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    MSI GS60 Ghost/ Ghost Pro Thread

    Discussion in 'MSI' started by GreaseMonkey90, Jan 14, 2014.

  1. inc77

    inc77 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the impressions and report!!! It just makes my wait even harder....
     
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  2. Wizbeer

    Wizbeer Notebook Consultant

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    I hate it. But I never use it. I am a mouse kind of guy. But for a laptop it really does suck.
     
  3. Fleat

    Fleat Notebook Enthusiast

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    You can read my thoughts about the touchpad in my mini review several pages back. With that said, I did manage to tweak it a bit more to my liking. Here are the things that made it more tolerable for me personally.
    1. Increase sensitivity to max in the touchpad control panel and windows mouse panel (feels better with acceleration on)
    2. 1 Finger tap for click, 2 finger tap for right click
    3. Button press in bottom left for browser back, button press in bottom right for browser forward
    4. Palm rejection off - seemed to cause funkiness

    Overall, these changes almost make the touchpad tolerable. It still isn't great, but it works in a pinch when you don't have access to a mouse.
     
  4. webusermy

    webusermy Notebook Enthusiast

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    I am a mouse guy as well and will have a mouse when at work etc. But there will be times when I will want to use it on the go, on the plane etc and unfortunately in those situations, a touch pad will have to do.

    I don't care if the touch pad does not have all the fancy multi touch feature and what not. Bloody hell seriously at least get the main function of a touch pad right, the movement/sensitivity.

    Accuracy is still no where near usable. It took me multiple tries to even click on the reply with quote button as it kept jumping away from it. Extremely disappointed.
     
  5. 15th Warlock

    15th Warlock Notebook Enthusiast

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    Unfortunately you have to remove the motherboard and turn it over to access the SSD ports and RAM slots, the thing is MSI put a warranty void ticket on top of one of the screws, but I read if you register your system and make sure you don't break anything while upgrading the RAM they'll honor the warranty even if the sticker's been tampered.
     
  6. 15th Warlock

    15th Warlock Notebook Enthusiast

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    I feel you, I don't like the pad, it's probably the only gripe I have, I prefer to actually have physical mouse buttons as opposed to a click able pad, definitely not good for gaming.

    I use a Razer Orochi bluetooth mouse with my laptop but I think the pad is OK only for browsing and nothing else, at least gestures are properly recognized...

    As for pricing, my laptop was only $1799, where did you buy yours for $2K?
     
  7. webusermy

    webusermy Notebook Enthusiast

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    https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd....1.0-8/1941527_282852515206399_184859863_o.jpg
    XE: (MYR/USD) Malaysian Ringgit to US Dollar Rate

    I'm supposed to be "Upgrading" from a GE40.. but as it stands now, I prefer using the GE40... sadly.. not to mention the GE40's battery life is much longer..
     
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  8. charger71

    charger71 Notebook Consultant

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    On my GS60 Pro, running metro 2033, all setting turned up, the GPU will hit the 90s. Running FRAPS, I start with a framerate right between 78-82, and then play for an hour, still at the same framerate, alt-tab out and see that it hit 90s.

    I don't see any evidence of reduced performance. Did the same thing in Bioshock infinite and after an hour no reduced FPS.

    Another note about temps, check out some reviews on other systems with an 870M.
    Review Clevo P170SM-A (One K73-4N) Barebones Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

    The Clevo system obviously has more room for cooling and airflow, but also hit 90 degrees CPU and GPU. Given that, and no one experiencing any slow down or throttling, there is not an issue at this time with GPU temps. Will it spontaneously combust in 2 years? That's not certain. But it is certain there is no issue today. :)

    Off to play some more Metro! Those dark tunnels definitely look great on this screen.
     
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  9. charger71

    charger71 Notebook Consultant

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    .. ..... dupe
     
  10. Kaiserphoenix

    Kaiserphoenix Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi guys, just received my new laptop today and thought I will do a review to help any others considering the laptop but also contribute back to the forum that has helped me over the years. Please skip through to the last paragraph or relevant sections as it is very long!

    A bit of background about myself, I have a pretty solid experience with computers, having built water cooling systems before and generally prefer building my own desktops for my IT needs. I also used Apple systems before as well and for many years used both systems side by side. Now before I bought the GS60, I had a single desktop (see Sig) for all my needs and it more than sufficed for what I needed to do.

