Official MSI GX640 Owner's Thread

I would also like definitive information on whether it will be possible to upgrade yourself without voiding the warranty.
In particular, I wanted to swap the hard drive for an SSD. CPU upgrades would also be of interest, but only if Intel makes some big improvements to power efficiency with the next wave of Arrandales.

 

Upgrading the HDD won't void your warranty. Ram falls in that same category too ..

Removing the CPU will

 

You can go to ebags.com and see what bags fit a MSI MS-1656. Although don't know if they account for the sticking out battery

 

What prices are you guys seeing for the GX640 in US$?

I priced up a GX640 from Xoticspc vs. the HP Envy (with $450 coupon) and the GX640 came out $350 more expensive for similar specs. Granted, the GX640 has a superior GPU and internal optical drive, but for $350 more?

 

$450 Envy coupon is expired - unless they just released a new code in the past 2-3 days?

 

Yes. 9 cell.

 

nothing on linux??

 

If I am in Quebec and I buy a GX640 on NCIX.com, I pay the 5% taxes, but Do I have to pay the provincial taxes also when I will recieve it?

Thanks

 

anyone?

Please answer

 

You will not pay any PST as NCIX ships out of BC

 

Nice thanks!

Also, I found on Greytech.com that the price of the GX640 is 1129$, do you know if NCIX would accept to price match it?

 

I will tell you that when I'll receive it. I ordered from them last friday (when it was still in stock) and my order has been processed (for whatever that means).

I think it went out of stock before they considered my order, and that it was not shown in the site. So for now, I'm waiting for monday (when they recieve their back order).

If I'm right, I'll receive it next week. By the way, I don't think I'll have to pay for QST.

EDIT: It seems that I've taken to much time to write this lol.

 

NCIX will accept if Greytech has it in stock.

 

They accepted my price match request with PC Canada even though it wasn't in stock. But they added 2% to it saying PC Canada has a credit card surcharge, which.. they don't.

 

Holy **** !
I've just been to NCIX.com, and my order has been shipped !!!

Haha that's nice !

 

Oh, I am referring to the barebones.

That 9-Cell is just too chunky out the back and the battery life is miserable either way you look at it.

I will definitely say the 1680x1050 screen on the 1656 (640) is definitely better than the 1680x1050 screen on the 1727. Less bleed, better uniformity and brightness IMHO.

 

Seeing as there are still cat driver issues with windows I wouldn't hold my breath for ubuntu Hell I'm not even sure how OSX would react, but their support should catch up soon.

 

so linux might work in a few months or so? haha.


EDIT: just checked the drivers. they don't have any linux drivers for the mobility 5xxx series yet.

 

Speaking of, where can you find an OEM 6-cell that's compatible? Xotic told me they won't swap it out. If I wasn't customizing it, I wouldn't say its been a pleasant experience .

Was thinking of throwing a thread up in the market for swapping with someone.

 

*nudge* electrosoft's sig

 

I have received my GX640, but I think/hope there are still some driver issues. The HD5850 clocks down too 100Mhz, very nice, but it still remains 55 C/132 F, in complete idle state. Unfortunetly, the fan goes accelerating @ 54C/130F, at a speed, not acceptable for home and office use. Too loud! The fan speed @ cold start for the first 5 minutes untill it reaches 55V/132F is very low and very acceptable. Do other owners experience the same? Room temp is 20C/68F.

Another problem, related to this: I cannot update the ati driver. I mean, I can update it with 10.3, but after restart, my screen keeps black/empty áfter the "Starting Windows..." logo. Laptop won't react on anything. So I am still stuck with the first driver from 2009. And I kinda hoped, this 10.3 driver from 24 march solved my heat issue/fan problem. Can others look at their idle temp of de GPU? And with what driver? (In case 10.3, how did you manage to get that driver work?)

 

I have the same Catalyst problem, and am looking into different ways of solving it.

 

$1095.77 shipped is the price I just ordered it for; you should also note that you get a great warranty by default at that price, compared to the Envy's standard 1-year U.S. warranty.

If you upgrade both, and use the now-expired $450 off coupon, the Envy will indeed be a lot cheaper. Why? Mostly because the price of the CPU upgrade for the MSI GX640 covers the entire new CPU, rather than just an incremental cost for the i5-430M. If you want upgrades, the barebones may work out cheaper.

 

Ok, thank you. Keep me posted please, if any progress. I'll do the same. Your idle GPU temp is also around 55C/132F?

 

Yes, it's about there. AMD Clock tool reports something like 59C for me on high performance Idle.

 

It really comes down to gaming temps.. if it stays below 85 theres no need to worry

 

One nice thing about the Envy: even at full blast, it's 3 fans are almost whisper quiet.

The old HP desktop replacement laptops had fans that sounded as loud as leafblowers!

Where are you getting it for that price? The cheapest I've seen it is for $1300 USD (base model) at Xoticspc.com.

 

Those are some high temps there. I think I'll stick with the Envy. I rarely use laptops on my lap, and has you mentioned, the metal and hot bottom probably are by design in keeping idle and gaming temps lower than other laptops out there (not to mention the 3 quiet fans).

I am thoroughly impressed with the ports and gaming speeds offered by the GX640 however. All that in a 6 lb package is nice.

 

When I look at Xoticspc.com it's 1123.65.

In fact, evey single vendor that carries it has prices that hover around that point. Heck Amazon has had it for 1099.99 as well...

