MSI GX740 with 5870 1gb ddr5

Thanks! But do you know of a place that ships replacement keyboards to Europe (Sweden)?

 

No I don't sorry, did you try calling or emailing them here to see if they deliver to Sweden? I think there's someone named RKRob or something who goes on NBR.

As a side note: I think I got a stable OC at 840/1100 @ 1.05.

9066GPU score in Vantage

 

This is ridiculous. The disk drive will read anything that isn't a game. I try to load both Call of Duty black ops and Bioshock 2 and it just won't read the damn disks.

It says that there is no disk in the drive!!! Gah!!

Please someone help me, I am going crazy.

Made my onw thread, but I need to get this out there. I really want to play CoD Black Ops.

 

So I tried MS's error checker and drive analyzer and both of them have no solution. Both say the disk is not the proper format or unreadable. But I tried it in another computer and it works just fine.

I've trident both cd's and DVDs in the drive and they work fine as well.

This is getting ridiculous.

 

So it won't show up in my Computer?

 

No. It says there is no disc in the drive. I did all the standard troubleshooting things. Uninstall and reinstall, can't upgrade the firmware, used microsofts drive analyzer. Nothing works. It'll play a movie DVD and music cd just fine. And the game works in other computers, but not in this one. Won't even recognize the disc.

This comp is only 2 months old. What a silly issue.

 

Is it easy to replace the optical drive? Can I just buy a new one from a computer store?

 

my E7405 tops out around 82C in games with new vBIOS and stock clocks with a Zalman NC2000 cooler.

 

Guys,

My GX740 has of late been switching itself off under heavy gaming. I installed HWMonitor and ran Black Ops in windowed mode. Just left it on the default "home" screen which is like a screen saver and within 2 minutes my temps went from idle 70 deg c to 105 deg c and rising at which point I stopped the game.

I have now installed the MSI Vbios and idle temps have reduced to 54 ish but on Black Ops home screen the temps are still hovering around 99/100 deg c, do you guys think this is an acceptable temperature or do you think I should look at RMAing it?

Second question: If I remove the back covers and change the thermal paste of the GPU will this invalidate my warranty?

Thanks

 

So I jumped through about 20 different pages on here. I am looking at getting either the i5 or i7 model of this laptop through newegg. I have heard the the temp issues can be fixed via a vbios update. I'm not afraid of doing that myself. I just have a few questions;

1. Does this decrease performance (does the vbios update underclock or something similar?)

2. What are some typical load temps with the update?

I'm coming from a Gateway P-6831FX with upgrades and I am in love with everything about this laptop. The dual fans, the excellent design, sturdy, easy to upgrade. I have been considering a Gateway 7908u, an Asus G73 (so ugly....), and the MSI GX740. My main concern is length of life, which temperatures play a major role. Between my dual fans and my laptop prop, my laptop reaches 75C average in games, not much more. I am concerned about the power of the MSI with only one fan...seems off. The G73 is just too ugly with its big butt and a bit pricey for me, but the dual fans draw me in.

In summation, how well does it cool in games? What temps does it reach? If it's hitting the 100C I've been reading about, or even much more than 90C, I'm out. Thanks!

 

FelixTheCat,

I bought the E7405 with the i5 from Newegg about 3 weeks ago. It had older video drivers and bios. The temps ran pretty high all the time due to the frequencies always running at peak. The bios update changed that so when the system is idle it runs cool (40 - 50 degrees).
Load temps are awesome. I'm not playing anything too intensive right now, just Fallout New Vegas. I play it maxed out and have no problems, and temp hasn't gotten higher than 60. My old Dell XPS M1710 would run 80's

As for the system bios update, It's supposed to fix a CPU frequency problem. I didn't notice any difference after updating.
If you do buy either laptop I don't recommend updating the Intel RST to the current version. (MSi website) It slows boot times dramatically. I uninstalled it altogether and my system runs fast, without any problems.

Your safest bet is to try out different video drivers modded or stock to see what works best for you.

I was also concerned about the single fan issue. All laptops that I've owned (Dell, Hp, Compaq) have had two. MSI designed a good lappy.. The single fan vents heat pretty damn good. Haven't even used my laptop cooler yet.
The 100c we've read seems pretty far fetched.. ?

 

Check the temp using HWmonitor or MSI afterburner's OSD please.

60 C under load is impossible. Most people have it around 80C after hours of gameplay using vBIOS update

@Felix As for vBIOS, the update only undervolts it to 1.05V instead of 1.15V which is the reason for decreased load temps. 1.05 also allows less overclocking.

