***The MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 970M Owner's Lounge***

Actually, the light will remain blue even when using an external monitor (unlike my GT60, which did turn orange whenever an external monitor was attached).

Like Meaker said, it sounds like something is using the Nvidia GPU. Follow his steps using the Nvidia GPU Activity tool and it should tell you what program is doing so. During bootup, the light will change color multiple times.

 

Well, reporting in, added a Samsung 850 EVO M.2 SSD today for additional storage. Install went smoothly, kept factory M.2 drive and just added this to the second empty slot. You will need a M2x3 screw as one is not provided on the motherboard and Samsung does not provide one. Simple initialization in Windows Disk Manager and left 50GB for over provision.

Seems games are getting huge these days, 35-60GB are the last couple I downloaded, and no telling where Star Citizen ends up ha... glad this design has plenty of room for storage options!

 

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I too plan on doing the exact same thing. Only with the additional step of moving system files to the new one. (250gb)

 

Just make sure to be careful if moving OS from a standard hdd to ssd to ensure alignment.

 

If you are going to have 2x SSD, have you considered making a RAID-0 array instead?
If yes, then backup the data onto an external storage first before creating the array.

 

Yeah I thought of it, but to be honest, the gains are not worth the head ache, plus the cons . Like loosing the extra space.

 

Cool, it's a straight forward install, just take your time with the little clips on the case and all the cable connectors. I'd have put the OS on the new SSD as well, but I had already swapped the HDD for a SSD and did a clean install of the OS on it at that time... between work files and these huge games these days, can't seem to have enough storage ha

 

According to the tests by notebookcheck and the statement of msi (mail and call) it would be no problem to clean the fans after removing the bottom.
But now I saw the official msiforum gs60 disassemble tutorial
msi-forum.de/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=105916 and it is easy to see that mainboard and fans can only be lifted out together. Did anybody clean the fans by himself and verified how to remove them? It's also visible at the end that the fans and the cooler aren't separated so you couldn't get into it to reach the zone where the dust settles.
Furthermore could it be sufficient to unplug the fan cables + fixing the blades and then draw out the dust with a hoover through the cooler rips from the outside if I would do that every month so not too much sticky dust could collect there?

 

I've cleaned my lappie with a hoover equipped with a nozzle made of a drinking straw and some duct tape. With additional help of a tiny brush the result is quite good.

 

I want to connect my msi gs60 ghost pro to an external monitor. And I don't know if it can really handle the resolution of 3440 x 1440p at 60hz. And how many hz I would get at 3840x2160. Could someone help me. Thanks

 

Yes it will, easy.

 

Well I guess I'm just not a fan of built in Webcams. None that I've ever owned have been worth a gosh-darn and suffer from really poor performance in anything but the best lighting conditions. I have used the GS60 webcam on a couple of occasions since my last post, with Skype and to take quick pics for socializing and I am prepared to give it a "better then most built-ins" title, which is high praise coming from me. LOL

The onboard sound is good quality IMO... my problem with it is that I just can't turn it up loud enough. IDK why it bothers me so much but I always seem to notice it when I'm actually trying to listen to the sound. Usually I'm in World of Warcraft with the sound turned down to minimum volume and talking to my wife or watching TV. But when I'm actually trying to concentrate on the sound with the volume all the way up, any little bit of background noise seems to drown out the speakers.

 

Just came back to update on the GS60 2QE.

This is the most expensive laptop or computer I've ever paid for myself. I was nervous about such a large $ purchase. But I can say without a doubt that even though my unit has memory problems, it was worth the coin. It is just blazing fast for all my needs... video editing, creative cloud suite, World of Warcraft, streaming movies... This machine eats all that up.

This model supports 4k but I lowered my screen resolution to 1080p because universal support for 4k is limited ATM. Windows 10 is right around the corner and I've read that Microsoft support for 4k is vastly improved, so I will be trying native again when that rolls out.

Battery life for me when gaming is just maybe 2 hours or so. Thats on WoW which is not a very demanding game graphically I don't think. But my GS70 is set for High Performance 24/7, I don't buy into the power saving speel... I mean why buy a Ferrari if your going to do the speed limit? Still, I rarely play away from an outlet since I have them all over my house. It's sort of a contradiction to have such a portable machine and still need to carry the power adapter around when I'm out if I want to game at a coffee shop or a friends house. But it is what it is... at least you get an ultra portable, light and comfy laptop. Even the GT70 Dominator runs out of battery sooner then you would like.

