-->*OFFICIAL: MSI GT627 Owner's Lounge*<--

The issue could be worse rather than "moot" my friend... Compatibility issues and the lack of faith I have with companies putting out drivers and software correctly and timely. Also, does anyone know when windows 7 is coming?? Meh, I'd rather not bank on windows 7 as a solution to this issue.

 

i read a review on newegg and i'm wondering if cuib could verify this? "MSI does not allow it to run gaming video quality while on battery. The big sister to this model, the GX620, would downclock the video to 100Mhz and go to a "2D mode" when it was unplugged. This makes it essentially useless for 3D applications when not plugged into AC power."

 

Many laptops will downclock when it is on battery, even if you are gaming. If disabling Powermizer/Power Play doesn't stop this, it's the BIOS.

 

The only thing keeping me back from buying is I want to see if someone successfully reduces keyboard flex with double sided or thermal tape.

 

Just got one of these from Frostycomputers, seems like a great deal for the money and amazing performance in a small package.

I am on the verge of reformating the HD and putting on Win 7 (64) beta, I DL'd the Vista 32/64 bit drivers from the MSI website and am hoping if I need anything these will work for Win 7.

I did confirm the stock 3Dmark 06 score in the 8650 range, expect can do a bit better with some tweaking. It seems to run very cool, had no problems inb one night of gaming.

The keyboard is pretty flexible, could well benefit from some more support. I intend to try to use the double sided tape fix that seems to work on other laptops, but I have yet to try to take off the keyboard.

Has anyone gotten the keyboard out and attempted to tweak it a bit?

Even with the keyboard, its really a great deal, especially if you ever travel and like to be able to watch a bluray or play a high end game on the road.

Will report back if i succeed with my "fix"

 

why did you buy from Frosty? he charges so much more than newegg and the others...

 

Good to hear, thank you for giving your impressions. If you don't mind, could you please let us know (when you get a chance)
1. How is the screen brightness (at full)?
2. Have you experienced any WiFi connection problems?
3. How long are you getting on your battery when just web browsing and such?

If you do attempt to fix the keyboard with tape, or can figure out whether or not is is easy to remove, many of us would be glad to hear that as well.

Thanks in advance!

 

I'm still waiting on a battery review... Anyone??

 

im almost positive i saw a setting for this in the bios. ill check again but that was on the 1651.

 

How's the keyboard doing? Have you guys tried to do any mods to it? Also would you happen to be able to recommend a laptop I can type on at bestbuy to compare it with? Sorry for all the questions but I'm this || close to buying one of these and the keyboard thing is one of the few things holding me back. I've also been looking at the 725 but since I would like to use this at work and school for programming I don't know if I want to deal with a 17 incher.

 

hi everybody, before I buy this jewel, I need to know a ilttle thing

in the previous page it's write that the battery life of msi-1651 is 2:30-45, but for the gt627 it's the same?

for example, watching a film at medium brightness and with the cpu policy at maximum battery, how much does the battery last for?

 

should be about the same with the same battery i.e. a 6 cell. with the 9 cell it will be longer

 

so with the 6-cell battery the gt627 will weight 5.8 lb and will last 2:30-45 h of battery life

with the 9-cell how much it'll weight and how does the battery life change?

 

hmmm... dunno yet

Specs for the 1651/GX620 that I had
P8600
WD 320GB hdd 5400 RPM version
WSXGA+ LCD panel (1680x1050)
Intel WiFi Link 5300
9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
4GB DDR2-800 2x2GB Kingston ValueRAM CL5
Super multi DVD+/-RW
6 cell battery

The 627-218US has
P8600
WSXGA+
??? WiFi card? 5100? (Intel)
9800M GS 1GB GDDR3
4GB ??? DDR2-800
BR DVD+/-RW
9 cell battery

In both cases the nVidia drivers will maximally downclock the GPU when on battery, but the 9800M GS will still use more power than the 9600M GT, so dunno if the 9cell fully compensates for that or not...

