MSI GS60 Ghost/ Ghost Pro Thread

Hey Ken,

Is the MSI logo on the back flat or does it stick out (if I get the laptop, I would probably want to cover it up with a sticker, but that probably wouldn't work too well if the logo is raised and/or textured?

 

Here's the proof.
As we all know, GK104 is Kepler, and GM107 is Maxwell.
Here's the VGA BIOS content extracted from GS60 which shows GK104, and BIOS version is 80.04.EF.00.1B (as shown in GPUZ).



EDIT:
Original VGA BIOS is attached.

 

So what is it finally ? Keplar or Maxwell ?

Meaker has got the confirmation from MSI HQ that it should be Maxwell . This actually has now led to confusion

 

Yes it does stick out and it's not flat.

 

I am confused by his confirmation too since our confirmation came from the same HQ.
But if you check out my post #252 then you will know the answer which is a Kepler for sure.

 

Can you try to reach out MSI HQ now so that we can have a dual confirmation on what it is ?

 

Ordered the Ghost-003 from Newegg last Friday, took delivery of it on Monday. Haven't had a whole lot of time to play around with it yet, but I can confirm that GPU-Z on my unit lists the same info as the two previous examples in this thread...



I haven't ran any other tests, but first impressions are overwhelmingly positive. The keyboard feels great, though there is a little bit of flex to it. The unit itself has a very solid feel...doesn't matter which side or corner you pick it up from, there's no flex to the body whatsoever. I've got no complaints about the screen, in fact, it's probably the best I've ever used. That's not saying a whole lot, but it's noticeably sharper then the screens featured on my last two notebooks (MSI's last gen GE60 OE-003US & Samsung NP700Z5C). Haven't had a chance to test out the speakers, but audio played through headphones is crystal clear with a deep, though not overpowering, bass. Heat hasn't been an issue, though I've only ran one game (Far Cry 3) for about an hour or two. I didn't test any of the internal temps, but the casing stayed cool to the touch with the exception of one small area on the bottom of the unit, just under the power button and intake fans. This small zone was too hot to touch for more then a second or two, but this is the only area on the entire unit that seemed to heat up.

I probably won't have a chance to respond until tomorrow, but if anybody has any questions or would like me to run any tests, let me know and I'll do my best to help out.

 

As Ken said, the logo does stick out (ever so slightly), but it also lights up when the unit is on. Not sure if that's different from previous models, or if there's a way to disable the light.

 

Wow nice you are the first end user with it! Still waiting for other stores to get them in stock. I wonder why it's taking Gentech and Xotic longer than Newegg.
How's your experience with the battery life? How's the brightness of the screen? Thanks.

 

Damn... i want my Ghost Pro already

 

Any idea when Amazon will have it ? They are only taking preorder now

 

I've been following this forum the last few days as the GS60 has caught my interest. I noticed today that the big banner ads Newegg is running for the GS60 say "Newegg Exclusive." So I imagine they got some sort of sweetheart deal with MSI for the first units. I was sort of relieved to see that because I thought it was weird that only Newegg was selling them and I'm glad to finally see an end user who has happily received their order.

 

Can't really comment on battery life, as I haven't used it for an extended amount of time without having it plugged into an outlet. I'll try and get some estimates over the weekend.

It's plenty bright for me, but I'm not one to use a laptop outdoors. I don't know how it would look with sunlight shining on it, but for indoor use, I really can't imagine anybody having complaints with the brightness. I can try and compare it to an Asus Transformer Prime in Super IPS+ (Outdoor) mode (supposedly close to 600 nits) later on, but I'm guessing (without having the two side by side right now) that the brightness will be relatively close between the two of them. Sorry I don't have a more accurate answer or way to test the brightness.

 

Already did, it will be Kepler all the way.

it's part of the back cover and the light is coming from the screen. if the logo is removed it will left a empty spot.

 

Makes sense.

Here's my highly scientific attempt at a brightness test between the GS60 Ghost and the Transformer Prime with the Super IPS+ Outdoor setting enabled. The Prime is definitely brighter, but like I said, I can't imagine anybody would be disappointed by the GS60's brightness unless they were planning on using it in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time...

 

Man, I got excited when Meaker said it was Maxwell and almost bought one ha... glad I waited for further info

Curious where the confusion is coming from.

