MSI GS60 Ghost/ Ghost Pro Thread

No you aren't. It is not physically possible for the battery to run the gfx card and cpu at the needed power. I don't know the exact numbers of the gs60 but think of it this was way. GFX card needs 90 Watts, CPU 80 Watts so 170 watts, which is why they usually give a 180Watt PSU to account for losses. On battery your battery is usually like 60-80 watts. So only half of what the computer needs to run at full potential.

 

This is a commonly asked question by a lot of users.
AC adapter provides more juice to run the components up to 150 to 180W depends by the model.
Battery is only about 40 to 50W, so battery mode will be very limited on performance.

 

As an update:
Im am running Win 8.1 and everything is fine as long as I choose IGFX in Bios.
As soon as I chose SG trouble starts:
I boot, the Power button turns orange, indicating that the 860 is not active and Win starts... about 30seconds in the GPU fan goes into FULL SPEED and another 30secconds in I get BSOD with "DRIVER POWER STATE FAILURE". I uninstalled ALL NVIDIA drivers with the display-driver-uninstall-tool provided by amd/nvidia since I had some old drivers from my previous notebook (I just put the SSD from my old one into the new one and Windows booted right up!).
I am completely unable to install the 860-drivers... the NVidia Setup wouldnt find the graphics card... and I only have about 1 minute in windows before the system crashes...


anybody?

 

I think you need to clean reinstall Windows. It's never a good idea to use a drive containing various system files and components designed specifically for one system in another system. This is most likely a driver conflict issue.

 

Thank you.. This makes sense

 

I asked MSI in a different forum if the red backlight that glows on startup (even before windows) is possible to disable and recieved this answer:
"MSI current EC firmware default is always ON and in RED color before entering OS or if SSE isn't installed. In windows, SSE takes over the keyboard backlight color control, we have no way to change this atm."

Im sorry if this question is retarded but is it possible to customize the EC firmware somehow to disable this backlight?

 

Good find. It might be worth asking svet on the msi forums if he can do anything with it.

 

Thanks! Created a thread about it over at the MSI forums and PM'ed mentioned user. If anyone wants to follow the progress the thread can be found at GS60 > EC Firmware with disabled backlight?.

 

Would be great to be able to disable the power button Led when watching films in the dark too.

 

Indeed, keyboard backlight and power button LED are the only too things that has annoyed me with this laptop. I have actually masked the "LED-ring" around the power button with a precise cut out electrical tape that melts into the chassis color quite well. To be able to disable the actual LED would be a far more "clean" solution though, is it also controlled by firmware you think?

 

so far so good. wireless range could be better but I haven't been having drop outs. from my bed to the router I was only getting around 8Mbps, but since I moved it onto a table that's on the other side of my room it's been solid at 32Mbps+ for down speeds. Still 2 rooms from the router and probably 40 feet away. Not bad.

 

Hey all,
did any of you buy the laptop from Computer Upgrade King? I am probably going to buy this model: MSI GS60 Ghost-012 15.6" i7-4710HQ 16GB 1.256TB SSD/HDD Nvidia GTX 850M 2GB Full HD W8.1 Gaming Laptop by Computer Upgrade Kind at Amazon.com - Any previous experience/suggestion you can give?

 

Has anyone ordered their MSI Ghost from GenTech via the new back-to-school specials? They've got one special that includes Assassin's Creed Liberation HD for free. If you did order that special, did you get a code for the game or was it only installed on the hard drive? I'm planning on installing a fresh copy of the OS and it would be a shame to lose the game.

I suppose the HD acronym could stand for hard drive but it could also be high def so I'm lost...

 

Thermal limit is controlled by the BIOS/EC but not VBIOS since the fan isn't part of VGA card.

 

I ordered mine a while ago when Gentech offered AC Liberation HD with the GhostPro. It was not included, I had to email them to obtain a serial code for the game so I suggest you contact Gentech.

 

Has anyone received really high temps for their hard drive while downloading large files? I was downloading an iTunes movie and the hard drive had a high temp of 49C. It's physically heating up the bottom right side of the laptop.

 

I dont know about the gs60 pro as I am first picking mine up on Saturday, but I am sitting on my macbook air right now (24C) in my room browsing, on spotify and also downloading a file and my HD shows 48C. I thought that is normal..

 

Quick question/request: I'm planning on purchasing a GS60 pro in the near future but, with as big as this thread has gotten, I was wondering whether someone could be so kind as to edit the first post to include the helpful tips/tricks that have been shared so far like:

The XTU instructions and why we want them,
The vbios mods and the install instructions,
The link to MSI's driver site.

I think it would be nice to not have to slog through all 200 plus pages to get to the most helpful info (read: be lazy).

 

Hey guys, have been following this thread on and off for a while. Just ordered from Gentech PC because of their sale right now!