The BIOS setting ont he 1651/GX620 was just for enabling whatever Intel calls their CPU frequency stepping tech. Turning it off just means that the CPU will run at max all of the time, so I'd really advise against as the frequency changes work well and any game should keep the CPU pegged ot its max clock rate, while on battery the lowered CPU freq + lowered GPU freq are good for battery runtime.

(You can also override the nVidia driver so that the GPU stays at max clock too, but I'd really not recommend it as you will have very SHORT battery life, plus heat maybe more of a problem in the nb has a different fanprofile for battery power and AC power, and doesn't really take into account temps...)

 

hmm in my 1651 i have a setting specifically for the gpu power setting. ill see exactly what is is when i get home

 

Hello guys and gals...

Maybe you can help me out deciding between the GT627 216US or 218US...

First of all my main use for this laptop would be 3D Games and Web stuff in general (including web design), I'm not really into Blueray movies yet and also I would like to save some bucks since I'n on a tight budget. I will sell my Asus G1S for about $900 and shell out the rest to get a GT627, so every penny counts.

My Asus G1S has 1680x1050 resolution which looks amazing and it's a real pleasure. However, when I first got it, almost all games of the time ran at full screen resolution with med quality settings, but as the time passed, newer games required me to lower the screen resolution to 1280x800 or even less.

Pixelation is not the biggest problem but image blur due to LCD screens performing better at native resolutions unlike CRTs which adjust to whatever resolution it supports.

I know that the 218US is pretty much twice as fast as my current rig and most games will run at native sxga+, but eventually (sooner than most people think) we will need to lower the GT627 XSGA+ screen resolution to gain the best performance thus getting blurry, ugly imagery...

I know that there are other improvements on the 218US like Blueray and a teeny weeny faster processor, but in the long run and in my twisted mind, I see more future on the 216US than on the 218US at least on the gaming front.

So, that said... Am I seeing things all wrong??? Should I reconsider???

Thanks for your valuable insight!!!
RayanMX

 

for those seeking reviews for the GT627 you can find it here: http://www.notebookjournal.de/tests/msi-gt627--8208-8647vhp-801/1
you will need to translate it though, so have fun with the translations. It's actually a good review. I think I have finally made up my mind about this NB.

 

I read through that review (and offered some translation suggestions to Google) and it made up my mind as well. Good review.

I will likely place my order tomorrow or Saturday.

 

The GT627 has the old MS-1651 keyboard?
Looks like it from that review.

 

Thanks for the review site, I found exactly what I was looking for.



I want that heatsink.

 

ummmm yeah wow. that heatsink kills ours. wow that thing rocks

 

I just ordered mine from Newegg.com , man i cant wait to get it

 

I'm praying you brought one with a 9 cell battery, so I can find out whats the life of this bad boy. If you can a review of you gaming and another of just browsing, watching movies etc.. It would be greatly appreciated

 

IMNHO it's kind of pointless to buy the -216US model as it's screen res is, ubelievably, only 1280x800 on a 15.4" screen?! MSI needs to move to at least 1440x900 for their large lowends IMO, esp considering that the greatest cost factor btwn the 216 and the 218US versions is likely the costly BR capable DVD (play ONLY!! -- sucks that it doesn't have BR write as it makes it currently, and likely for quite some time to be a useless and costly "feature" for me).

If you're really that cash strapped that you need to consider the -216US model I'd seriously look for good prices on a GX620(high end), or part out from ebay a 1651. Failing that the ASUS G50VT-X6 IIRC is fairly close in price to the -216US model, but with a 1680x1050 screen! (Haven't bothered to look at that one is a while since I've basically already decided either a GT627-218US or the GT725-074US for me, just have to decide whether or not I want to wait for the 725 and take the risk with notoriously awful ATI X11 support... for slightly better performance.)

Other cheaper models with mid-range nVidia "mobile" parts aren't such a great deal as almost all of them use GDDR2 for VRAM which drastically reduces GPU performance.

[EDIT]
Can't remember if it was this thread or the other, but as to 64b Vista it's apparently true that you can use the same key for 64b Vista, BUT you'll need an install disk. According to the post you just enter the key on the nb when asked or if that doesn't work, install w/o key then add in control panel. Failing that you have to manually call M$ to get it activate.

