MSI GX660R-060 Benchmarks and Review

[Justin@XoticPC]

We have finally received our first GX660R the other day and have had some time to run some benchmarks. Our video review will be uploaded later today. The sound coming out of these MSI Laptops featuring the DYNAudio is nothing short of amazing. It is by far the loudest and best quality of sound we have seen from any laptop we carry to date. These runs were at stock. When OCing with the Turbo Button it increases the GHz speed up to about 3.1 GHz. We will have some more runs shortly with Turbo Enabled. :)

3D Mark 06

http://www.xoticpc.com/reviews/GX660/3DMARK06.PNG

3D Mark Vantage

http://www.xoticpc.com/reviews/GX660/3DMARKVANTAGE.PNG

CPUZ/GPUz

http://www.xoticpc.com/reviews/GX660/HWMON-GPUZ-CPUZ.PNG

3D Mark Vantage with Turbo / 740

http://www.xoticpc.com/reviews/GX660/vantage-with-turbo.png

3D Mark Vantage with 940XM

http://www.xoticpc.com/reviews/GX660/vantage940stk.png


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9PNcShLNqo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rXFsDMvlSY

[misel]

Can't wait to see your full review and more benchmarks. I'm about to jump right in for this!:laugh:

[Przn4lif3]

This looks great, can't wait for the review.

[Fr0st]

Interested to see the video review :) Also this is just a side note, but would you guys mind adding audio to your video reviews, and talk about the laptop while showing it off? I noticed some of the video reviews lack a narration, which is always nice. We all really appreciate the extra effort you guys put into your products, by the way! :)

[Justin@XoticPC]

I agree with you Frost, when we started we just did video review and no dialogue. Since I believe the G73 review Joseph started doing the reviews and adding dialogue. Our videos are uploading to You Tube and should be up hopefully before bed time or in the wee morning hours. ;)

Always appreciate the feedback :D

[Fr0st]

Awesome, glad to hear it! Yeah the G73 review is the most recent one I watched, and it was nice hearing someone explain/show off the features. :) Thanks guys!

[misel]

Great! Video review! Some pics of the insides are most appreciated. BTW, awesome job you guys do on your reviews :yes:

[powerpack]

Justin let one of your guys take it home and game the hell out of it. How does it handle heat. If it does well looks like it could be a winner.

[Przn4lif3]

What pp said would be an excellent idea.

Much appreciated Justin

[Justin@XoticPC]

Justin let one of your guys take it home and game the hell out of it. How does it handle heat. If it does well looks like it could be a winner.

It handles heat very well, it also has a button to increase Fan Speed. (You will see in the Video) I would have let Joseph take it home, but if I would have I think his G73 would be going up for sale tomorrow :eek: I think he was getting the "upgrade itch" today. :eeek2:

[mrmatt]

It handles heat very well, it also has a button to increase Fan Speed. (You will see in the Video) I would have let Joseph take it home, but if I would have I think his G73 would be going up for sale tomorrow :eek: I think he was getting the "upgrade itch" today. :eeek2:
What is the cooling system?

[Dragonskin]

How long does Xoticpc usually take to respond to emails in general? Wrote last night asking some questions about the GX660R and still haven't heard from them. Wrote Justin twice now.....just curious since I keep hearing about their good or great customer service and fast response.....is it better to use the forum rather than email? Thanks in advance for responses!

[Justin@XoticPC]

All emails are replied to within 24 hours. Did you email justinw@xoticpc.com? Sometimes our emails end up in Junk Email you might want to check there also.

You can also PM him through the forums if you wanted to.

As you can see by our temps in the above images it has a large Single Fan cooling systems that exhausts out the side and back. The Speed of the Fan is adjustable to a Hot Key Button above the keyboard.

[Dragonskin]

Thank you for the quick response and yes, that is the email I used. I guess I will try again...

Just curious, are there 2 Justin's?

[King0981]

Hi All! How flashy does this laptop look? Is it ok to bring it to a hospital setting? =P lol I am dying to know since the price for this spec is a-m-a-z-i-n-g!! So far, the benchmarks and the reviews are all positive too but if its too flashy, I will have to go and cry :( haha

[Justin@XoticPC]

Thank you for the quick response and yes, that is the email I used. I guess I will try again...