@leckytech Taking off back cover does not void warranty but not sure about thermal paste.

 

@Bearclaw, I only play for an hour a day. Busy schedule and I can't game like I did when I was a kid, lol. And like I said it's not an intensive game. Definatly not impossible..

Edit: And I do use afterburner with the on screen display.

Edit2: (sorry, lol) What's your 3dmarks?? Just curious.

 

Stock is about 7900 GPU score in Vantage, I think 11960 in 3dmark 06 (i have the i5-430m)

I OC'ed it to 840/1085 and it's about 9100 GPU score, haven't tested it in 3dmark06.

As for the temp, even after 1 hour it will get to near maximum. Fallout 3 uses the GPU to about 80-99% so even after 5 minutes it should get over 60C, and Fallout NV uses the same engine. Can you post a screenshot of your temp?

So yeah there's no 5870 that can play a game for an hour and never have its temp go over 60 unless you got some voodoo magic going on in there

 

does any one know how to open the keyboard? I just wanted to pop out 2 or 3 keys, I think there is something underneat its really hard to press the keys

 

Lol...Right Ill show him....So i flashed up Black Ops and ran the temp monitors and they wouldnt go above 92deg C, I happy although I now look like a , but I assure you it did hover 99/100 after the initial Vbios update. Maybe resetting the EC helped as I have done this after recording that temps.

Anyway, in game Black Ops seems to hover around the 80degC but for some reason the main menu strains things a little.

For the record here's a screenshot...

 

I would go for a repaste but that temp isn't life threatening yet.

However, I run with the back cover off and 840/1085 and its about 80C max.

 

Just for info!

 

Looks about right

 

what setting do people usually use? for 3dmark vantage

 

The accepted standard for comparative Vantage benchmarking is the default setting.

 

Does anyone here upgraded ever upgraded to i7-720qm or above from the above version? if yes Can the 120W ac adaptor still handle the power? or I need to change ac adaptor?
and Is it hard to upgrade?
where and how much did you buy it?

 

In my GT725 the 120W power supply burned after one year. It was running very hot in ''gaming mode''. I bought an 140W supply which is able to give over 7amps to my 6.3amp demanding rig and runs cool like a fool in a swimming pool Too much power in the supply is never a problem! And from what I can see in the tests the power consumprion of gx740 is ~140W tops so I was pretty sure it comes with an 140W supply from the start :/

 

I used to have MS-1722 with QX9300 and 9600M GT. I used to OC both the CPU and the GPU (2.8GHzfor the CPU, 600/1500/950 for the GPU). After couple of weeks the 120W LiteOn PSU gave up.
I purchased a Targus (LiteOn) 180W PSU, which serves me up to this day with my new laptop (MS-1727). I don't OC the CPU, as the TurboBoost feature screws things up, lowering the multiplier to maintain the thermal envelope when OCed, however I do OC the GPU to nearly desktop 5770 levels. The 180W PSU does get warm/slightly hot in 100% load of 8 threads + GPU (using BOINC).

 

@marecki
where did you buy your power supply from?

 

I bought it on ebay. If You live in the US, they're cheap as dirt. Here's one for 20$:

TARGUS NOTEBOOK AC ADAPTER 180W PA-1181-08 APA05US - eBay (item 390233332079 end time Nov-29-10 20:42:09 PST)

PS.
When looking for this particular model of Targus PSU, type in APA05 in ebay search.

 

hey man since u live in aus how did u get it shipped? this seller doesn offer int shipping. Also from the pics it doesnt look like the it wud fit the msi models, did u have to buy an adapter?

 

I think it comes with a bunch of tips, it is universal afaik.

I want one too

 

It comes with 3 different tips, one of them fits MSI laptops perfectly. I bought it on an auction which offered international shipping. I paid $49 + $19 for shipping. I know it's a lot, but here in Australia it's hard to find anything above 150W, and it's a lot more costly (150W universal laptop PSU for over 100AU$ RIP OFF!).

 

ahh found it. its this auction that comes with tips
TARGUS NOTEBOOK AC ADAPTER ADAPTER PA-1181-08 APA05US - eBay (item 360310650539 end time Dec-14-10 22:41:03 PST)
ill need to ask about int shipping cause im keen.

 

May I ask some questions regarding this computer?