    What do I use my current desktop computer for?
    - Browsing the Internet.
    - iTunes.
    - Encoding media files from Bluray, into itunes etc, using Handbrake.
    - Gaming, Elder Scrolls Online, Titanfall, Total War, Starcraft 2.
    - Excel.

    I recently started a new role in the company which requires me to travel overseas very frequently and it was ok until Zenimax released Elder Scrolls Online and now the "need" to go online in my travels arose, and hence my search for a portable gaming laptop.

    My criteria were:
    - Dimensions.
    - Weight.
    - Build Quality.
    - Gaming Performance.
    - Design.
    - Brand and after-market reliability.
    - Upgradeability to an extent.

    So having set these goals out, the choices were the Alienware 14, the MSI GE60 Apache, Razer 14, Macbook Pro.

    Immediately the Alienware was ruled out, due to an outdated GPU, and also despite the heavy weight, the screen was smaller. The Razer 14 looked promising but the 3K screen seemed like too much work for the GPU, and whilst it had an 870, with reports of heat etc, I thought better to stay in the 860m domain. Macbook Pro, having owned one in the past, I knew I was getting a quality product, but the price to performance ratio for what I intended to do was poor. So I was left with either the GS60 or the GE60, with the GE60 being around £200.00 cheaper at the lowest configurations but still retaining the same GPU.

    Ultimately though I went with the GS60 because:
    1) DUAL Fan configuration, this seems like a much better solution than 1 Fan cooling 2 components.
    2) Lighter by 600 Grams.

    So here are my thoughts on the laptop!!

    Packaging: 5/5

    The laptop came in a stylish hard cardboard box, with a nice design, that was in itself encased in another card board box with excellent protection. Whilst I don't care too much for it, it makes unboxing it a pleasure and it shows that MSI has put some thought into it.

    [​IMG]

    Accessories: 3/5

    The Power Brick is very standard, very Generic Looking. Thin but quite a large footprint to be honest, but obviously I had seen the reviews beforehand so I knew what I was getting. I would like to see a more stylish design here in the future considering the adaptors you see from Apple, Razer etc. The included Laptop Sleeve on the other hand is actually excellent. The logo is not a print or sticker but actually a sewn in Badge, it has a very high quality feel to it with ample padding and I can just slip the GS60 into and off I go. Very nice inclusion.

    [​IMG]

    Design and Build Quality: 3.5/5 (My benchmark being a Macbook or Macbook Air)

    In my opinion, regardless of actual performance, Apple for me is the industry standard when it comes to Notebook design and construction. The solid unibody Aluminium block Macbooks are a beauty and very well made with no gaps etc. The GS60 comes close but it is still not quite there. The construction is multi-parted, meaning there are many different parts put together unlike a unibody construction that Apple or Razer uses and therefore is not quite as "uniform" if you look closely. There are very small "gaps" in the screen part that other users have mentioned and other places as well but again, they are small. Despite this however the unit feels very solid. To be honest I was expecting it to be slightly less well built, seeing it wasn't a unibody construction and it was from MSI, I mean no disrespect to MSI, but at the price point I knew I couldn't expect miracles. However holding the unit in the hand, it feels very hard, no twisting or anything, the palm rest, sides, hinges all feel very hard and solid. So it is very reassuring in that respect, so if anyone is worried about the build quality, don't! In terms of design, the logo on the back is subtely done and I love the slightly accented back panel, breaks up the flat alu look nicely, overall the design is acceptable. However, if you are planning to take this laptop to "serious" board meetings, in say the financial or legal industries, I would still hesitate to recommend it. Whilst it is subtle, it does still say GAMING on the badge and its a dragon. So I guess depends on your circumstances, but not sure if I would be comfortable taking it to a client site.

    Weight (5/5) Unbelievable they managed to squeeze all this performance into a 2KG package, whilst retaining a strong keyboard.

    Screen (4/5) Screen is excellent, as has been mentioned, the colour vibrancy is superb and viewing angles, as demonstrated in other videos is very good. Point off because of the gap issue.

