t-break: Tech @ Its Fastest » MSI

MSI R7850 Power Edition Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:29:33 +0000

Features

While MSI already launched their R7850 graphics card a few months back, there’s nothing like a new refresh with added features to entice customers for an upgrade. Today I’ll be looking at the MSI R7850 Power Edition graphics card.

The new ‘Power Edition’ brings a good number of features with it. First and foremost is the new Twin Frozr IV heatsink, which until now was featured only on the R7970 card from MSI. The other thing you’ll notice is how impressively small the R7850 Power Edition is, measuring just 8.5-inches; less than the width of a standard ATX motherboard.

Design

The custom PCB which measures 8-inches uses MSI’s top end Military Class III components, known to be used in their high-end motherboards and graphics cards. Coming back to the heatsink, we see aluminum fins that sit directly on top of the GPU and memory modules, with three heatpipes expanding outside.

The heatsink is covered by two 80mm fans that push air down to cool the components. The whole area is then covered by a cool black, metal casing on top. It’s interesting to note that MSI have used complete metal components as much as possible, and except for the fans, nothing on the heatsink is plastic.

Interestingly the two fans on the Twin Frozr IV heatsink adopt the same ‘Dust Removal’ technology that debuted for the first time in the MSI GTX 580 Extreme Lightning Edition. What basically happens here is that during the first 30 seconds of startup, the fans will run in reverse direction which should help pull off dust particles stuck in the heatsink fins.

The defining factor of the R7850 Power Edition comes from the improved PWM design which allows for massive power efficiencies, which further allows you to control voltage settings for GPU, memory and VDDCI. Of course, what all this, the improved heatsink and PWM, translates into is simply better overclocking. You should be able to take the R7850 Power Edition to the limits.

MSI GT70 Gaming Laptop Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:49:52 +0000

The MSI GT780R that was reviewed two months back was pretty impressive, but now that both Intel and Nvidia have released their Ivy Bridge processors and GTX 600M series graphics cards, it was time for a refresh.

The new GT70, for all intents and purposes, is the same as the GT780R before it, i.e. a big desktop replacement high-end laptop meant for gaming. It’s big, it’s bulky, it looks scary, but that’s what gaming laptops are.

Packing the latest lntel Ivy Bridge Core i7-3610QM @ 2.3GHz (TurboBoosting up to 3.3GHz), the Nvidia GTX 670M (with 3GB GDDR5 RAM), 16GB DDR3 RAM and 2x 64GB SSD (in RAID 0) and a 500GB HDD (@ 7,200RPM). The gold plated audio ports with built-in amplifier, 3x USB 3.0 ports and the high-end Killer E2200 LAN card ensures the MSI GT70 has bleeding edge tech as far as laptops are concerned.

Usage

On the surface the GT70 is the exact replica of the GT780R, having just some internal components changed. You have the same non-glossy 17.3-inch screen supporting a crisp resolution of 1920×1080. The mirror finish camera resides on top, along with the mic.

Down below the Steelseries multi-color backlit keyboard looks as mesmerizing as ever. The keys are easy to use and feel nice to touch, however, I noticed that due to the limited spacing between the keys it’s very easy to push another key accidentally.

On top of the keyboard are the Dynaudio speakers, their subwoofer tucked away underneath. The 2.1 speakers certainly make an impact, and indeed the bass reproduction is pretty impressive for the size of these speakers. While this setup is very good for songs and games, for movies and competitive gaming I would suggest using headphones.

The touchpad mouse is average at best, but a non-issue really, as you’re most likely to use a proper gaming mouse instead of the built-in touchpad.

Temperature & Noise

According to HWMonitor, the internal temperature of the GT70 did reach as high as 75°C. However, most of this heat is dissipated by the large fan at the bottom right. As long as there’s good ground clearance, or the GT70 is kept on a clean flat surface, temperatures actually felt through the palm rest area will not go higher than ‘mildly warm to touch’.

Now to keep such powerful hardware cool, especially during games, the fan does make a fair bit of noise. It doesn’t get too irritating because the built-in Dynaudio speakers do a good job of drowning out the whining noise. However if you’re watching a Bluray or DVD, the drive is going to make some very annoying sounds, so better use headphones.