In regards to the heat problem: I know that the laptop draws air from the top of the keyboard area, but have any of you considered buying a really good laptop fan for this? I feel like a good aluminum laptop fan will help to dissipate a good amount of heat from the bottom of the machine, as well as give it some breathing room towards the bottom. Something like this: Amazon.com: CM Storm SF-19 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad with Two 140mm Turbine Fans (SGA-4000-KKNF1): Electronics

 

How much performance loss do we see between GS60 and GE60?
In terms of Maxwell vs Keplar?

 

Please refer to 860M Kepler vs 860M Maxwell below.
Review Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M Maxwell vs. Kepler - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

 

Thanks
Will check it out.

 

Makes me feel like I should have gotten the 870m. But then again I don't play that many very demanding games and have a desktop to use 90% of the time.

I noticed my CPU getting frequently hot since I got it. Would spin up and down constantly. Luckily t was just an indexing issue because of the way I set up my game library. Changed a setting so it wouldn't index my game directory and all seems good.

Would be nice to get a lower fan speed when the laptop is idle though. It's louder than my desktop pretty much always.

 

Does anyone know how to get Steelseries engine to start minimized? Every time my Ghost starts I have to manually minimize the app.

 

Worst case, you can create a batch file that will minimize all windows. Maybe that will help?

 

Yeah I thought about taking that approach, but I was hoping there was an option for it in the app that I missed. Seems like a glaring oversight on MSI/Steelseries part IMO.

 

Ohhh you would be surprised at how many oversights I have seen in 10 years hahaha But indeed it's odd that it happens. Considering my GT60 also uses Steelseries keyboard with configurable lights etc, and I don't have such issue.

 

Maybe try a reinstall? Mine starts minimized every single time for the past 3+ months.

 

Tried that. Installed the new version over top the other, no go. Uninstalled and completely reinstalled, still no go. Not sure what else to do at this point except the batch file route. Ugh:confused2:

 

How does the program start? If it starts as a shortcut under the "Start Up" folder, you can try going into the properties of the shortcut and specify for it to start minimized.

 

The program starts on it's own, there is no entry in the start up folder. That was of course the first place I looked. I have submitted a ticket to Steelseries to see if they can shed some light. I'm thinking there might be a flag that can be added to the exe to force it to load minimized, but we'll see what they say.

 

Hi Everyone,

The story is about my GS60 GhostPro 3K-097. I got it about two months ago, which is the time when it first appeared on the market, from XTOTIC PC. Everything goes well except two things: thermal issue and the keyboard light. The first one is somewhat serious, which means when I was gaming under room temperature 79F, the GPU temperature can go up to 200F! So that's why I decided to take some action. (The CPU temperature is normal, no higher than 158F. I bought the IC Diamond and wanted to disassemble the laptop to do everything by myself. So I did that, unfortunately, I made a fatal mistake: remove the battery before disconnecting everything. So after I got the thermal paste done, and assembled the laptop back, it simply cannot be powered on. I tried again and again but made no sense. Finally, I submit the RMA request on last Sunday and sent it on this Monday. Hope everything will be fine, although I really don't have enough confidence on MSI's RMA. The second problem I mentioned at the beginning is the keyboard light, which is not distributed evenly. For some keys, such as F3 and F4, there is no direct back-light under the key. Although the phenomenon cannot be found from the top of view, it can be easily noticed during normal using. But I think it is not a problem for me.

Oh, I forget one thing: the "terrible" internal design. The GS60 series has such a thin design is not a coincidence: it utilize every space inside the body. So if you want to upgrade ANYTHING, you have to remove the back cover, go to the opposite side of the motherboard, which means you have to half disassemble the laptop to make every upgrading. BE AWARE OF THE RISK BEFORE UPGRADING.

Well, enough for me today. Hope my RMA process will go smoothly. Thanks for reading.

 

I wouldn't go so far as to call their internal design terrible. As you stated, they did so to make the laptop thin, a major selling point for a lot of consumers. Difficulty upgrading only affects a tiny percentage of owners and those few enthusiastic enough to do their upgrading at home probably are capable enough to remove the whole motherboard. And those who aren't can get a professional.

I wouldn't compromise their laptop design and form factor just to please a minuscule amount of people.

 

I don't see how you can Rma it when you potentially damaged it. I took out insurance specifically for this reason.
The laptop won't boot unless you plug it back in after being dismantled. Did you try that?

 

Even if you had damaged the system, MSI RMA will most likely repair it for you free of charge if nothing is severely damaged.

 

Wait, so you did not remove the battery before disassembling the motherboard to get to ram/fans? And then you're upset at MSI? I'm confused.

I disassembled the whole thing to change out the ram and m2 ssds and while it was a tiny bit more difficult than your average dell, I didn't think it was that bad.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

I asked and got this answer from MSI in a different forum regarding this:
"I have checked with our HQ in Taiwan and with current models it is not possible to turn off the Powerbutton LED or lower its brightness. We have feed backed your idea to the design department. They will discuss and decide if the idea will be implemented while designing future models."

Bad news, although im not sure if its possible with like custom firmware, I know nothing about that tbh. Not really comforting to hear that they might fix for future models when i just bought a brand new computer heh..

