The Official GT683R/GT683DXR Owner's Lounge

Yes, it does.

 

Have one of these en route to replace my slightly older G73, and I was wondering if you guys could fill in some of the blanks before I actually get my hands on this thing and start working on it. Read as much online as I can, but you know how skewed reviews can be. .

1) Overall build quality:

Reviews either say it has an overall flimsy feel, or it feels solid. Is it one or the other, or does it depend on manufacturing location, etc?

2) The keyboard:

Again, it seems to be hit and miss with this, though the greater majority tend to cite increased flex, especially on the LH side. Just want to be prepared ahead of time if I need to get some double sided tape/foam pads, etc

3) included discs:

Does it come with a complete recovery disk, or is it JUST the drivers/applications disc? Traveling with my new shiny is an OCZ vertex III [and yes, I'll be updating the firmware first]. I plan to backup the windows install with activation backup restore and full format/reinstall, but having those OEM discs as an ace in the hole is just common sense.

4) The touchpad:

Am I correct in assuming it's a synaptics touchpad? For those that have had issues with it jumping/etc, has anyone attempted to download newer drivers from synaptics, or adjust the cursor speed? [The G73 is NOTORIOUS for similar issues, but just moving the scroll speed down one notch fixed it for a lot of people]

5) Memory:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't memory require 2 [matched] sticks to function in double data rate? I already have a 4th stick to throw in, but it boggles my mind that a company would ship a laptop with DDR3 in single channel mode. Some may say the performance difference is marginal, I'm just trying to see if I remember this right

6) wifi card location:

iirc, buried in this thread is a mention that the wifi card is located under the plastic piece that contains the touch buttons/speakers? If this is correct, what is the best way to pry it off for replacement [have an intel Advanced N 6205 en route as well]. Anything I need to watch out for, short wires, etc?

7) Thermal paste:

I've seen the vid from the previous gen of these laptops, looks like actually DOING it is easy enough [minus warranty stickers], but has anyone actually DONE this, and what kind of paste/change in temps have you seen as a result. More importantly, how well done was the original thermal paste before the re-pasting? Just something I'm very sensitive to, as the G73 [JH, 5870m] had widespread issues over the use of badly applied relatively crappy paste. Granted, repasting THAT ONE required stripping the entire thing down to the motherboard. I'm more than capable of DOING it, but if the OEM job is good enough quality, no reason to mess with it.

I THIIIIINNNKKKK that's it. . .sorry for the book, but all I can do is read about this thing and get things ready for when it shows up [hopefully] Wed.

Also, if there are any other issues with the 683DXRs I've missed, or things I may need to be aware of, PLEASE let me know. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say : )

 

Well I can say for the memory it will be in mixed mode.

3x2GB = 4GB dual, 2GB single channel sitting on top and used last.

Yes the wireless card is below that panel, there is a short cable on the retail version you will have to be careful with.

As with all vendors they want the synaptics touch pad but they will use another brand if they cant get enough.

 

TY Meaker ^^. The wifi location was probably the biggest thing I wanted to verify.

 

2 - I didn't notice difference untill i read about it. When pressing F1,F2,F3 1,2,3 i got some louder noise then on Right side of keyboard.

3 - I just got drivers disc.

4 -it's NOT a SYNAPTICS, it's SYNTELIC.

 

In response to this, I dug up the following, which seems to indicate I can use Sentelic drivers *OR* Synaptics drivers?

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

 

Think that covers all the unanswered questions. As Meaker said, it's really luck based on which one you get. More likely, you will get the Synaptics. I have a Synaptics and the 'Scrybe' program bundled with it is very customizable and allows you to create custom gestures as well as shortcuts to apps, webpages, etc. I've been using it occasionally and haven't found any issues with it.

 

Very much appreciated, guess I'd better pick up some double sided tape tomorrow jic.

Nothing left to do now but wait. You'd think after awhile the anticipation would fade, but for some reason It never does ; )

 

It never does and then after that, you can't stop tweaking your machine. It's an addiction, I swear.

