designs that are quite over the top. I dont want them to go away, if people like it then more power to them. I just want more industrial design, clean looking gear that is great for gaming.

 

i am considering this laptop to purchase. problem with these laptops are the elan trackapd and the w10 gestures. 3 and 4 finger. has anyone got this working?

 

There is a working driver... https://www.reddit.com/r/MSILaptops/comments/5ki7ed/gs63vr_there_is_a_working_driver_for_using_the/

I tried it, but couldnt get it to stick, Windows would replace it with the ELAN driver after every reboot. Im sure there is a way, maybe that link has some updates I have missed about getting it to stick.

 

3 fingers are recognized and working with MSI's ELAN drivers on Win7 but I hate the clickpad.
It would be great if someone found a good trackpad to replace it with. It's 105mm by 70mm. Now unfortuntely trackpads can't be bought anywhere by size, but I'll keep my eyes open for any other laptop with a same size trackpad. They are pretty much all PS/2, so should be interchangeable.

 

Synaptic may work and size should be a common dimension, however it takes efforts to find one and to replace it as it's usually glued onto the touch surface.

 

What do you mean? I only know touchpads that are affixed to the palm rest by screws and if the touchpad needs replacement it will be exchanged as a unit. Once removed from the palm rest there's just a big hole in it. Is that glued into the palm rest on the GS63? So it can't be ordered as a spare part and easily exchanged?

 

It's not going to leave a hole there, the surface is part of the C panel, at least it's like that in most of them.

 

Hello everyone... This is my first post here and I wanted to thank you for this thread because it was instrumental in my choosing to buy a GS63VR on Friday evening. I actually ordered one online from Fry's but they cancelled my order due to being out of stock. So, I ended up picking up a -252 at my local Best Buy. I knew the -001 had a poor panel, but somehow I missed the fact that the -252 has an even worse panel. Mine has the ultra poor Chi Mei CMN15D6 N156HGA-EAL, but thanks to this thread (and others) I have ordered a Samsung LTN156HL01-104 to replace it. On the upside, my laptop has quiet fans and runs very cool on my lap doing normal tasks. I was really worried about that from a lot of posts on this thread.

I'm sure I'll have more questions, but for now, thanks again for the great information!

 

Does anyone have any experience converting a 6RF from the 3K/4K display to a FHD 120hz display? Specifically going from 40pin to 30pin?

 

Just chiming in to say those of you with a 1080p 60hz screen that wish to go the 120hz route, DO IT.

Just replaced mine, it was very simple, and other than needing to reinstall Nvidia drivers to get Control Center to work again, no issues. It is smooth, and there is no issues with backlight problems. It looks amazing, and the difference in ever task is outstanding. The colors have a very Samsung OLED look to them, took some tweaking to desaturate the reds.

The panel I bought was the N156HHE-GA1

 

Which cable did you use to replace it? 40 pin? 30 pin? 40 to 30 pin?

 

Hi everyone!

Is there any way that the GS63VR can connect to a 144hz monitor With g-sync and make both the 144hz and g-sync work? Can you do that With mini displayport?

 

Use a mini-display port to displayport cable. It will work just fine.

 

Just an update. My panel arrived and like I expected it wasn't a real Samsung panel. However it is a real LG LP156WF6(SP)(B2) which is supposed to have a 700:1 contrast ratio which is much better than the Samsung LTN156HL01-104. The new panel looks absolutely great! For comparison, I upgraded from a Mac Book Pro and I use a calibrated DELL UltraSharp 3440x1440 everyday at work and on my desktop PC. This thing looks just as good now. It's a shame MSI even wastes the time to install that Innolux garbage.

 

It isn't MSI making the screen choice...that is Best Buy. When you order through a custom build to order reseller, you may pay a bit more, but you would have received the LG LP156WF6(SP)(B2) standard. It is a great screen...see the specs at http://www.panelook.com/LP156WF6-SPB2_LG Display_15.6_LCM_parameter_27137.html

I am glad that now you have a good screen, so ENJOY

 

Totally agree that its BBs fault and our own for not doing our homework....i didnt have the chance as i couldnt wait to get the laptop while i was back in the US, but as soon a si could i replaced the Panel...now im thinking bout replacing it to the 120hz screen in a previous post here....so that might be my next project.