Ken, you've been so helpful, one question to ask: anyway you could do some pics of the GS60 sitting beside and on top of or under a GT60? By my math the GS60 is wider and deeper that the GT60 but obviously thinner. Trying to picture the size difference of what I have now.

Thanks, great video by the way.

 

The confusion is coming from MSI itself...see MSI announces motherboards, notebooks and graphics cards - Laptop - News - HEXUS.net "The most MSI headlines seem to have been grabbed by the MSI GS60 Ghost. The 'Ghost' features an Intel core i7-4700HQ and graphics powered by NVIDIA GeForce GTX860M mobile Maxwell."

So, MSI US relies on their own press releases, feeds us that information, and then ships with Kepler.

What we don't know is if these early models have Kepler and the later shipments will have Maxwell. Only patience will give us that answer.

However what is clear for now is that what has been shipped so far, has shipped with Kepler.

Please don't blame Meaker, he took the time to write several emails to MSI US headquarters, and even gave them the evidence that these first shipments were Kepler, but they came back and assured him, and us, that those shipping from distribution starting next week would be with Maxwell.

Unfortunately, the confusion remains for now.

 

Well, hopefully that part about the units shipping from distribution starting next week having Maxwell is true. It will certainly make waiting for my order from Amazon a little easier.

 

What's your take on the fan noise during the two hours of FC3?

 

Thanks for the clarification Paladin44, meant no disrespect to Meaker in my post! Meaker we love you around here

Maybe NewEgg got an early exclusive with Kepler and the rest will be Maxwell. I still can't figure out why NVIDIA even has two 860m variants other than I assume to exhaust old stock.

If we do in fact get Maxwell sign me up.

 

There is still the outside possibility that GPUZ is not updated yet to recognize and report a Maxwell.

The heat is on MSI US now though, and they are scrambling to get the straight scoop to us all. We should be able to have the 'final answer' within a couple of days.

 

I want to buy a GS60 either way,1152 or 640 core maxwell version.Kinda leaning towards the Kepler....


Question:

The TMU and Shader performance seem the same,but the ROP amount (40 vs 96) is way off.... 40~ Gtex vs 76.5 Gtexels....

Will this make a big difference in real world gaming? Anadtech said maxwell was transistor for transistor 90% better,but the Texture fill rate is very lopsided.It would seem maxwell is a large downgrade,as its lower then the 765m,even skirting the 760m actually in performance drop.

 

Thanks and sure I can do a comparison video.

FYI, GPUz does recognize Maxwell (GE70/GE60 ApachePro) :




Version History
0.7.7
Sensor refresh rate is adjustable now
Fixed GM107 TMU & shader count
Improved NVIDIA Maxwell support
Added CHiL8214 voltage monitoring for Pitcairn/Curacao cards
Added support for NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm, GTX 860M
Added support for AMD Radeon HD 8210

 

ok we'll waiting for the review. especially about battery life.

oh man. if they say so. I should get this one rather than razer blade

 

Even if it wasn't, the vbios dump that was posted is a smoking gun

 

Yep *sigh* looks like some serious wires crossed at MSI for the moment.

Looks like I should trust my gut more.

 

Are the LED indicators super bright like the GS70 2013?

Please check, thank you!

 

MSI dropped the ball on this one saying they are Maxwell when they are really Kepler GPU's, not that that's bad but since we have seen it can handle the Kepler chips but if they advertise or say they come with Maxwell and we get Kepler I would be pissed if I got a Kepler model. If they keep this up they are going to have a lot of mad customers and a lot of returns for false advertising.

 

Truth. If they say it's Maxwell, it better be Maxwell. Who do they think their customer is here? We might be an edge case but they are going to get a nominal return rate from those who are informed and do research if it's not Maxwell. The pinout, physical size, cooling requirements.. Supporting both sounds like a complete waste of manufacturing cost, r&d cost, design cost.. Etc...

 

My gut still doubts it's Maxwell because of the 870m option in the Pro model... it would make sense in my head they use 860m Kepler to keep things similar with the Pro 870m which is Kepler.

I hope I am wrong... Assuming I am, I'll order one for sure. I just struggle justifying buying an outdated Kepler machine at this point brand new.

