"Official" x460DX Owners Thread

I just picked up my x460dx about 2 weeks ago. Loving it so far. Awesome build quality. Did some upgrades and overclocked the GT 540M to 825/1650/1000. WEI scores are impressive : 6.9, 7.5, 6.8, 6.8, 7.8. For those that replaced their paste on the cpu & gpu, what were your temps before and after? I tired searching but could not find any details.

Thanks

 

I really wish they did an ivy bridge refresh of this lappy, along with upgrade from 540m to 640m which would be a huuuuuuge increase, maybe increase screen res to 1600x900 and this would be the perfect little laptop!

 

My fan is dying.

Where can I order a new fan for this computer?

 

Isn't it still under MSI Warranty?

 

If you are still under warranty, MSI should be able to take care of you.

If you bought it through a reseller, and you are close to, our out of warranty, your reseller might be able to help you.

Otherwise, there is eBay and the NBR sellers lounge.

 

dont know if anyone really cares, but just thought id give a little update.

i wrote to msi saying i wanted my money back as they have had sufficient chances to provide me with a working laptop, which they have failed to do.

after talking with a guy at the service center, i returned my laptop as apparently they need to have it in first before any sort of procedure can be started to review my situation. This was 3 weeks ago and since then i have not received any answer, status update, or reply concerning my situation in any way. My emails dont get replied to either

every time i call the service center i get told that they are an outsourced company and my case has been forwarded to the MSI office in Poland, where these situations are apparently handled (i am in Holland).

every time i try to call the main MSI office i get the receptionist who wont patch me in to anyone and just refers me back to the service center.

really hate to be "that guy"who has nothing but bad things to say about a company (trust me i would really prefer to be one of the many people who are happy with their lappy's) but this sh*t is absolutely rediculous...

ive had to complete half my final year at Uni without a laptop, and i am now 2 weeks into a full time internship...really feeling like im just being crapped on

 

That sucks man. Is it possible to contact something like the BBB that we have in the US?

 

not really sure. I posted in a forum which deals with things like this, as well as the Dutch MSI forum. Hopefully someone will reply with some useful advice

to be honest i would really prefer not to have to go to legal steps, as that would mean even more headache and wasted time.

 

Man that burns. Sorry to hear...

As an alternate approach, find out the name of the head of marketing for your nearest regional office, then call after hours and use the company directory to reach someone that will give a darn. Find out MSi's newest flagship product, and mention that you will start a viral campaign posting in the comments at every review site under that product with the facts of your experience... Let them know you really don't want to resort to that approach, but you have followed their procedures into oblivion.

Marketing can't afford bad publicity on a key launch, and will place a phone call or email or two on your behalf to expedite things.

That's worked for me more than once.

Good luck!

 

My laptop randomly makes this random grinding noise. I was holding it up while it was on the first time it happened. It didn't happen for a few days until it happend again today while I was moving it. I quickly turned it off and removed all the screws on the bottom except the one with the warranty sticker and tried to see if there was anything out of place inside. Nothing seemed out of place so I put the screws back and went back to using it again.

The grinding noise started up again while I was using it so I pulled the battery to turn the computer off. After a couple of minutes I put the battery back in and turned it on and the grinding noise started up again so I turned it off. I opened it again and then turned the laptop on again and it's been fine so far. Any ideas?

 

Sounds like the fan or hard drive. Is the noise coming from the palm rest(hard drive) or fan vent?

 

I'm not 100% sure but it seems like it's coming from the fan vent. Do I need to file a RMA request or whatever to get it repaired under warranty? Is the warranty still valid even though I opened it up? I didn't remove the warranty sticker but I did look inside to see if there was anything being obstructing a fan.

 

Since the sticker is intact, you should be good. NBR member niffcreature(I think), said he has sent in laptops to MSI that have the sticker broken, and MSI fixed the them.

 

edit.

10char 10 char

 

I think I may have voided my warranty. I noticed that there's physical damage on the corner of the laptop near the hindge. Also the warranty sticker is semi broken even though i havent removed that screw. I think it was broken due to leverage when I was lifting the rest rest of the cover up. Also when I tried to put the screws for the cover back one of the screws got stuck and won't come out because I accidentally put the wrong screw in the wrong hole. I think it's just stuck because the head is too wide. I don't know how to get it out without completely removing the cover. Should I just try to replace the fan myself?