In better news, it sounds like all recent(at least) Vista people will be getting some version of Windows 7, but I didn't wade through the mess of the article entirely yet (link from /. yesterday IIRC). So it may not be worth bothering with 64b Vista as 7 should be out by Fall at the latest I expect, since they're skipping another beta and one of the RCs as well IIRC. Likely to be some sort of download upgrade though I imagine, although possibly with a minimal disk version purchase fee as M$ usually does that at least fairly... if not much else. Oops, I now see that it is only FREE IF you buy the machine 7/1/09 or later... Of course if I decide to wait for the GT725, I may still be waiting in July at this rate...
[/EDIT]

[EDIT2]
Wow! Google translate really seems to awfully mangle German. I'd expected better from translating from one European language to another.

Anyways, it's very unfortunate that they failed to test many of the games at 1680x1050 resolution, as it appears for most they only bothered with 1024x768.

I also note that their reported 3DMark06 scores are MUCH higher than what was reported here, almost 9000 w/o Turbo mode and c. 9200 w/Turbo mode.

Their battery eater test shows 2h 12m run time, and 2h 25m for a GX620. Not at all sure about battery eater as I've bothered to/needed to run it, but compare their GX620 time to my experiential 2h 30-45m runtime, so it's pretty safe to say that batt runtime will be SLIGHTLY less on the GT627-218US than the GX620-038US(my former 1651 was, essentially equivalent).

They eben mention the perennial GX620 criticisms that I mentioned before(well at least one I forgot about the other) the keyboard AND the speakers...
[/EDIT2]

 

Thank you cutterjohn, well my thinking was that using a lower resolution LCD native would render better frame rates on games than using a larger LCD Resolution native, but I think I have made my mind and go for the 1680x1050 since I think I will regret the change because my current laptop has that resolution and I guess I will not like the lower resolution.

Now the question is should I go fot the MSI GT627-218US or the Asus G50VT-X6 which costs the same? I'm more inclined for the MSI just because of the BR player but since I don't know the brand I have my dubts...

Happy valentines!
RayanMX

 

Just run your games in a lower resolution if they don't run well at 1680x1050. Pretty much anything less than Crysis & Far Cry 2 should probably run OK at native resolution, but even then lower resolutions on a 1680x1050 GX620/MS-1651looked pretty good(well to me anyways)...

Hmmm... the GT627 has 1GB of GDDR3 while the G50VT has 512MB GDDR3, but OTOH the ASUS can hold 2 hdds(need to order the bracket from ASUS if you get the -X6) and ASUS has a 2y warranty w/the first year including accidental damage while the MSI warranty is 1y no accidental damage coverage. BR isn't important unless you own BR movies, plan to use the nb to play them, and/or plan to start buying BR movies none of which apply to me.

The ASUS is MUCH larger and heavier, but it does have the cool semi-useless little OLED panel plus that little mini-linux in FLASH RAM that you can boot to read email/browse the web. I'd assume that'd give you more battery life, but I could be wrong as I've never seen a battery runtime only running that...

I'd still go with the MSI Gt627-218US myself, but if you can wait you MAY also want to consider the MSI GT725-074US 17" (very slightly larger than a GT627) w/a ATI 4850 mobility which looks to be beating 9800M GTX(or was it S?) right now and could almost play Crysis at native 1680x1050 which is pretty good. (I've decided that I'm going to try to wait myself and will only get the 218US IF it just takes MSI too long to get the GT725 out in the US as they've already appeared in UK and India(?!).)

 

Same here, I was deciding between the G50VT-X6 and the MSI GT627. The Asus has alot of good things going for it, but because im going to be taking it everywhere with me(at school) its just too big and bulky.

The GT627 is perfect size, small and has all the horsepower needed for the next 2 years. Also, the heat sink seems amazing, i cant wait to test it out.

 

we're in the exact same boat: g50vt-x6 vs gt627-218.
I made a list and those two rose to the top over the Sager NP8660 and the Gateway P-7801u... now I just need to see some proper reviews (the German one's a start).

