[Review] Medion Akoya X7811 (based on MS-1727)

Introduction

Hi everyone. I'm making this review in order to let you guys know about this great low cost gaming machine. It is not well known here so I hope this helps make it a little more common.

The last laptop I had was an Asus G50V with a X9100 which I really liked, even though I didn't keep it for a long time. Then I swapped for this one, which is by far better.


Specifications

Screen : 17" WXGA+ (1440 x 900) glare type
Proc : Intel core i7 820QM (1730MHz-3060MHz)
GPU : Ati Mobility Radeon HD5870 - 1Go GDDR5
Ram : 4096 Mo (2x2048) - So-Dimm DDR3 1066 Mhz
HDD : Seagate Momentus 5400.6 (500Go - 5400rpm)
Speakers : 4 speakers + 1 subwoofer
Size and weight : 339 x 280 x 44,2 mm - 3,1kg
Price range : Starting at 1000€ with i7 720QM (although google probably knows more than me about current price)


Laptop overview

The laptop is built on the same chassis as the MSI GX740 and the MS-1727 whitebook, but it is sold at a cheaper price. The build quality is inherent to MSI laptops' build quality.

The first thing you notice, is that it is pretty light and small, for a 17" notebook. Indeed, from my experience, I find it barely bigger than the G50V (which was 15.4").

In every test concerning this notebook, several things are controversial. One of these things is the keyboard.
Personally, I don't find it too bad. Swapping FN and Ctrl key is still something that remains a mistery to me, but it's just like every other MSI, and you get used to it. For the rest, it's ok, it doesn't bend under normal use and I love having a numpad.

Now the screen.
In several tests, a 1680x1050 panel is used, but this is not the one being sold in France so I can't tell about this one. Mine is 1440x900, which is actually not bad even though it's 17", but once again, this is just a matter or personnal opinion. It is pretty bright and colors are neat. Only weak point is, there seems to be some "swarming" if you don't stand straight in front of the screen, and if you're looking at some grey/clear areas (such as NBR forums' background for instance). You don't really notice it under normal use though.

About the chassis, just like for the other models using this chassis, you need to be careful when opening and closing it, since some already cracked their 1727 junction here.

The sound is pretty neat. The subwoofer adds some dimension to it, combined with dolby surround effect and dolby audio enhancer. I haven't met optimum settings yet, but it's more than good enough for movies, and serves well for demanding musics. I still like my headphones more, but that's just my personnal opinion again.

All in all, the laptop is pretty, not as "flashy" than many other gaming laptops, which is why I would classify it as something like a w860cu/870 in terms of design, even though the screen and keyboard on the clevo ones are somewhat prettier. Brushed alu is really neat, and people usually tend to think it's not as good as it actually is when you bring it to a lan party. Imagine "wait, there's an hd5870 in this ? and wow it's really not that warm ! Nice, man "


Pictures



















Inside view (with the copper heatsinks I added on the gpu)



Benchmarks

Sorry for the french screenshots, but most of them are self explanatory

Furmark :
My best score was 6314, but this was before I added heatsinks, removed mesh, etc. At this time, I reached 83°C, which is why I'm posting this one bench instead.



superpi



What comes next is with the notebook cooler in sleep mode, since I forgot to plug it back in after taking pictures of the computer ^^


Devil May Cry 4



Final Fantasy XIV bench
Resolution : 1280x720



TrackMania Nation Forever
Native resolution, fullscreen, all settings maxed out as seen in the second screen.



Just Cause 2
Bench 1


Bench 2


Bench 3



3DMark 06



Upcoming
3dm vantage (when I get the opportunity to plug to an external monitor)
Hawx dx10


More if I find more ideas or get new suggestions.


Mods

Done

- Removed metal mesh inside the backcover for better airflow.
- Added copper heatsinks on the gpu heatsink.
- Undervolted gpu to 0.8V on idle and 0.95V on load.

Upcoming

- Backcover mod (need to find a drill !)


Conclusion

I don't really know what else to add, this is just a great gaming machine, especially for the price. Currently you can find it with an i7-840QM at 1128€ in France.

I hope this was a good read, and I'm open to any suggestions concerning things I could add to this review.

 

GPU 740 default or you upped it by 40MHz?

+ Very Nice CPU

-14x9 screen for 17"(+keeps memory cooler I guess)

 

I upped the gpu when I was in the process of undervolting.

Like I said, 14x9 is not really a nuisance, but I must admit that it would be hard for someone who had a fhd 17" before to accomodate to this one.
On the other hand, I plan on changing the panel for a fhd one, maybe in a few months.

Update : fixed dmc4 benchmark by disabling V-Sync

 

Memory seems to run hotter on my 4850 at that resolution, which is strange really.

Good review OP, looks like your enjoying it.