 

Most likely it's the fan. My laptop is doing this too, but only worse. On mine when I start it up it makes a loud grinding noise. Then the noise dies down a bit. I recommend you get this fixed now, unless you like to spend hours and hours searching for a replacement.

 

Does anyone have the 291US version with the 630M and i5-2450? Thinking about picking it up.

 

Yes, I do.

So far, I haven't been disappointed.
-The build quality is adequate for the price
-Performance seems adequate
-Battery lasts about 5-6 hours max depending on workload

It's not the most powerful setup by far, but it fits my criteria which was:
-Desktop replacement
-Small
-Light
-Gamer friendly
-Battery friendly (Optimus GPU switching capability: Nvidia GPU for games, Intel GPU for everything else)

I've been playing ARMA2, Torchlight 2 Beta, Legend of Grimrock, Cities in Motion, Skyrim, and a few older titles with no problems. I had to turn the settings down a bit, but that was expected. The fact that the native rez is lower than 1080P also helps quite a bit on the graphical performance side. (1366 x 768 I think).

The SATA3 is REALLY nice with my new SSD. A noticable improvement over my 2 year old ASUS with SATA2.

Specifically regarding the 630M, I've got the one on the older die, so it's basically a 540M from what I've heard. It gets the job done though.

Overall, I'm happy with it and have no problems. A good choice for the price.

 

Don't all the 291US have the older versions of the 630M?

Also I heard this model is REALLY bad with getting hot when gaming, especially under the left hand. Is that true?

 

Yes, I think all of these come with the older 630M, but I'm not sure when/if there will be a refresh. I don't even know for sure that they're manufacturing the newer 630M yet.

Yes, it does get hot while gaming, but it's not nearly as bad as my ASUS G51JX-A1. That thing got painfully hot. Literally. This one doesn't get nearly that hot.

I can usually get away with just insulating my hand with the sleeve of my shirt or even a paper napkin folded under my hand. Usually, it's not that bad. For more involved gaming sessions, though, I use a Logitech laptop stand and wireless keyboard and mouse, so it's mostly a non issue for me.

I guess what I'm saying is that it does get hot, but it's bearable. There are probably cooler alternatives for sure, but they are probably more expensive as well.

 

Does anyone know for sure if this machine will support 16GB (8GBx2) of RAM? I've been reading conflicting information.

-According to the Intel docs, the chipset will support it.
-According to the Intel docs, the processor will support it (xoticpc.com says no)
-According to the manual from MSI, maximum is 8GB
-Mr.Mischief says it will support it

Does anyone have any first hand knowledge?

Thanks!

 

For the sake of contributing to the internet archive:

In case anyone is curious, yes, the x460dx-291US does support 16GB RAM.

I put 2 8GB SODIMMs in and both the BIOS and the OS (win7 64) recognize all of the RAM.

And just to be thorough, the processor I'm using is the i5-2450M.

 

What RAM kit did you use? I'm considering adding some more to my X460DX-006US

 

This is the one I bought. Absolutely no problems so far.

Mine is a 291 instead of a 006, but as long as the MB is the same, I would imagine that it would work fine.

 

No idea about the MB, and it's been too long since I've been on the forum to know. I suspect it will work, though. Might give it a whirl - just gotta find the C-bill.

 

Hi all,
I've been using my 291 for about two months now and for a laptop in this size with a discrete graphics card is pretty good. Bought it from newegg for $849.99 not including shipping. Amazon is now selling it for $848.99 + free shipping.

