MSI GT725 Question

Maziar

Maziar

Maziar

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Joined
26 Jun 2009
Posts
14
Hi all my first post here :)
I was looking for a gaming notebook and my budget is about 1200 GBP so i found the MSI GT725 :)
The model i was looking @ is this one:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=lt-017-ms&groupid=959&catid=1441&subcat=

- operating system: microsoft windows vista home premium
- processor: intel core 2 duo p9500 2.53ghz 6mb cache (1066mhz fsb)
- graphics: ati mobility radeon hd 4850 512mb
- memory: 4gb ddr2 ram
- hard drive: 500gb sata (5400rpm)
- optical drive: blu-ray
- screen: 17.0" wuxga+ lcd widescreen (1920x1200)

i have some questions though

1_everywhere i looked says this dual core model has a 1680x1050 resolution,but this one has 1920x1200,could ocuk be wrong ?

2_how does a mobility hd 4850 stand against nvidia gtx 260m ? i was reading in notebookcheck.net and it seems they perform close to each other and even in some games ati model has a slight edge over the nvidia one,can anyone confirm this ?

here is what i i've read:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/mobile-graphics-cards-benchmark-list.844.0.html

3_Does it come with 32bit OS or 64 ?

thanks :)
 
Not much help but bar being a bit large for me after my last 17" laptop and screaming for a swap to a 7200rpm HDD or SSD thats a great looking laptop, and would definately be on my list [shame the colour scheme isn't just black, rather than the OTT redness, but that could be dealt with] - tis a lot of laptop for the cash!

It's cheaper than one of the OcUK custom laptops which is great value for money. From what I understand it's only got Vista 32, but Im sure you could get around that easily. I've also seen a 1920x1200 model advertised elsewhere so it's possible that's correct, might be worth a quick call/web note to OcUK to ask.

The mobility 4850 looks to be about the same speed, give or take as the GT260M, and from some information I read, due to the specs and clocks is very similar in performance to a 4830...basically meaning everything, including Crysis is playable at 1680x1050, and a lot of games would be playable on lower settings at 1920x1200 :)

Im actually tempted to switch back to a laptop now and then, but gaming, cost and lack of upgradeability puts me off, but that bad side of me keeps considering the finance option.

Either way, especially with the Overclock function for mains that clocks it to 2.9Ghz rather than 2.5, this really does look like an exceptional spec right now for the cash. The only laptop I saw that rivalled it for pound performance was the Advent 6555 which may have been an MSI under the shell, was a little cheaper, but had a basic quad with lower clocks, weaker battery and screen etc.

Compared to a desktop, with the OC function enabled and with an overclock on the graphics card, this system would basically stand similar to desktop machine with:
E7500-8400 processor (same clock speed as the E7500 but more cache, 2.93Ghz)
4GB
4830

Replace the HDD and you end up with similar performance there too, but obviously that would cause a small hit on battery life.

Nice laptop.

As a small comment, I arguably wouldn't spend anymore than this on a laptop either, due to how quickly the age in relation to a desktop and weight/other restrictions. That said, if the graphics card is equivalent to a 4830, this laptop should play games on medium reasonably well for several years.
 
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Just as a little side note and a few things to watch out for as this is a very similar chassis to my gx620.

1, The back rubber feet have a tendancy to fall off, mine went within a week, but a quick call to MSI saw new feet the very next day. with some strong superglue these are still in place... btw they sent 2 full sets even though I asked for just the back feet.

2, The gfx cards used in all the msi chassis I have used are MXM, this means that they are easily upgradable if/when they inevitably fail. Unlike my previous sony which had a 8400gs which was directly on the motherboard and failed after less than 6 months.

About the heat and the colour,

keep the side vent clean as mine was crashing after around 5 months due to heat from a build up of dust that was blocking the heat sinks. I now take the back off and clean out the fins and fans every other month or so (This means breaking the warranty sticker).

As for the colour, keep out a sharp eye as I have also seen these machines floating about with a far nicer blue trim. A few weeks after purchasing the last one on a competitors site I saw one for sale with the blue trim. (was gutted as didn't know they came in blue).

Finally, I had some reservations on the build quality of the new msi chassis before my purchase. I can tell you that this was unfounded, I have had the machine for a fair amount of time now, its been dropped bashed and is transported daily to and from work in a bag that is not padded, yet the machine still looks new.

Hope some of this is helpful.

edit: didn't really answer your questions...

The res.. the gt725 is available with either 1680x1050 or 1920x1200 WUXGA

Oh and it comes with a 32bit os although all of the 64bit drivers are available on the driver cd. if you do decide to go 64bit you will need to install all the drivers off of the cd then download system control manager off of the msi website to enable the overclocking (this isn't for some reason available on my cd for 64bit but the 32bit version from the website works under x64).
 
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Unfortunately from a little background reading I dont think this spec comes with blue trim, although it'd be much more preferable. If I got one I think I'd ended up black markering the red trim so it wasn't so in your face :P
 
Well with retail copies, the serials for 64/32 are the same, so if you create the laptop restore discs and download a home premium 64 iso, you might be able to install it regardless if it considers the key valid. Could be worth a shot, but the reviews definately all say 32bit preinstalled.
 
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I just got a reply about Resolution and OS from OCUK,here is what i asked:
Hello
I wanted to buy MSI GT725 (GT725-087UK) but i have some questions:
1_Your site reports that the screen is WUXGA+(1920x1200 resolution)but when i looked around the web i found that it supports 1680x1050 resolution,so which one does your model have ?

2_Does it come with VISTA 64bit or 32bit ?

thanks

Response:
Dear Maziar,

Thanks for the web note. The resolution on our website is correct. It comes with 32bit.

Regards,

Linzi Campbell
 
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