 

Meh, there is no doubt GPU-Z reads Maxwell. The trouble with getting information from any manufacturer, is just as with SKU;s, EVERYTHING is subject to change. When the GS60 Ghost became available for pre-order, I assumed it would be Maxwell, but then was surprised to learn that first production units were indeed Kepler. Now, I am hearing that all GS60 Ghost will arrive with Kepler, and that other models will be equipped with Maxwell, such as the GE60. However, I would not surprised to see first arriving units equipped with Kepler, and then subsequent shipments arriving with Maxwell. After all, both perform similarly, and both are designated as the NVidia GTX-860M..... ergo, perhaps in-spite of the GPU onboard, the manufacturer classifies both as one, and the same component. This is wherein, I feel the real confusion lies..... two different GPU's, given the same designation. I know this has been very confusing for many here, so why shouldn't there be some confusion amongst the notebook manufacturers as well? LOL!

I recently pre-ordered the GS70 Stealth-003 for a friend, and I'm wondering which 860M to expect. I expect it very soon, but should I toss a coin, folks? Which will it be, heads, or tails?

 

well well well, to ad more confusion, here in China, it seems that they sell GS60 with Maxwell. at least this is what a MSI rep told me and what the shops are selling, like here:
GS60 in taobao

 

Fish,

How about the viewing angles ? (especially on the vertical plane)
Do they look like IPS/AVHA ? or TN with colors washing out when viewing from the bottom ?

 

In my opinion it will be Kepler version ... anyways ... i hope there'll be GS60 or 70 model with 1 SSD + 1TB HDD but with 870M graphics ... the only model i see now is GS70 870M 3x128GB SSD + 1TB for 2099$ ... but thats expensive for me :/ hopefully 1SSD+1TB+870M will cost around 1699-1899

 

LOL! And so it continues! Who knows what's going on behind the manufacturer's closed doors? Again, I am thinking both GPU's, carrying the same designation, are classed as one, and the same. Most here want the latest tech...... OF COURSE, WE ALL WANT MAXWELL! But, many will still buy, regardless of the GPU..... I mean, HEY, IT's A GTX-860M, RIGHT? Also, I can imagine the Kepler GPU's are a bargain now, as compared to the newer Maxwells.

So, are you saying, heads, or tails?

My information says the GS70 w/870M will be Kepler for sure, but it's still possible we may see the GS70 Stealth-003 with 860M Maxwell. They did so for the new GE60.... so maybe..... fingers crossed, LOL!

(flips coin again....)

 

I'd like to note that on OcUK ETA of GS60 is 09/05/14, which is more than one month away. And with the actual availability you never know...
So maybe there are different production batches - early ones for US with Kepler, and another for later launch dates.

 

I've heard all GS60 Ghost will be equipped with Kepler, but again, COIN TOSS!

I ask myself, why would MSI use Maxwell for the new GE60, and Kepler for the GS60 Ghost? After all, isn't the GE60 more the entry level machine? At first this made no sense. Then it occurred to me, perhaps the GE60's cooling is insufficient to support Kepler. Even with Maxwell, the GE60 is a bit warm. This would tend to support the theory, that the manufacturer considers both GPU's, as one and the same component.

 

Hey guys I wonder what is the reason behind this heated maxwell kepler argument on 860m since there is a 870 model which is superior if there isn't any hardcore throttling issues or another extreme fault. Is it the lower price of the 860m version?(by the way this is a perfectly valid reason I just wonder)

Other than that let me heat up the maxwell kepler argument even more. In the Wan show 2 weeks ago while talking about the new razer blade Linus said that there will be a maxwell version of the 870m. I didn't reach that information anywhere else so it may be a simple tongue slip but anyways here is the link to it:

The WAN Show: New Razer Blade 14 Popcorn Time is Gone?? Haswell-E Coming Soon?? - YouTube

What do you guys think about that, have you ever heard of it before? What are the chances that GS60 will have a maxwell 870m?

 

This thing is turning out to be very confusing. Ken, could you please confirm the GPU that GS60 you'll be shipping out? Thanks.

 

Interesting! With regard to new MSI models, I have only heard that the GS70 Stealth Pro, and some GT series will be equipped with the GTX-870M..... all Kepler. I really do not think we will see any 870M equipped GS60 Ghost models.

I think he has already confirmed it's Kepler..... HERE!

 

Thanks. Wouldn't MSI get into trouble for false advertisement?