Just curious, are there 2 Justin's?

Yes, myself and Justin W. :) Let me know if you dont have a reply tonight.

The laptop is a little flashy. You can turn off all the lights if needed though. :)

[King0981]

This may sound stupid, but what is your suggestion on the raid 0 configuration? I understand that it may be more risky but is it worth having it? If I choose not to have it, all I have to do is choose 2 different HHDs right?

[Przn4lif3]

Great review, could you guys possibly do a test running bad company 2, crysis, or a game that is very demanding on the highest settings at 1080p. Then post the results of the temperatures and give us an idea of what the fan would sound like under heavy gaming.

Much appreciated

[powerpack]

Justin thanks for the response on thermal capabilities. I know what you mean about Joe and the bug. I am happy with my G73 but I keep my eye open for new so when I am ready I know. The speakers are getting my interest big time.

It would be nice to have the same kind of buzz we had on the G73 on a different system.

King on your RAID question. RAID0 is wanted by many because in theory it would double performance. Yea you will not really see that but might get close? Depends on many things, but substantial performance increase yes. I have not even looked into this and RAID so taking your word.

The risk and RAID is just that if you have two HDD's RAID or not the chances of one of those two HDD's failing is double, RAID or not. Any two HDD's have twice the chance of failure vs one HDD. In RAID0 the failure of one destroys the array and you lose all data. Two HDD's not in RAID0 you only lose one HDD therefor only what is on that HDD.

If I had two HDD's and could RAID0 I would probably do it for the performance. I would make sure to backup important data but you should do the same even if no RAID0.

Also do not let the double freak you out. One in a million and two in a million are not critical points if you ask me.

[mangbhoy]

I think it's a good system and it's worthy of having it on Xoticpc's lineup. From the video review, here's what I think:

What I see are PROS:
1.) The speaker set-up is impressive but consistency remains to be seen - still, it looks solid.
2.) Two hard drive bays and one optical drive. More combinations to play with plus the
potential benefit of RAID0.
3.) Backlit keyboard (though not fully backlit)
4.) Gaming buttons - CPU Overclock switch, FAN Switch and Windows Key Switch

What I see are CONS:
1.) Here on Xoticpc, the CPU options are all quads - so those who prefer the dual-core CPU set-up will have second thoughts buying it.
2.) Power-up hungry laptop if fully spec'd out.
3.) Not-so good screen viewing angles.

The look of the laptop is either PRO or CON - for me it's a CON because I prefer my laptop not to attract attention.

Overall, I'd say MSI made this thinking of the gamer who fancies the best audio above other laptops and who also fancies LED lights - which is both good and bad. I would be more convinced to buy this laptop if the LED lights might have been put on the keyboard rather than on the sides. It is a good laptop, offering modern system set-ups, good audio, good multimedia experience, upgradeability, good for gaming too and more importantly good cooling. Of course, I'd still have to actually see and experience the unit for myself but these are my first impressions.

As of this date of course, there are other things that remain to be seen (if you know what I mean - it's not porn by the way...)

[misel]

I think we have a winner here! I'll definitely get this baby :wink2:
It seems to me the cooling system is alright. Good thing you can turn off the LEDs and when you do so, the notebook actually looks pretty stylish. This is love on first sight ;)
I'll take over the world.. *ahem* I mean, take over my work, nicely:laugh:

Excellent review, as expected of you guys.Thanks Justin and Joseph, you guys just helped me make up my mind.

[mrmatt]

Only thing about the cooling system to me is it sounds potentially loud, but no doubt this is a great value.

[Postman1990]

Regarding the fan, how loud is it in something like eco mode or simply running chrome or firefox? If the cooling feature is inactive, will it be quiet, or even be able to turn off the fan? I am just asking, because if it is like toshiba or g73 quiet, then it would not disrupt a class. I have a g1s that, even with the laptop closed and not running anything, proceeds to ramp up the fan speed, and people give me funny looks. Any comparison to a laptop you could see in person would be good.
Also, is the screen pretty solid like the g73 or the w860cu? I know you don't want to use the screen as a handle, but with the g73, I think you could.

