A new gaming notebook equipped with Intel Core i7-4700HQ and NVIDIA’s new Maxwell mobile GPU – GTX 860M. But, can it handle the latest gaming titles?
Product on Review: GE60 2PE Apache Pro
Manufacturer and Sponsor: MSI
Street Price: £1199 GBP / $1999 USD
As LAN parties get bigger and popularity continues to grow the mobile gaming platform demand increases too. Although desktop gaming systems are becoming more flexible and portable, not everyone wants to transport their system to a gaming LAN. Gaming notebooks are certainly more portable as the user only has to drop the product into a satchel and away they go. To play games fluidly and at a competitive level, high-end hardware is essential and this is where most gaming notebooks tend to struggle. Today we will be taking a look at one of MSI’s new gaming notebooks to feature NVIDIA’s new Maxwell mobile GPU – GTX 860M.
GE60 is a mid-high end gaming notebook which has sleek and professional aesthetics whilst harbouring Intel’s Core i7-4700HQ processor and NVIDIA’s GTX 860M. It has all the ingredients for being a very capable offering but can it tackle the latest gaming titles?
About MSI
Micro-Star International Co., Ltd (MSI) was established in August 1986 in Jhonghe, Taipei by 5 founders, one of the world’s largest information technology manufacturers with more than 12,700 employees, including those in Taipei headquarters, Baoan Plant (Shenzhen), Kunshan Plant and sales staff around the world.
MSI started from the motherboard and graphics card industries and extended into consumer and commerical electronics including notebooks, All-in-One PCs, servers, workstations, industrial PCs, household appliances, car infotainment products, barebone systems, multimedia, communication devices, and others.
MSI started from the motherboard and graphics card industries and extended into consumer and commerical electronics including notebooks, All-in-One PCs, servers, workstations, industrial PCs, household appliances, car infotainment products, barebone systems, multimedia, communication devices, and others.
Technical Specifications
OS
Windows 8.1
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M
Chipset
Intel® HM86
CPU
The 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor (4700HQ)
Memory
Up to 16GB x 2 DIMMs (12GB Kingston 1600MHz CL11)
LCD Size
15.6″ Full HD (1920×1080), Anti-glare
Graphics VRAM
GDDR5 2GB
HDD
Up to 256GB Super RAID* + 750GB HDD 7200rpm
Optical Drive
BD Combo / DVD Super Multi
Audio
Sound by Dynaudio, 2x 2.1 channel speakers + subwoofer
Webcam
HD type (30fps@720p)
Card Reader
SD (XC/HC)
LAN
Killer™ E2200 Game Networking LAN
Wireless LAN
802.11 b/g/ n
Bluetooth
Bluetooth v4.0
D-Sub (VGA)
1
HDMI
1
USB 2.0 port
2
USB 3.0 port
2
Mic-in/Headphone-out
1/1
Keyboard
103 keys SteelSeries Keyboard
AC Adapter
120W
Battery
6-Cell Li-Ion (4400mAh 49Wh)
Dimension
383 x 249.5 x 37.6~32.3mm
Weight (KG)
2.6Kg (w/ Battery)
Windows 8.1
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M
Chipset
Intel® HM86
CPU
The 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor (4700HQ)
Memory
Up to 16GB x 2 DIMMs (12GB Kingston 1600MHz CL11)
LCD Size
15.6″ Full HD (1920×1080), Anti-glare
Graphics VRAM
GDDR5 2GB
HDD
Up to 256GB Super RAID* + 750GB HDD 7200rpm
Optical Drive
BD Combo / DVD Super Multi
Audio
Sound by Dynaudio, 2x 2.1 channel speakers + subwoofer
Webcam
HD type (30fps@720p)
Card Reader
SD (XC/HC)
LAN
Killer™ E2200 Game Networking LAN
Wireless LAN
802.11 b/g/ n
Bluetooth
Bluetooth v4.0
D-Sub (VGA)
1
HDMI
1
USB 2.0 port
2
USB 3.0 port
2
Mic-in/Headphone-out
1/1
Keyboard
103 keys SteelSeries Keyboard
AC Adapter
120W
Battery
6-Cell Li-Ion (4400mAh 49Wh)
Dimension
383 x 249.5 x 37.6~32.3mm
Weight (KG)
2.6Kg (w/ Battery)
Packaging & Bundle
Packaging is stylish and eye-catching
GE60 is presented in an elegantly designed box which has a convenient carry handle for transportation. As you would expect, all of the associated technologies and features are listed on the box and we’re reminded by the dragon motif that this particular notebook is from MSI’s gaming range.
