Official MSI GX640 Owner's Thread

I think that someone above you is a little biased in their opinion of Winflash...lol

Winflash works just fine, I flashed the bios like any other and have had no problems with it.

Just MAKE SURE to RIGHT CLICK > RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR under Windows Vista and 7.

Running on my Winflash'd 5850 (100/100 desktop, 700/1000 gaming)

If you would like, I could upload the bios somewhere or email it to someone for upload.

 

You can use atiflash instead of atiwinflash. This would require You to flash the vBIOS from within DOS environment (bootable USB stick).

 

how did you get it to run stable at those low clocks?

 

My 5870 runs at 100/150 with .9v at idle. Shouldn't be a problem for a 5850.

 

An upload would be great! Thanks

Just to make sure this is, what I think it is:
It will underclock(just the gpu) on the desktop to save battery life and when I play a game, it overclocks automatically.
Would that 100/100 effect my install speeds, 1080p bluray movies, and converting video files?

Would that change anything else?
Will overdrive still work, for lowering the max(gaming) at times, back to its stock 625/1000?

I shouldn't have to when I upgrade to MX-3 and get a laptop cooler, I hope.
(I just ordered both today)

I'm still trying to learn how I would undo the changes.
Like how to prepare the backup and make sure I will know how to use it lol! Especially if I might have to use it on a black screen.

Edit:
I found this to help me with that last part:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYQ7xHNkE5c&feature=related

 

After I bricked my card, the computer just wouldn't pass the POST procedures at startup, so the blind flash could not be completed.
The non-warranty solution to this situation was also to put the card into some big sager with two MXM 3.0B slots, to boot from one and then flash the other. Knowing how it would be hard to find such a computer and to convince the owner of it for that kind of avanture WHEN in foreign country - it was better for me just to get it to service center.

 

One thing you could have tried is putting a single ram stick in the secondary slot.
That may have made your computer pass post even with a dead GPU.

At least that's what happens with my GT627.

I try to boot with a dead 3870, no POST.

Took the ram out of the primary slot and put it into the secondary slot, tried to boot and got to windows (could hear the sounds, no video).

Anyway, that might have been worth a try.

 

Can anyone tell me why rbe tool says that there is no ati video card in my laptop when there definately is?

 

Ive flashed hundreds of vbios's and neva had a card bricked? If you know what youre doing it should be fine. I was pretty freaked out the first time I did it but after its success i grew much more confident

 

How did you do that?
Could you tell us what you did, so I could also have a success!
The more detail you add, the more confident I'll be.

 

So basically go on the msi website and download the latest vbios (File HERE). If you want to edit use RBE and select BR35701.030 file, dont worry if it is not in ROM format, after editing dont change format just save and leave as it is. Get a spare usb drive and make it into a bootable drive. This can be done by going into the UNetbootin website and download the program for windows. Then run it and select freedos as distributor and make sure the path file is where the usb drive is in. Then click ok and it will start downloading, after it finishes exit and drag/drop the vbios files (excluding the pdf file) into the flash drive. The shut down and once booting pres f11 and select your flash drive and press enter to boot. A list of options should not come up, select FREEDOS safe mode (dont load any drivers). Now this is the annoying part.
Depending on where your usb drive is physically in the port your directory will change. IT will vary from A-C. so keep trying and type a: or b: or c: until it stops showing error or says pres enter to continue. So for example if you press c: and the directory immediately changes without any message that is your correct pathway. After that type dir/w and a list of files should show along with VOLUME IN DRIVE B is etc etc. Look for the file called ativbios.vbi or something (i cannot remember exactly). Type that name of the file in and wait. Then the flashing process should begin and prompt you to shutdown to finish. From then it is safe to shut down. Your vbios has now been flashed and you have not bricked your card , however i cannot stress enough that flashing your vbios is should not be done in the OS or on battery.

 

im about to order a copper shim from ebay. but im unsure about how thick it should be. there are manny different, between 0.7 - 1.2 mm thickness. what is ideal?

 

I read somewhere in this forum, that about 1 mm is the best. Or the 2x0,5mm.