 

i actually thought the kb flex was going to be worse on this, but i can live with it. You have to give the keys some good ampunt of force to really notice the flex. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8iMgynVUdU
look at the video at 2:20

 

That doesn't seem too bad at all. Now that I've seen that it's going to be rough making my decision this weekend. I think the 627 is what I'm going to go with over the 725. It has the portability of a laptop and it's able to handle most games at high settings so I can't go wrong with it. The 17 inch screen of the 725 is tempting but I have a really nice desktop I would be using at home for my large screen/high end gaming .

Just want to say thank you for all the info everyone has posted on this nb.

 

well choosing between the g50vt-x6 and the gt627 is really up to personal preference. IMO I would chose the gt627 over the g50vt-x6 due to numerous reasons such as weight, battery life, portability, features and specs that can last me for more than a year and a half or so. The g50vt offers really a better warranty, expandability (2nd HDD), express gate, support for 64-bit (the gt627 has no software support for 64-bit which means all 4GBs of RAM will not be used, no ECO and noTurbo) and if you're into it, a OLED display and lights. The gt627, I think has support for quad core processors and the GPU is upgradable. IT is also more heat efficient than the asus (Better heat sink). Plus it gets more in 3dmark.

This isn't a bash against any of the manufacturers or bias. both are good laptops; both have their flaws and you can't go wrong with either. there's just no perfect laptop in terms of hardware or setup. it's only perfect for what you want it to do. hope this helps. Its justIt's really up to you.

 

Thank you cutterjohn.... Yeah I know I can lower the resolution but then imagery would not be as crisp as on native resolution but I guess I can still live with that specially now that I lowered my G1S resolution from 1680x1050 to 1280x800 to see if I can handle it and the truth is that it's simply not acceptable to downgrade to a lower screen res. PERIOD!!!!

Now you got me wondering about the MSI GT725-074US 17"... I know it's bigger than the GT627 but how much larger than the Asus G50 is that?

I'll try to search both specs to see that, since I don't really like to be carrying a 17" behemoth but if the size and weight is not that much different then I have to think it over.

But going back to the GT627 and G50VT comparison, I think there's some other aspect to consider on the GT627 which is the Overclocking feature which I think it's nice to have built in right?

Thanks again!
RayanMX

 

If you don't mind the size and have patience to wait for it's release then the 725-074 is the way to go. I would be getting it but after re-evaluating what I want my nb to do I'm going with the 627 I think.

 

Thanks for that summary. It helps a lot. I'm also leaning towards the GT627 (not having to buy a separate bluray for my LCD TV is a nice plus). I'm still waiting for a good english review to discuss issues of build quality and reconciling Vista 32-bit vs 64-bit functionalities (sacrifice turbo features or underutilize the memory)...

 

Thanks so much I think I will go for the GT627 218US ... Everyone's comments have helped me a lot!!!

Happy Valentine's!
RayanMX

 

Ok, got it earlier today and first thing i did was calibrate the battery(ie charge it to 100% then drain it). It went for about 2 and a half hours on balanced mode while browsing the web and downloading programs and installing games.

I tried installing Oblivion cuz i dont have Crysis(yet). For some reason it set all settings to medium when it detected the card, however i manually put all settings to high and its running it very smoothly. Been playing for about an hour and this thing has remained cool to the touch. the heat sink is extremely good.

Overall im very satisfied with this laptop, but there is the keyboard spring problem, but i think i can get used to it. This lappy is blowing through everything going its way and its exceptionally light considering it has a high end graphics cards. I higly recomnend this laptop, its awesome.

Sorry for no pics but i do not have a camera.

 

Has anyone figured out whether or not the keyboard can be easily popped out? If it can be taken out, then the flexing problem can probably be easily fixed.

 

The keyboard is easy to remove, and can be done within a minute or two. Pop off the touch panel by pushing out the tabs, and remove the screws holding the keyboard to the chassis.

