Depending on your budget, the GT72 comes in a range of different specifications, each with a varying selection of CPU models, multiple SSDs, RAM, and a choice of Nvidia’s GTX 970M and GTX 980M GPUs. If you’re willing to blow the budget entirely, then it’s theoretically possible to specify anything up to Intel’s top-flight 2.8GHz Core i7-4980HQ CPU, 16GB of RAM, up to four M.2 SSDs in RAID and a GeForce GTX 980M equipped with 8GB of GDDR5 memory. If you have £3,000 spare, that is.In our review unit, MSI reached for the middle ground, partnering a relatively modest quad-core 2.5GHz Core i7 CPU with 16GB of DDR3 RAM, twin 128GB SSDs in RAID0, a Hitachi 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive and a fully stacked 8GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M.

It’s the Nvidia’s GPU that’s the star of the show here. While Nvidia’s power-efficient Maxwell architecture made its debut in the GTX 860M (take a look at our review of Chillblast’s Defiant 2 Mini to see how that GPU fared), this is the first time that the architecture has been used for the high-end products in the range. The result is a GPU that packs in significantly more performance per Watt than the previous Kepler generation. Nvidia claims Maxwell is up to 40% faster than last year’s range-topping GTX 880M.In practice, there’s little this gaming monster can’t handle. Crysis might be looking a little long in the tooth, but it’s still a serious challenge for most mobile GPUs – or at least it was until the GTX 980M came along.

Running at Full HD resolution and Very High detail, the MSI smashed through our benchmark at an average of 73fps. Compared to the GeForce GTX 880M in the Asus ROG G750JZ, the GTX 980M is 26% faster. The MSI maintained an average frame rate of 50fps even when we upped the resolution to 2,560 x 1,440. It wasn’t until we pushed Crysis up to 4K (3,840 x 2,160) resolution and Very High detail that the average frame rate finally dipped to 26fps.Application performance isn’t to be sniffed at, either. A result of 1.04 in our Real World Benchmarks isn’t the best result we’ve seen, but the SSD-based RAID array is stupendously fast. We recorded sequential read and write speeds of 1,021MB/sec and 878MB/sec in the AS SSD benchmark. This makes for seriously quick boot and application-load times, and we never found ourselves waiting around for games to load, either.In one slightly curious turn, MSI has taken the decision not to employ Nvidia’s Optimus graphics-switching technology – on the rare occasion you do want to use the CPU’s integrated graphics (frankly, we can’t think of many reasons why anyone would want to on such a heavy, high-performance laptop), it’s necessary to reboot the laptop.

In Optimus’ stead, you’ll find MSI’s Shift feature, which provides the ability to switch between Green, Comfort and Speed modes. As the name suggests, Speed mode allows the CPU and GPU to work flat out; Comfort mode limits the maximum GPU frequency; and Green mode limits both the CPU and GPU clocks and sets a temperature cap of 85˚C. Despite the best efforts of MSI’s Shift Green mode, however, the powerful GPU means the GT72 isn’t as long-lasting as it is powerful. With the screen dimmed to 75cd/m2, and Wi-Fi off, the MSI lasted a mere 2hrs 26mins before running dry. Take the time to reboot and allow the Intel integrated graphics to take the helm, however, and the GT72 lasts significantly longer: it lasted 7hrs 26mins in the same light-use battery test.

MSI hasn’t overlooked essentials such as the keyboard or touchpad, either. Despite the extrovert LED backlighting, the SteelSeries keyboard is more than just a novelty act. The control panel makes it possible to set up macros for often-used key combinations, in addition to detailed profiles for individual games.The crisp, responsive keys are mounted on a keyboard panel that doesn’t exhibit the slightest bit of flex or wallow. Whether you’re typing or frantically smashing the WASD keys in the latest online shooter, the MSI delivers. And while the touchpad is of less interest to gamers, it’s a class act: the huge touch area is accurate and responsive, and the dedicated buttons respond with a solid, reassuring click.

• Toshiba Qosmio X500 Battery
• Toshiba Qosmio X505 Battery
• Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q887 Battery
• Toshiba Satellite P500 Battery
• Toshiba Satellite P500-12D Battery
• Toshiba Satellite P500-ST5806 Battery
• Toshiba Satellite P505-S8980 Battery
• Toshiba Satellite E105 Battery
• Toshiba Dynabook CX/47J Battery
• Toshiba Portege M800 Battery
• Toshiba Satellite L310 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite A660 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite A660D Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite C600 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite C650D Battery

Practicality is also top of the agenda, with MSI providing easy access to all the components inside – just remove six screws to get in. There are two 2.5in bays; an M.2 riser card with two Toshiba 128GB SSDs installed; and both the GPU and CPU are covered with beefy-looking heatsinks, each with multiple heatpipes connected to a dedicated pair of 60mm fans at either corner of the chassis. Despite our model coming with 16GB of RAM, there are two further RAM slots waiting to expand the memory up to the maximum of 32GB. Best of all, MSI has used a replaceable MXM graphics module, so it’s possible to upgrade the GPU in the future.