 

Also for those with the time and posibilities...A custom build is definitely the way to go...unless you are saving a considerable amount of money, fafter speneding the 230-250 of an nvme drive and the cost of the panel plus the risk of doing the change yourself..its well worth it to ge tt from a custom builder.

 

Sorry, I blame MSI. Of course, distributors and retailers ask manufacturers to do all kinds of wacky things that will increase their profit margin. The manufacturer can and should say no if it's anything that could hurt their reputation in the marketplace. This horrid panel does exactly that. Most people are not going to switch out the panel like I did. They are going to carry it back and tell everyone they know that MSI's suck because they use crap screens. It may not be universally true, but perception is reality and that's what is going to happen. It's bad for MSI any way you look at it.

I researched my laptop for a couple of weeks and I knew the -001 from Best Buy had a crap screen. I guess my search-foo was bad because I missed everything about the -252 having a worse TN panel. I know this for sure, MSI's website sure doesn't say it has a TN panel. They do, however, go out of their way to confuse everything using terms like "IPS-Level" and "Vivid Color" so you can't possibly know what they are selling.

Either way, I'm happy because of the discount I got, but I'll definitely think twice about buying MSI again. I've bought a lot of computer tech over the last 30 years and this is the first time a product review bears no resemblance to the product as purchased.

 

Has anyone re-pasted the CPU and GPU on this device? are the results satisfactory and worth the effort?
Any suggestion on going with liquid metal or traditional thermal paste? I read some of the threads on this issue but there are many different opinions.
I am kinda frustrated with CPU fan noise (heating 55 C at idle) and I was wondering maybe repasting could help to reduce the temps and accordingly the fan workload.

 

IMO the LG is far superior to those Samsung offerings. I've used both, and the LG panels are great IPS panels with good brightness, color, contrast a and decent response times. The Samsung 30ms response time is actually terrible for a gaming laptop, and leads to pixels blurring in any fast paced game. For some they wouldn't notice this, but for the trained eyes of anyone that has used high refresh rate and low response times its very jarring to look at. The LG with its 25ms response time was about as high as I am able to use without it ruining the experience for me too much. Still the AUO TN 120hz 5ms screen is just worlds better in every way. Sure it doesn't have the IPS color accuracy, but the colors are very very good for a TN. The viewing angles are very good and the fluid gameplay with zero blur is everything for a gaming laptop.

 

Hi, just a quick update.
A few people have asked me now how my screen replacement went. I got my screen last night aaaand.

It isamazing. My fps rates in games have doubled, and the refresh rate itself is making everything buttery smooth.
I've only played a game of Fortnite at 120 fps and one of cs at 260+, but i'm already impressed.

Screen number: AUO B156HAN04.2
Price: ~$120

If you have this labtop, then you're playing games, and if you're playing games, then you'll definitely appreciate the boost in playability that having this screen offers you. I would highly recommend to not bother with other screens and just get this one. Any less would not do this labtop justice. I'm trippin out just writing this because I'm trying to convey how absolutely night and day the screen looks compared to before. Based just on how I did a double take when I first saw it, I would consider having this screen a requirement, not a recommendation. For just over $100 you can unlock this beast.

Honestly though, hop on this ASAP it ain't a joke.

 

Any recommendation on sourcing that panel? How good is the color accuracy? Are there other options for a 120hz panel?

 

I am interested in this screen, Barredout, is the finish matte or glossy? I wasn't able to get a definitive answer while searching its specs.

 

I went ahead and ordered a brand new AUO B156HAN04.2 on ebay for $110 shipped. Coming from China so we shall see how long it takes to get here. I will try and get some information up on my experience with this. But based on barredout's experience I am optimistic this will be a worthwhile upgrade.

 

It should get to you in 2~3 weeks.

 

Hi, I recently repasted my GS63 with liquid metal. My temps before were good for stock paste so I thought I could dropt the temps even more with liquid metal. Unfortunately the results are nearly the same as with stock paste. In Diablo 3 CPU und GPU are at 68-70°C and in PUBG it is hovering aroung 80°C. I'm using the "Auto Fan" configuration in dragon center. My idle Temps are around 45-50°C.

 

I got it yesterday and I just installed it right now. I will post pictures of the process in a bit, but so far I am very pleased with this upgrade. I applied a profile for this panel and the colors look better and of course the 120hz is just fantastic. The process wasnt too bad at all. Plenty of videos on how to do it on Youtube etc. Just gotta take your time and be patient with the double sided tape etc.