 

Well, let me join the club of g50vt-x6 - gt627 undeciders. :GEEK:

Just have few points/questions.

1) 9 cell battery. I'm pretty sure there's still no info from people who actually got it. I remember only speculations.

2) For some reason I considered MSI very unreliable, cause I heard it's really booming in india, and indian products, cars are... (sorry to any indians arounf here).
But, I've spent 2 days in ASUS forum here, and on ther first page there's a tonn of topics like "My laptop can't shut down", "very high temp" and so on. And in this subforum I'm yet to find these topics. So, I think I can consider MSI at least as reliable as asus now.... right? How often do your MSI's break?

 

I used the 9 cell battery and ran it all the way down.

On 'Balanced' mode, it ran down in 2 and a half hours. This was with screen 80% brightness, watching vids on youtube, webbrowsing, downloading and installing software and installing two games (Guild Wars and Oblivion)

Btw, this lappy is still very light considering specs and the 9 cell is very efficient. I also did not run eco mode, which underclocks and extends battery life. I was just using it as a normal laptop and the battery life is quiet decent imo.

 

Thanks for the information, that's excellent -- even better than the GX620. I had my screen brightness set at 60% and ran the battery down by just browsing the web, and got about 2 hours and 20-30 minutes out of it. The 9 cell battery works wonder for these notebooks.

 

Zato One

I have a feeling someone said his 6 cell lasted 2,5 hours surfing... But I guess yours is same because of not using eco mode +installing stuff. If ASUS g50 run that long I've gone asus for sure...

BTW, I've seen on the pfote in German review a lot of finger prints or smth on it's shiny service where you put your hand. How is it working out for you?

 

It does leave finger prints mark. However, when you swipe it it goes away. So it gets fingerprints easily but it also cleans off real easy.

 

I ordered a GT627-218 yesterday morning and it will be at my office on Tuesday. I will post some benchmarks at 1680x1050 for COD4 and COD World at War. I have a few other fairly recent games like Command and Conquer 3, Flight Sim X w/ Accelerator pack, and also IL2 1946.

If anyone wants some benchmarks beyond the two COD games, or pictures/videos let me know.

I'm very much looking forward to this!

 

I was looking into that Asus also for a little while. Checkout the official Asus forums they have even more problems there than you'll find here. After reading those I decided there was no way I was going to get an Asus.

 

looking forward to these benchmarks. finally games i'll play. lol

 

That was me, but I didn't have the software to support the Eco/Turbo modes as I installed XP Pro SP3 on it. I did have the XP power management settings set to notebook IIRC (or whatever they call it) and the screen backlight was probably at 20-40%.

 

While it's true that you can't do turbo mode on battery, you can go full power, the gpu isn't crippled on battery unless you want it to be.

There's also an eco gaming mode that sets cpu at reg speed (2.4gHz; turbo takes it to 2.77) and dims the display. I get 2 hours of Titan Quest + 1 episode of Supernatural this way but that's not a demanding game lol. I don't have any modern games to test whether this mode allows any sort of current gaming. Doubt it, I have to turn off a feature or two if I want to run TQ in 1680x1050 in eco gaming mode. And if this rig can't run TQ at max without full power (not turbo tho), I don't see the point of even trying FC2 or anything like that. Forget Crysis period but I knew that going in.

 

Do you have Powermizer installed? It should have come with your Nvidia drivers. My old laptop has a Nvidia Geforce Go 6400 video card, and the "Powermizer" settings allow it to underclock when on battery. You can, however, opt keep the default clockspeed settings. I wonder if it is the same for the MSI GT627.

 

I'm just not being real useful here. I mean I own this thing and I know eff-all about it lol.

That dude at Newegg has it right, this rig is nerfed when on battery.

Maybe that utility you mention gets rid of the problem.

Man what a terrible buy lol. I mean I wasn't thinking of gaming while camping or anything. But I can't even run a game at max for a few minutes just for someone to demo it on the road ootb? I gotta download and fix stuff? That blows. Might not even work.

I'm just gonna go order a n m15x, and now watch as the lid falls off on that one. I just can't win.