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

Thanks! The issue I had with the bezel was that there was some kind of black substance leaking onto it from the screen, or the matrix which MSI stated. It was very odd. I have had a look but I wanted to find out if this laptop had any hard cases, such as ones that snap on to the lid and the base. Cheers

 

It's a pretty involved process. Something you should plan on upgrading everything at once and possibly repasting while you're there.

 

Oh man
It looks like a real pain, not that it can't be done but takes time and patience... I guess my 500GB crucial MX200 will just have to wait a little while longer to find a new home.
Sort of sucks since I got it for less than $150 a little while ago on sale.

 

Dang, I wish I would have seen that sale. Who had it at that price?

 

Newegg was running a special a while back used a promo code and coupon ,got it for a steal .

 

It's a very doable upgrade if you are comfortable with laptop assembly. I tore down my original GS60 a couple of times and have installed an additional M.2 SSD in my current GS60. Nothing difficult, just the usual keep track of screw size/location and be gentle with the cable connections, but take your time.

I repasted my old GS60 (860m model), but haven't bothered with my 970m version yet despite being inside installing the M.2 SSD.... temps just aren't an issue. MSI has repeatedly said that opening laptop is ok so long as you don't damage anything while doing so.

Would of course be simpler if it wasn't on the topside of motherboard ha! But, there's a price we pay for such a compact, lightweight, powerful design and this is one of them. On the positive side, accessing the HDD slot to swap in a SSD there is very simple, only needing to remove the bottom panel.

 

Hi my bench GS60

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/9963794

 

It requires you to remove the bottom panel cover, and main board in order to reach the other side to insert the drive, see below image.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/attachments/chassis-open-jpg.118602/

 

Thinking to pick this laptop up from Amazon for $1700. I have a MacBook Pro 13" 2014 and a Dell XPS 13. Looking for something that can handle gaming at 1080p and mid-high settings. The Gigabyte P35X v3 kind of caught my eye as well, though I'm not sure about buying a Gigabyte because I'm unfamiliar with the brand. The 980m over the 970m is very tempting though. I thought about the Razer Blade but am worried about the heat issues it seems to have. Is the Ghost Pro 606 better with it's heat management? I'd honestly stick with the MacBook line if they weren't such a poor choice for gaming. Everything else about my MacBook is perfect. Even the 15" retina pro refresh has a very weak graphics card in comparison to the 970m and the Mac gaming library pales in comparison to Windows. Not to mention its $2,5oo price tag.

Any advice for someone who is very much on the fence at the moment? Looking for something that's no more than five pounds (closer to 4 would be better) and has at least a 970m, if not a 980m. Only want a 1080p screen, as that's all that seems practical. How is the screen on this machine by the way?

 

See my response in the other GS60 thread, saw it before this one

 

So I'm looking to upgrade to the gs60 ghost pro-64 with 6GB vram, but I had a couple questions:

1) I'm not the type to want to upgrade to the latest hardware as soon as it comes out, what I'm really looking for is a laptop that's fairly future proof and that will last me a long time. How do MSI laptops hold out in the long run?

2) I think that $1699 on amazon for these specs as well as what seems to be high customer satisfaction is a pretty good price, but I'm also obviously looking for the best deal. Are there any deals or sales coming up in the next 3-4 months I should be looking out for, or any sites that give better prices?

3) The other laptop I've been considering is the Gigabyte P35W v3 which has roughly the same specs minus the SSD and 8 gb of RAM but appears to be upgradable. It also costs $200 less but seems to be built more poorly and has less customer satisfaction. Does anyone have any experience with Gigabyte that would make them lead towards or away from them?

Sorry if some of these have already been answered or if this is the wrong forum for this, I'm new here!

 

1. As long as you are getting the latest hardware the market currently offers then expected shelf life is about 2~3 years before it becomes outdated. In this case, the machine is the latest.
2. Whenever a newer version of HW update, or holiday season comes then price drop may occur to clear the existing stocks.
3. Regarding this matter, you are on the right track and you are looking for more opinions from owners. Check more reviews as they will help you to make this purchasing decision more accurately.