Pro's:
-Relatively fast sandy bridge i5. no problems with multitasking so far
-Great battery life. i get close to 5 hours with display on full brightness.
-keyboard a little mushy, coming from 07 vaio sz. however, once you get use to it, it's fast and comfortable.
-boots up less than 20 seconds
-touch pad is smooth to use, but sometimes when scrolling downwards with two fingers, it somehow scrolls to the top. still trying to figure out if it's me or software issue.
-very easy to upgrade. easy access to the cpu, gpu, memory and hard disk. that was one of my main concerns in purchasing this. being user upgradable friendly.
-warm to the touch, but not hot like some had said. my vaio sz ran so hot that after awhile keeping it on your lap became unbearable. most laptops will generate some heat, even my wife's macbook retina gets a little warm when watching films on netflix.
-overall feel and construction is above average. pretty solid, but nothing compare to my wife's macbook
-weight is relatively light for its size an optical disc

Con's:
-display has poor viewing angles. i find myself constantly trying to adjust the best viewing angle. display itself is average or slightly above. comparing it to my vaio sz with 1600x900, the msi doesn't even come close.
-speakers aren't impressive, but decent enough to watch in a relatively quiet environment. once you max the volume out, it starts to sound distorted.
-no backlit keyboard, can't expect much for this current generation, but expect this to be somewhat a standard option in the future for laptops in this price range.
-webcam and mic is nothing impressive especially in comparison to a mac.

It's love or hate with this laptop. For the price? I guess it's worth it.

Intentions of use: Desktop replacement, portability, web browsing, downloading music, videos, and using it with software base scan tool for automotive diagnosing.

Future upgrades if i still have it:
-upgrade memory to 16gb 1333mhz or 1600mhz
-i7 quard core if heat is not an issue or ivy bridge if compatible.
-SSD
-find a plug and play 1600x900 monitor
-a lot of work but would be nice to retrofit a backlit keyboard.

Goal keep it under $1000 with all this upgrades...lol

 

I've got a weird question: Has anyone else been shocked by the case of their X460DX?

I almost don't want to use the word "shocked" because it isn't like the "pop!" of a static electricity shock, but a low level sensation of feeling electrical current flowing through the case of the machine. Here's how I discovered it:

Last night I had my laptop powered off, with the power cord still plugged in. I closed the lid and ran my finger down the lid from the back of the machine to the front of the machine and I had a strange, almost textured feeling that I hadn't felt before.

I did it a few more times and realized that what I was feeling was a very low level electrical current. I then unplugged the machine, and the current was gone. I even had my wife replicate my test, and she felt it right away.

In the interest of science, I actually connected a volt meter to the lid and I was able to occasionally get readings as high as 118 volts on the MSI logo in the center of the lid, so I'm pretty sure I'm not imagining it.

Has anyone else experienced this with their X460DX, or do I just have a defective unit?

 

Yep, I have the same thing happen regularly. A low-level electrical current which gives the unit a 'textured' feeling when I touch it. It doesn't seem to be dangerous in any way though, so I usually just ignore it. Unplugging the power cord and then plugging it back in usually seems to help.

 

Not possible unfortunately. 1600x900 requires dual-channel LVDS which we don't have. Also after extensive research literally no panel manufacturer makes a decent 1366x768 res 14" panel with good viewing angles and contrast ratio. What I did do was put a matte screen in mine. It's still a pos panel but matte>>>>>>>glossy.

Edit: One thing that caught my eye a while back was the screen in this laptop http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Latitude-E6420-ATG-Notebook.71589.0.html. That Brightness is crazy. But actually trying to source the thing hasn't worked. The model number they provided LTN156AT02P01 is a 15.6" screen.

 

Has this MSI X460DX notebook any warranty label on "back plate" ? I want to exchange HDD with SSD but I don't want to loose warranty, so it is very important for me. I saw many pictures and I didn't see any warranty label on them. But on this page I found "MrRebeLs" post where he says exactly "Remove the bottom cover (which involves removing or destroying the "Void" sticker, if you haven't already)". ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/612199-hdd-caddy-msi-x460dx-2.html )

What is your experience with this ?

 

Removing the backplate to swap the drives does NOT void your warranty as confirmed by many resellers.

 

No, it shouldn't void your warranty. You can drop a quick note to MSI here to ask: Pre-Sale Question before you buy

I did so I'd have something in writing if I ever need service.

 

Hi guys, I just want to ask what are the things that I should do after getting this laptop? The only thin I know so far is that I need to change the thermal paste to reduce temps. How about the screen and such?