    [​IMG]

    Keyboard (4/5)

    I know it has been mentioned a few times the quality of the keyboard and I have to echo them. The Keyboard has very very little flex and when typing, it feels reassuringly solid, no dipping in or cheap feel. I guess MSI did the Steelseries name proud there. Personally I love brand tie ins and wished more brands would do this but MSI has got this right. The only gripe I have is that I feel perhaps the keys are tiny bit too small but its a minor niggle. I don't care too much about lights, but I guess its nice to have.....

    Touchpad (2.5/5)

    Touchpad I guess is dissappointing but its probably the case with most windows laptops. Apple has nailed the touchpad useability and any windows laptop I have ever used, is never quite there, including this MSI. Its by no means unuseable, but it feels very sluggish, vs a Mac. But again, since the object for me is mobile gaming, I intend to have a mouse anyway.

    Speakers (3/5)

    I'm not too sure what to expect tbh. Most laptops have pretty c*ap sound. The GS60, with the dynaudio tie in, does have a decent sound but I feel volume is slightly lacking. Also at higher volumes, it will break out. Obviously with the lack of a subwoofer, bass is also lacking. One area that it does perform reasonably well is in the clarity and the sound quality itself is not too bad, certainly superior to Apple notebook speakers for sure. Either way, like the touchpad situation, I will use headphones when gaming.

    Fans (3/5)

    Yes it gets loud during gaming, but its not abnormaly loud. I.e. Its not like "wow its loud", its like "yeah the fans are on". You would expect any laptop to have this level of noise tbh with this level of performance. When browsing, the fans are also on, but it really didnt bother me much. Yes I would prefer it if it was silent no doubt, but there are always tradeoffs with laptops.

    Performance (5/5)

    I guess here I will just use brute numbers to demonstrate:

    3DMark11 Performance: 5206 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-4700HQ,Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. MS-16H2
    Geekbench 3: Multicore of 11774 Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. GS60 2PC Ghost - Geekbench Browser
    Elder Scrolls Online: around 42-49 FPS with FULL HD and Ultra settings in Greenshade, not too bad vs 75-90 FPS on my desktop in the same place. Interestingly though, the screen image quality on the GS60 is really nice.

    Overall: 38/50 = 76%

    Would I recommend it?? Yes I would!! If you need to game, but be in a thin, stylish portable case, this is the machine for you. I only had it for a day, so time will tell, but so far I am thrilled.

    Thank you all and if you have any questions, or things I may be able to help you with ill do my best!
     
  11. Fleat

    Fleat Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the review. That mostly mirrors my mini review for the Ghost Pro with the 870m model a while back. I swear I would be much more satisfied with the touchpad if I had never owned any Macbook's. They spoil you so much! I still can't believe a Window's PC manufacturer has yet to properly match the glass touchpad on Apple products from many years ago.
     
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  12. Derek712

    Derek712 Notebook Virtuoso

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    Yeah, hearing all your reviews about the touchpad is swaying me away from this laptop. I just use it too much and would probably be really frustrated all the time. Not worth it to me. So far, the only Windows manufacturer I've seen with a stellar touchpad is Asus.

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
     
  13. Derek712

    Derek712 Notebook Virtuoso

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    duplicate, sorry
     
  14. webusermy

    webusermy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Urm.. no..

    I have never owned any Macbooks before.. been a pure Windows user... Thought I should let this be known in case some people might think the touchpad is okay if you have not used a Macbook before.

    The trackpad does suck, even with out that experience.. I'm contemplating getting the Logitech T650 touchpad to make owning this machine more bearable.
     
  15. palma

    palma Newbie

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    Thorough review (sorry to cut it out), really appreciate the effort. Planning on getting the same model.

    So, you passed on Razer 14 - cost, 3k screen/GPU heat issues? I am weighing the same factors.

    For build quality would you say the flex (or lack thereof) in the body is prob not upto par but comparable to Razer or Macbook Pro? IGN review complained about this and said it was paper thin. No other reviewer has mentioned this.

    Don't really about the speakers either, but is the sound coming out through headphone jack pretty good. Not sure if there is a real difference between laptops on this. Ya, its an amateur question. :hi2:

    So, fans are on even during regular use or only heavy browsing. Are they a lot quieter than when gaming. I am not bothered by fans during gaming since I have headphones on, but during regular it might get bothersome if they get loud from time to time. How does the noise compare with Macbook Pro? Along the same lines, can you comment on comfort levels around heat on the touchpad and keyboard and if they laptop was sitting on your lap.