*** NEWEGG RANT, SKIP DOWN TO AVOID THIS SECTION ***
I've read some not so good things about defective units in various forums. Unfortunately, I also received a defective unit with what I THINK is a bad memory module. I did RMA it to Newegg, who kept it for 5 weeks, and never fixed it. They wanted my login password. I told them I would not give them my password, but they could wipe the system and re-install the OS and do whatever they needed because I didn't have any data on the system that needed saving. I called every few days to check up on the progress, and every time I called there was ZERO progress and they always said they needed my login password to proceed. In Neweggs own ToS it states that if they cannot access the OS for one reason or another, they will return the laptop to the customer. Well they dragged their feet for 5 weeks, finally I demanded they return it to me so I could wipe the system myself and then re-send it to them.

What gets me is that any Tech worth their salt knows how to wipe the system without a login password. It's fairly straight forward and Microsoft provides tools to let you do that right at bootup before Windows loads. But of course, part of the problem with bad RAM is that it will crash OS installs... I believe they could not refresh or install a new copy of Windows because of that. That is what was happening to me.... I tried to refresh the OS when the Blue Screen errors started to occur and it got stuck in a loop. I was able to get it working eventually. But then I tried to refresh again later on and it again got stuck in a loop. I sent it in to Newegg in that condition so they could see that there was a problem.

When they finally returned it to me, it was still stuck in a loop, in the same condition that I sent it to them in. I don't even think they really tried to understand my problem or even look at the machine. I had just opened a Newegg Credit Line, and I can promise you I will never again buy something as high dollar as a laptop or TV from Newegg. It really proved a point that I had held for many years... Don't buy high dollar electronics from an online store. There is just NO support from any of these online providers when something goes wrong. At least if I order it through Best Buy, I have a guarantee for 30-60-90 days and they will handle all defects without any complaint. I had just bought a new TV from Best Buy a couple of months before and after 2 weeks it overheated or something and just would not turn on anymore. I took it back to Best Buy (NO BOX, just a receipt) and it was replaced on the spot... not even a restocking fee.
*** END NEWEGG RANT ***

So anyway, I still have the memory problems. Once every couple of days, sometimes more often, it will Blue Screen on me. Chrome tabs will crash daily. Programs will exception out with some type of error. I do plan to send it into MSI shortly to be fixed... I just hate to be without this beauty for to long. And lord knows its going to be awhile if I send it to MSI. :/

I had thought about doing the repairs myself. There are some videos on Youtube with how to open the GS60 and replace ram and SSD. My only concern is what if new RAM does not fix the issue? Then I've voided my warranty and cant send it back to MSI right?

Decisions, decisions.

 

A question about the drives in the GS70... in my bios it shows 3 SATA slots available... two taken by the existing 128GB SSD and 1TB HD, but the third is empty. Is there really space in there for a second SSD? Anyone done it yet?

 

Yes for another msata ssd.

 

Yes and it's a full speed SATA III port, so it's pretty flexible.

 

Yes, just on the last page of this thread I posted about adding a second M.2 SSD.... I'm running the stock 128GB, an additional 500GB SSD, and a 1GB SSD in the HDD spot. Tons of storage options in this thing.

 

Greetings,

I once had a MSI I liked in a Power Pro model, but the plastic hinges kept falling out every year or so... the lifetime support quickly dropped to one set of hinges only.
Therefore my first question:

1. Is the casing of the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro-064 all aluminum?
2. Does running RAID 0 make the pc more fragile, as a mobile laptop?

That's pretty good for starters, but if anyone knows if China now owns all Taiwanese companies since they took over Taiwan, that would be interesting too: although there are no other alternatives, so... still it would be interesting information to factor in.


TIA!

 

hey all. new owner here. i wanted to update the EC Firmware on my gs60. i was wondering what the procedure was. i know to open the winflash and select shutdown. but after that i dont know when to push the pinhole reset button...for how long to push it for...and to be certain that i did everything properly. can anyone help me out on this matter?

 

I just updated mine today. I started the .exe file, clicked Shutdown and then Start. It asked me if I wanted to update the EC, I said YES and it updated and shut down my laptop. You need to take the power plug out when it shuts down and leave it off about 1 minute. Then turn it back on and check the BIOS (press DEL when the MSI loaded shows up) to make sure it shows the current EC version.