 

A little update to the problem:
It actually takes place occasionally and it is not involved only with switching the screens. Sometimes when screen turns off after 10 minutes, that i set up in settings, it won´t come back and stays black. Today, for example, i lost the laptops screen and only external display was recognized by computer. Solution is usually still the same- restart by force. I have noticed, that machine is also frequently switching graphics units at idle (power button goes blue-red-blue). Is it normal? Either way, it seems, that it has something to do with the graphics. I downloaded and installed Intel HD 4600 graphics driver directly from Intel website. Let´s see, will it fix the issue.

Any kind of advice would be useful. Sending it to the manufacturer, i would leave as the critical alternative, because i need it for work every day.

 

Wish I could help with your problem but I'm at a loss. Does it happen when your external screen is not attached? You said the display is still on your other monitor, so can you still move applications to it and use it? Maybe try keeping the screen resolution settings on that monitor so you can troubleshoot more when it happens again. Then try disabling dual screen and re-enabling it or maybe changing some other settings. You could also leave Nvidia control panel open on that screen. If you have third party monitor apps installed, try removing those as well.

As for your power button changing colors, mine does that all the time when the GPU is disabled. Even idle, I'll see it flicker occasionally. I'm sure it's probably normal.

 

Thanks for the answer.
Problem has occured in time, when 2nd monitor is attached and also without it. Seems like, it doesn´t matter, are there 1 or 2 displays.
About flickering, when power button gets red, i can hear another fan coming up after couple of secs. It should mean, that NVIDIA GPU will start operating.
For me, it seems like, that there are problems with Intel CPU, which cannot operate continuously. It would sound unrealistic, but maybe some of the solderings has no connections or something.
Driver from Intel website didn´t solve the problem.
I will contact the reseller. One thing is sure- i will not give up of GS60 Ghost Pro, because it is still the best choice by looking lightweight and powerful laptop.
Lets´s see. I will let to know...

 

Just registered to let you know that I also suffer from this same problem, screen turns black at seemingly random times. I can press the computer to sleep and again on from the power button. When I do this, the screen will start for some time. And turn black again shortly after. Sometimes I see clear flickering (same as ), sometimes it just stays black.

I must say that I am very disappointed at the quality of this premium priced machine. Plastic parts (display bezel) have clear gaps on my machine from day 1, looks like the bezel is broken, and in addition, this screen problem. I have had the computer for some time now, but haven't paid much attention to it because I usually use an external display. Now that I need the laptop's own panel, it continuously fails me.

I will propably RMA as soon as possible. Unfortunately I need the computer for my work.

 

Dudes, call MSI help number. They are quick and to the point. All of their driver menus are 12 layers deep online or seems that way, so you have to call help for every driver update until you catch on (10 total drivers in order). I had a little flickering because when I loaded Win 7, it said my video driver is outdated. I mistakenly loaded the incorrect driver up. You HAVE to load, IN ORDER, FROM THE MSI SITE ONLY(!!), (they give priority driver load-order on the driver website): 1) processor driver, 2) Intel vga driver, 3) NVidia vga driver, ... in exact order: with the video drivers the most important and complicated partly because it is 2 of them and where the leading technology is at! I did not do all, as one help guy said to do ALL in order to be sure. Mine improved mostly with just Intel vga driver, and then Nvidia vga driver. It barely flicks noticeably, but although I did it good enough to 'almost' be perfect, I did not do it exactly. It is a waste of time, but what the hell isn't - welcome to IT. So I am 95% confident it's all in the drivers (for me and you at least most of the problem), since they are very high powered, has 2 video drivers (and I also have ssd raid o, if that makes a difference, with a ssd hard-drive too).

If it isn't, the personnel at MSI and my vendor who sold it to me, I feel are the best technical people there are (except 1 of 6 techs that I talked to who I couldn't understand and another who had a repeater on where I kept hearing what I was saying with a 2 second delay.) Regardless, MS management who you will interface with are top dogs who are friendly not because they have to. be - they seem like genuine people.