    Finally, would you be able to post something about the battery life. Charge time and battery life with normal use not gaming (I know its bad with gaming). Hopefully, the technically challenged like myself will be able to replace the battery in the future as it meets its eventual destiny over time.

    Also, if others with this beast want to comment please let us know. Thanks in advance.
     
  16. be77solo

    be77solo pc's and planes

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    Apparently I'm the oddball here, but I don't think the touchpad is as bad as described here... in fact, I think it's quite a bit better than the touchpad in the GT series and no worse than any other touchpad I've used in my previous notebooks. It's a great size, the only thing I don't particularly care for is no dedicated buttons. Actual usage works just fine after spending two minutes adjusting the settings to my liking.

    Granted, I don't want to game with it, but for general browsing/office work it's just fine.

    Glad others are liking their GS60's! Trying to answer questions when able but this thread is going so fast with so many of the same questions answered over and over it's a struggle ha.

    Still very happy with mine, it's definitely a keeper.
     
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  17. webusermy

    webusermy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Urgh... now for some reason I can't scroll using the touch pad.. it's definitely registering multi-touches (from the icon), but i can't perform any multi functions...
     
  18. Dremith

    Dremith Newbie

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    Does anyone know if the gs60 uses a synaptic touchpad?

    And have any gs60 users who have had problems with the touchpad tried programs like two-finger scrolling?
     
  19. MrD1sturbed

    MrD1sturbed Notebook Evangelist

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    It uses an Elan touch pad, not Synaptics. I haven't had any real issues with mine but as has been said before the sensitivity is very touchy.

    Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5 using Tapatalk
     
  20. supaninjafighta

    supaninjafighta Newbie

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    I'm with you on this one, I've been having zero issues with the touchpad and I've previously used macbooks extensively. Those who are having issues have you tried playing around with the settings (ELAN and windows)? I spent about 5 minutes tweaking the sensitivity and the multitouch features and now it does exactly what I want it to do when I want it to. Given in still doesn't have the nice texture of macbook touchpads - but I could care less when I'm using a mouse most of the time anyways!
     
  21. charger71

    charger71 Notebook Consultant

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    Third, I dont have any issues with the touchpad. I've owned recent macbook pros, and yes that touchpad handles gestures better and is smoother, but for a touchpad its fine.

    I dont expect to ever game with the touchpad, is that what causes problems for you guys? I've never tried that.

    Just moving the cursor and navigating and all, no issues and no noticeable problems.
     
  22. ti20n

    ti20n Notebook Enthusiast

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    Personal feedback on the touchpad: if you uninstall the Élan software, touchpad precision is great. If you use the Élan software (e.g. to keep swipe and scroll support), thats where things get rough. It's all in the software; tweaking the Élan settings does help a bit.

    About fan noise: I posted earlier about a way to reduce rpm by 10%, or even to 0 at idle. But it requires an EC firmware flash and MSI instructions on EC updates are scary at best. And instructions are different for Win7 and Win8 (what?). Any adventurous souls planning to do it? :)
     
  23. GenTechPC

    GenTechPC Company Representative

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    1: I think it's because MSI laptops sold in Canada are import from MSI USA.

    2: Yes we will re-image with factory installed Windows 8.1 for you.
     
  24. SparklingWater

    SparklingWater Newbie

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    Thanks for the review!

    I've seen all the gaps in this threads and yours sound normal, can you post a picture of your screen gap? Thanks!
     
  25. Kaiserphoenix

    Kaiserphoenix Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi there, the build quality is "surprisingly" solid. By that I mean, despite it NOT being a unibody construction and despite it being so thin and light I expected it to be abit "flimsier" but the base certainly is hard and solid. Certainly no flex if I try to "twist" the body if you know what i mean. But if you're expecting Macbook Pro, unibody quality, its not there. The macbook pro is like 100% solid, the lid shuts solidly, there are no "gaps" to speak of. The MSI GS60 unfortunately does have tiny gaps in various places, just because it is made of smaller parts stuck together, ie not unibody. Also the screen is incredibly thin and therefore inevitably will feel less "solid" and wont close in the super satisfying way say the Macbook Pro will close if you get what I mean. But then again, we are not paying Macbook or Razer prices here, I feel alot more of our money is going into the performance so Im happy with that compromise.

