MSI GE620 Gaming Laptop Review (Core i7/Nvidia)

The MSI GE620 is a heck of a good value for money gaming laptop. For £800 you get a high performance Core i7 2630QM quad core processor with hyperthreading and the very capable Nvidia GT540M discrete solution.

In regards to overall system performance, this is one of the best value for money systems we have reviewed in recent months. It is capable of a variety of uses, such as general office duties, high definition movie playback and more intensive tasks such as gaming, rendering and video encoding.

Battery life is also a plus point, averaging between 3 and 4 hours for media playback and general work related demands. Gaming reduces this to just over 2 hours, but for a 6 cell battery this is good. We are glad to report that MSI are using a 7,200 rpm hard drive which delivers decent all round performance with high storage capabilities.

The build quality is decent, although we were disappointed with the quality of the panel. It is extremely glossy, causing noticeable and distracting reflections and the colour rendition is distinctly average. It isn't bad, but we have seen much better, especially on other MSI laptops.

Onboard sound is fine, but there is very little bass reponse. The keyboard and mouse are also acceptable, but nothing exceptional or even noteworthy.

This laptop is slightly ‘unbalanced'. We have no complaints with system performance – it is extremely responsive and capable of a huge variety of tasks. When the excitement has passed however, we can't help but feel disappointed with the appearance, screen, keyboard and trackpad.

Additionally, we think MSI could have approached the cooling system from a better angle. The Core i7 processor can heat up to almost 85c under load and the undersides of the machine get hot. The internal system fan has to cope with a lot of heat and will become clearly audible under load. We could always hear it and it did irritate a little. That said, performance freaks and gamers will probably not care.

You can currently buy the GE620 from Amazon for under £800, inc vat (look at panel on the right, its £788 direct from Amazon.co.uk).

Pros:

• Powerful system, thanks to Core i7 2630QM.
• fast 7,200 rpm hard drive.
• Nvidia graphics are excellent.
• price point is fantastic.
• good battery life.

Cons:

• bland design for a ‘gaming' laptop.
• screen quality is average.
• gets hot.
• is noisy under load.
• keyboard and trackpad are average.

Kitguru says: It offers a lot of performance for the money, but you need to be able to live with an average screen and considerable noise and heat.

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