MSI GT640 Gaming Laptop
The MSI G-series notebooks are one of the most powerful gaming notebooks in the International market. Towards the end of 2009, the MSI G-series launched a new member, the MSI GT640. Touted as the world’s most advanced gaming notebook, the MSI GT640 is specially designed for hardcore gamers and boasts of offering a marvelous performance for game lovers. The MSI GT640, built on Intel Calpella platform, with the most advanced Intel Core i7 processor, Windows 7 and nVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M 3D discrete graphics card ( DDR3 1GB VRAM) has the highest processing power and graphics card specs which makes it the best performing notebook computer for gaming.
Design:
Body built and finishing:
The MSI GT640 notebook case is stylish, mainly made up of black brushed aluminum, which makes a very high-end impression of the case when concerned in terms of materialistic characteristics. The aluminum makes the case less susceptible for scratches as compared to other notebook casing of other manufacturers in which, high-gloss plastic is generally used. When looked at the case of MSI GT640 closely after using it for quite sometime, lots of various fingerprints and streaks might be seen, but otherwise, the matt surface of this gaming notebook is anyway more resistant against smudges, scratches and fingerprints subjectively, than most other notebooks of its kind.
Issues of concern:
Even with its advantages, the MSI GT640 Gaming Notebook raises some questions in the mind of users and specially critics, in terms of stability. Even though aluminum has been used in the case cover, the case gradually at stronger, selective pressure on both the bottom and the upper side, often leads to a chintzy scattering. Moreover, the notebook’s lid is subjected to depression to quite some extent in the center as well as in the area between its hinges. Other than this, image distortions also take place when the display frame of the notebook is subjected to a stronger grip.
A great display:
But overall, the MSI GT640 notebook’s 15.4 inch cinema display is a priced possession, which is well gripped and kept well in position by the small hinges which are quite stable, which comes as a surprise. The light casing of this gaming notebook has a light weight of 2720 grams or 2.72 kilograms and lifts a bit at opening. The MSI GT640 gaming notebook, has a few unique commendable display features. The display can be tilted to almost 180°, whereas, most other notebooks are at their maximum, with their display frame tilting to latest 140°. With a fairly average size of 360mm x 260mm x 36mm (W x D x H), the notebook’s case gives a rather compact impression and the moderately low height is to some extent responsible for the same.
Not a very impressive keyboard:
Despite of all the pros of the MSI GT 640 gaming notebook, the keyboard is a big flop. It is a disaster compared to its other features. However, MSI is indifferent to the critique from press as well as its users and ignores them. But in terms of quality, the stagnation of the keyboard cannot be otherwise explained. The “function” also does not fit in its place near the Ctrl key. The problem with this is, gamers are highly deprived of their comfort level because the Ctrl key plays a very important part in hardcore gaming, and secondly even in case of office use, the user has to get used to the unintentional constant hit on the FN key. Moreover, MSI has blithely brought about alteration in the positions of other keys (# ‘and <> |), due to which the old keyboard layout had to suffer too. And few other keys like shift, backspace and enter keys have been made far too narrow in this not so conventional keyboard layout of this notebook.
The pressure point of the keys is another noticeable factor as they feel indistinct and highly indefinite. Moreover, the keys tend to clatter when they are triggered, which in turn enhances low-end impression naturally. Another faulty feature of the keyboard is that the keys often stick and spontaneously recoil with a loud and distinct clacking noise.
Concluding it all, the keyboard is not at all user-friendly as sometimes, even after long period of accommodation there are perpetual typing errors. The presence of a separate numeric block is probably the only positive thing that can be reported about the keyboard of the MSI GT640 gaming notebook. Basically, the best thing that can be recommended is attaching an external keyboard for office tasks or even if it is for gaming, because for using a keyboard one must keep the comfort level in mind.
The Shortcut Key:
Another unique feature of the MSI GT 640 15.4″ Laptop notebook is that there is a new shortcut key above the keyboard. The shortcut key in piano black is encircled with bright red lines. The key’s outline creates a sensational feel of speed and movement which is complimented by the quite chick hi-tech keypad. This style and charm makes the MSI GT640 a superbly stylish device with an outstanding representation of modern style and dynamic speed.
Function Bar:
Above the keyboard, a touch-sensitive bar is available. It has an excellent delay-free response in opposition to the notebook’s keyboard. Features included in the bar are: A multimedia control (stop, play/pause, rewind and fast forward), the already mentioned Eco mode and the Cinema Pro techniques and buttons to enable and disable webcam, WLAN, Bluetooth and user-defined programs.