    The Fan is always on seems like. If I switch on the notebook, i can hear the fans coming on immediately and it is definately noticeable. Its not annoyinly loud, but dont expect a silent fanless situation, you will hear it. It gets slightly louder when gaming also. But the pros from this is that the notebook feels again "surprisingly" NOT hot. The palmwrest remained pretty chilled and nowhere on the body was scorchingly hot, like you would feel from a macbook pro.

    Sound quality from the headphones are excellent and it can be tweaked with the included soundblaster software.

    Battery I cannot say much, will test it when I have a moment.

    Strangely my wifi stopped working dohhh I see the signal but doesnt connect to the internet anymore despite switching it on/off, rebooting etc......need to investigate.
     
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  26. Kaiserphoenix

    Kaiserphoenix Notebook Evangelist

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    Cool thanks for the tweak on the touchpad, gonna try it out. Do you think MSI will release some form of firmware for the fan issue on the GS60? Would be PERFEEEECT if the notebook ran silently when browsing the internet etc
     
  27. Kaiserphoenix

    Kaiserphoenix Notebook Evangelist

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    Ok now it seems I cannot connect to 5ghz, only 2.4ghz....seems there is a big issue with the 7260 card
     
  28. Kevin@GenTechPC

    Kevin@GenTechPC Company Representative

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    Try updating the Intel WLAN driver.
    Download
     
  29. Kaiserphoenix

    Kaiserphoenix Notebook Evangelist

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    Yep got the latest version, no change. Damn it!!!

    Interestingly the 5G works ONLY when the AC adaptor is plugged in.......whats up with that!!!

    And the speed seems slow? When cabled, i get 125MBPS but on 5G wifi, i only get 40....
     
  30. mindinversion

    mindinversion Notebook Evangelist

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    Sounds like something in Windows power profiles to me, I'd go in and set everything with wifi to high performance, no sleep, etc and see if that makes a difference.

    Disabling disk compression and disk indexing will help with this. I don't know WHY disk access is causing such inflated CPU temps, but since I noticed it on my RBP last week, I've gone through three other machines, and they *ALL* do the same thing.

    Tested on a 2014 Razer blade pro [extended disk cleanup, temps in the 80c range]
    a several years old MSI 683-DXR [extended disk cleanup on an intel X25-m SSD, 74c range]
    a slightly OLDER Asus G73-JH [Diablo 3 install, 62c, extended disk cleanup 79c]
    my desktop 4770k w/ corsair H100i 4.2 @ 1.15v in half push pull (3 fans, no room, don't ask)
    [extended disk cleanup, 53c]

    TL/DR Minimize disk access to reduce idle CPU temps (and thus fan noise) Disable indexing, compression, system restore *IF YOU HAVE YOUR DATA BACKED UP ELSEWHERE*
     
  31. ronzino

    ronzino Newbie

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    Hi guys,
    i have order the gs60 pro (1 ssd 128gb, 1 hdd 1tb, 870m 3gb vram, 16gb ram).

    I was surfing the net looking for information about the m.2 ssd. I am planning to add another ssd to setup a raid config but, as i haven't received it yet, i don't know the ssd producer and model.

    would the owners of this gaming notebook please share this information ? You can spot it windows contro panel -> system .....

    thanks a lot !
     
  32. Kaiserphoenix

    Kaiserphoenix Notebook Evangelist

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    Guys is anyone else having issues with Wirless?

    So far:

    2.4 ghz works ok, around 20mb
    5.0 ghz ONLY works with Power adaptor plugged in at around 40mb
    5.0 ghz on battery just says Limited connection and it doent work....

    My connection with ethernet is 123mb or so.
     
  33. be77solo

    be77solo pc's and planes

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    Already did it and posted pics of both the fan table and of the fan RPM at 2580 (43%). EC flash is painless and reliable, just follow the instructions.

    http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/742589-msi-gs60-ghost-ghost-pro-thread-96.html#post9632250

    Here's the stock fan tables before I changed them:

    View attachment 111257

    Here's what I changed mine to for a quick test, but so far has actually worked well... this of course can be tweaked much further:

    GS60_FAN43EC.png

    After a couple days of use, works great, fan stays at 2580 most of the time and is noticeably quieter. It completely eliminated the 2800-3300 jump.
     