 

Actually we will see gs60 with 870m. Here is the link:
http://www.msi.com/news/1685.html (scroll down to the bottom of the page)

The question is will it be maxwell

 

There is no maxwell 870M

 

Maxwell -> 820 830 840 850 860M
Kepler -> 860 870 880M

Like it was sad before ... there wont be 870 or 880 Maxwell version ...

 

Yeah that was also what I could find on the internet. Just wondered what you guys think about what linus said. Other than that we know that there will be a maxwell equivalent for 870m and 880m. when do you think it's gonna be. 9-12 months or so with DX-12?

 

False advertisement? How so?

Sorry, when I said 'we', I was referring to the U.S. market? Where are you located? Yes, there is the GS60 2PE, equipped with the 870M (Kepler), but these SKU's are slated for the European, Australian, and Asian markets.

I think it's possible, but I suspect these will be future 20nm 2nd Gen Maxwell, but not certain if NVidia will continue the same designation. I assume they may, as with the 860M Kepler/Maxwell, but in the 20nm process. The possibilities are exciting, eh?

A Maxwell equivalent for current 28nm Kepler 870M and 880M? Yes, I've heard of a very tantalizing new gaming flagship in the works, and I believe this will be sooner than most think. I predict the summer/fall 2014 timeframe, and I suspect they will be 20nm Maxwell GM2xx. This flagship will be my next 'Weapon Of Mass Destruction', and before everyone goes all-gonzo on me here, please note there is SPECULATION on my part. We shall soon see, but I am feeling pretty good about this.

 

Yet! :laugh:

After reading up on the whole situation with nVidia's 8xxM announcement history, the impression I get is that they designed Maxwell with the assumption that the 20nm process would be ready in time for it. But word is yields at 20nm have been problematic for close to a year now, and everyone is still stuck at 28nm. Maxwell has about 15% more transistors than Kepler, and the higher end Maxwell cards (with more CUDA cores) wind up being too big at 28nm. So we end up with this weird situation where the lower-end cards are newest-gen Maxwell, and the higher-end cards previous-gen Kepler.

Intel is at 22nm, and had to use a 3D FinFET to achieve it. It's a way to increase the contact surface area of part of the transistor which becomes too narrow to transmit voltage well if you just shrink to 22nm or 20nm. The other manufacturers have been working on 3D FinFETs, so when they are able to produce them reliably they will be able to move to 20nm. I expect the entire 8xxM line will move to Maxwell when that happens. Don't hold your breath though - that could take as long as a year.

 

It's a Kepler and so is NewEgg's YouTube review think they got a Maxwell because it says "GTX860M " but turned out to be a Kepler and fishnuggets just bought one from NewEgg and confirmed it's a Kepler.

There are zero GS60 Ghost units in this planet that exists with a Maxwell and there won't be one, ever. This information is confirmed with MSI HQ in Taiwan.

Let's focus and stick on topic about the specs, design and features of the laptop and performance. GTX860M on Maxwell or Kepler performs virtually the same, see my GE70 / GE60 ApachePro review on YouTube here: :



Does Maxwell really runs much cooler than Kepler? Apparently not. The Maxwell GTX860M got 90+ degrees C with stock paste on 3DMark 11, not any better than the previous generation GTX765M Kepler on GE70/ GE60 and they are both the same laptop, can't be any accurate than that.

Rumors out there keep saying there is one (just because it says "GTX860M like on NewEgg's video) with Maxwell but we never ever seen a GPUz screenshot or vBIOS dump says it is. So again and for the last time, there is no Maxwell GTX860M on GS60 Ghost and there won't be one.

 

Has it been confirmed with MSI that the 2PE version will not be available in the U.S.? Since seeing the CeBIT videos show up a couple weeks back and then seeing MSI's press release showing the specs with the 2PE version and optional 3K display I've been waiting for a U.S. retailer to say whether or not a 2PE version with a 3K display was going to become available to us. Since the only statement I've found on the internet about this is the one I quoted by -=$tR|k3r=- I have a hard time believing it won't be here.

@Ken, are you able to confirm or deny -=$tR|k3r=-'s statement that it will not be available in the U.S. market?

 

Thanks for the post Ken, what you are saying does make perfect sense, we just didn't want to believe it and hoped MSI knew what they were actually selling when they told us it would be Maxwell in a press release.

My last remaining question is as asked above, does anyone know if the GS60 Pro with 870m and 3K screen will be coming to the US market?