[misel]

Regarding the fan, how loud is it in something like eco mode or simply running chrome or firefox? If the cooling feature is inactive, will it be quiet, or even be able to turn off the fan? I am just asking, because if it is like toshiba or g73 quiet, then it would not disrupt a class. I have a g1s that, even with the laptop closed and not running anything, proceeds to ramp up the fan speed, and people give me funny looks.

Did you check the video review? It seems to me is pretty much soundless when in eco mode. And I had a G2S, I bet this one won't be even close to the noise that one made.

[Postman1990]

Yeah, I watched the review, and it seemed like a profound difference. I just want to make sure it won't go near that volume without the button. Speaking of the g1s, I am using an older laptop, because the g1s forgot how to use audio drivers. I figure any surface heat on the laptop can't be as bad as mine, so I am not worried about it.

[Justin_W@XoticPC]

How long does Xoticpc usually take to respond to emails in general? Wrote last night asking some questions about the GX660R and still haven't heard from them. Wrote Justin twice now.....just curious since I keep hearing about their good or great customer service and fast response.....is it better to use the forum rather than email? Thanks in advance for responses!

As Justin mentioned we answer all emails within 24 hours. If you haven't received a reply, please send me a PM through the forums with your email address and I'll re-send the email. :)

[muhamedjihad]

As Justin mentioned we answer all emails within 24 hours. If you haven't received a reply, please send me a PM through the forums with your email address and I'll re-send the email. :)


Well crap. earlier this week i decided to wait for the 73/53 JW asus to come out. then i see this thing. Now i am torn again. what should I do? seriously xotic will get my money regardless on which ever i chose. I just dont really have any idea on this choice.

[TinGodz]

This MSI has popped up at an awesome time. I was going to go with a Sager 8690 or 8760 after learning about all of the G73's faults, but now that I've learned about this machine I have made up my mind. I cannot wait until the end of this month so I can have this bad boy shipped my way.

[Postman1990]

I wanted to check, is it actually a 90W power adapter, because it seems like that is less than the full load wattage of the laptops with comparable parts, and are the trackpad buttons plastic or metal? Also, this is probably a dumb question, as I'll probably get this by Monday anyways, but does it come with stuff like the E7405. Just want to know, since I'm planning on jumping in while some things could still change, like the g73 and the ram speed.

[Przn4lif3]

wuts the battery life average battery life with eco mode on?

[powerpack]

This may sound stupid, but what is your suggestion on the raid 0 configuration? I understand that it may be more risky but is it worth having it? If I choose not to have it, all I have to do is choose 2 different HHDs right?Looks like no RAID HM55 chipset does not RAID.

[TipTip]

What is the battery life the laptop during web-surfing and in eco-mode seperatly?

[TinGodz]

Looks like no RAID HM55 chipset does not RAID.

The GX660 uses the PM55 chipset which is RAID capable.

[powerpack]

The GX660 uses the PM55 chipset which is RAID capable.Somebody should let Xotic know there spec page says HM55. Gentech does list PM55.

I do not see RAID as an option. It lists the HDD capacity as the size of both drives so it would not be in RAID0 RAID1 at best.

MSI site does list PM55, I once again am not seeing RAID listed? I know PM55 needs the MoBo to support RAID just because PM55 does not mean RAID. But am I missing RAID being listed?:confused:

Because RAID if an option is very cool.

[Fr0st]

Somebody should let Xotic know there spec page says HM55. Gentech does list PM55.

I do not see RAID as an option. It lists the HDD capacity as the size of both drives so it would not be in RAID0 RAID1 at best.

MSI site does list PM55, I once again am not seeing RAID listed? I know PM55 needs the MoBo to support RAID just because PM55 does not mean RAID. But am I missing RAID being listed?:confused:

Because RAID if an option is very cool.

They say in the video review that it comes RAID0'd, but no RAID1 capability. You can disable the RAID0 if you like.