 

An expensive one at that

 

I have the GT683DXR w/ the GTX 570 m

When I push the settings to Ultra on Battlefield I start getting artifact and it will eventually crash to the desktop.

Any way around this and should this be even happening?

 

The ultra setting is too much for the card on fullhd. Heck even my 6990M cant run at ultra for long.

 

And by long you mean???

You mean that the fps is very low or that you get crasches to desktop?

 

The only cause I could think of for this, assuming the gfx and memory are at stock clocks and voltgs, is in the case of extreme gpu temps. One would think that this should [should] still be the case with turbo mode on, as it is still a factory configuration.

Overclocking beyond factory limits, however, the whole thing goes out the window.

 

BF3 runs fine on ultra with AA off(buggy anyways) and SSAO on. so yeah, no difference between AAdef and AApost. games looks as good as it will look with both.

 

scratch that, not sure what i did this time maybe because of the new official AMD 11.10 driver but i run the game fine at ultra preset, not custom from 29-35 FPS, the lowest is 24 but thats rare

 

I play BF3 about 3-6 hours a day. I can play ultra with AA and motion blur off at 1680x1050 stock clocks. If I OC to 700/1400/1700, I can run at 1920x1080p which looks a lot better, obviously.

My question is, is it harmful for the card if I run those OC settings for such long durations everyday? Temps are around 84, but its hit 87 max.

 

might reduced life of card, but when it eventually dies ull be playing BF4 probably LOL... just make sure temps are 90-

 

Haha, I plan to use this around 1.5 to 2 years, you think it will last that long with OC?

Edit: Do you think a laptop cooler would help?

 

I can't say 100% as mine is out for delivery this morning, but from the underside views it LOOKS like a cooling pad would be effective. As far as temperature degradation, I don't know the thermal specs of the 560/570m, but the 5870 in my g73 had a thermal shutdown around 105c. The nvidia mobiles should have a similar thermal range. Trying to dig it up, but my google fu seems to be rusty this morning.

At any rate, the thermal shutdown is there as a fail safe to shut the card down BEFORE it gets to damaging temps. So I'd imagine that'd put your temps into what are considered a "normal" [to the manufacturer] temp range.

Mind you, cooler most definitely won't HURT the card ; )
Just because temps are normal doesn't mean you have to be happy with them... I know I wouldn't be,
but it also means you don't have to panic over them if there's nothing you can do about them in the short term.

Speaking of temps, now that I'm thinking about it, if you leave the max fan button off. . Will the system adjust and hit max fan speed on its own at a certain temperature threshold anyway? Just curious.

 

Definitely it will last.
Yes it will help if there is a significant temp decreas (good cooler)
i use notepal U3 and have a 7c decrease while playing BF3

Yes, max fan speed is engaged after 95c. Dont really know what is the fan speed at ranges 80-90c but it feels like 80 percent or so, since i tested the sound difference between this range and max speed and there is a significant difference.

Source: Personal Testing

 

Thank for the replies. So if I get a cooler and can run the gfx card under 80C is it fine to run OC all the time. Or is the life affected by frequency and not temps?

 

Temps and voltage have an affect on wear and tear. Given these are mobile cards and designed specifically to run under these conditions, I wouldn't worry overmuch unless you're peaking at 95-100c in games, and perhaps not even then depending on thermal shutdown limit, which I still haven't found


Speaking of temps, got SSD installed, updating windows, but [was an old disc] working on Win7 SP1 now. . . CPU temps are 63-70c with 90% system idle process?????????

Turns out there's. . SOMETHING. . wrong with control center. temps dropped back down to mid 40s the second I shut it down. Don't know why, but it was keeping the processor spiked at between 2.7 and 3.1Ghz. Wonder if it was just a bad install?

 

Hello, does everyone here have a problem with usb 3.0 hub? I tried to connect my samsung usb 3.0 external drive, it said the device working properly, but windows cannot detected it, does anyone know the solution? thx

 

Csn you try reinstall the renessa driver? Theres a new one just out recently.