If you don't have a custom builder, that's a bummer, but ALL you have to do is get the technical number and you are home free m-f, 6a - 6p, PT. You may have to call a couple of times, but it's no wait (like Dell, lol) and no big deal. My system rocks, but I paid for it. HOWEVER, for store-bought NOT from a custom vendor, NO DRIVERS "were said" to be updated from one or two of the help support, and video drivers esp. updates are important. Who knows, but mine was video drivers (2) for 98% of my flicker from mistakenly loading ONE video driver when prompted by Win 7. If it is like the help told me, NO drivers were updated, but GenTechPC already said all mine were updated (they took a while getting it to me, but everything loaded up.) If yours is store bought and not custom built, you are getting a killer deal I bet. It may take all day loading drivers, but you can be doing something else productive while you do it.

MSI also has the best online tech help that is honest all day long, and will respond to get your problem fixed. But get it done m-f, 6a-6p PT. Good luck, and if you discover any pointers, pass it on!

 

Hello.
Trying to find a GS60 2QE version with 1080p screen and 970m in Germany but still no success.
Anybody here, in Germany, managed to find one?
I don''t like 3k or 4k resolution options, i heard there will be some glitches\scaling problems, faster battery drain and etc.
Found the version i need, but its Netherland\Belgium shop =(

http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/435148/msi-gs60-2qe-230nl-(ghost-pro)/specificaties/

 

Hi everyone, I recently got a MSI GS70 with 970m. It runs perfectly but some games (Battlefield 4, Witcher 3, Mortal Kombat X) give me a weird ghosting effect whenever I jerk or move the camera quickly. I tried plugging in an external monitor and it's still doing it. Oddly enough when I tried screen capturing it doesn't show.

I tried asking Nvidia and MSI and both of them proved fruitless. If someone can give me an idea and how to fix it that would be great!

 

It's probably a video setting then. If it's happening on an external screen too, that narrows it down to hardware and software settings. Are you comparing this against a desktop?

 

Yes, I have a desktop PC with a GTX 980. No issues there.

Could I fix it using the Nvidia control panel?

 

Try turning some of the settings down and see if it helps. Also, are you monitoring your framerates? It helps to get framerates at 60fps and test from there. I was hoping you had a slower desktop to rule out it being performance related but that card is about 2x faster than the 970m. This could also be driver related

 

I currently have an Asus UX51VZ and am hesitating between buying the UX501 and the MSI GS 60 Ghost. Leaning towards this model at XoticPC, but worried about battery life:

15.6" FHD Matte
Intel® i7-5700HQ
NVIDIA® GTX 970M [3GB]
Up to 16GB RAM
128GB M.2 SSD + 1TB Samsung 850 Evo SSD (they replace the HDD)

$2068

Does this look good to you guys? What sort of battery life can I expect on this when doing office tasks (I would plug in to game)?

 

Roughly 2 hours, maximum 3.

 

I'm currently testing the 4k version of that right now. I also have a 3k Haswell which I own to test side by side. My battery test yesterday was awful so I'm going to redo it again today. I have a feeling the 4k screen is a hog. I only got 2 hours and 17 minutes running a 720p video in a continuous loop as opposed to the near 3 hours I get with the Haswell version. HWmonitor shows much lower core voltages than the Haswell version and the TDPdown of the Broadwell is a 20% drop from the 47W Haswell, so theoretically these Broadwell machines should get 3.5 hours with my test. That would also apply to your office use, as I typically get 2.5 hours of office use on a charge, so the Broadwell should get 3ish hours.

 

Hi folks,

I'm shopping and researching gaming laptops and so far I love what I've seen about the Ghost Pro. I had it narrowed down to the Gigabyte P35X or the Ghost but I'm wondering about the 4K screen. Is the tearing really that bad? I've looked at some review videos and tried to see what commenters point to as tearing but I fail to see it. Am I missing something or is it an OCD thing for some gamers? I DO plan on gaming and I figure this should keep me in at least 1080p high detail 30+fps gravy for a few years. If the tearing is that bad I'll grab the 1080 model but I confess I was looking forward to 4K videos and streaming when it became available.

I also like the Ghost over the P35X because reviews say it runs a lot cooler and I've been burned by bad cooling systems before, so I worried the Gigabyte would not last as long without cooling pads and re-pasting. The less futzing around I have to do, the better. The snazzy chassis helps too ...

