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MSI GT680R Notebook Review: Sandybridge for Gamers

Author:
Date: May 13, 2011
Subject: Mobile
Manufacturer: MSI
Tagged: msi, mobile gaming, gaming laptop

Introduction and Design

gt680r7.jpg

High-end gaming laptops represent the most powerful of a breed, and are built using all the creativity and ingenuity that laptop manufacturers have at their disposal. Somewhere along the path towards performance, practicality begins to fall to the wayside – but that’s okay, because it was never really the point. 

The MSI GT680R is one of the goliaths of gaming laptops. Although there are larger gaming laptops than this 15.6” model, it remains a very big boy that’s not built with frequent or long-distance travel in mind. Of course, this substantial girth has made it possible for MSI to cram a slew of cutting-edge hardware inside.

MSI Gearing Up For Large Computex Release

Subject: General Tech, Systems, Mobile, Shows and Expos | May 12, 2011 - 05:00 PM |
Tagged: tablet, notebook, msi, computex

VR-Zone reports that MSI is gearing up for a large Computex showing, and will unveil 5 new mobile products to it's existing platforms. 

Computex_Secondary.jpg

Among the rumored launches are two tablets and three notebooks.  On the tablet side of things, both a Tegra 2 and AMD Brazos powered tablet are in the works.  The WindPad 100A will be powered by a Tegra 2 SoC and will run Android 2.3 in lieu of Honeycomb due to rumored hardware compatibilities.  The AMD Brazos platform brings AMD's fusion processor and graphics to the mobile space.  The WindPad 110W, the follow up to the Intel Atom powered 100W, will utilize the Brazos SoC running Windows 7.

As far as notebooks, the gaming lineup, C series, and X series will all see a refresh.  The GT683 will be a 15" gaming notebook.  The CX480 will update the C series with a rumored 14" form factor.  Finally, MSI's thin and light notebook lineup will receive the X460.

VR-Zone further states that "MSI is also said to be losing interest in netbooks due to declining demand and is refocusing on its notebook products as the company is expecting a 10 to 15 percent growth in notebook shipments this year, not taking tablets into account."

Source: VR-Zone

S-M-R-T, I am so smart. Intel's new Z68 with SRT is faster than a Homer

Subject: Motherboards | May 11, 2011 - 03:17 PM |
Tagged: z68, ssd, srt, msi, Intel

The wait is finally over and we can talk about the high end Sandy Bridge chipset which goes by the moniker Z68.  Finally you can use the GPU present in your Intel CPU and a discreet GPU at the same time and be able to overclock as well, which puts the H67 and P67 firmly back into the mid-range where they were intended to be.  That is not the only thing that has had enthusiasts waiting, Intel's Smart Response Technology, aka SRT but mostly known as SSD caching which implements cached I/O in a new way.  Check out [H]ard|OCP's full review to see what the impact of this technology has on your computing experience while you are waiting for the X79 to arrive.

You can see our coverage here.

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"Cache I/O isn't a new advancement in storage technology but does play a large role in the future of storage on many Intel systems. Today we look at Intel's new Smart Response Technology and give our thoughts while keeping an eye on the future of consumer storage advances."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Motherboards

Source: [H]ard|OCP

Feeding the GTX560 Red Bull; introducing the GTX 560 Ti Hawk

Subject: Graphics Cards | April 26, 2011 - 02:55 PM |
Tagged: gtx560 ti, hawk, overclocked GPU, msi

NVIDIA's GTX 550 Ti did not do so well when Ryan reviewed it, as it simply wasn't fast enough to justify the price is being sold at.  Now its bigger brother, the MSI GTX 560 Ti Hawk has made an appearance on the [H]ard|OCP review bench.  Sticking with their usual milieu with the Hawk series, the only original part on this MSI card is the Fermi silicon, the PCB, GDDR5 and cooler are all specifically designed and implemented for this series of card. Can the overclock match the HD6950 which costs only $20 more?  

H_gtx560tiHawk.jpg

"Microstar's latest Hawk video card is here, packing a highly overclocked NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti. Can its enhanced PCB and cooler fend off the Radeon HD 6950's falling prices? Does it actually offer anything over a standard GeForce GTX 560 Ti? The end results are incredible and price drops have completely changed the landscape."

Here are some more Graphics Card articles from around the web:

Graphics Cards

Source: [H]ard|OCP

MSI’s Newly Designed C Series Notebooks Arrive in North America

Subject: Mobile | April 19, 2011 - 01:43 PM |
Tagged: optimus, msi, laptop, core i3

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. – April 18, 2011 – MSI Computer Corp., a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, today announced that it has begun shipping its mainstream CX640 and CR640 notebooks to online retailers in North America. These two 15.6” notebook units combine the Intel Core i3-2310M Processor with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M with Optimus technology (the silver CX640-071US, MSRP $679.99) or the Intel HD 3000 Graphics (the black CR640-035US, MSRP $629.99) to deliver the power and performance you need for school or for work.

To address the needs of mainstream notebook users, MSI offers 4GB system memory and 500GB hard drives in both models. Additionally, the elegantly designed PCs include a number of features, including:

  • Worry free one-touch back-up and restore with MSI’s Time Stamp technology. With just a touch of the Time Stamp button, your concerns about crashes, viruses, and data loss will become a thing of the past
  • Butterfingers rejoice! MSI designers integrated extra hard drive protection by changing the position of the C Series hard drive to the middle of the chassis and surrounding it in a unique housing that helps protect your data from the occasional drop or shock.
  • In a hurry? The MSI CR640 and CX640 Fast Boot technology helps the unit power up approximately two times faster than standard notebooks.
  • Speed up your file transfers with USB 3.0. The new C Series laptops comes equipped with two USB 3.0 ports that lets you transfer files up to ten times faster than USB 2.0
  • Automatic backlight adjustment tailors screen brightness by considering the lighting in your current surroundings, which helps manage power consumption and battery life.

“We listen very carefully to our customers, and we know that anticipating and addressing their needs is critical to success in the PC industry,” noted Andy Tung, vice president of sales for MSI US. “The CX640 and CR640 models deliver the standard elements people look for in a PC– performance, price, features and design – however we also go a step further. These units incorporate features that respond to people’s real-life concerns: data backup, hard drive protection, etc. And we believe consumers will respond to this consideration.”

Specs for the CR640 and CX640 notebooks can be found here

 

MSI_Cseries.jpg

 

The units are available for purchase at B&H and J&R. For more information, please visit http://www.msimobile.com/.

Source: MSI

Trimming the fluff and leaving the functional; the MSI 890FXA-GD65

Subject: Motherboards | April 15, 2011 - 03:14 PM |
Tagged: SB850, msi, amd, am3, 890fx

[H]ard|OCP offers a second opinion on the Socket AM3 motherboard that Josh enjoyed so much, the MSI 890FXA-GD65.  This board differs significantly from other economy class motherboards because MSI redesigned it from the ground up instead of just cutting off pieces from a more expensive model.   

Drop by for a look at [H]'s testing results.

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"With LGA1155 boards being all the rage, it’s easy to forget about those who are using the AM3 platform. We rectify that by taking a long [H]ard look at the MSI 890FXA-GD65. A simple and very basic design that makes up for its lack of features in many ways. For around $130 it may be just what the OC Genie ordered."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Source: [H]ard|OCP

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