My 1 Year Review of MSI GE7VR OR MS17CI

Today is November 1, 2018 and I purchased my MSI laptop from ibuypower in Oct. 2017. First and foremost I would urge you to do a google search of the MSI hinge because the laptop hinge has been an ongoing problem for approximately 7 years and MSI doesn't make it easy for their customers to get it repaired. I would not recommend MSI or ibuypower due to the lack of customer support and MSI's faulty/cheap laptop hinges. The "insides" of my laptop consist of very expensive "name brand" parts i.e., the hard drive, memory, video card, etc. are all top rated. I made sure of that when I purchased my "power" notebook. Unfortunately, MSI's case is cheap and now I have expensive parts in a case I can't use; a key fell off and won't reattach, and the hinge that holds the notebook monitor together is broke. The clincher, I can't seem to get a part number and purchase a replacement hinge!!! This isn't rocket science, it's a hinge and I should be able to purchase the part. ibuypower and MSI want me to send to them, 8 weeks, and $140 before they ever open the case to do the repair. The epitome of some serious problems... Think twice before trying to save a couple hundred dollars -- go for a better company and a better case.

 

Not that it is any consolation but I had a Gigabyte P34 W V3 before my MSI laptops and it was even worse. Plastic snapped off hinge at 2 years 2 months. 2 months after the warranty finished. My insurance company wrote it off as they couldn't get the parts either.

 

This issue does exist with every brand out there and MSI isn't the only one. The best practice to prolong the life of hinges is to open the LCD screen from the center so the force can be distributed to both hinges evenly, otherwise one side can suffer more wear and tear than normal usage. If it's broken, MSI would perform repair for free if it's within warranty, or charge you for it if it's out of warranty. It's not like you've been abandoned without help. Also, the reason why MSI does not sell parts to customers is because they wanted to provide a positive out of warranty repair service and to eliminate/reduce any potential post-sale issues. This is also to ensure better customer experience through authorized repair centers.

Positive reviews are harder to earn than negative reviews.

 

I personally find the build quality on my GE72MVR 7RF excellent. Ok the screen is a bit flimsy but the unit itself seems very strudy and strong and no concerns of any damage done to the insides. I have slightly knackered the aluminium casing when my beg fell on the tram but it's still solid !

 

I'm sporting the MSI GP73 as a daily driver and have been conscious when opening and closing (maybe 8-10 times a day). I'm not noticing any issue (thank GOD!). I wonder if people are abusing their laptops (unconsciously)....

Trying to understand as the hinges are not impervious to mistreatment.

 

I am glad to hear some are having luck with the hinges on the MSI. I have heard of the weak hinges on MSI before but I am looking at buying another laptop and MSI is high on the list. Are any of the MSI models better than the others? I am mostly looking at GE, GS and P65 series.