Touchpad:
The touchpad of MSI GT640 Gaming Laptop is quite sufficiently sized, and is a bit submerged and has a well trimmed silver frame. With its good gliding abilities along with the smooth surface, the touchpad of this system is convincing enough. There are a few rare interruptions while working with the scroll bar, which otherwise works absolutely perfect. The key pressure of both the keys of the mouse milled into a rest of wrist surface, is not overwhelming but is quite decent. However, the faulty design leads to accumulation of dirt, crumbs and dust in the spaces between the keys, and cleaning it off can be quite a difficult and hectic task.
Connectivity:
MSI GT640, the new gaming notebook sensation in the market is very well equipped in hardware, software as well as in terms of connectivity. MSI has featured the GT640 with numerous connection options.
There are two video outputs placed in the rear of this notebook, with HDMI and VGA. There is another DC-in and antenna connection on the rear, which is followed on the left hand side with an RJ-11 modem port, one USB 2.0 port, a multipurpose DVD burner and four audio sockets which are differentially marked by colors (headphone, line-in, line-out and microphone). On the front side, there is an infrared receiver which is almost invisible from sight. Towards the right there is an Express Card slot, a 4-in-1 card reader (XD, MS, MMS, and SD) and a Fire wire port. Concluding this array of connection ports is an USB 2.0 port, an eSATA/USB 2.0 combo and a RJ-45 gigabit LAN.
On the wireless side of the notebook, there are connection ports for Bluetooth 2.0 and WLAN a/b/g/n. Other than all these features, the MSI GT640 also has a 2.0 megapixel webcam and there is also an integrated microphone which is very strategically placed beneath the arrow keys. Thus, the port distribution and arrangement in the rear is quite good, but however, the USB port and audio sockets somehow seem to be stretched out too far front on the left hand side of the notebook. There is another problem. The DVD burner is likely to be obstructed or blocked by USB and/or audio cables, if ejected or opened, which is a bit tacky and clumsy when “user-friendly” terms are kept in mind. And there is another USB 2.0 connection on the left. In terms of ports and socket distributions and arrangements, the right hand side of the notebook is comparatively well organized, but like the left side, the USB 2.0 connections here too are placed a bit too far towards the front and the RJ-45 gigabit LAN port position could also have been changed to somewhere in the rear side to give the outlook a better approach.
Features:
Processor:
The MSI GT640 is a smart notebook, as it is preloaded with Intel Core i7 processor with turbo boost, which through instant calculation of program’s operating requirements, can automatically regulate the power supply. Therefore, whenever a user is in need of full power like when a competition is heated up, Turbo Boost will maximize the performance accordingly. Conversely, whenever the system is running lighter or low-load applications, the processor’s operational performance will be automatically and efficiently reduced. Thus, due to this flexible distribution of the system’s resources, there is a high processing efficiency and it helps in extending the battery endurance as well. Though there are quite a number of modes to fiddle around with, the ones worth mentioning and plausible are the “ECO” and the “Cinema pro” mode. The utilities of the ECO mode have already been mentioned. And on the other hand, the Cinema pro technology is worth mentioning due to its provisions for heightened movie enjoyment. Thus, with a push of button, a user can advance to a more detailed image quality, an increased sonority and an amplified bass, in the Cinema Pro mode.
The processor that MSI usually has cannot be though over clocked with the turbo mode. Thus the user has to do without it in this case. However, due to the presence of an integrated Core i7-720QM the processor automatically over clocks itself. Thus, the MSI GT640 comes with integrated and efficient software installations which help the user to achieve powerful and effective performance. And along with it, the device also boasts of being integrated with some major components, such as, the Intel Core i7 processor’s Intel Hyper-threading technology, which claims to allow the user to perform their tasks with greater speed and pleasure.
ECO Engine:
The MSI GT640 notebook comes with MSI’s exclusive ECO engine. Eco engine is a smart power-saving solution that can be accessed in the MSI GT gaming notebook from the control panel via an ECO shortcut button. With the help of this shortcut button, users can activate the ECO engine and then customize their notebook’s power settings to suit their own specific uses. The notebook’s power consumption can be controlled by using various modes which are already present to choose from applications like, Document, Gaming, Movie, Presentation, and Turbo battery modes to maximize efficiency.
The Turbo Boost Technology:
Intel cannot really complain about low sales figures recently, because nowadays most major manufacturers accessorise the mobile Core i7 in multimedia or gaming notebooks. MSI’s i7-720QM is a model just for a start, and still it can represent one of the fastest CPUs of recent times. In idle mode, this 4 core processor clocks with a meagre 1.60 GHz. The “Turbo Boost” technology supports the system to raise the clock rate automatically to 2.8 GHz when under load. Hyper-threading Technology is another feature that, along with the four i7-720QM real cores, simulates four cores in addition. Hyper Threading is less impactful in gaming and has its limitations. But an increase in velocity can be obtained for optimized applications. The Core i7 has not only an L2 but even an L3 cache, in contrary to the older Core2 design. Thus one Megabyte L2 and six Megabyte L3 are added up in the i7-720QM. This has a high energy requirement of around 45 watt maximum, which makes the Core i7 unsuitable for use in notebooks, which are generally made for high mobility.