If you don't unplug the power and let it sit powered off for a minute, the batter/charging light will blink orange... and it will immediatly shut off next time the power cord is removed, even if you have a fully charged battery and are in the middle of Windows doing something. <<<-------

 

I'm having trouble updating to the new Jan 2015 Bios. I downloaded the bin file and put it in a folder on the C: drive. But when I am in the BIOS and I select the bin file, it says "File size is wrong" "Please choose again"

I tried downloading the bios file several times, always the same error msg.

Pic of the file I'm working with... location is right of C:

 

so no need to push the pinhole button next to the ethernet port?

 

Wow, I did not even know there was a pinhole there until you told me. LOL - I did not need to push it.

 

Yes, once it powers down after update, unplug charger and then push the pin hole button. You do this since the battery is not easily unpluggable. Then plug charger back in and power up normally.

 

Hey guys. Just did something really cool. Removed the offending RAM myself!

I was pretty apprehensive because of the slim chassis design. But I watched a Youtube video and thought it wasn't so bad. Turns out it wasn't so bad! The worst and most time consuming part was not realizing there was a screw I missed that was holding the MB/Fan down to the case... when I couldnt get the MB to come loose, I spent 20 minutes hunting the screw in question which was sort of hidden in a "black" spot, by a black wire, under a black piece of tape.

There is a lot of different tape in here... clear tape, black tape... I think the black tape has to do with heat dampening? Not sure. There is a ton of it on the MB. I wish I had taken a picture.

The Wireless Card antenna wires are chintzy as all get out... Mine came loose by itself as soon as I removed the screw that holds the card down. At first I thought it had snapped/broke but then I realized it is just a super tiny micro connector that snaps back on. NOTE TO SELF: Add magnifying glass to tool kit.

It is still early, I just got done with it, so I'm keeping an eye on it. But I think I got lucky and removed the bad RAM on the first try. As soon as I got Win7 back up, I ran MDSCHED and it detected ZERO problems! Great!

Only SERIOUS problem after all that was a battery issue. When Windows 7 came back on my Battery Icon was saying "Plugged in, not charging". According to Google this is a pretty common problem. But it did take a few tries to get it corrected. I tried doing what a lot of people recommended which is to go in the Device Manager and delete the Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery entry. That just did not work no matter how I sliced it. (Even the more complex removing the battery method did not work for me.) Basically what I had to do was goto MSI website and download the Battery Calibration Tool. It solved my problem straight away and now its all working perfectly.

We will see if removing the RAM solves my Chrome crashes, MEMORY_MANAGEMENT BSODs, program crashes, etc.

 

BTW can't see a practical difference right now between 8Gb and 16Gb... Plan to go back to 16 once I get new RAM, probably put in that SSD I was talking about at the same time.

 

Meaker,

I want the coolest most reliable video card and pc. For the GS60, which one will run the coolest and most reliable? I thought the 6gb version might help for some reason, but maybe it will just get it hotter. Except for the 4k screen which I don't want, there are 3 models (PRO-064, -044, -265: 6gb, 3gb, 2gb video), within a hundred dollars on PowerNotebooks site. Can you compare the differences between those 3 models and which would be the coolest and most reliable? Other than card difference, maybe the 6gb has a little better resolution screen: but I don't know so I am asking you.

I plan on using one or two asus modular 15.6 monitors w/covers on the road w/usb3 power. (running off of 16gb ram I assume)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H0FK2A6/ref=psdc_1292115011_t2_B00FE690DI

Or at home, using one or two cheap 24" lcd monitors (running off of video card I assume.) I don't know how those would attach yet.

Any information and suggestions would be appreciated.

 

"Plugged in, not charging" is a designed feature to help preserve the lifetime of the battery... it's bad for battery health to keep a battery charged at 100%, so newer computers (pretty much anything from the last few years or longer) will cycle the battery a bit. On these MSI's, it will fluctuate down from 100-90% without actually charging the battery; mine for example right now says "90% available (plugged in, not charging).

Unless yours was doing this with battery percentage significantly lower, nothing was wrong and all is working properly.

 

Regarding "Plugged in, not charging" issue.
https://service.msicomputer.com/msi_user/support/TechFAQdetail.aspx?formid=2872

BSOD issue is related to something else, have you updated BIOS/EC and Intel/Nvidia drivers to the newest versions?