MSI announces “Time Is Money” contest

Nick Rego — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:34:42 +0000

Press Release: World-renowned mainboard and graphics card manufacturer MSI announced earlier the release of their H77-series mainboards, featuring Intel® Smart Response Technology that boosts the overall work efficiency of computer systems. In order to provide users a deeper experience of the joy of time savings, MSI has put together the “TIME IS MONEY” timed challenge game. By completing two challenges named “Lightning Round” and “Pairing” within the 77-second limitation, you will have a chance to take home the H77-series mainboard for free!

Contest Name: MSI “TIME IS MONEY” Timed Challenge Contest
Contest Duration: 17:00 May 14, 2012 -17:00 June 14, 2012 (GMT+8)
Contest Rules: Take part in MSI’s “TIME IS MONEY” timed challenge within the contest period. Complete the following two challenges within the 77-second limit, and you will have the chance to take home an H77 series mainboard!

Challenge 1: “Lightning Round”: Five questions in total. Upon answering all of them correctly, you will automatically enter the second challenge phase.
Challenge 2: “Pairing”: Pick out pairs of matching images from a set of 12 poker cards; the challenge is completed when all cards are revealed.

Event Website: http://event.targets.com.tw/msi/msi-H77/en/
The list of winners will be announced on the event website on June 21.

Nvidia & Zotac GTX 670 (AMP! Edition) Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:56:35 +0000

Nvidia’s GTX 680 launched 2 months back with much hype, and not only did it live up to the expectations, but also set a new benchmark on how much performance can be squeezed out with such little power.

GTX 680 DNA

What Nvidia has built is a slightly detuned version of the fastest single GPU based graphics card in the world. Looking at the spec sheet below we see a small reduction in the CUDA Cores and core clock speeds, but pretty much everything else remains the same.

We have the same 28nm GK104 chip inside as the GTX 680, the same four 64-bit memory controllers, giving the 2GB GDDR5 memory 256-bit bandwidth and the same number of transistors. Coming in at 9.5-inches, the GTX 670 requires a 500W PSU powered with two 6-pin connectors.

Interestingly the power supply was moved towards the left side, rather than the complete right side as is usually the case. The fan, which is the same one used in the GTX 680, is thus moved to the right end. Sucking in the air, the hot air is then blown out through the left side of the GTX 670, i.e. outside the case. Nvidia have said that thanks to the power efficiencies of the Kepler architecture and the high overclockability of the GTX 670, which partners can make cars with customized heatsinks and much higher clock speeds. Let’s take a look at one such example. Temperatures remained at a fairly middle of the road 37°C when idle, and going up to 76°C under load.

Zotac GTX 670 AMP! Edition

If we take a look at the new Zotac GTX 670 AMP! Edition, we see some major improvements in the cooling solution. First off this is the exact same heatsink we have seen being used in the recently reviewed Zotac GTX 680 AMP! Edition. Measuring 10.5-inches, the GTX 670 AMP! Edition is also cooled by the massive heatsink, with the large copper pipes extending outwards and two big 80mm fans as the GTX 680 AMP! Edition.

Basically what this has allowed Zotac to do is to overclock the card to 1098MHz core clock (boosting to 1176MHz) and 3304 MHZ (6608MHz effective) memory speeds. That’s an overclock of 20% on the core clock and 10% memory speeds. That’s quite an incredible bump in speed over there. The best part, however, was that the temperature remained at 29°C when idling and touching just 60°C under load!

Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:43:13 +0000

With the Ivy Bridge processor launch out of the way, we have a chance to get back to concentrating on some of the simpler things in life. Like a motherboard. I have already covered Gigabyte’s mainstream Z77 board in the Ivy Bridge motherboards roundup article, with the GA-Z77-UD5H coming out as the top dog. Today we’ll be looking at the younger sibling, the GA-Z77-D3H.

The Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H is an entry-level motherboard that ticks most of the checkboxes required for a modern gaming rig. Being based on the latest Z77 chipset we get the benefit of USB 3.0 ports, PCIe 3.0 and Lucid Virtu MVP performance. Oh and all compatible memory sticks will boot up with 1600MHz, not forced down 1333MHz like with Sandy Bridge CPUs.

Additionally we also get some Intel specific features newly introduced for the Ivy Bridge platform, the Intel Smart Connect feature which updates your feeds (emails, Twitter, FB, etc.) automatically even when the PC is in Sleep mode. Intel Rapid Start Technology allows your PC to return back to desktop within seconds when coming out of Hibernation mode; something that’s moot if you have a SSD, though.