[powerpack]

They say in the video review that it comes RAID0'd, but no RAID1 capability. You can disable the RAID0 if you like.OK you guys win!:p:D

I did watch the video I forgot.:-/

[Justin@XoticPC]

What is the battery life the laptop during web-surfing and in eco-mode seperatly?

Just a little over 2 hours. :)

[misel]

Just a little over 2 hours. :)

That's better than NP8690, which I find decisive when choosing between MSI's and Sager's models.

[GearsPoweredFool]

Is it possible to select which lights you can turn on and off? Or is just all/none?

[DonCorazon]

Does the keyboard have anything that helps you see it at night? I was almost ready to pull the trigger on an Alienware M15-x but thought I'd see what else is out there and stumbled across the mx660 (and XoticPc). The mx660 looks like my choice but I was really looking forward to a keyboard I can see at night which is when I spend the most of my time on the laptop. So how visible is this keyboard in the dark? The WASD keys look like they have something to help at least.

Thanks.

[Przn4lif3]

Stay away from alienware, they overcharge like crazy.

The msi laptop has lights built onto the sides, but it does not have any keylights. So it should be fairly visible.

[mrmatt]

I usually find light up keys somewhat distracting when gaming from past experience. The screens o computers this size throw off enough light for you to glance down and be able to correct yourself.

[DonCorazon]

I usually find light up keys somewhat distracting when gaming from past experience. The screens o computers this size throw off enough light for you to glance down and be able to correct yourself.

I have a 17" xps - about 4.5 years old. I find myself always trying to stare down at the keyboard to see what I am typing at night. Also have a tough time seeing where to plug in headphones. With a new baby, most of gaming/computing is late night / in the dark so it is an issue for me.

[mrmatt]

I have a 17" xps - about 4.5 years old. I find myself always trying to stare down at the keyboard to see what I am typing at night. Also have a tough time seeing where to plug in headphones. With a new baby, most of gaming/computing is late night / in the dark so it is an issue for me.

I can understand that. To be fair I do game with a lamp pointed at a corner behind menso there is some light when I play. Better for my eyes if I'm not in pure darkness

[TinGodz]

I can understand that. To be fair I do game with a lamp pointed at a corner behind menso there is some light when I play. Better for my eyes if I'm not in pure darkness

I hear you; I'm the same way. I don't like gaming in complete darkness because it's not good for anyone's eyes. It's a good way to start wearing glasses young if you don't already. Plus after using a keyboard for 10+ years at least, I could type blind. So a back-lit keyboard isn't quite necessary for me. In fact, it may be more harmful than beneficial in my case. Naturally, someone else's mileage may vary.

[DonCorazon]

Couple more questions as I get closer to pulling the trigger on the MX660:
What is the point of the rocking click pad on the touchpad? I have never used anything other than a regular clicker - does the rocking feature add anything?
I noticed the touchpad is offcenter -any reason for that?I assume there is enough room to rest your left hand when you are typing.
How easy would it be to upgrade the hard drives to flash down the road? Any issues with that - I assume it might void any warranty for example.

Also, would it make sense to have one SSD drive with windows and another regular drive for economical storage? Id love my laptop to bootip faster but can't see shelling out so much cash just to store files.
Thanks!

[powerpack]

What is the point of the rocking click pad on the touchpad? I have never used anything other than a regular clicker - does the rocking feature add anything?I prefer the two button type. I can't think of advantage. On my G73 I cant press just left/right of center I must go more toward the edge. You get used to it not that big of deal.

I noticed the touchpad is offcenter -any reason for that?I assume there is enough room to rest your left hand when you are typing.
Touch pad is off center because of number pad. While not 100% centered with space bar (center of alphabet pad) it is close if it was true center of outer edges of unit many would rest right palm on touch pad. Almost centered with keyboard if you disregard the number pad.

How easy would it be to upgrade the hard drives to flash down the road? Any issues with that - I assume it might void any warranty for example.