 

Auto fan is your problem right there. It is going to base the fan speed and usage on temperatures. Have you noticed the fan being quieter or being used less?

 

Well done!

 

Here are some pics of my swap over to the B156HAN04.2.
Removing bezel...

New display installed -

One issue that I realized just a few minutes ago is that I can no longer adjust the screen brightness. It is stuck at 100%. Not sure if anyone else has run into this and knows a fix. I am going to try a few things and see if I can get it working.

 

Keep us posted as im planning on doing the exact same thing!!!

 

Will do. Though I am wondering if @barredout is having the same issue after his swap.

 

Ok now I'm even more confused. I was about to buy the N156HHE-GA1 but then some used the AUO B156HAN04.2. Does anyone know which is the best? And how are they in terms of clarity compared to an IPS Glossy 60Hz screen?

@ir1 have you fixed the problem? Could it be an MSI Driver issue?

 

I have not fixed it yet. I have been researching the issue and it is not that uncommon. It occurs with other laptops from other manufacturers. It appears that the BIOS has a whitelist for certain panels. A different panel should work, but you will lose screen brightness controls because the EDID of the screen is not on the whitelist. So your options is so flash a new EDID on the display, which can be done but isnt always easy. Most panels lock that out. Your other options would be to find a way to either remove the whitelist restriction or add the display to the BIOS whitelist. Right now I am exploring the BIOS modification track. I will update as soon as possible. If you want to go 120hz you might want to go for the same panel that MSI is using in the 120hz model of the GS63VR, the 7RG, details here: https://www.notebookcheck.net/MSI-G...070-Max-Q-Full-HD-Laptop-Review.267802.0.html. But the 120hz panel in the 7RG is the Chi Mei N156HHE-GA1 that you were looking to swap to. So if you do that you might be ok.

Clarity on the AUO screen is ok, not as good as a glossy but acceptable.

 

I just saw a video of the new gs65...I believe they finally addressed most if not all the shortcomings of the gs series...better battery, smaller footprint...and we finally get back what appears to be a decent set of speakers as the gs60 had,also the new cpus plus the max q Gpus might lead to better thermals and better performance, the question is will the jump be worth it....anyone have any news on when it will be available? Depending on pricing I might skip the 120hz upgrade unless I can get a panel I won’t have brightness adjustment issues with....

 

About the new baby I opened a thread here http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...th-thin-owners-and-discussions-lounge.815198/
Consider that today MSI announced the same update even for the GS63 series, with the 8th generation carrying Coffee Lake and updated cooling pipelines.

 

So they will still be making the Gs63?

 

Yes, they just announced the GS63 8RD/RE/RF series (that is an updated version of the GS63 7th series that brings Coffee Lake and some changes like Dynaudio and more efficient pipelines as stated by the official webpage...!
For example https://it.msi.com/Laptop/GS63-Stealth-8RE

 

THat sounds about right hope the bigger battery makes the trip

 

No, the battery seems to be the same of 7th series

 

Okay so can anyone help me out here?
Its been about 7-8 months since i got the skylake version of this laptop. I did a -150mv undervolt and everything was running really well so far. No overheating in games. Smooth performance across the board.
Well it has been a week since i've been experiencing throttling a lot! The laptop overheats from playing the lightest of games like Fifa. When i check HWinfo, the CPU has temps over 90 and the GPU is around the 80s. I've checked everything, double checked it. Opened the laptop, got rid of all the debris. Still hasn't solved the problem.
Any suggestions?

 

I've been waiting to ask this, so here goes. Does anyone know if the per-key RGB keyboard will work in our older laptops? I'm sure there are no keyboards available yet, but I want to do this mod at some point.

Thanks.

 

From what ive read and seen fomr dissasembling itd be real hard to swap em

 

how are hinges on gs63, solid ?

Do you know where in Canada we can still find a good deal on a gs63vr with gtx 1060 and 256 gig ssd ?

 

The hinges seem fairly solid. Overall build quality is just ok on the MSI notebooks, but the hinges seem sturdy and reliable. Are you looking for new or used? I can tell you I got a great deal on Craigslist on a bairly used GS63VR 6rf, but ymmv. In Canada your Craigslist is basically Kajiji right?