 

Yes, I tried that but still could not power on. The good thing is that the power LED was on. To tell the truth it is very likely due to my mistake that forgot remove the battery before doing anything. But I think a good company should be able to solve such mistake for their valued customers. Let's what will happen.

 

I'm not upset at MSI. I just wanted to point out some concerns I had. The failure is very likely due to the mistake I made, and I hope they can help me to solve the problem. This is a lesson for me: be careful anytime. So that I can do a better job in the future.

For MSI's RMA, you might have heard many complains on the internet. That's why I'm not totally in confidence. But at least so far they responded my RMA request promptly. Let's see what will happen.

 

Good to hear you're getting taken care of by MSI quickly. If you need any help from us let us know.

 

Thanks. You are doing a good job. Here is my suggestion: maybe some easy-to-find pre-sale tips will help a lot. As a retailer who can provide deep customization, you guys should be very familiar with the inside of a certain laptop. You may provide a suggestion such as "not easy to upgrade, since the SSD and RAM sockets located at the opposite of the motherboard", or "thermal awareness, IC diamond is recommended on this type". Such tips can provide some considerations that the buyers may ignored before using the machine for a while, and also can improve your business.

 

When I talked to a customer service rep from Xotic they recommended getting IC Diamond on any and every computer they offered. Not sure if you talked to anyone there. And there was also a video with a review/benchmarks for the GS60.

 

Yeah, next time I will choose this service without hesitation. I did talk with one of the representative, but the question I had at that time had nothing to do with thermal. I love DIY, and always want to do such things by myself, but sometimes the risk can bring me in trouble. Like my situation so far, I have to go lab everyday to do my research works. And I cannot play Hearthstone before it comes back T_T

 

Whats the latest unlocked vbios?

 

XoticPC and GentechPC both have reviews of this laptop and both take apart the bottom of the laptop to show you how difficult it is to customize or upgrade it by yourself. Heck, Gentech SPECIFICALLY say that it will be difficult to upgrade once they ship it out:

Detailed Review MSI GS60 Ghost - Unboxing, Benchmarks, Disassembly - YouTube

I'm not sure how much more obvious they can make this...except for posting everywhere on the site: LAPTOP DIFFICULT TO TAKE APART FOR AMATEURS.

I don't know about you but when I purchase anything this expensive, I will be sure to watch every single review or feedback video on youtube to make sure I know everything about it.

 

Did you laptop have a warranty sticker which you removed. If so I'll be very interested to see if they honor your warranty.

 

I am shocked if MSI say warranty invalidated if you upgrade RAM or SSD/HD.
Gigabyte have stickers on cpu cooler and gpu cooler for that so your free to upgrade ram and HD.

 

I was advised my msi UK that to change anything bar the mechanical drive you have to send it in. Basically if you remove the motherboard and damage anything and they notice it's on you. But fingers crossed for you.

 

Hello notebookreview community!

This is my first post here I read about +200 Pages and decided couple of days ago to buy the gs60 pro 3k 870m 16gb model (wich i should recieve the next days). Thanks to you i learned a lot and i am still learning from a lot people here.

What i am planing to do with my laptop?
- repaste it with Prolimatech PK-3 - Wärmeleitpaste, PK-3 - 1G: Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör
- for GPU i will use Phobya Wärmeleitpad Ultra 5W/mk 1 mm für: Amazon.de: Elektronik
4) flash vbios using sen1inel v75 method

To be honest i am quit sure i wont be able to manage this all without your help As i know me, I can put a new desktop together (did it couple of times), i also managed to root/flash some android devices (i cant say that it was without any problems but overall it worked ) but i never opened a laptop and i never flashed a bios

Here are my questions and i really hope that you can get help from you:

1) will i lose my warranty if i just open my laptop to repaste the cpu/gpu without damaging anything?
2) will i lose my warranty if i flash the vbios?

3) if i use for my gpu Phobya Wärmeleitpad Ultra 5W/mk 1 mm für: Amazon.de: Elektronik should i also repaste the gpu or not?
4) I plan to use that method http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/742589-msi-gs60-ghost-ghost-pro-thread-118.html#post9640185 and my question is What firmware do i need for that? 506?
5) in Sen7inel post its writen 9. Ensure version and ID match ABORT IF YOU SEE A VERSION/ID MISMATCH OR ERROR, last chance to back out
So that means if doesnt match 100% i wont be able to flash it right?
6) Do you have a guide how to repaste the cpu/gpu? All i have found is this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsF0Bpuj8ss (Its more for upgrading the Hardware and not for repaste but do you think there is enough information ?)

Guys thanks a lot i and cant wait until i get the laptop

Cheers

 

Compliments are harder to build than complaints due to various of reasons.
If you visit Newegg.com often, you can see such difference on a bunch of products.
But let's see how your RMA goes and tell us how it went, and finally, would you be more willing to post a positive/negative reviews for such experience?