Inside the box MSI has concealed GE60 in a fabric for additional protection during transit and each of the bundled accessories has been sectioned off into cardboard compartments. This attention to detail is what we expect from a product of this calibre and we’re pleased to see MSI going to extra lengths to present GE60.
Different parts sectioned off and well-packaged
Taking all of the included items out of the box we can reveal what is supplied, they are as follows:
• Documentation – Quick Start Guide, Warranty Book, Hot Key, Registration, Windows 8
• 6 Cell LI-ON Battery
• DC Charging Unit with plug
• Driver/Utilities CD
MSI carefully package the battery for transportation – it comes securely bound in bubble wrap.
Notebook and bundled parts carefully packaged
Closer Look
Sleek and professional in appearance
MSI has adorned GE60 with a professional looking brushed aluminium lid which really makes the notebook stand out. Rather than attaching a flat lid, MSI has applied two concave edges which adds depth to this particular aspect of GE60. The MSI logo and gaming dragon insignia have been placed in the centre.
We’re really impressed by the look and feel of GE60, you are left in no doubt that this notebook has been designed with quality at the forefront of priorities.
Brushed aluminium lid looks superb
Flipping GE60 over, we have five rubber studs to prevent the unit from sliding on smooth surfaces. There are various areas which feature ventilation cut-outs for the internal components to have an outlet for heat dissipation.
The reverse of GE60
MSI has placed two front facing speakers onto the curved edge of the casing. On the alternate side, there is an area for mounting the included battery. This compartment has a latch system to securely lock the unit into place.
The only other noteworthy aspect to reference is the model and serial number which can be found with the compliance standard logos.
6-Cell battery included
Focussing our attention on the sides of GE60 we have various ports and slots to make use of. On the left-side there is allocation for a Kensington lock, AC power port, ventilation for graphics card, a single USB 2.0 port, HDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports and headphone/microphone jacks (Audio Boost enabled).
These ports allow lots of flexibility for varied usage such as projecting visuals onto a bigger hi-def screen or transferring files using SuperSpeed USB 3.0.
The left –side showing lots of versatility
Over on the other side, there is a BluRay drive, single USB 2.0 port, VGA display port and gigabit LAN port.
The addition of a VGA port provides a solution those who are interfacing with older devices. It’s also nice to see the inclusion of a gigabit LAN port via Killer E2200- although we do have WiFi functionality, many users will still plug directly into the network source to obtain optimum transfer rates.
More functionality including a BluRay drive
Continue with us over the page were we take a look under the lid.
Closer Look (Continued)
GE60 in all its glory
Opening the lid we are met with even more stylish aesthetics. MSI has continued with the brushed aluminium theme by furnishing the keyboard surround in this material.
Inside GE60 we have the following core components:
• CPU Intel Core i7-4700HQ (2.4GHz)
• Memory 12GB 1600MHZ CL11 DDR3
• GPU NVIDIA GTX 860M 2GB aka GM107 (Maxwell)
• HDDs Sandisk 128GB SSD + Hitachi 1TB 7200RPM HDD
As you can see, GE60 takes full advantage of cutting edge technology and architecture – even featuring NVIDIA’s first Maxwell mobile chip GM107 via GTX 860M. The Sandisk SSD has been configured to be the OS drive whilst the Hitachi is used for general storage. If you’d like a view of the internal components and coverage of what’s included please take a look at our video review on Vortez TV.
1080p resolution is available
GE60 uses a 15.6” TN Full HD display panel which delivers 1080p resolution and features anti-glare. Also attached to the display is a 720p webcam for use with applications such as Skype.
MSI and SteelSeries have been collaborating on mobile products for a good few years now and this joint venture is evident on GE60 too. SteelSeries supply the keyboard on this notebook – a fully customisable keyboard with LED backlight. This keyboard makes use of SteelSeries ENGINE to allow profiles storage and a higher level of customisation.
The keyboard follows a condensed QWERTY design and has multimedia capabilities.
Keyboard supplied by SteelSeries
DYNAUDIO is another feature which has been integrated with previous MSI notebooks and is found on GE60 too. Beyond the conventional mobile speaker, DYNAUDIO delivers crystal clear stereo sound for use in games and multimedia.
The two buttons in the top left corner (beside the screen hinge) allow you to adjust the cooling fan speed and LED lighting on-the-fly. This is a really useful feature to have, intensive games can cause components to overheat and therefore boosting the fan speed can help alleviate system crashes cause by unnecessary temperatures. The noise does obviously increase but if you are using a headset to game then noise is irrelevant.