 

ok, thank you. the shipping price is like 5 times of the copper shim cost, but my lappy is just too hot

 

I couldnt be bothered doing the copper shim mod. So i just removed the thermal pads and substituted them with mx-3. Results less than i had expected. In furmark i reach around 90oC after 15-20mins but I used to max over 100oC, i dont know how some people say that their max temperature is 78oC, maybe they didnt do it for long enough? My idling temps have gone down from 60oC to 57oC which isnt huge i suppose. However in long gaming sessions there is a bit of a difference so im not to disheartened In bc2 i used to reach up to 92oC over 3 hrs and now i max out at around 83oC which isnt bad.

 

Thank you so much for the information on flashing vbios! ++1 rep lol

I should get my mx-3 today or tomorrow! I read somewhere that thickness of paste doesnt matter to much with the mx-3, so you wouldn't need a shim!
I think a shim might help a small bit after that, but I dont know.

Here's the link you posted:
DV9000 DV6000 V6000 F500 F700 Thermal Copper Pad Shim - eBay (item 250683844738 end time Sep-15-10 15:36:25 PDT)

It says it's .044" thick? I think it means .44

I read somewhere in "Thermal Past Upgrade...Worth it?" That .44" was a good size.

 

most people ordered 2x 0.44 shim. Some just ordered the 0.88 single sheet. Its up to you if you want to sandwich the pieces together or just have a single shim.

 

If You used to max at over 100*C and now You're maxing at 90*C, then Your temps dropped by over 10*C, which is pretty good for such a little change as heatpads removal (theoretically heatpads should improve heat transfer...). Those people You've mentioned (the 78*C) probably have done other mods to the cooling systems of their laptops.

 

A dead/stuck pixel showed up on my GX640. I havent even had it for two months yet! I tried fixing it with JScreenFix with no luck. Anyone else experiencing pixels crapping out?

 

I still dont believe people who say that they max out 78oC on the gx640,it just doesnt seem right to me. Even with those copper shim mods, its hard to believe a laptop with a single fan and a chassis this thin has that kind of cooling capability.

 

Anyone know the specs and prices of official MSI resellers. I'm looking to buy one from the reseller in Singapore but If it's going to cost more and have different specs I may as well have it shipped over from someone like XoticPC.

 

My GX740 has a single fan. On a 23*C day it was maxing out at 70*C in Furmark extreme burning mode, running at 800/1000@1,0V.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/457412-msi-gx740-5870-1gb-ddr5-114.html post #1139.

 

Yep I had a dead pixle the 2nd week i got it!!

 

It's amazing that no one who has the chiclet keyboard from RK computers has said anything about it 218 pages of posts.

I just wanted to know how good it is. Please let me know so that I can decide to get one.

Thank you.

 

I would hold off on that keyboard. I'm not sure why it's marketed as a chiclet keyboard by RK. Take a look at it, it's just a regular keyboard with flatter, square keys. The new GX and GT laptops have real chiclet keyboards. I'm hoping they are available some day as parts. I may just buy one for the hell of it to see if it is compatible with the older models. I have a feeling it will be.

 

The keyboard upgrade we offer for the GX640 is a "chiclet" style keyboard but is not spaced as wide as the common design. It has the same “feel” and operation/performance as the common chiclet style keyboard. The GX640 and previous models that have the 103 key keyboards have a very large keyboard layout. There is no room left in these models to space the keys any wider to give the "normal" appearance of the common "chiclet" style keyboard design . The keyboard from the new GT/GX models is very close in the dimensions but there is no way to mount it in the previous chassis as it has a completely different mounting design.

 

Thanks for the help guys!

I have now just finished a successful flash of the vbios and now I feel confident like you lol!
http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae8/g4m3r1337/notbookreview/Flash vbios/IMG00344.jpg?t=1284270924

+rep to everyone that helped, but notebookreview won't let me give it again to the same people.

 

Well done!

 

"I see dead pixels"

 

Can anyone recommend a laptop bed tray? Enough room for a mouse ?Enough room so I won't abstract the vent on the right?

 

Thanks for that info Rob...I was dying to find out if the nice, new keyboards would work on the older models. I'm disappointed that they won't but I'm glad I didn't find out the hard way by buying one first and then finding out.

 

How hot does this machine get? I heard that this laptop does get very hot and I'm not sure if I should buy this laptop if thats the case. Can someone answer? Thanks.

 

All gaming laptops get hot.

With a laptop cooler, It wont get past 80c no matter how long I play!(BF:BC2 on high(max) settings)

(No overclocking done)

 

lol I guess your right, but then I read somewhere on the fourms that people would cut holes at the bottom to get the heat out faster. I mean is it that bad to the point where you would have to mod your laptop? I want a good spec laptop around the same price but I also want one that doesn't get too hot to the point where it gets annoying when using while playing. Would this laptop fit this category? Thanks.