Also, would it make sense to have one SSD drive with windows and another regular drive for economical storage? Id love my laptop to bootip faster but can't see shelling out so much cash just to store files.
Thanks!Should be easy. To new for me to know of issues I do not see why there would be. Drive upgrades do not void warranties. You might want to consider hanging on to the OS drive from purchase in case you need warranty work as upgrade not covered by MSI. But I don't see MSI being that bent. Easy to rule in or out if drive issue or they likely would swap drives to one of theirs.

Many have done exactly what you ask of and yes it makes a lot of sense. Getting the performance of SSD and capacity of HDD

Edit: Drive upgrades do not void warranty.

[DonCorazon]

thanks powerpack!

[powerpack]

I meant to say Drive upgrades DO NOT void the warranty. Sorry.

[powerpack]

I just got in my mind the GX640 is brushed Aluminum. On build quality it seems it might beat the GX660? I know a HD5850 but it does OC well. No lights which could be good for some. And sure the GX660 has better speakers. I wonder if the same thermal build as the GX660? If so with the slightly lower demands should do well. I can't remember if I was on top of this model or not. It was in the middle of the G73 ordering frenzied. I think more owner comment on this would be good.

Joseph I know an old thread but you said you really liked this notebook. You liked the thermal solution very much. What is your opinion of the Aluminum case vs the GX660 plastic? Do you like or not really a big factor. Yea I know lots of questions but I did not realize aluminum until tonight. Mostly Apples with Aluminum?

You should push this as the gamer/business model. Not everyone can have lights and a kick ass sound system. This looks like great compromise and metal build.

Anyway all these comments are from a G73 plastic build owner. So take at your own risk.

$400 less for not as good of speakers and HD5850 does not seem so bad. If you do not like lights and plastic priceless. For the rest Master Card.

Comments?

This does look like a sleeper. Consider it is aluminum and GX660 is plastic. I do not care as much as others but Aluminum is a better build. Who really needs major speakers? I think MSI has done great. They have the system for the gamers (GX660) or a more professional model and better build.

[PTRob]

Just ordered mine, anxious already to get it.

[GearsPoweredFool]

As have I!
But I ordered a custom skin, so it's going to take a while :(

[ericb]

Could the FFXIV benchmark be ran on this laptop and posted? I am in the market for a new laptop capable of running the game on high settings (1080p).

[mrmatt]

Could the FFXIV benchmark be ran on this laptop and posted? I am in the market for a new laptop capable of running the game on high settings (1080p).

None of these have shipped

[PTRob]

Could the FFXIV benchmark be ran on this laptop and posted? I am in the market for a new laptop capable of running the game on high settings (1080p).

I'll post my score as soon as I get mine. FFXIV is what forced me to purchase a new laptop lol.

[powerpack]

Look up the 5770 desktop if it or the 5750 can run that is what the 5870m is comparable too. Between the two.

[mrmatt]

I was playing with a guy I know on BC2 who just got a 5770 and for some reason I was ~15 frames higher than him. He was running DX10 though.

[ericb]

I'll post my score as soon as I get mine. FFXIV is what forced me to purchase a new laptop lol.

Cool let me know, I scored a 289 on my current laptop and a 680 on my desktop on the 720p setting.

I guess Square Enix is telling me it is time to upgrade.

[ericb]

None of these have shipped

Do you know when these will be shipping? My goal is to have in hand by mid-September.

[PTRob]

My Current laptop scored a 550 on Low Res.

I know some have already received their GX660Rs, but they apparently don't post here.

[mrmatt]

It appears they have started shipping. I'm sorry for the slight misinformation, but no one here had said they had theirs in phase 4

[PTRob]

Got my E-mail today! I should have mine by the weekend, Can't wait!

[powerpack]

Track it? Maybe Friday?

[jav2008]

anyone got their GX660R?

[jav2008]

I am wondering what is better: The Gx660R-060 or the MSI GT660-003US

[mrmatt]

I am wondering what is better: The Gx660R-060 or the MSI GT660-003US
060 is, 5870>285

[GearsPoweredFool]

Mine is still in phase 2 :(
And then I have to wait through phase 3.
The wait is killer.