RAM:
The core i7 has a four Gigabyte DDR3 RAM support with 1066 MHz, but still for some reasons unknown to others, MSI has used the alternative 32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium. This means, only around three Gigabytes is available for practice and unnecessarily quite a lot of potential was wasted.
Hard Disk:
The GT640′s hard disk belongs to Western Digital’s fast Scorpio Blue range and flaunts a capacity of around 500 Gigabytes. The throughput rate of 78.7 MB/s is quite good, but the access rate of 17.6 ms could have been better and transfer rate also has an average of 57.1 MB/. MSI GT640’s hard disk has been divided in two parts where the first OS has near around 80 Gigabytes, and the second partition can accommodate a high capacity of 376 Gigabytes.
Software Bundle with MSI GT640:
Unlike other manufacturers, MSI has commendably restrained itself to quite an extent in terms of software installations and has cut-off a number of unnecessary additions and resource-devouring disasters. And it is even better featured in the MSI GT640 gaming notebook. Thus, the MSI GT640 notebook, gives the users complete performance, and that too without any typical restrictions. It available in the state of delivery and thus, users do not have to waste their time going through unending de-installations and so this notebook is very user-friendly.
Display Features:
The general trend of widescreen format in laptops, notebooks and PC’s is a display in 16:9 format. However, MSI stays loyal in the latest MSI GT640 gaming notebook, with a widescreen display of 16:10 format, and its 15.4 inch screen has a plausible resolution of 1680×105 pixels. Nevertheless, the display has fluctuating values. The black value of 0.30 cd/m2 is appreciable, but the average luminosity of 150.8 cd/m2 is disappointing. And, the high level of contrast, that is, 605:1 is quite above average and a 74% illumination proves to be still good enough. The black coloured saturated base, the intense and intriguing colors and the rich-contrast presentation is very pleasing, subjectively, but in battery mode, because of the low brightness, the image usually remains a bit pallid.
However, when it comes to reflective display, MSI does not however oppose this trend. Annoying reflections in bright interiors or light coming from across the windows are situations when the display might not be very pleasing to a user as it can get quite irritating and disturbing, especially during movie watching. Thus, using this notebook for outdoor usage is almost impossible in the strong sunlight overhead. The stability of the viewing angle on the horizontal plane is more than enough. In contrary, the vertical plane is highly vulnerable to colour deviations, and brightness differences also turn up quicker. Thus, there is a necessity of adjustments in the vertical plane in frequent intervals.
Performance:
General performance:
The performance index of the Window 7 theoretically briefs us and gives us an overview of the approximate efficiency in a system and the possible flaws and faults. The index does not play a very significant role in practical use, but it has its own achieved values. The processor, as well as the RAM is very good. The graphic card slightly disappoints the users but still is quite good.
Due to the presence of the Core i7-720QM and GeForce GT250M, the performance of applications is better and way above expectations. The best thing about it is that even with the most demanding applications running, the processor remains unchanged and can take the necessary load and can provide a high performance whenever it is needed. Thus, comparing the MSI GT640 gaming notebook’s graphic card to others, the GeForce GTS 250M has one flaw or disadvantage to the others as well as to the processor.
Noise levels:
MSI gaming notebooks are noted for their sound quality and a high sound scope. So is the MSI GT640 gaming notebook. When in idle mode, the notebook attracts attention for its audibility with 35.1 up to 38.5 dB (A). Under load, or under high performance requirement, even the fan turns up to a very audible 43.2 dB (A) and at times to a disturbing 49.1 dB (A). Thus, the MSI GT640 gaming notebook is not recommended for noise-sensitive users.
Heat:
In idle mode, that is when the notebook is left operating for two hours with maximum energy savings options turned on, the surface temperature is generally limited within an acceptable range. The upper side and the bottom side of the notebook can heat up and reach up to 30.6°C and 38.4°C, respectively. The case, under full load, (1 hour Furmark and Prime) can work up to a lot of heat. Moreover, the wrist rest in the upper portion can heat up to an uncomfortable temperature of 37.2°C, whereas, the bottom portion, near the fan area might heat up enormously and reach up to a maximum temperature of 54.7°C, thus making it very uncomfortable for a user to place the MSI GT640 notebook on their lap.
The graphic card, out of all other components, is quite reasonably tempered. Whilst in idle mode, the GeForce GTS 250M can heat up to 47°C, it is a very high but still agreeable 85°C when subjected under heavy or full load. In idle mode, the CPU’s temperature is moderately fine and hovers around 50°C, on the other hand, the Core i7-720QM can heat up to an enormously alarming temperature of 97°C, when under full load.