 

So, I bought one X460DX for me. But in my model I have the ***** Warranty sticker (I am from Czech republic and I have 2 years warranty). Here is a picture. Is there a screw under the sticker needed to change HDD ? If yes, is there any way how "evade" this sticker ? When I completely remove it, is this a solution ? When some of you said, you have no sticker on it, I can say the same in service, or has MSI any list with models with and without stickers ?
This sticker is totally bad. When I want just clean ventilator or cooler or so, I can't do it.
I have SSD at home and I want replace it. Thanks for answers.

 

I can't tell if the X460DX's HDMI out is 1.4 (for 3D) or does that matter? I don't know much about PC 3D, but I'm considering an external passive 3D IPS monitor, and if this notebook isn't even capable, then that makes my decision all that much simpler (and I can save $100 too!).

(I did a quick search on this, but maybe I missed a post - if so, my bad, and sorry for missing the existing info!)

Thx!

 

Yes, there is a screw under that sticker. Everything I have heard says that MSI has no problem with you removing that sticker. It's just a standard precaution. Supposedly, as long as you don't damage anything you should be fine.

Of course, I'm in the US, so it might be different. But you are probably OK I would think.

 

I don't know for sure, but I would be surprised if the 630m was able to output 3D content at 1080P at an acceptable speed. Who knows though. You could ry running a program like hwinfo or gpuz and see if it tells you the version number

 

Thx for you suggestion. I will try contact MSI directly and hope they will have same positive opinion as you ;-) I must install SSD for full testing.

Notebook seems to be really good. I just hate that glossy display. I see lots of shadows on it, i see my hands and my face. I must find some anti-glare screen protector. Temperature is really low even in games ( I tested it 2 hours with World of Tanks). Speakers are more than good for me.

 

Thanks PopeJamal.

Not a problem running those, but what am I looking for (version number of what?). Is there any difference in hardware requirements to connect to a 3D display (other than sufficient horsepower)?

And sorry for the confusion: I wasn't going to even try pushing out active 3D, as I've only got the GT540M (which overclocks nicely, but would surely choke at 1080P @120Hz in anything with more eyecandy than Pong!), so I was looking at passive 3D, which is 'half' of full HD resolution (for left, and the other half of full HD resolution for the right, alternating like old analog TV's), so the end effect is that it's scarcely 'harder' on the GPU than full HD (which is hard enough). I'm thinking I might be able to pull that off. Plus the passive glasses are lighter, cheaper and less breakable (no batteries or electronics).

I spoke today to a sales kid at a retail store today, and he said most quality 1.3 HDMI cables also work for 3D, they're just not supported like 1.4. I don't know how much stock to put in that, but considering I know nothing about PC 3D, it's a huge leap forward!

So that leads me to think that I can probably use the NVidia driver with my GT540M, and a 'quality' 1.3 or standard 1.4 HDMI cable with the passive 3D Monitor, and it should work.(?) I really hope I'm not missing anything else.

Any tips from anyone that's used a 3D display before will go a very long way with me!

 

I had to send mine in for repair a few months ago, and it came back with a big hole in the middle of that sticker where they'd stuck in a screwdriver to pull out the screw. So I'm assuming they don't have a problem with it. Otherwise they've just voided my warranty for me.

 

So, my problem is solved, I go install SSD and clean Windows without preinstalled useless programs and Norton popup window, which just slow whole notebook.

Here is original message from MSI: "Hello, damaged Warranty sticker does not affect your warranty. If you have more questions, please contact us. Yours sincerely MSI team."

 

You are good to go with the warranty even if you replace the hdd with an ssd.

 

I'm having a problem with the certain games and the nVidia GPU and Intel HD3000. When I start certain games in I just get a black screen when the game launches but I can hear sound. I have researched this problem and it seems to do with where the game screen is displayed. The first game I noticed this problem was with The Longest Journey. I was able to fix it by going to screen resolution>detect>HD3000>multiple displays:try to connect anyways on vga> and then extending the displays. The next game I noticed this issue was with CS:GO. I tried to do the same fix but it does not work. I just get a black screen but there is sound. The only way to get out of the black screen is by doing pressing the power button or win+p a couple times till it lands on disconnect projector I think. I have the solution mentioned beforehand, different drivers, vsync options, and changing the preferred gpu to use but nothing seems to work. Anyone have any ideas?