 

For the GX640? Where are you getting $1300 from? It's $1099-1159 everywhere I've seen including $1123 at Xoticpc

 

Well the only reason I'm going for the GX640 is because A) my Envy stopped working, B) I want cooler lap temps, and C) because the warranty crushes the Envy's warranty. $200 cheaper, 3 year warranty + 1 year accidental is too good to pass up. The Envy is a great machine.. but I need this thing to last 3-4 years. The temps only really matter if they get too high (85+) or if it affects the palm-rest or bottoms (to me at least). As long as all that heat is going out a vent, i have no problem.

 

So I just got off the phone with XoticPC. There were some issues with the bluray drive so my machine won't ship out until tomorrow, and I will be receiving the machine on Saturday.

As for the Envy 15, I actually used to own one (with the 5830). I returned it for a few reasons. I received my unit broken and HP refused, at first to send me a new machine and said I needed to have mine repaired, not exchanged. It took them 3 weeks to replace 1 fan. And halfway through, a rep asked me why I didn't just get the system exchanged. When I finally got a chance to play with it, I noticed the screen was very grainy. The keyboard was too soft and slippery, the extra 9 cell battery was HUGE, the trackpad was the worst I've ever used (even with all the drivers) and the closing mechanism (or lack thereof) on the laptop was horrible. Also, the right side of the palm wrest would creak regularly, and the bezel on the screen was cheaply put on.

Basically, I was expecting a premium machine and what I received was an HP. Big surprise there. To be fair, the performance and heat were actually fine on my machine and the form factor was amazing. If HP worked on a few quality issues, I'd purchase one in a heartbeat but as it stands, I would never touch one.

 

Same here, Xotic just emailed me saying my machine won't be ready to ship out today (I don't know what the issue was but I also asked for a Blue ray drive). They said they'll try to send it out tomorrow with Saturday delivery. Hopefully that's the case because I'm leaving for 2 weeks on Sunday and want to take it with me!

 

I was trying to spec out a GX640 to be close to that of the Envy's specs (namely the CPU). Granted, the GX640 has a better GPU, larger HDD, and more ports.

 

The Envy's default CPU is the i5-430M as well. Like I said before, though, the various retailers are definitely charging too much to upgrade the CPU on the GX640, so the solution is simple - don't.

 

So your saying for those of use that need more the the dual core to void the warranty to save a few bucks?

 

720qm was 359 upgrade @ xotic, so you're getting the labor for free and a slight discount based on my froogle search (along with the expertise I don't have). 620m I couldn't find OEM.

 

No, I'm suggesting that they get something else, possible the barebones version.

You're neglecting the value of the i5-430M that comes with the system. If you were doing the upgrade yourself (though if it voids the warranty I wouldn't do it for a while), you'd likely be able to sell the i5-430M for good money.

 

Have the 200 bux in savings, don't have the patience I'm an American

 

The GX640 has some sweet specs (even if the GPU doesn't play nice with the latest ATI driver).

If I didn't work in banking and needed something that looks more professional and understated, I'd consider getting it, even if it looks like something that Knight Rider or a Cylon would use.

 

Well, if we really want to talk value without going through the hassle of reselling parts, then:

I'd get a barebones and then get an i7 620m (>720qm in most scenarios, less heat) for $250 shipped off of ebay (QS).

And then throw the rest of that possible upgrade money to a 80gb Intel X-25M SSD ($220 shipped) and an external, its too bad you can't fit two hard drives into the GX640/GX740 or I'd totally do that (afraid of losing/misplacing the external lol). SSD's make a HUGE difference in everyday computing so yeah.

All of that can be had for $1450 but you sacrifice blu-ray, but you do get 1333mhz ddr3 memory.

The $1450 number isn't including the aforementioned external HD + OS, but lots of people already have those things so it might not be a huge issue. You'd probably have to spend another $170ish to get those two things though, so it might not be the best deal for those that don't.

Funnily enough though, I find the barebones too bland in design. It's just TOO understated..to me it's kinda boring and generic. While the GX740 is nice but too flashy with the red stripe....sigh.

edit
oops sorry these prices are for the GX740 barebones. For the gx640 subtract $150ish so $1300, not as good as a deal I guess. Still great for GX740 owners though.

 

What about the barebones?

 

It looks nice, but I can't spare the time to configure it.

Which laptop have you decided to get lackofcheese? We've been participating in a lot of the same boards (Y460, Envy 15 2nd Gen, N82, GX640, etc.).

 

You can still get barebones versions set up for you; a number of retailers offer it - e.g. this from RKC.

I just ordered a GX640 today (base configuration) from Provantage. It's done.
If I lived in the U.S., I would have gotten it from XoticPC though.

 

got mine today it is sexy but by my heatsink part of the red plastic came through I can see a little red dot through the heatsink, I don't think its a problem though. Anyone know if I should worry pics are in mins review thread, also anyone know if the mobo is on the bottom or near the keyboard.

 

Does the laptop work well enough with the default video drivers?

I'm figuring that people are trying the latest and greatest drivers just to eke out more performance. Personally I'd rather have system stability over a few more points in a bench.

I just ordered one from NCIX on a pricematch from www.anitec.ca .

 

@mdsniper7 - Does the GX640 from amazon come with a 6-cell or 9-cell?

 

9 cell batteray

 

Sorry, your pics are too out of focus for me to really make out anything.

 

I'd also like to know if the laptop is fine with the default drivers. If updating the ATI drivers is a problem, it could be a fairly big issue for this laptop.