 

I've been reading through this entire thread but I haven't made it all the way yet, so I apologize if my questions have already been answered. I'm actually planning on getting a custom spec barebone Powerpro 11:36 version from Powernotebooks but I figure a good amount of the information provided in this thread will still apply.

I'm wondering, are there any Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys on the keyboard? It's not a deal breaker, it's just unfortunate that its somewhat difficult to find such commonly used keys on laptop keyboards nowadays. (Edit: If there aren't any of these keys, is there some kind of other keystroke combination for them?)

Also, how do you control the volume on this laptop? I read on some reviews of the 17 inch that there is no volume control on the keyboard, which I find a little strange.

 

You have to press fn+page up or page down for home and end. But you can change that through registry. I changed them to home and end without fn.
For volume theres no dedicated button but you can again press fn+ right or left for up and down respectively.

 

Hmm, that would take a bit of getting used to but I guess that's fine. Thanks.

Has anyone used this laptop for non-gaming graphics-intensive tasks, such as Adobe CS5, After Effects, Premiere Pro/HD video editing, animation, etc? If so what was your experience? (Or if you don't have experience, do you think the GTX 570M card with the standard i7 2630QM and 8gm ram would be efficient enough for these tasks?)

 

Have appeared in Europe Gt683DXR versions Full HD with matte panel
Anyone know what panel ride?

 

I can't recommend doing what I am about to say enough.

My only major gripe with this laptop has been the keyboard. Not so much the lack of a backlit keyboard, but the constant banging and clanking that it makes in certain areas. Today I decided that I had had enough. At work they had some double sided 3M tape. It's gray, and is more rubbery than typical tape, to give a description.

I removed the keyboard and placed tape underneath on every area that was flush, from end to end. Not on the keyboard itself, but on the metal plate on the laptop itself. The difference is night and day. And that is even a understatement. The entire keyboard is completely silent. Even when pressing the keys, they are so subtle and quiet it feels like I am typing on a different computer.

Not to mention, there is no more flex of any kind. It is 100% solid from end to end, and feels very strong and sturdy, if that makes sense.

Of course after I put the keyboard back on I thought "I probably should have taken a picture of where I placed the tape".

 

Guys we (newbies) need your help, if you have a useful tip for first time MSI users please post it in this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi...unboxing-your-new-msi-laptop.html#post8045288

Any guide for brand new notebooks would be very useful. What are the things you need to do right after opening the box? Do you charge the battery first? Run various tests? How? Please post your tips at the link above.

Thank you

 

I've seen mixed reviews about the battery life, the cooling capability, and the fan noise. What are your experiences? How much battery life do you get with normal everyday tasks (web browsing, watching movies, etc.)? I've read some people say as low as an hour and a half, and some as much as five hours. That's a big range.

When gaming or doing anything graphic-intensive, does it stay relatively cool and quiet? Do you think it would be able to last for several hours in a warm club environment without getting too hot? (I plan to do live visuals/VJing with it) I could get a cooling stand if need be, I'm just curious what it's potential is.

Also still wondering if anyone's used this computer for tasks such as HD video editing, animation, etc. (Things tend to get buried in forums like this, just trying to keep my questions from getting lost in the mix.) Thanks!

 

its impossible to last 5 hours, that much im sure. But then again i rarely use it without the adapter.

Depends on how intense the graphic is, if anything close to gaming, it will be quite lousy. Get a cooling pad.

This last part i got no idea, but i think you should be fine.

 

Battery life and temps rely on so many variables. Don't expect TOO much if you're doing high processor/video intensive stuff.

As far as temps. . in a 20-22c room, Machine IDLES between 38 and 42 between all 4 physical cores. In prime95, it maxed out at 83 on the highest core with turbo enabled and max fan OFF.

 

I wouldn't be doing any high processor video editing/graphics stuff on the battery, I just meant to see how long it lasts for general everyday tasks like web browsing, instant Netflix movies, etc.