 

Sorry, not only was it 80c without any oc, but also before I started to mod!
I only mod so I can OC more and its fun!

After some mods:
I can get my temps to stay around 80c on 700/1000 now, before it was at 625/1000(stock).

If you get the GX640(best in my opinion(plays games really well, size, 9-cell battery, and not to flamboyant)), get a laptop cooler(or make it so theres room under the laptop for airflow).

You can see the performance videos I made here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/g4m3rleet

 

I think the screen has been the only question for me. How happy are you all with the screen brightness, saturation, etc.? I have one on order which will be here in 2 days.

 

Im new to gpu benchmarks (you may be able to tell by my post count), but is a furmark score of 538 low for this laptop?

Bases on reports from other cards, it seems to be.



And here are the settings I used:



Oh and for the guy above me: the screens great, not nearly as much reflection as other laptops I've seen, good brightness, ect.

Edit: I also get 'your computer is slowing down the game' warning in sc2 when im on low. This cant be normal for a 1k investment can it? I was playing it on high before, and ive heard that this lappy can play on ultra.

Edit After rebooting I got ~2000 when on no MSAA and full screen.

 

Slide out the panel of your computer desk which holds your keyboard. That's what I used in college. It's wide and flat, which is able to support the comp + a mouse if you like. Make sure the bottom is smooth or sanded tho, so you don't get splinters in yo thighz.

 

It gets very bright for me. I usually keep it on 75-100% in the day and 50% at night. Games and 1080p blu-ray movies look really good!

Picture comparisons here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/474857-msi-gx640-098us-review.html

 

For me, the screen is OK: it has good resolution, average brightness and saturation. since I can put my smartphone with super bright and vivid AMOLED screen next to my notebook screen, nothing seems to be that bright and vivid with such perfect colors
As for the notebook - the screen is OK. It won't blow you away, but also it won't make you want to dump the computer because of crappy screen.

 

hi guys.. sorry but this one is off topic.. i have problem with my gx640, everytime i open it using only its battery supply it won't start up, the screen jsut goes black after the windows loading. the battery is still in good condition i seldom use it. anyone have idea why this happening to my laptop?

 

Nevermind I fixed it by reflashing the official vbios through a bootable usb stick using atiflash.

 

Hey! Great news. I read a recent review at http://ncix.com/products/?sku=53812&vpn=GX640-260US&vendor=MSI/MicroStar where the reviewer states:

"Bonus, the screen IS an LED screen, so it is alot brighter then alot of reviews state."

I called MSI to confirm, and they said that the GX640 does INDEED have an LED backlight now instead of the standard backlight. YAY!

Just hoping my 640 that gets here isn't one of the older models... but good news for future buyers which makes this a bit more attractive.

 

Agreed 100%. I'm very picky about monitors, and I think that the GX640's display is very good for a laptop. The contrast is not amazing, at 500:1, but it's still superior to many laptops out there, including MSI's newest models. It's decent for watching movies and 720p HD looks great on it. The backlight is very uniform, more so than my external Asus monitor.

Next to my Samsung Wave of course, it looks like sh lit, but then again, nothing compares to AMOLED!

Increased brightness can be nice if you use your laptop in bright places with a lot of artificial lighting or sunlight, but LED backlit LCDs typically have lower black levels, and it shows when displaying pure blacks in a dark environment. LCD technology is really starting to show its age.

 

I've got the Samsung Captivate with AMOLED, and I have to agree with you on that count 8)

 

yo guys, im now booting ubuntu linux 10.04 on my 640. everything works great.. the radeon drivers running fine.. wifi.. sound..

so far ive installed and played Heroes of newerth, and im working on sc2...

just letting you guys know linux runs great on this

 

For all the gamers that love BF:BC2 and overclocking!

Here's a short gameplay video I made that shows amazing new results!
YouTube - BF:BC2 MAXED-OUT all the settings - MSI GX640

Overclocked to 815/1075
(Stock is 625/1000)

Fraps show the fps in the top left!
Settings are in the first 10secs of the video!
Temps are at the end, after 3hrs of play!

 

How can I reconfigure the P1 button? Thanks!

 

right-click the system control manager icon in the notifications area

 

Thanks a lot!