[jav2008]

060 is, 5870>285
I want to know over all, I mean price, CPU, GPU, size, cooling and such

[mrmatt]

I want to know over all, I mean price, CPU, GPU, size, cooling and such

The one with the 285 has a little more storage that's all..same computer

[Maverick494]

The one with the 285 has a little more storage that's all..same computer
and a worse GPU =P

[jav2008]

I see just the GPU and more storage for it. Anyone who has this computer please tell us how it fell and runs.

[Maverick494]

I see just the GPU and more storage for it. Anyone who has this computer please tell us how it fell and runs.

search function is your friend.

[jav2008]

search function is your friend.
I don't get what you mean Maverick ??? ????

[Maverick494]

I mean that several users of this laptop have posted about it and if you took 3 seconds to use the search function or just to puruse the boards you might come across some information. Not to mention the fact that on page one XoticPC staff have two freaking videos of it.

[jav2008]

I mean that several users of this laptop have posted about it and if you took 3 seconds to use the search function or just to puruse the boards you might come across some information. Not to mention the fact that on page one XoticPC staff have two freaking videos of it.
hahaha I already have watch the video. I want other ppl tell me how it fells and runs some games

[mosesthegreat]

Wld TRIM be supported for a dual SSD RAID 0 configuration?

[Maverick494]

Wld TRIM be supported for a dual SSD RAID 0 configuration?

no

/10char

[Maverick494]

hahaha I already have watch the video. I want other ppl tell me how it fells and runs some games

apparently reading comprehension is not your strongest trait. I already said several users have done so on these boards.

[Przn4lif3]

lol at the last few posts.

[PTRob]

I'll post my score as soon as I get mine. FFXIV is what forced me to purchase a new laptop lol.

Sorry it took me so long. Was busy at work and playing on my new machine haha. I have not downloaded the benchmark after the clean install but.

Before I got
2020 on High
3537 on Low

[PTRob]

I also forgot to mention I have been playing the Open Beta on High settings just fine. So final release should be even easier to run or so I'm told.

[GearsPoweredFool]

Sorry it took me so long. Was busy at work and playing on my new machine haha. I have not downloaded the benchmark after the clean install but.

Before I got
2020 on High
3537 on Low

Is that in turbo mode?
And is your computer optimized for performance? (Toolbars turned down, processes killed, etcetc. I prefer using Tune up Utilities to do it for me becuase I'm lazy)

My laptop is in phase 4 now and should be here friday :)

[PTRob]

Is that in turbo mode?
And is your computer optimized for performance? (Toolbars turned down, processes killed, etcetc. I prefer using Tune up Utilities to do it for me becuase I'm lazy)

My laptop is in phase 4 now and should be here friday :)

No turbo mode, no optimization done. Those are my numbers before doing a clean install or changing anything on the system. Fresh from XoticPC. I do have a 128 Crucial SSD in it, but I don't believe that would impact the test.

[GearsPoweredFool]

Gogo find out how it runs!
I don't want to be forced to wait friday :P

[Hoodcom]

I wonder what the temps were when they ran the 940XM in the laptop.

Have any of you guys tried the new Catalyst 10.9 drivers on the laptop yet?

[mrmatt]

I just checked yesterday and only saw 10.8? Haven't heard of 10.9

[Hoodcom]

I just checked yesterday and only saw 10.8? Haven't heard of 10.9

http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/radeon-win7-64.aspx

10.9 for download at their site. :wink2:

[mrmatt]

Those aren't mobility drivers

[Hoodcom]

Those aren't mobility drivers

Oh, well, garsh... I am so used to desktop drivers I completely forgot the little detail. :laugh:

Well, I guess we at least can expect 10.9 for mobility soon then. :D

[Symptom]

Hey guys.. Just got mine a few days ago. Having never used 3dmark vantage before, I tried it out to make sure everything is working correctly. I'm confused since I only got 10867 on cpu and 3053 on gpu. Am I doing something wrong?

Edit: Ah, I didn't realize the default setting for the GPU was on Maximize battery instead of performance. I wasn't plugged in. Now I get around 7700. So I guess all is normal.