I'll probably get a cooling stand of some kind anyway, since I'll need the laptop to be elevated on a table so it'll be at a good height to use while standing. So with a cooling pad, the temperatures should stay low and never overheat right? I might be using this thing for live visuals for 6+ hours straight in hot sweaty clubs. I'm paranoid about these details before purchasing something that costs this much, so I apologize if I sound redundant. I just want to feel confident I'm making the right choice.

 

Another question - is the eSata port on this just eSata or is it an eSata/USB 2.0 combo?

 

just esata

 

Ok, so I've got this nice machine up and running perfectly [FINALLY].

I've read around the forums that it's possible to use MSI afterburner instead of the MSI included O/C tool for video overclocking. I'm familiar with afterburner, so that's not an issue. HOWEVER:

I'm assuming you can change clocks, but not voltages?

This takes gpu overclocking OFF the "turbo" button, requiring me to manually launch afterburner [or set for launch @ startup]?

Assuming THAT'S the case, turbo button still works for CPU overclocking?

Just wanna definitively line everything up before I start messing with it, but I'd LOVE to ditch the nvidia overclock tool. . unless it's required for the CPU O/C? Wouldn't THINK that'd be the case, but don't ask, don't know ^^

 

Nope the turbo button have nothing to do with the cpu as you cant overclock it.

 

Really? From the manufacturer advertising vids, I'd swear I saw "overclock CPU and GPU". Maybe I just expected it because the G73 had a "turbo" button that DID overclock the CPU. . . albeit only 100Mhz.

So if I wanna use afterburner, the turbo button will have 0 function?

 

The overclock will not take effect unless the turbo button is on. For example, if you are playing a game, and have OCed in Afterburner, if the Turbo button is off, it will still run at stock clocks.

 

I was wondering if this would be useful to keep my GPU cooler? Anyone used this or a similar product?

http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Mobile-Fan-External-Cooling/dp/B00080G0BK/ref=pd_cp_pc_1

 

Search for zalman nc2000, nc3000u or cooler master cf19 pr anything similar with holes and large fan beneath. Thats the most effective cooling solution for this laptop.

 

Those are a bit of out of budget for me. How about this one?
Amazon.com: Cooler Master Notepal U2 Notebook Cooler with Two Fans R9-NBC-8PBK-GP: Electronics

And my concern is, since there is no vent directly under the GPU, I thought that an external USB fan might be useful, if I place it by the side.

 

so how many fps is everyone getting with bf3 and on what settings?
for multiplayer?

 

Thats also a good choice. Its just that i havent seen anyone here actually bought it so im a bit skeptical. You will notice that the laptop have lots of vent underneath with the side vents for heat release. Also there are vents for the GPU, but under its heatpipe.

 

Also, is there a way to clean the side vents without opening the laptop up? And any fan by the side vent should always drag air out right?

 

No, there is no way to clean w/o opening but cleaning is easy!!! once open there is noly one scew holding the fan ( the other 3 are shared with the lid), so take the fan out of the way and clean any accumulated dust and hair.

Yes, vents are ment to push air out. intake is always below laptop.

 

Thanks for clearing that up. The concern with opening is that I will have to remove the warranty sticker, so my warranty will be void.

 

Technically, changing the oil in a brand new car will also void your warranty, as it's not "original equipment".

They can't just void your warrany over a broken sticker. They have to prove that the tampering directly caused the issue requiring warranty work [Mugnusson-Moss act, 1975]

Same situation: I fail to see how they can legally void your warranty for performing basic maintenance and upkeep [blowing the dust out of a fan]

Now I know someone's gonna come along and say "they'll try to do it anyway, and it'll be a big headache when they do, and you may have to seek legal counsel, file a complaint with the BBB. . ." etc.

And that may happen, but at least you'll know the failure wasn't caused by "abuse", which would ALSO void your warranty [yes, i consider blatant neglect of cooling systems abuse, so they very well could too ; ) ]