The main temperature related problem in case MSI GT640 gaming notebook is that the CPU clocks itself down to 931 MHz after longer full load for about 15 minutes. But however, in case of normal usage, the situation never reaches to a critical point where there is a continual load of 100%.
Speaker performance:
There are two built-in loudspeakers, which are not up to the mark. The bass line present is very faint and indistinct. Moreover, the trebles generally tend to fray moderately fast and are quite imprecise, up to a generally faint sound. For gamers, the soundscape is fair, but it is preferable that an external sound system should be connected anyway to let the user experience better music and movie rendering. The Cinema Pro mode that the MSI GT640 gaming notebook boasts of also did not enhance or improve the sound quality or sonority, neither in games nor in music or movies, when enabled.
Battery:
The MSI GT640 gaming notebook is charged with a six cell battery of 52Wh, which falls short badly to mete out the energy requirement of the Core i7-720QM and the GeForce GTS 250M for a long period. When energy savings was disabled, brightness was increased to maximum and was subjected to load, the processor ate up the charge in a very short time. The same goes for gaming and internet surfing. The battery life of the MSI GT 640 is not capable enough to be qualified for a hardcore gaming machine as under maximum energy saving mechanisms and minimum display brightness. At the most, the notebook can give a standby time of 2.25 hours, when not taking load. Thus, the MSI GT640 gaming notebook is not really a powerful device when it comes to the battery life and it is advisable for the users to have a socket in hand, because the machine runs out of charge easily.
Warranty:
The MSI GT640 gaming notebook comes with one year standard manufacturer’s warranty.
Verdict:
MSI GT640, the gaming notebook which was claimed to be the best of its kind when it was launched, has quite a few notable weaknesses. The keyboard tends to recoil and lacks a distinct pressure point and the bizarre layout is quite a disaster for a device otherwise so impactful! To top it, the battery life is highly disappointing and the display luminosity is very weak and the intense reflections are irritating and annoying at times. The faint sonority along with a too high soundscape and an average performance of the GeForce 250M, is a failure in comparison to the strong Core i7-720M. For better efficiency, graphic card could have been replaced by a GeForce GTS 160M or a GeForce GTX 260M.
But however, like an inevitable truth, good and bad both come together. So, the MSI GT640 is blessed with quite a few remarkable features which makes it stand out in the international market. First of all, the getup is quite impressive. The case has matt surface mainly comprising high-end brushed aluminium and the jet black colour with fiery red highlights give the GT640 notebook quite a chick and stylish look. Moreover, the sensitive and smooth touchpad along with its comfortable keys are a bonus. And to top it all, the interface options very generously vary.
Thus to conclude it, MSI GT640 gaming notebook is a good choice for users who opt for high processor performance but are disappointed by a poor keyboard and a high soundscape.
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MSI GT640 15.4″ Laptop Computer – Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | MSI |
| Model Name | MSI GT 640 |
| PC type | Gaming Notebook |
| Main Board | Intel PM55 |
| Weight | 2.72kg |
| DIMENSIONS AND DISPLAY | |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 36mm x 360mm x 260mm |
| Available colours/finish | Jet Black with red highlights |
| Display size | 15.4″ glossy |
| Resolution | 1680 x 1050 pixels |
| PROCESSOR, MEMORY, STORAGE | |
| Processor type | Intel Core i7-720QM |
| Clock speed | 1.6 GHz |
| Chipsets | Intel PM55 |
| RAM | 2 X Upto 4GB |
| RAM type | DDR3 – 1066/1333MHz |
| Hard drive size | 250 GB to 500 GB |
| Hard Drive type | WDW WD5000BEVT |
| Spindle speed | 5400 rpm |
| Optical drive | Optiarc DVD RW AD-7560S |
| Webcam | 2.0M |
| GRAPHICS, VIDEO AND SOUND | |
| Graphics Processor | nVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M – 1024 MB; Core: 450 MHz; Memory: 790 MHz; Shader Rate: 1080MHz |
| Sound output mode | 2 X 5.1 stereo HD Speakers |
| Sound Card | Realtek ALC888 |
| Audio Input | Headphones |
| Card Reader | 4 in 1 card reader |
| Keyboard | 103 keys |
| COMMUNICATION FEATURES | |
| Networking | Realtek RTL8168D/8111D PCI-E GBE NIC (10MBit), Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100 AGN(abgn), 2.0 Bluetooth |
| Ports | 1 Express Card 54mm, 1 Kensington Lock, 3 USB ports, 1VGA, 1HDMI, 1 eSata, 1 Firewire, 1 Modem, 1 Infrared. Audio Connections: Headphone, Microphone, Line-in, Line-out. |
| SOFTWARE | |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit |
| Power | AC Power : Output – 19V DC, 120W Input – 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal |
| Power device type | Power supply |
| Security | Kensington Lock |
| WARRANTY | Limited warranty – 1 year – Parts and labour |
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