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  34. ronzino

    ronzino Newbie

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    Ok let's me try.... i haven't received yet my gs60, BUT as an electronic engineer i have some experience with mini WLAN card that i can share with you.
    mPCI express slots sometime don't use a pci-e link but a standard usb connection.

    As mPCI-e can carry both pci-e and usb, even if designer use the pci-link they could use the power part of USB bus, and the problems come !
    USB switching voltage regulator are often shared between different usb port or other 5V external/internal devices

    So, have you tried to perform your wifi 5G with any USB device connected and with keyboard light switched off ? 5G connection may require a little more power than 2.4G. You should also try to switch off bluetooth

    let me know..... finger crossed for you :)

    P.s.
    Would you please answer to my question-topic a couple of post before ? :p
     
  35. Kaiserphoenix

    Kaiserphoenix Notebook Evangelist

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    Ok when I get back home I will check it for you, I also want to know this information also :)
     
  36. arkham

    arkham Notebook Consultant

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    Just FYI, someone else posted a comment complaining about the WiFi reception in the GS60 Owner's Lounge thread on Dragon Army, too.

    I don't like the consistency of these issues. It would be interesting to hear from anyone who gets a GS60 from Xotic or GenTech with the Killer-N Wireless option.
     
  37. mindinversion

    mindinversion Notebook Evangelist

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    Are you SURE your problem is on the notebook side? If I were in that situation, I would be going over the router with a fine toothed comb, checking for firmware updates, etc. If it's an older router, it may for some reason be having compatibility issues.

    Would also check for driver updates for the wifi card.
     
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  38. Tyresian

    Tyresian Notebook Consultant

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    You cannot get a Killer Wireless with the GS60, no option for it and I believe that is because this laptop is using a new m.2 standard for the wireless module and I think there is only one module that exists right now.
     
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  39. Support.1@XOTIC PC

    Support.1@XOTIC PC Company Representative

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    That's actually exactly right. We just updated our site reflecting this once we discovered they use the different form factor for the wireless as well.
     
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  40. dowd001

    dowd001 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Prices on the Newegg Canadian site are listed in Canadian dollars. The current exchange rate is approx 1 CAD = 0.91 USD. After converting to USD, you get the same price.
     
  41. awlllwa

    awlllwa Notebook Enthusiast

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    Besides gaming I plan to get the 870/3k option for photo editing. Has anyone tested to speed of the internal SD card reader to see if it is transferring at USB 2 or USB 3 speeds? Also, has anyone attempted to color calibrate their screen with a spyder or x-rite device?

    Also thanks for all the information on this forum, I have been quietly reading through it for weeks now.
     
  42. ti20n

    ti20n Notebook Enthusiast

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    o Misc notes about GS60 vs other notebooks:
    - Really like my GS60. Only gripes: (1) wish the default EC had better CPU fan curves (fixable with EC mod+flash), (2) wish it was a Maxwell 860M (or I would have bought the GS60 Pro and undervolted it), (3) wish the battery was 8-cell even if that meant removing the 2.5" slot and adding some weight.
    - Razer Blade: slightly better build quality, but significantly more expensive, 14" is a bit small and 17" is too big, and 3200x1800 resolution isn't handled well everywhere (e.g. Remote Desktop).
    - Gigabyte P34G: cheaper, lighter, Maxwell 860M, but 14" is a bit small, build quality is a couple notches below the GS60, and arguably ugly.
    - Lenovo Y50: Maxwell 860M, comes with Touch or non-Touch screen (Touch adds 1lbs), build quality seemingly on par with GS60. Really good contender but comes out in 1-2 months only.


    o Personal experience removing the back cover and swapping the 2.5" HDD: this is probably the only 'reasonable' DIY upgrade. Anything else would require taking out the entire motherboard, which only professionals (or people who don't care about warranty) should do.

    Removing the back cover:
    - Remove all the screws, both the tiny dark ones and the bigger light ones. One of them is under the "Warranty Void Sticker" -- I broke through it because others mentioned it didn't really void warranty, but do so at your own risk.
    - Once the screws are gone, the 'front' side of the cover will lift easily (e.g. stick your finger in the ethernet port). But you'll find that the 'back' side of the cover, which is welded to the different-colored grille btw, is still clasped shut. To unclasp it, use your fingernail or a thin pry-tool to open the remaining seam, which sits between the LCD hinges.