Connectivity is also highly impressive. At the rear, twin DisplayPort 1.2 outputs and an HDMI 1.4 port permit triple-monitor setups, and all three can be used at the same time as the laptop’s display. Six USB 3 ports are spread across the laptop’s two flanks, and the four 3.5mm audio jacks make it possible to hook up an external 7.1 speaker set. Gigabit Ethernet buddies up with 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and there’s even a Blu-ray writer thrown in.If you’re wondering why we haven’t mentioned the display yet, there’s a very good reason – it’s the GT72’s biggest disappointment. We’ve no issue with the Full HD resolution, but the presence of TN LCD technology is underwhelming in a laptop of this calibre. In fairness, it is a very good TN screen, with brightness reaching 289cd/m2, contrast hitting an impressive 1,189:1, and the panel covering a reasonable 86.7% of the sRGB colour gamut.

Colour accuracy is poor, however, with an average Delta E of 7.54 indicating that onscreen colours are significantly off-beam, and our test images looked cold and bluish due to the panel’s high colour temperature. Viewing angles are good by TN standards, but you can’t move very far off axis without noticing colour shift and crushed darker tones. The good news is that when the GT72 arrives at retail, it will be equipped with an IPS panel instead. This should ensure better viewing angles, may deliver higher brightness, and will hopefully be more colour-accurate. We’ll be updating this review with test results as soon as we can lay our hands on a review sample.In other regards the MSI GT72 is every inch the gaming laptop we’d love to own. And we wouldn’t be disheartened by the £2,000 asking price, either: the price of our review was inflated due to the inclusion of a swathe of SteelSeries gaming accessories and an MSI rucksack. Spend a little time shopping around and, as long as you don’t mind dropping to 8GB of RAM and losing the SSDs, you can buy a GT72 equipped with a 4GB GTX 980M for £1,500.

• TOSHIBA Satellite C655 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite L510 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite L645 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite L650 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite L650D Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite L670 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite L750 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite L775 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite M30 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite U500 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite Pro T130 Battery
• TOSHIBA Satellite Pro U400 Battery
• Toshiba Portege A600 Battery
• Toshiba Portege R500 Battery
• Toshiba Portege R600 Battery

Regardless of which model you choose, the GT72 is an excellent gaming laptop. Great build quality is matched with plenty of scope for future upgrades, and Nvidia’s powerhouse of a GPU is capable of smashing through most games without breaking sweat. The only thing holding us back from rewarding it with a Recommended award is that we haven’t been able to test the version with an IPS display – if it turns out to be any good, there’s every chance our credit card balance will be looking very unhealthy indeed.I hope you've been reading the Millpool story - the story, that is, of how a Cornwall community centre has transformed its IT function thanks to the introduction of some new HP laptops and a cutting-edge printer. It's a story that applies to any business looking to move away from firefighting and over to doing, thanks in no small part to a switch from consumer tech to modern, business-ready kit.http://www.batteries-pc.com/samsung.html

If you have been following on, you may well have been wondering about the likely impact of a similar process in your organisation. It often comes as a surprise to private sector workers just how crazily intense life can be for those in the public or "third" (charity) sector, and what this means for their IT investment, skills requirements, and working practices.The remarkable thing about Millpool, and a large part of why we chose them for the transformation process, is the sheer breadth of user types they have to accommodate with only a few machines, a big printer, and a server: if they can arrange their systems update so that the schedule of events carries on without a single cancellation, then it must be possible to do the same in your business.

If I was to pick out the absolutely key differences that I think made the whole project work, I'd focus on Millpool's readiness to set time aside for training.There are two reasons for this: the military background of one of the trustees means they think about finding the right way to do things before they actually dive in and do it; and two, they focused very early on the need to have clear and open discussions with the man specifying what they were getting - and in this case, that was me.Transformations are about pulling in expertise, not just scrolling through a website of laptops looking for the cheapest (or the most expensive) specification. If you are buying more of the same, then human-free purchasing is excellent: but for transformation, you need some expert input.

Posted by: akkusmarkt at 02:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 1724 words, total size 14 kb.