A comparison of MSI laptop motherboards

Most OEMs are uncomfortable with the general consumer tinkering with laptop hard drives, memory, and other core components for a variety of reasons. Gamers, however, tend to be more knowledgeable when it comes to upgrades and many gaming laptops have been designed to allow for easier servicing as a result.

MSI laptops in particular have been consistently easy to service even though some older models may require tearing a warranty sticker. The gallery below is our collection of different MSI laptops dating back to the GT60 to give an idea of how the internals have changed over the years.

A few observations can be made when seeing the differences between generations. For one, the number of copper heat pipes has grown substantially after each major revision. The GT62, for example, incorporates 6 heat pipes compared to just 4 on the GT60 while the GT63 includes a total of 8. Secondly, the budget GL and GP models are very similar to the pricier GF or GE models but with certain features removed to cut down on price. The cheaper GL62M, for example, is essentially a GE72VR but with fewer speakers, fewer heat pipes, and fewer storage slots. In all cases, the decision to omit the aging optical drive on newer designs has allowed for MSI to build larger cooling solutions in its place.

Users in need of specific or hard-to-find components for upgrading their MSI, Alienware, or Clevo laptops can utilize Eurocom's configurator here.

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