1. I have an old gateway p-7805u with 4gb of ram and hdd. Can I add the ram and hdd without voiding the warranty, and can I add it as simple as plug-n-play or are there other steps I have to take?

2. do the latest versions still have the vbios problem? Last time I tried a bios update, I bricked a laptop, so I'm a bit wary about doing a bios flash.

3. comparison with TOSHIBA Qosmio X505-Q887: Newegg.com - Recertified: TOSHIBA Qosmio X505-Q887 NoteBook Intel Core i7 740QM(1.73GHz) 18.4" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 500GB HDD 7200rpm BD Combo NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M
-it's refurbished
-it has a (much) better processor at i7
- it has a slightly worse graphics card
-it's 18 in

which is better?


4. comparison with MSI GX640-260US NoteBook Intel Core i5 450M(2.40GHz)
-it has 15in (more portable)

which is better?

4. Black Friday/Cyber Monday - Is there a chance that newegg might lower the price?


Thanks for your suggestions.

 

Ok, so there is no way I can fix the display ratio problem The system is stuck in 16:9 in all applications :/ I guess the testing is done, w7 still sucks Maybe somewhere in new year I will get it, maybe Ill have new laptop by then

 

Your resolution is 16:9? or ratio?

 

That's a much worse gpu actually

 

My resolution is 16:10 1920x1200 nominal. But the resolutions available in any application or desktop are 16:9 (besides the nominal that is ok). But any change in resolution changes the ratio and gives me the black borders. Vista and xp didnt have a problem with giveing me the option in all 16:9 and 16:10 resolutions selection in any application.

 

Hey guys. I updated the vbios, and the bios version number shows as BR35757.027. Is this supposed to be correct?

 

yep
10chars

 

Hey all.

I'm looking at getting one of the European versions of this that comes with the i5 processor and the 1440x900 matte screen.

How easy would it be to upgrade the panel to a 1680x1050 one. Are the readily available to buy separately? Would it be difficult to get it flush with case or are most laptop screens common dimensions?

 

MSI GX LCD Screens

 

ouch, pricey! $300 incl delivery.

is the glossy 1680x1050 in the GX740 even THAT good?

 

It's down to personal taste really , for me 1680x is the sweet spot for gaming ... Hate glossy though and MSI's screen are usually crap.
Which EU country are you ?

 

I think actually prefer glossy screens, but it's been so long since I had a matte screen it might be nice for a change.

I'm in Ireland.

It seems tricky enough to get the glossy screen here.

 

Does anyone have the part number for the 1680x1050 LCD in the GX740?

How would I determine what would be a compatible part to upgrade from the 1440x900 Matte LCD that's in my GX740?

 

Mine is Samsung 170MT02-G01.

I think any 17inch 16:10 single CCFL LCD should be compatible. I don't know if the dual CCFL displays are compatible though.

 

Hrm.. So the heating problems are fixed from the vbios flash. What other things am I going to have to do out of a stock version? I can get it new for 899 after rebates. seems like such a slick deal right now. Everyone love their laptop?

Went to Amazon for the deal:

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-GX740-235...ck/dp/B0040HMLAQ/?t=slickdeals&tag=slickdeals

100 dollar MIR plus 100 dollar gift card with purchase. Not too shabby.

Phil

 

I absolutely love my MSI lappy. It's my second one already, the first being the GX720.

 

Bought it... very nice. Can't wait. Anything besides reflashing the vbios I should do right away?

 

Jebus, that's a heck of a price despite the i5 CPU.

While you're flashing the vBIOS, you should update the system BIOS as well. It's basically the same procedure. Make sure to snag the latest drivers for everything as well. Audio is from Realtek, GPU from AMD, etc. The ones on the MSI web site are generally outdated.

I really like my GX740. After many years of using NVIDIA GPUs, I was apprehensive about switching to AMD, but I've been very pleased with the 5870's performance. Its drivers still have some issues that I've never experienced with NVIDIA, but I've been able to successfully work around them so it's not a huge deal.

The only real problem I have with the system is the quality of the screen. Coming from a MacBook Pro, I guess my expectations were pretty high. I had to spend a long time in the driver control panel calibrating the color. It's still not quite where I'd like, but it's more than livable for my usage.

Overall, this is a solid notebook that's made even better with the bargain price you're paying.

 

Is anyone else's eco and that home theatre mode not working?

All my other buttons work but suddenly it doesn't work anymore.

I'm on 10.11 CCC

NVM fixed by updating system control manager.

 

Mine have never worked, as far as I could tell.