DYNAUDIO and on-the-fly buttons for cooling and lighting
MSI has placed a discreet specifications label at the bottom of the keyboard which lists the fundamental components within GE60. Next to this is the touchpad which again, has been given the brushed metal effect. You’ll notice there are no buttons near this pad – instead, you have to press-down in the lower sections. This method of navigation is cumbersome at first and whilst it does look great, the pad itself does rattle when lightly tapped – throughout the review we decided to plug in a gaming mouse instead.
Actiity LEDs run along the bottom edge of the unit and there is an SD card slot reader for reading SD/SDHC cards.
Unique touchpad for mouse cursor navigation
Benchmarks: Windows 8 Boot & Battery Uptime
For our first benchmark tests we use a digital stopwatch to monitor how quickly the notebook boots into Windows 8. We also monitor the battery uptime whilst the notebook is in its idle state (not performing any tasks) – uptime will be affected when the notebook is used, so expect less than the recorded result below.
Benchmarks: Cinebench
CINEBENCH can measure systems with up to 64 processor threads. This test scene contains approximately 2,000 objects which in turn contain more than 300,000 polygons in total, and uses sharp and blurred reflections, area lights, shadows, procedural shaders, antialiasing, and much more. The result is displayed in points (pts). The higher the number, the faster your processor is.
Benchmarks: X264 HD
Simply put, this test measures how fast your machine can encode a short, DVD quality MPEG-2 video clip into a high-quality x264 video clip. What’s x264, you ask? It’s more or less the next-generation Xvid/DivX codec. We think it’s ideal for a benchmark because the application (x264.exe) reports fairly accurate compression results (in frames per second) for each pass of the video encoding process and it uses multi-core processors very efficiently.
Benchmarks: 3DMark & Heaven 4.0
The new 3DMark includes everything you need to benchmark your hardware. With three all new tests you can bench everything from smartphones and tablets, to notebooks and home PCs, to the latest high-end, multi-GPU gaming desktops. And it’s not just for Windows. With 3DMark you can compare your scores with Android and iOS devices too. It’s the most powerful and flexible 3DMark we’ve ever created.
Benchmarks: BF4, THIEF, Dirt Showdown, Tomb Raider
Our MSI GE60 uses GTX 860M for graphics delivery. To test how effective the 3D capabilities are, we use the benchmarking tool within THIEF, Tomb Raider and DIRT Showdown and FRAPS in BF4 to obtain average framerate
Conclusion
Being part of any product launch is exciting but when a notebook with new tech is involved the anticipation is even greater.
MSI are clearly very serious about their notebook gaming line because they have channelled all of their efforts into designing a comprehensive suite of offerings and have done so to a very high standard. The GE60 we have been observing today is not only appealing to the eye but it oozes quality too. The build quality and attention to detail – right from the packaging through to the end product is brilliant.
We’re pleased that GE60 arrives with an assortment of handy ports, this extends the functionality and makes other activities possible such as the ability to feed the display to a trio of screens. The additional perks don’t just end at the ports found on the sides of the unit either, there are numerous other aspects to consider such as DYNAUDIO speakers and SteelSeries customisable LED backlit keyboard.
In terms of performance, GE60 handled everything we lay in its path. You can expect to play the latest gaming titles in high detail and still retain fluid FPS. We did have some difficulty with THIEF but this is more than likely due to a driver issue because this game was only released a week ago and the GTX 860M, today.
GE60 has been given an SRP of £1200 GBP / $2000 USD but we expect you will be able to find it for just shy of the £1000 mark if you are patient with availability. Based on the calibre of this notebook and the multitude of features that come integrated we believe this to be a reasonable price if you are looking to invest in a new mobile gaming system.
MSI’s new GE60 2PE Apache Pro is packed with features and effortlessly delivers great performance in the latest gaming titles.
VIDEO REVIEW – VORTEZ TV
Pros
+ Appealing to the eye
+ Brilliant build quality
+ Can handle most games at high detail
+ Plenty of useful ports
+ Excellent audio
+ On-the-fly fan/lighting controls
Cons
– Touch pad is cumbersome
+ Appealing to the eye
+ Brilliant build quality
+ Can handle most games at high detail
+ Plenty of useful ports
+ Excellent audio
+ On-the-fly fan/lighting controls
Cons
– Touch pad is cumbersome
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