 

I would go with the 1080p model. I have the 4k model right now and I'm not too impressed with the screen. The tearing isn't an issue for me yet, but you will experience it at 4k for sure on some games just because they weren't designed for it. Modern games that are designed for it will run poorly because the 970M isn't enough. So it's kind of pointless to get the 4k screen for gaming purposes. On top of that the panel is 48Hz, so even at 1080p resolution you'll be limited to 48fps. The yellows are also darker and murky compared to the 3k and 1080p screens.

You're probably right on the cooling issue. I really like the concept of having a 980M in such a thin laptop but not at the sacrifice of being forced to use a cooler. One awesome feature of the GS60 is that there are no intakes underneath. So a cooler only helps keep your lap cool and you could pretty much replace it with a book or tv tray. I mainly game with nothing and it's been fine for me for the most part. I seriously doubt the P35X could do that long term. After testing the Aorus, I'm also not a huge Gigabyte fan. Their thought process on that one was just off to me.

It's really a shame they discontinued the 3k screens on the GS60. I have a 3k Haswell version and have loved it since I bought it. The screen is phenomenal and there are many games I can play at 3k with no bugs or lag. If I keep this Broadwell version, I'm considering just swapping the screens and selling the Haswell version with the 4k screen.

 

Oh I was definitely gonna use a tray or little table of some sort for this puppy. I did consider the Aorus but I'm not sure how long a SLI laptop that thin could last heat-wise. Like I said, I got burned once before by inadequate cooling when my PC was fried. This was before I understood such things. I have a feeling I'd be replacing a burned out X7 in two years and I'm kinda hoping the Ghost will take me a good 3-5 if I grab it.

Also, will the 970M be good for that length of time in 1080P?

 

3-5 years is a LONG time hardware wise, 3 years certainly, 4 and 5 maybe with some significant detail reductions on the latest titles.

 

970M is good enough for 1080P.
Please note that a lot of manufacturers are moving into 4K area. There are lots of signs that we are going to have even more changes/evolution down the line of time on monitors, graphics cards, and game titles.

 

Of course. I fully expect to ratchet details down as time goes on. I'm more concerned with the machine itself still turning on five years down the road.

 

It will do better than the other thin laptops that operate at silly high temps that's for sure.

 

Yesterday i got my "honey" back. They found an error in LCD cable, that they also changed. Now, there has been no display errors

But it seems like, that the nature doesn´t like the "empty" places. I´m sitting on another problem. After getting back the machine i figured, that the internal mic was not working. Also Realtek Audio Manager didn´t open by clicking on it. Sound blaster cinema 2 says: The current selected audio device is disabled, not present, not supported by the application... Device manager says, that drivers are working as they should.
After calling the RMA place, they suggested to reinstall windows completely and check after that. Now, after doing that, there is still no mic and no Realtek Audio Manager. Not even after reinstalling correct audio driver from MSI webpage. Can it be, that they just missed something with the soundcard, by putting the machine back together? Before sending the machine back again (it makes me mad already), i hoped, if i could get any help from here...

 

sounds like it. It's pretty easy to see if one of the cables is disconnected as long as you're comfortable opening it up yourself.

 

OK, the almighty warranty sticker holds me back by doing it Is it possible to get any picture of the internal view of those cables?

 

yeah, I'll post one later. On my phone right now and no computer nearby

 

There is one thing i just don´t get in this case. Computer has still sound (but no mic). If there is something missed or unplugged with the soundcard, how is it possible?

 

The Mic is plugged into the motherboard. The speakers are too but it's a different connection. Same with the headphone jack

 

OK, for concl. there can be some open wire and because of that, Realtek audio driver still can be installed and is working properly, but without hardware?? And that´s why also Realtek audio manager will not appear, because, there is nothing to manage??

 

The driver was already installed so it will show up that way but since there is possibly nothing connected. Here's a wiring picture. The red circle at the bottom is the speakers themselves. The blue box is a ribbon cable under the battery. The red circle on the right probably has something to do with the audio as well, but I'm not sure what. The blue circle is likely the extension to the microphone or to the rear speakers. Either way, they all need to be connected along with the many ribbon cables you see all around. Also check the small ribbon cable at the top. That could be the webcam but there's a good chance there is a usb extension that goes into the screen and merely just splits into the microphone and the webcam. Honestly I haven't checked the hardware settings enough to know for sure.