 

Tried Longest Journey 2 (Dreamfall): installed from scratch as Admin (using version 1.0 media, which I paid for, onto Win7Pro SP1 x64), then without rebooting, installed downloadable developer's patch to version 1.3 (works for all lower versions: for my region, it's called the 'North American' patch). Then, *still* without rebooting, renamed the old launching executable with a unique suffix, and copied over a new v.1.3 launching executable {from re-loaded}. Launched flawlessly, on either local display or external AMVA HD LED. Also, tested using the HD3000, and it ran fine with quality settings maxed, so no need to use the NVidia in this case.

These all use StarForce v3, which does not play nicely on 64-bit systems, even though the title itself works beautifully. Starforce has literally destroyed a DVD writer of mine, so I always find an executable fix before it can destroy any other hardware. I don't advocate stealing hard-developed content. But from what I've read in multiple forums, you need the updated v.1.3 code for the main title's content to work on 64-bit, and you need to eliminate the dependence on evil Starforce (via a fixed exe) to stop the DRM, which does not work at all under 64-bit. No idea why your Optimus-forcing made it work.

My CS is not GO, so couldn't test that, plus mine is Steam-ed, so may be different. HTH.

PS - I'm assuming you meant The Longest Journey 2, as the original was for Win 98. If you didn't, I'd like to know how to get that to work!

 

has anyone upgraded their GT630m drivers for this notebook? Mine is currently at .285 but I think 301.42 is out. How do we update? I downloaded the latest from the website but it says it can't detect compatible graphics hardware...

 

I have same problem, I can install just drivers from the manufacturer (old drivers). I tried to solve this problem for about 2 weeks but with no succes. I did not find any solution how to install original NVIDIA drivers to X460DX with Optimus technology.
In new version are many Optimus improvements which I really want to use. If anyone found solution, please post it here.

 

OK, I tried MSI support and asked them about NVIDIA drivers update.
Their answer was really usefull....

"Dear customer, Please check if the driver version is compatible with your OS version. If you try 32bit driver on a 64bit system, you would get the same error message and vice versa."

It seems that on support are just kids... Funny answers xD

I am expecting their another answer: "Please power on your notebook before you try to install drivers."

 

I did last try. I edited .inf file and finally I was able to install NVIDIA drivers. Everything works perfectly.

Here is my edited file: NVMI.inf

Just download original NVIDIA drivers from here.
Extract them (original location is C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\301.42\WinVista_Win7_64\International ).
And then copy NVMI.inf file into Display.Driver folder (originally: C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\301.42\WinVista_Win7_64\International\Display.Driver) and overwrite original one.
Run Setup.exe and hope everything will work as for me.

I tested it on Windows 7 Professional 64-bit but my edited .inf file should work for every Windows 7.

 

Hey guys,

I've recently recieved one of these and I'm pretty happy with it so far, but I'm a bit confused by the WEI scores that I'm getting compared to others' in here.

Here's mine:


My x460DX has:
-i5-2430M @2.4GHZ
-gt 540M 2GB
-4GB RAM

Why is my desktop graphics performance score so low compared to that shown by the OP and others? I've updated all drivers using Live Update 5, including GPU which is a v306.23. I even tried forcing the system to use the 540m throughout the test by changing the settings (I'm pretty sure it worked, the power button was red the whole time), but that only got me the 4.7 that you see here.

Also, is it weird that my RAM has scored as poorly as it has? I was expecting a little better, even with only 4GB compared to the OP's 6. This may not be related, but I've noticed that even with no programs & minimal background processes running my system is always using at least 1.6GB of RAM, is that a bit high?

I also had my power settings at high performance, of course.

Any suggestions?

 

Has anyone updated their drivers to 306.23 that just came out? I did and I got a BSOD...my computer wouldn't boot up so I had to do a system restore. My GPU was overclocked to 550m's levels though but I don't know if that's the reason? Has anyone else experienced this?

Oh and to the previous poster, I think the ram score is low because the speed is 1033mhz. I took mine out and replaced with 8gb of 1333 and the score went up to 7.5 I believe.