 

I wouldn't alter that attribute of the accu-charging-circuit which prevents the accu from useless wastage while the nb is used with power supply. But I think and hope the nb changes to power supply and turns the accu charging completely off as soon as it's fully charged cause it would be senseless to do that at 99% but not at 100%. I still don't understand the method of operating there because it seems to work erratically.
Sometimes the capacity goes down to 95% before it will continue charging and sometimes 100-99% is needed. Btw if I raise the brightness from the third highest level to the second the luminance will decrease and from the second up to the highest it'll set to the third-highest again. I think I have to update the intel-gpu driver or something like that but I don't want to change critical system files like bios or ec-firmware.
Is there a possibility to lift up the top-cover of the fan-case or is it clipped at the sides that you have to bend it for that?

 

Might be a silly question, but would retailers install a new processor if I asked? For example, to upgrade the i7-4710HQ to a 4720HQ. Or is that not worth it?

 

I know for a fact mine was in the low 90s... 93% is the last I saw it at while still displaying "Plugged in, not charging."
I'm willing to grant that this is a "feature" to preserve battery life, if I had known it before I would of let it drain a little more to see if it kicked in at 90%. What I can say for certain is that at 93% it was displaying that message when I hovered over the battery icon. I ran the calibration tool and let it go through the motions for a few minutes, when it got to the part about Discharging Battery it was saying it would take 90 minutes. On a hunch, I closed the calibration tool (it wont let you access anything while its running) and viola my battery was charging again.

Idk, I think a BSOD that says MEMORY_MANAGEMENT is a pretty clear sign that it is having trouble reading RAM. Chrome tab crashes another sign. Program crashes with "memory could not be read" errors. IMO that points to a RAM problem. On top of that I used MDSCHED (Built in Win7 tool) and it detected soemthing like 80k errors before I just restarted the computer. I removed the RAM Sunday and have let me computer run non-stop since then... not one blue screen, crashed tab or program exception... no problems what so ever. KNOCK ON WOOD. For my sake, I hope your wrong.

 

We would like to but it is not possible to do. The CPU's can not be upgraded in the GS series.

 

Mine does it all the way down to at least 90%, that link is more generic to MSI's in general rather than our specific machines and firmware. At 93% it is working perfectly normal to say "plugged in, not charging".

 

Quick opinion. Ordered my special gold edition msi gs60 4k with 970m from newegg a month ago. Love the laptop but hate the 48hz and 250nit brightness. Thinking of sending it back (already rma'd it) and get a 3k panel one from Xotic PC. I have read nothing but good things about the 3k panel version with 350 nit brightness and 60hz refresh. Can anyone comment on the display?

As a side note, looked all over for the 3k special edition one they sold in the UK, found one last night on a website and when I called overseas today they sold it. Seriously. They haven't made that laptop since last year and they sold it the day I called to buy it. I can't find another gold 3k special edition one anywhere with a 970m. Love the gold color but will have to move to black for the display........

 

anybody compared the MSI GS60 3k to the GIGABYTE P35Xv3-CF7 (3k matte with 980m)? similar size

 

Have you ran memtest already?
http://www.memtest.org/

 

Howdy Guru's,

Is there anyway to get performance and temperature benchmarks from a reliable source? Or is buy it and try it the only way you can find out? That does not seem fair. For Graphics cards, pc systems, and combinations of each in GS60 product line specifically if anyone has any references.

Aren't there other people out there serious about their investments? It is not really possible this many people can just take chances without any verifications except web authors? But gamers may be rich people who do not care about money or reliable pc's - NOT


Thanks!

 

The best method is to look at user reaction and get your results from multiple places.

 

Are you saying that not having a reference base routed in reality is good for the consumer? How do constant responses from unknown sources and floating truths based on loose interpretations help the consumer base their purchase decisions? Never answering questions directly is a basis for perpetuating ignorance. Any system like this can not be a healthy long term qualitative organization with longterm customer goodwill.

It logically would provoke buyer defense mechanism's limiting sales to companies like Best Buys where you can at least ask an expert face to face with some sort of assurance of your purchase decision. To me, it seems like an elementary error rooted in greed that limits potential revenues for quality organizations with built-in marketplace advantages that are not being properly utilized. Evading the customer only logically can be seen as evading the market place.

A true Win-Win market place with free and open ideas based on truths is a simple way to retain return business and build momentum. It's the Christian ideology in the marketplace as it's strength in integrity and honor. Is that a difficult concept to grasp vs random truths and constant bad purchase decisions there of? Please correct me if I am in error.

 

Just ran MemTest86+... took about 30 minutes... Completed. No Errors.