If you're afraid of the sticker, just consult MSI support. They will tell you if it's a bad idea to break it or not. I've heard that removing the sticker doesn't void the warranty if you're not breaking anything. If you get it in writing that you can break it just to investigate then you should be covered. Good luck.

 

I thought I'd refer you to my thread regarding Realtek audio issues with a GS60 -064 model... http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/volume-too-low-on-gs60-2qe-970m-6gb.777903/ So far I've found no solution to these issues but they began after updating to the latest BiOS and EC for this model. Did they update those to the new versions when you used the RMA process? My pet theory is that the new firmware somehow caused these audio device driver problems. I have all the same symptoms as yours, including the Realtek Audio Manager failing to launch properly. MSI tech support also suggested a re-install of windows / system restore to resolve the issue but I think that's a bit of an extreme measure. Let me know if you find some resolution.

 

According to RMA, they are not up to manage updates or other software changes, as long as it is not necessary for hardware repair or replacement or something. Thanks Xentar for the pic. I think, i still let RMA people to solve that issue. I'll let know about results.

 

My CPU fan just started rattling after only ~6 months of usage... I'm in Thailand at the moment, while I bought the laptop in Poland, so I'm not sure how much luck I'll have with getting my warranty honoured by the local MSI service centre.

I was looking around for replacement fans online but it seems like the GS60 ones are prohibitebly expensive. Up to almost $100 on Ebay and only marginally cheaper on AliExpress.

What pisses me off a bit is that fans for the GE60 (marked using the same model number, i.e. the same fan, but a slightly different casing) sell for $16!!! Is it me or are people jacking up the price because the GS60 is a 'premium' model??

Anyway, any suggestions on a cheap replacement? I'm quite handy with a soldering iron, and have access to 3D printing, laser cutting and metal working facilities. Anyone done a DIY fan fix yet, such as finding a compatible fan and replacing it in the existing chassis or making a new chassis?

Otherwise, any suggestions for a cheaper source of replacement fans?

Any advice highly appreciated.

 

Not on this machine, but I've done it. The rattling is probably a blade hitting either part of the laptop, a wire or part of the fan housing. The first two can be fixed just by opening ind intestigating. The 3rd might require a full replacement or some help from your 3d printer. I take it you haven't opened up to look yet? If you're handy with all that stuff, a DIY repair is certainly possible, but keep in mind the GS60 is pretty backwards when it comes to dis-assembly and will require taking the whole motherboard out to get the fan access you probably need. In your shoes, I'd exhaust all warranty opportunities first. Also, don't be afraid to ask MSI for a quote on the fan. They might have something cheaper. I seriously doubt it costs them that much money.

 

MSI probably has a service center in Thailand, but double check with them to find out whether they provide warranty service for notebook products or not.
http://th.msi.com/about/contact-us

There's one-year global warranty for all NB products unless otherwise stated.

As for the issue goes, the CPU fan's propeller could have been hitting its housing thus causing the grinding noise. Check and make sure it's not too tight, however if it's severe then the fan is bad which needs to be replaced completely.

 

I'm not sure if this is related to my Windows 7 install or not, but the Sound Blaster 2 software seems to provide a tutorial EVERY time the computer is on. Now needing to change modes often, this is a little annoying. Anyone know how to prevent it? My Google-fu proved fruitless.

On another note, hotkeys for it or anything? How frustrating.

 

Have you looked into SBC2 software's menu settings to find if there's any option you can click on to disable the tutorial?

 

Thanks Xentar712, Kevin. I've dropped the Thai MSI guys an e-mail and we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, has anyone seen any docs with the exact dimensions of the fan chassis, and more importantly, the interior fan element? I don't want to destroy my warranty stickers before I get an answer from MSI, but I'm thinking maybe I could find a compatible fan without the chassis so I could order it just in case I need to do a DIY repair.

I'm thinking I could CNC route a chassis from two pieces of aluminium for the top and bottom. Or potentially cut flat top and bottom plates from a thinner material and 3D print the spacers and attachment points.

 

They don't enforce warranty sticker, and you can just find the part number printed on the sticker located on the housing itself.

 

Yeah, unfortunately there's only one to show the tutorial haha.

I'm hoping that perhaps someone has found a registry setting or something. I guess I'll keep poking around myself.

Thanks