Speaking of SSD, the GA-Z77-D3H also comes with an mSATA port, allowing you to plug in a small capacity drive so that Intel Smart Response Technology can use it to cache your frequently used programs from your normal hard drive. Gigabyte has gone one step further, with their ‘EZ Smart Response’ software which basically allows you to bypass all the cumbersome activation of ISRT in BIOS and reinstalling Windows under RAID. The software does it all for you with a few button clicks.

Another cool thing that comes from the Ivy Bridge processors is the ability to support three displays simultaneously using the integrated GPU (Intel HD 4000). This is done via the VGA, DVI and HDMI port on the back.

MSI Z77A-GD55 Motherboard Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:59:32 +0000

Z77 Chipset

The MSI Z77A-GD55 marks the introduction of the first Intel Z77 based motherboard we will be reviewing in the coming months. The Z77 chipsets are actually made for the upcoming Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs, but the socket remains the same as Sandy Bridge, i.e. LGA 1155.

The Z77 chipset is quite literally the next-generation upgrade to the Z68 chipset released last year for Sandy Bridge CPUs. On the Z77 you can overclock your processor, memory as well as integrated GPU just like the Z68. Similarly the chipset supports the same number of SATA 2 and SATA 3 ports (4 and 2 respectively). Intel’s Smart Response Technology which uses SSD caching is also present on the Z77 chipset.

The real upgrades come in the form of USB 3.0 support. Where Z68 supported up to 14x USB 2.0 ports, Z77 has them divided by 10x USB 2.0 and 4x USB 3.0 ports. But this is an irrelevant upgrade as most motherboard manufacturers have been supporting USB 3.0 on Intel boards using Marvell controllers over the past two years.

Packaging

That said, the major advantage every PC enthusiast is looking forward to in Z77 motherboards is PCIe 3.0 expansion slots, an upgrade last seen only on Sandy Bridge-E X79 motherboards. With PCIe 3.0 the bandwidth of graphics card literally doubles that of PCIe 2.0 slots; at least in theory.

So let’s see what comes along with this shiny new motherboard from MSI. Since this is the GD55 version of the Z77A chipset, most of the extra accessories is reserved for some of their higher-end models, like the GD65. What we get are 4x SATA cables, an SLI bridge, a rear I/O panel, drivers CD and installation guide books.

MSI GT780R Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:45:51 +0000

Design & Build Quality

Let’s face it, when it comes to gaming laptops, the most popular brand here is Alienware. ASUS and MSI aren’t exactly household names, but with the recent slew of their gaming laptops, these companies are set to rock the market. Today I’ll be looking at the MSI GT780R which is currently their flagship model in the region.

As with any gaming laptop, one should expect bright colorful LEDs, big and bright screens, cutting edge hardware and a loud set of speakers and exhaust fans to complement the whole auditory experience. And the MSI GT780R delivers on all fronts.

So let’s take it from the top. The whole laptop looks big and bulky, which it is, but when closed it doesn’t look so awesome. Indeed the overall design is rather flat and uninspirational. One could argue that Alienware has had years of sloppy design to come up with their recent ones. On the other hand, however, ASUS’s ROG series laptops have phenomenal design, besting even Alienware. Still, that’s not to say that the MSI GT780R looks bad, far from it; it’s just not appealing.

The majority of the laptop is hard plastic, of course, but the top of the lid has brushed stainless steel with a glowing white MSI logo on top. On the right we the DVD drive and two USB 2.0 ports.

On the left we have the audio ports, a memory card reader, two USB 3.0 ports and the large exhaust fan grill. On the back we have the large exhaust grill continue, followed by the HDMI and VGA ports, the eSATA port, the LAN port and the Power plug.

Underneath you have the subwoofer, a whole back plate that can be opened up to upgrade or replace the RAM and the two hard drives. There’s also an easy bay for the 7800mAh battery near the front. Not surprising since both the CPU and GPU heatpipes and cooling are focused towards the rear end of the GT780R, where the height of the laptop goes up to 2.2-inches.