    Swapping the HDD:
    - The HDD has a thin white cable sitting right across it. You want to unbind the bottom/outer end of the cable, and to do so you have to lift the gray clasp that holds it, by about 1-2mm. Then the cable itself comes right out.
    - The HDD is really snug in its slot. To take it out you have to very slightly lift the right end, then pull it out of the connector. I wouldn't dare lifting it more than the bare minimum. Also, the SSD I put in was very slightly larger than the existing HDD, so be careful you don't damage the connector by pushing the drive down before it's completely flush in the connector.

    Cleanup:
    - Don't forget to reattach the white cable.
    - Getting the 'back' side of the cover to reclasp properly is kind of a pain. I recommend putting back all front and middle screws, and then popping the 'back' seam into place one segment at a time with tons of finger pressure until happy. And then finish with the back screws.
     
  43. arkham

    arkham Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks for the clarification. I'm still clearing out some mental clutter after changing my decision from the GS70 to the GS60 due to the inferior display on the Stealth. I remembered seeing the option(s) on Xotic/GenTech sites in the past.
     
  44. Tyresian

    Tyresian Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah, on the same page. The wifi issue right now is REALLY common... And after buying my last laptop 3 years ago I swore I'd get Killer Wireless on my next one as I didn't on the last and regretted it. So now I'm not sure if I should play the wait game as that seems like it will be some time... I'd assume a driver fix should be coming for the wifi issue unless it is a physical issue. Really the only thing holding me up from ordering.

    @Derek@XoticPC Do you know more details on the RAM upgradability? I want to put in 16GB of DDR3 2133, will this work? I know it isn't offered as an option and I'd do it myself, but I find it odd that the higher speed RAM only comes in the option of 8GB for configuration, is this just a supply thing on your side or is there a limitation for the laptop itself?
     
  45. Tyresian

    Tyresian Notebook Consultant

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    Do you know that undervolting will be possible? I have a GTX485M in my current laptop. I've looked into undervolting several times and no applications have ever allowed for it. I've tried NiBiToR, NVidia Inspector, and MSI Afterburner. None of them allowed me to do anything with the GPU Voltage, and this is 3 years later and I just looked into it again the other day.
     
  46. ronzino

    ronzino Newbie

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    Which si the model/producer of ssd
     
  47. Support.1@XOTIC PC

    Support.1@XOTIC PC Company Representative

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    The SSD is reported as TOSHIBA THNSNH128G8N

    Not something we've looked into since it really isn't worth the cost for the real world performance gain, but as long as the voltages match you should be fine. In the past we've ran into a higher prevalence of RAM compatibility the higher speeds we'd try as well so might be troubleshooting a bit trying to find some sticks that work well together.
     
  48. ti20n

    ti20n Notebook Enthusiast

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    Afaik software voltage adjustments are disabled on notebook GPUs; if so, the only way is to edit and reflash the VBIOS itself. You wouldn't want to use Afterburner anyway, since it wakes up the dGPU from Optimus every second.
     
  49. Gurashieruro

    Gurashieruro Newbie

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    So based by what I have read by some 50 or so pages of this thread, I'll assume as such:

    GTX 860m vs 870m
    While the 860m gives better and more reasonable temperatures, the 870m has no problem with any throttling or issues with the high heat it is displacing. Of course, the temps may/may not increase as time passes. So is it simply more preference? I mean, if the card doesn't suffer from the throttling even with its high heat, then wouldn't the 870m be better. Other computers suffer from the same high temps but remain the same FPS, just like the GS60 Pro.

    Wireless Card Problem
    Actually, that card seems to have a problem as a whole. I actually thought about upgrading my G46VW's internet card at some point and saw that card. Did anyone try upgrading the drivers straight from Intel? Seems like quite a good amount of people had a problem with it.
     
  50. Geedub

    Geedub Notebook Consultant

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    I noticed that GentechPC offers the GS60 Ghost Pro with options to get 1866MHz ram while XoticPC only offers 1600MHz sdram. Are there any known issues with the laptop using a higher speed ram?
     
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