Why does it keep on running after it tell you its done with no errors and to press Esc to Exit? Is it going in for a deeper scan or something? How long does the full thing take? Maybe I should let it run more scans overnight?

 

vjacket2001, what you received is an honest answer, which is not what you describe. Quite the opposite, it is the best for the consumer: The more information you have on your hands, the better decision you can take. There does not exist a magical laptop that is referenced as the standard GS60, to which all scores are referenced to. Each system will have a % variance and this happens with every single electronic device. Not two CPUs, GPUs etc are exactly identical and some will perform better than others. This does not mean that the performance difference is large enough to make a system seem clearly inferior.

You have owners on this site, plus many other sites and reviews out there, to which you can get an idea how the GS60 performs. Additionally, you can look at the performance of the 970m across different manufacturers. You will find whether some GPUs perform on par, or perhaps differently. But again, the reference is the one you choose to make, there is no gold standard absolute reference out there.

As for performance benchmarks and temperatures from a reliable source: users here are honest, as well as the wealth of resellers that participate here. You just need to keep in mind a couple of details: Ambient temperature will play a key role in how your notebook performs, as well as proper ventilation (ensuring your notebook is not covered in a way that it can't pull enough air), the quality of the silicon of the particularly tested item and the thermal paste that either came from factory or chosen repaste (either personal or from where you choose to buy).

So, in the end, the best method is to gather as much that from actual users, to get an idea of how the machine performs. You can get a delta of highs and lows, to know what to expect.

We are not here trying to sell you a particular product. We are all users here. We test, we bench, we tweak our products. We give opinions and advice on what we do know.

 

Thank you for your time. I was not saying any user feedback was incorrect, but I'd like a stick in the mud anyway with ANY Benchmarks. They will probably be tainted with performance exclusively which correlates with early retirement often.

It would not be too difficult to obtain base performance and cooling tests for dealers. However, although most of the posters here are users, you also have the biggest manufacturers and dealers here in the country and world in custom laptops. It is their business, and no, they are not obligated to help the buyer buy anything from an informed decision. The intangibles sell, and uninformed buyers either buy again or go elsewhere. It is a slippery slope of lost lifetime revenues in exchange for misguided short term profits without information beyond company marketing. I agree no one is making anyone buy anything but the knowledge base is here to provide better information.

MSI, from research and ownership, as well as the dealers who lurk here are coming from a position of strength and they are the best there is. Finding information should not be that difficult: but it is. It is extremely difficult. ANY cooling benchmark information would do.

Thank you.

 

The point was that by per rules, we are not advertising nor pushing hardware to people in this part of the forum. We have an MSI representative that helps with everything he can, and responds to user feedback, but he is not here to sell you any random computer. We are here users helping users the best we can.

What type of cooling benchmark are you looking for? Just to get a rough idea? Most resellers have videos up with benchmark tests where they monitor temps, performance etc. as I mentioned, there is no vacuum figure that is reliable. What information are you concerned with obtaining? For example, product A has a GPU performing at 100% and temps of 80. Product B with the same GPU at 100% has a temp of 75. Both are giving and operating at 100% so neither is better than the other, performancewise, and they are both under the specs temps from the GPU manufacturer. One is simply cooler than the other.

We can help you find info, maybe even Geno can help you obtain specific info, but what exactly are you looking for? Max temps under stress at 20 degrees, while X happening?

 

GS60 unboxing video with stock paste, temperature, benchmarks and noise test :



If this is what you looking for?

 

That's what it does, stress testing CPU/RAM infinitely.
If there are no errors then the integrity is good on your PC.

 

Not sure exactly what you are looking for either, but this is a great review about the laptop from a reliable user here with performance, temps, power draw etc:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...with-gtx-970m-6gb-review-by-htwingnut.765829/

 

Gonna drop this in here two since both models apparently share the same crap Elan touchpad:

Has anyone who actually is an active touchpad user on their machines ( ie actually works a decent amount on their laptop too and doesn't like carrying a mouse around ) figured out a solution? I just can't seem to get anything better than "almost terrible but not horrible" slow movement control on this thing. Anyting done at a slower movement speed on this pad just causes ridiculously dancing of the cursor and a huge drop in any feel of accuracy of my finger movement.

 

I have the exact same issue you describe with my lenovo at work. It can be jarring at times. I hope there is something that can be fixed! Hopefully someone can provide some help or insight.

 

You can check out our video with benchmarks and temps, this is for a 4K version