MSI R7950 Twin Frozr III Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:56:24 +0000

With the launch of the AMD HD 7950 graphics, it wasn’t long before we’d see custom cooling solutions and OEM factory overclocks on the cards themselves. Indeed the first two HD 7950s we reviewed were custom designs with factory overclock from both PowerColor and XFX. Today, though, I’ll be looking at the MSI R7950 that comes with their famous Twin Frozr III heatsink.

I have already covered the HD 7950’s architecture in the original review posted three weeks ago, so I’ll get straight to the meat of this card: the custom cooling solution and the factory overclock. But before that, a quick look into what comes with the R7950 Twin Frozr III. With the packaging comes a CrossFire bridge, a DVI to VGA adapter, a mini-DP to DisplayPort adapter, Drivers CD and manuals, plus two molex to 6-pin PCIe power cables. Pretty much everything to get you started.

The R7950 itself comes factory overclocked to 880MHz on the Core clock speeds, which is a 10% speed bump. The Memory speeds remain the same, at 1250MHz (effective 5000MHz). Minimum PSU requirements remain the same as reference AMD, with 500W or greater required for two 6-pin connectors.

Layout Design & Cooling

So coming back to the card itself, with the MSI R7950 we see the massive Twin Frozr III heatsink attached on top. The PCB itself is reference AMD layout, with the custom heatsink extending out just a tad bit more, bringing the total length of the MSI R7950 Twin Frozr III to just over 10.5-inches.

Apart from the HD 7950 GPU itself, which is directly attached to the heatsink, the memory chips are also in touch with a black metal frame (via thermal pads) that covers the entire PCB. The aluminum fins then pan out directly on top of the metal frame connected through five thick heatpipes. Furthermore, another five heatpipes connect the GPU area directly into the aluminum fins. These fins are then cooled down via two 80mm fans. The whole heatsink itself is covered by a gunmetal faceplate on the top.

The end result of such a sophisticated heatsink? The Twin Frozr III keeps the R7950 running at 32°C during idle, and under maximum load it goes up to just 58°C. And that’s not even the best part about the Twin Frozr III. The two fans run dead silent, barely touching 1,300RPMeven under load!

MSI Big Bang XPower II Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:29:16 +0000

The original MSI Big Bang Marshal made quite a stir at the Tbreak office last year, and now with the new XPower II version, history is set to repeat itself.

Carrying the Big Bang moniker, the new XPower II motherboard is quite obviously an ATX sized monstrosity, but the packaging seems deceptively mid-sized. The glossy gold and black color scheme looks really nice, without looking overly flashy. It somehow reminds me of the design aesthetics of Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Given that a lot of attention has been paid to the design of the XPower II, the case has a flap which allows you to get a glimpse of the motherboard itself. All around it are lists of features that make the XPower II such a special board.

Opening up, you’ll notice a ton of manuals, cables and accessories. First off there are two quick start and installation guides. Then there’s an overclocking guide along with a ‘Certificate of Quality and Stability’. There is another overclocking record sheet, perhaps on this motherboard itself, which shows the highest overclocking results achieved by MSI’s own engineers. I believe this sheet was just given along with the review samples.

Moving along, we have a front bracket which has two USB 3.0 ports and a back panel eSATA bracket. Then there are eight SATA cables, three SLI cables for a 4-way SLI setup and a CrossFireX cable. Finally, there are the V-Check point connectors for reading voltage of various components.

Gigabyte GA-X79-UD7 Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:32:50 +0000

When last I looked at one of Gigabyte’s high-end motherboards, it was found wanting. It was good, but for the price it wasn’t as great as some of its closest competitors. Today I’ll be looking at the G1.Assassin 2’s distant cousin, the GA-X79-UD7. This is Gigabyte’s mainstream entry on the higher-end scale for the latest Sandy Bridge-E platform.

Looking at the packaging, it seems that Gigabyte decided to go with some very subtle. The whole package is just white, with shades of grey. On the back are the features and a picture of the motherboard itself, wherein you’ll see the black and orange color scheme.

Opening it up we notice a host of accessories. First of there are 4X SATA cables, a 4-way, 3-way and 2-way SLI bridges along with a CrossFireX bridge. There’s a USB 3.0 3.5”bracket with 2 ports to be hooked up upfront or at the back.

Apart from the I/O panel, there’s a Bluetooth + WiFi adapter with two antennae. Closing off we have the eSATA bracket. All of these combined with a 3 or 4-way SLI could result in a completely jam packed rear panel of your desktop casing.